Fan Duel Toronto Raptors

Morning Coffee Aug 1

Euroleague Adventures “Internationalized-est” isn’t a word, you say.  You are right—at least for the time being; but Give Bryan Colaneglo a month or two and I bet he could spin a deal with Merriam-Webster’s and even get them to toss in a future draft pick or cash considerations. Yep.  The Toronto Raptors General Manager is…

Euroleague Adventures

“Internationalized-est” isn’t a word, you say.  You are right—at least for the time being; but Give Bryan Colaneglo a month or two and I bet he could spin a deal with Merriam-Webster’s and even get them to toss in a future draft pick or cash considerations.

Yep.  The Toronto Raptors General Manager is just that crafty, and after winning the NBA’s Executive of the Year Honors in both 2005 with the Suns and 2005 with the Raptors, Colangelo laughs at those who say Yao’s absence will diminish the NBA’s international appeal.  Now that he’s gone out and signed Rasho Nesterovic and traded for Marco Belinelli in the last few days,  the Air Canada Centre may want to hand out atlases instead of programs.  Hmmm…that could work.

TorontoMike

Ok BC is a smart GM, he signed Jarrett Jack (who’s Bosh’s friend from college). BC went and got Belinelli who is great friends with Bargs. Since Bargs just signed an extention BC wants to keep his core players. Yes, they may have overpaid for Jarrett Jack but if that keeps Bosh happy, then he has a better chance to resign him in the summer. Belinelli is still young and cheaper than Delfino. This is a solid team and has a better bench than the Kings starting 5

Daily Observer

Belinelli posted a career-high 27 points in a loss to Atlanta by taking 21 shots, including 10 heaves from beyond the three-point arc.

His defence is suspect and his shot selection, at times, is questionable.

The kid is 23 years old and when one watches Belinelli shoot the basketball, his form is clinical. But people in this market should be more realistic and objective when it comes to his impact as a Raptor.

He has the potential to spread defences because he has the potential to make perimeter shots. The wise move for the Raptors would have been to address defence, rebounding and toughness, the tenets of basketball that produce long runs in the post-season.

Belinelli addresses neither.

The fact the Raptors acquired Belinelli from the Warriors for basically cash is commendable.

Almost by default, Belinelli becomes a rotation player because there isn’t much shooting coming off the bench.

Golden State of Mind

Belinelli is not only less talented than the rest of the other Warrior players at his position, but less talented than about 95% of the guards in the league. He got beat out for playing time fair and square on a 29 win team. What does that tell you? He’s not a very good NBA player.

Pro Basketball News

Still awful soft with leaders like Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu, but should be much more exciting to watch with their brand of European basketball. Will likely be better at end of year than start.

It’s More Than Just A Game

  Belinelli is the lucky one. He’s moving from a team that had great talent but that clearly won’t win to a team that needs him literally. Golden State had just drafted a PG, Stephen Curry, whom everybody thinks will play shooting guard, a team that has enormous relationship issues, that had like 13 scores but no one to distribute the ball to maintain all of them happy and that has a coach who can blow up any minute and decides he had enough what means that the blame will be eventually on the players. In Canada, Belinelli is necessary right away. The Raptors upgraded their team with Hedo Turkoglu but lost both shooters, Anthony Parker and Jason Kapono, which mean they have minutes available for him, besides he’ll have the opportunity to play with a compatriot, Andreas Bargliani, what is also good when you are in a foreign country. They way they improved and the way that other teams did not, playing in the East, Toronto has a real chance to make the playoffs.

Fan590

Rasho Nesterovic – Raptors New (and former) Centre joins the Morning Show from Slovenia to talk about his return to Toronto, what to expect from him this season, and his thoughts on the roster. 

RaptorTalk

It certainly seems that the Raptors were the beneficiaries of a questionable roster move by Golden State. It makes me wonder why the Warriors backed out at the last minute on a trade deadline deal last February which had Joey Graham and his expiring contract heading to the Bay Area for Belinelli – yet now accepted a scrub in Devean George for Belinelli a mere five months later?
That was a strange situation back in February. Apparently Belinelli was so convinced that he would be a Raptor in a deadline deal that he was cleaning out his Bay Area apartment and telling all his friends he was heading north to Canada. Then suddenly, the deal was off.