is a pass first guard. the guy was top 5 i think in assist. give him credit man.. he averaged more assist than tony parker and people say he’s a pass first guard

I see 14/6/5 and most improved in the league!

Beli’s passing looked promising in SL, but that dang shot selection seems as bad as ever. Dude has decent court vision though.

Hoping for improvement this season but preparing myself for the possibility of seeing Marco take the bus to busterville this year.

If that happens, maybe D’Antoni’s Knicks will take him off our hands – he’s got to like the thought of adding another Italian player to his squad.

setting up morrow and beli.

Just way too early to tell, either way. If it’s half full, then Marco’s another scoring prospect, who’s capable of having big games. If it’s half empty, then he’s a flawed, streaky, turn-over proned, Euro who can’t guard anybody. The idea is you improve your strengths into weapons, and you fill the holes with dirt. Rarely do players come along that are strong in most aspects of the game. If he becomes a very good scorer and +/- average defender, I like a player like him on our team. He will score and make some passes. Maybe get youtube’d on the wrong side, but hey..

Hopefully the ascension begins sooner than later and he graduates into the rotation.
A young player’s confidence is the only thing he’s got going for him, adjusting to a new league of professionals. 1st round draft picks are only as good as their last game, and from the way he was used last season, I couldn’t be too harsh on Italian kid for not having balls, and choking in the most crucial moments.

What Nelson “should” have done, was put Marco in while the team was hot on a roll. When the shots are falling from everywhere and the other team’s back on their heels, THEN Nelson should have put him in and let him run the wing on the break. The rhythm of the game, the crowd, would be enough to allow most any rook’s confidence to grow. The game becomes simplified within the unison of the team’s success, and that rubs off, even on rookies. This the situation where he has the better chance to succeed, and after he has a good game, and he’s made those two back to back shots, or made that highlight dime, everyone feels better about him playing next game, most importantly, Marco himself. You build up rookie’s little by little, putting in them in favorable postions.(end quarter runs, where you can suavely take them out, without taking out the air with them)

Instead, most of the times I just saw Nelson occasionally throw him in the game when Barnes or Pietrus was stinking it up, and he was looking for anybody else on the roster to do anything for him. In these situations especially, it’s the worst time to play any rookie. The team’s down points, your bench is cold, and you get the bright idea to shock the rookie out of his warm-up’s and up to the plate when it matters the most, when it’s deciding if the game is lost or won. So obviously the pressure’s on now, everybody’s watching, and Nellie’s on the sideline looking like he’s ready to burst. The crowd can’t even control themselves, and they’re screaming like Usher fans every time MB touches the ball, daring the 26 foot jumper…...Belinelli misses his first shot. UH OH!!!! He checks over his shoulder to see if the hooks coming….but it’s not. Maybe the next time he catches a pass off a screen he’d normally go right up with, confidently. But he thinks about it twice and hesitates long enough for the defender to close in and alter the shot. It pounds off the backboard and misses the rim completely. YANK.

How would you feel? Poor little bugger.

But seriously, I believe in Belinelli more than not, and from an amateur perspective, I like many of his abilities. His shot can be sharpened into a serious weapon. He would do well to limit his fade away’s and leaner’s to 14-17 ft…get in better shape, invest in a bike and peddle next to Mully for a few hours after practice every day..stronger legs under his shot, no leaning or fading, and a high motor(which can only be built by a superior work ethic) I believe would elevate his game, and allow him to shoot with more consistency and a higher percentage. Belinelli is working with a good handle, above average for his position. Please do not mistaken this with taking the ball to trouble or dribbling into the teeth of defense. That has much less too do with a player’s ability to handle a basketball than it does his awareness and ability to pick up on defensive reads quickly… that should come with experience.. He get’s the ball out of his hands quickly to teammates for assists. The vision and the artistry of a point guard is naturally embedded in his offense.. His lazy defense, lack of physicality, toughness under the rim, gambling on steals, ill advised reaching on help defense picking up meaningless fouls, and fading away on uncontested and long range shots, are all flaws in his game. (I remember KOBE’s rookie season,the fadeaway clankers from deep with his feet kicked out)

He’s going to improve. He’s going to fail. Either way you don’t know, but don’t trick yourself into believing that you do know. You just got to sit on your ass and watch the show. You can’t make something out of nothing and face it, you got nothing. Just see what happens and hope for the best for God’s sake. Way too early for all the headaches and complaining and wallowing.

“He’s going to improve. He’s going to fail. Either way you don’t know, but don’t trick yourself into believing that you do know. You just got to sit on your ass and watch the show. You can’t make something out of nothing and face it, you got nothing. Just see what happens and hope for the best for God’s sake. Way too early for all the headaches and complaining and wallowing”
Back in the real world I look at the chances of marco being a great player the same way I feel about a comet striking earth, it might happen but probably not in my lifetime so why worry?

mullin had a crush on rocky? nelson lost a bet with an italian ho?? the mafia says so???