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News Bulletin: Colangelo Wanted for Rape!
Posted on | July 30, 2009 | 5 Comments
I was waiting to write a summary of what Raptors GM, Bryan Colangelo, has done with the Raptors this summer, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. I was minding my own business this evening when I go to Doug Smith’s blog to discover that Colangelo has somehow convinced Warriors GM, Larry Riley, that what the Warriors really need is not a 23 year old athletic shooting guard who can hit from range and has the potential to be a legit starting shooting guard in the league, but an over the hill 31 year old SF, who has never even come close to averaging double digits in scoring, probably because his CAREER average shooting percentage is .390. In ten seasons, Devean George has played an average of 57 games a season, but to be fair, a lot of those missed games this past season were DNP-Coaches Decisions. Although, I don’t know if that’s really better than being injured. It’s kind of like discovering that your teenage daughter isn’t having sex with her boyfriend because he’s having a herpes outbreak.
This is one of those trades that guys suggest on forums and get shot down because it’s so stupid. Unfortunately, it’s also ammunition for future lopsided trade proposals. They can say “Hey, Colangelo was able to get Marco Belinelli for Devean George, so why wouldn’t Danny Ferry trade LeBron James for Chris Bosh?”
I don’t know if Colangelo showed Larry Riley clips of Devean George when he was still with the Lakers, and only overrated, rather than just washed up. Or maybe he just kept telling him that George was an expiring contract, which EVERYONE wants. Really!
Seriously, though, I really have trouble figuring out this trade from Golden State’s perspective. The expiring contract doesn’t really do it because Marco Belinelli has a team option for next season they could have simply not exercised if they wanted to get rid of him that badly. And while the Warriors have a bunch of shooting guards on the roster, which meant Belinelli might have trouble getting minutes, they have even more small forwards. George might not even see the floor this season.
Even during George’s peak, he wasn’t as talented as Belinelli is right now. I mean, despite fighting for playing time in a crowded Warrior backcourt last season, Belinelli had a better year, statistically, than George EVER had. He shot better both from the field and behind the three point line, his scoring average was higher than George’s ever was and he had more assists per game than George ever had. And George actually costs a few hundred thousand dollars more than Belinelli.
It’s mind boggling to me, and yet another reason why Colangelo is a favourite to win Executive of the Year Award (although San Antonio’s R.C. Buford has to be up there, too). The Raptors now have two very different youn
g SG’s, both with loads of potential. And on a side note, they can actually put on the floor an All-Euro team that is actually pretty damn good. Would anyone be really shocked if the Raptors had all European players in five years? Is Colangelo trying to pull a trade for Ricky Rubio?
On a side note, I’m guessing this might be the end of the Carlos Delfino saga. With Belinelli on board, Delfino becomes a lot less needed. Belinelli can begin the season as the starter at the SG position, as he started 23 games last season for the Warriors, which means draft pick DeMar DeRozan has very little pressure on him and can ease into things slowly, if he needs to.
The only pressing need for the Raptors now is a backup SF. However past his prime Devean George was, he was the only true SF on the roster besides Turkoglu. Both Antoine Wright and DeRozan can play SF, but they would both be a little undersized. Looking at the players available, who might take the veteran’s minimum- which is all the Raptors have to offer- I wouldn’t be shocked to see Joey Graham back next season. He knows the system, showed some improvement last season, and could easily fill in for 10-15 minutes per game.
Of course, after tonight’s surprise, and what he did to get Turkoglu, I wouldn’t be completely shocked if Colangelo somehow convinced Linas Kleiza to accept the minimum to play with the Raptors.
*UPDATE*
I’ve discovered that the Raptors threw in enough money in the deal to essentially cover Devean George’s contract. This, and only this, seems to be the only possible reason the Warriors would do this deal. I read this blog and, to me, it sounds like an excuse. Belinelli did have a horrible rookie year, but his sophomore season was much better and he showed a lot of promise, especially when he was able to step into the starting lineup for 23 games due to the various injuries of the other 392 Golden State wing players. The blog mentions that Belinelli was a bust, which is incredibly laughable, considering that he was drafted 18th, has been in the league only 2 seasons, had decent numbers despite a surplus at his position. More than likely, Belinelli was in Don Nelson’s doghouse (as countless other talented players have been), ownership needed to save money and Colangelo kept calling to try and get him.
5 Responses to “News Bulletin: Colangelo Wanted for Rape!”
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July 30th, 2009 @ 4:52 PM
I know this is close to being a pipedream, but Kleiza would be perfect. A big, tough 3 who can play some 4 as well. Even better, if either Turkoglu or Bosh go down, he could step into the starting rotation a lot better than most other options. Unfortunately, that’s also the reason why he probably won’t come to Toronto for the minimum.
Oh, and just a note, I think George’s salary for this year would have been closer to $50k more than Belinelli’s, not a couple hundred thousand like you stated, but your point is noted. I think you have to conclude from the trade that Golden State was *not* going to pick up the team option by the Oct 31st deadline, thus making it a trade of two expiring contracts, with Toronto throwing in cash considerations to make the deal worth their while. The deal is also a vote of confidence for Anthony Morrow and perhaps also C.J. Watson, who I believe they’re trying to re-sign.
Overall, a deal that works for both teams, though Golden State’s benefit is a lot more subtle than Toronto getting another workable piece for a non-factor. While George was the only other true SF behind Turkoglu, he was also most likely slated for the inactive list along with Banks and one of Douby, Ukic and O’Bryant.
July 30th, 2009 @ 5:24 PM
J,
I think this was only a win-win for Golden State owners. I agree that someone had to go, and Belinelli was the most likely candidate, but to not even turn him into a useful player or draft pick is a little surprising. They couldn’t even package a few players together? There were just far too many Golden State wing players for everyone to get enough minutes, and Belinelli needed minutes to develop. Now he’ll get them. Not that I think he’s a future All-Star, or anything, but I think he’s going to develop into a player the Warrior fans will regret them trading away for basically nothing.
July 30th, 2009 @ 10:08 PM
Oh definitely, haha. Golden State fans aren’t going to reap any benefits; plus, it seems he was somewhat of a fan favorite. Hopefully, he wasn’t a favorite the way Pops Mensah-Bonsu has been overblown by Raptor nation.
July 31st, 2009 @ 3:52 AM
The blog “Golden State of Mind” (if you refer to that) says a lot of bull…t. Being a Warrior fan since 1989 (when I lived there) I can tell you some things:
1) the G.S. front office has a long and well respected tradition in making dumb moves;
2) generations of good (or even wonderful) players has been drafted in Oakland and then traded away;
3) many of these guys actually sought a way of escaping (and this is another case);
4) Don Nelson has really become an old crazy maniac, and you don’t want to deal with him if he doesn’t love you. Marco didn’t have such a bad season at first, he just couldn’t play a lick being in jail, and never fitted with Nelson any more;
5) people in the Bay Area know all of this for sure, but probably I see them shared in two lines now: those who look at the bright future of guys like M. Ellis, S. Curry, A. Morrow, A. Randolph, and think they dont’t need Marco or B. Wright any more; others, who regret this trade as the newest example of their team going, again, in the wrong direction;
6) the case of Bellinelli (and note the double double “L”: that’s his real name) it’s not to be paired with the Pops’s case in TO. Marco B. was a fan favourite for two essential reasons: he was the only team-player in the back court, and he was a white boy. When your attendance is made by 80-90% of whites, don’t be surprised if thing like that happens: you know, people tend to identify theirselves in guys that look a bit like them (in italian soccer, for instance, the much loved players are the ones born in town);
6) anyway, in a team full of primadonnas, bad boys and shot-first, Bellinelli was a rare glimpse of well-mannered, team-oriented guy, one ot few just willing to play some defence (as people noted). And surely all this (not surprisingly) didn’t make him popular in a locker room made of talented playground players;
7, and last) Marco is not going to be a world-beater, maybe will try to over-do initially, but he knows the environment has changed now, and Toronto is his last chance to be a NBA player, as he wish to consider himself.
July 31st, 2009 @ 10:22 AM
CDG,
I’ve been following, from a distance, the Warriors for a long time. I think the worst moves seem to be when Nelson is around. I still remember them trading away Mitch Richmond for Billy Owens. Owens never became the players Mitch did and Mitch suffered in purgatory (well, Sacramento) for most of his career, wasting what could have been a much better career. Had he been on a playoff team, I think he would be mentioned more among the best players at the SG position. It’s too bad.
Nelson is certainly a character. I think you can put him in the same category as Larry Brown, not for coaching talent, but for immature, temperamental behaviour. You get on the wrong side of this guy and you’re screwed. We’ll see if Anthony Randolph gets time this season.