UPDATE (8/1/09 10:01 am): Rap it up with the HQ in The Scoop on Belinelli!
I should also be clear on the Raps angle since we have a lot of Raptors fans reading. First of all, welcome T-Town. As my esteemed colleague JAE and I have written at length this trade is meaningless for the Warriors. In the long run it's also pretty meaningless for the Raptors. But if you want to assign a grade for the Raptors front office for this move, it's undoubtedly an A. It's a low risk, potentially high reward move. They traded nothing for the possibility of something. Can't fault that one bit from the Raps angle- unlike that silly and unnecessary extension for quite possibly the worst rebounding big man in the league, but that's another story for another time...
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At the start of the last year in this decade we rolled out the famous Polling GSoM segment. It's been a hit to say the least. Even The New York Times recognizes game. But as you all know, we're not one hit wonders (ahem, Young MC) here at the mighty GSoM. Building on that success it's time to launch another soon to be platinum status hit.
My golden friends I give you... Asking GSoM!
What's that you say?
Well think of Asking GSoM as a more eloquent and in-depth version of Polling GSoM. Instead of just voting and participating in an unstructured discussion we've got a structured and provocative set of discussion topics centered around a common theme and news item in the association.
Our friends over at Raptors HQ provide the "Asking" for this inaugural segment with their inquiries about the Marco Belinelli for Devean George swap. Check out:
- Warriors Trade Marco Belinelli to Raptors for Devean George- What a Joke!
- Belinelli Traded, World Does Not End: State of the Warriors after the trade
Raptors HQ is legit. This ain't no Craptors HQ!
Jump to see what questions have been flown into the GSoM Mailbag via Air Canada.
Asking #1: There has been a lot of discussion about what sort of player Belinelli is now and what he could be. Your recent poll is suggesting he is fools gold but there are also a lot of Raps fans who recall his performance against the team when he went 5/8FG3, 6/6FT, 6AST, 23PTS, in a 117 point GSW win. Was this a complete anomoly, much like his summer league performance a few years back? Has any other player built a reputation based on one summer league game like Belinelli appears to have done?
My 20 cents: It was a complete anomaly. It's a little funny come to think of it. I remember awhile back Devean George made a big name for himself in the summer league, but maybe I'm only remembering that because I lived in SoCal at the time and was surrounded by LA Faker fans who hilariously tried to convince me that George was the next Shawn Marion (true story).
Asking #2: Raptors fan are generally pretty excited about the trade. George was not going to contribute a great deal and Belinelli seems to be falling into a best case scenario given the United Nations feel with the Raps and the possibility of more PT. What went wrong in Golden State? Is it simply a numbers game and that Belinelli is less talented than the rest of the current players at his position? Or, is it the circus of a front office (and the politics that came with that)?
My 20 cents: 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.
Asking #3: The feeling at the HQ is that even if Belinelli doesn't work out the team didn't have to give up much to get someone with upside and who could become a rotation player. It's not like Colangelo gave up a first round pick for Marcus Williams....(ouch!). There seems to be some sentiment that if Belinelli doesn't get minutes however, he could cause a disturbance in the locker room. Is there anything to support this?
My 20 cents: After his rookie season in the offseason Belinelli aired his frustration with his lack of playing time (which he by the way didn't earn or deserve) to the Italian press. Belinelli also reportedly refused Nellie's request to go down to the NBDL amidst his horrendous rookie campaign. He seems like a decent enough cat though. I doubt he's a locker room drama queen and that he'll create any disturbance in the Toronto locker room, but that's just my intuition and not based on any real reports.
Asking #4: One player readers keep comparing him to is former Raptor Jason Kapono. Although Kapono could shoot he was an atrocious defender. Is Belinelli really that bad a defender? Is there another NBA player who might be a better comparison (please say yes!)?
My 20 cents: Some delusional Warrior fans will actually argue that Belinelli is a good defender, but take that with a pound of salt. Remember we haven't seen anything resembling defense here since that magical We Believe run in the spring of 2007. Most Warriors fans wouldn't know what good defense was if a Dikembe Mutombo rejection hit them in the face. Belineli is not nearly as good of a 3pt shooter as Kapono, but probably just as atrocious of a defender.
Post your detailed insights to these questions in the comments.
And since we have some Raps fans reading I thought it'd be fun time to bring back this oldie, but goodie...
