Published: July 30, 2009
It took nearly a year to finally pull the trigger, but Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo looks to have added the final significant piece to his extreme roster makeover this summer in guard Marco Belinelli of the Golden State Warriors. While nothing is official, a conference call to confirm the deal is scheduled for late Thursday morning to formally announce that the Raptors have traded Devean George to Golden State for the 6′5″ combo guard from Italy.
By moving a player that had minimal value to the franchise in George, they were able to obtain a 23-year-old who many predict will have a bright future in the NBA. Sure, he only averaged 8.9 points and 2.1 assists per game with the Warriors last season, but Belinelli scored more than 15 points on seven different occasions last season. It’s no coincidence that those scoring outbursts came in games where Don Nelson finally gave the youngster some minutes and freed him from the end of his bench.
Throw into the mix that he averaged 15.8 points in the 13 games he played more than 30 minutes and it’s clear he can score in buckets when he’s given minutes and the opportunity to play through his mistakes.
I’ll keep my ears open for how this deals effects the long rumoured signing of free agent Carlos Delfino, but at first glance it seems to eliminate any need for the Argentinian.
One Comment on "Raptors Acquire Belinelli"
Morning Coffee July 30 - Raptors Republic - Raptors Blog ESPN True Hoop on Thu, 30th Jul 2009 8:04 am
[...] HoopsAddict By moving a player that had minimal value to the franchise in George, they were able to obtain a 23-year-old who many predict will have bright future in the NBA. Sure, he only averaged 8.9 points and 2.1 assists per game with the Warriors last season, but Belinelli scored more than 15 points on seven different occasions last season. It’s no coincidence that those scoring outbursts came in games where Don Nelson finally gave the youngster some minutes and freed him from the end of his bench. [...]