Raptors Aquire Marco Belinelli & Rasho Nesterovic

The Raptors have made two more moves in what has been one of the franchises busiest summers to date, making Toronto unofficially Europe West for International player with the addition of two more, Belinelli and Nesterovic. I mean even one of our few black players is from England (Pops 44). With the latest additions Colangelo has shored up the two remaining concerns I had of next years roster, height/rebounding and guard depth, along with bringing back a fan favorite in Nesterovic. So lets take a look at the role these two will play on the new look ‘09/’10 Raptors.

Marco Belinelli is a 23 year old Italian shooting guard aquired from the Golden State Warriors for Devean George. This is a GREAT trade for the Raptors who seemed unlikely to use the 32 year old George in their regular rotation and was either going to be bought out or the 10th man off the bench. Instead the Raptors get a developing young shooting guard who was regarded as a steal for the Warriors in the ‘07 draft, the fact that he is Italian and a good friend of Bargnani is just a pleasant addition. The Raptors had already added depth to the shooting guard position with the addition of Antoine Wright, Jarrett Jack, and rookie DeMar DeRozan but Belinelli is a welcomed addition to the team. Belinelli, unlike Jack and Wright who are combo guards, is a pure shooting guard and should be splitting time with DeRozan by seasons end. While still developing, Belinelli is a solid player averaging 8.9 ppg in just 21 minutes per game last season and improved in almost every category from his rookie season. He increased his shooting percentage by 5%, assists and rebounds increased 1.5, and he started in 23 games after coming off the bench in every game his rookie year. If he continues to progress at that pace he could be a key part of the Raptors future, and to think we got him for an aging veteran. Belinelli will fit in easily in Toronto, with the large Italian community and the presence of good friend Andrea Bargnani the transistion will be seemless.

Rasho returns to Toronto after a breif stint in Indiana, being sent to the Pacers in the deal that brought Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto. However, he returns to a different situation then when he left. With Nesterovic gone Bargnani developed into a solid starting center and is entrentched as the every day starter next year. As a result Rasho will now come off the bench to add toughness and rebounding that Bargnani lacks. The addition of Rasho means that Patrick O’Bryant, who I had previously said would probably make the team because of the desperate need for size, will probably be playing in the D-League next season.

Neither Belinelli or Nesterovic are big name additions at the respective points in their career. However, Marco and Rasho are valuable additions that add depth and interesting skill sets to the Raptors and make them a legitimate contender for a top 4 seed in the East.

Get excited Raptors fans, its going to be a fun year in Toronto!

- KC Roberts