Built Ford Tough Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Who do you all think is going to be the starting shooting guard for the Raptors next season? They have three shooting guards on their roster in DeRozan, Belinelli and Wright and none of them are head and shoulders any of the others. All three of them bring something different to the table as well. Wright is the best defensive player but is limited elsewhere. Belinelli is undoubtedly the best on the offensive end of the floor and is a very good shotoer but doesn't do much defensively. DeRozan is a phenomenal athlete and definitely has the most upside of the three but he is a very inexperienced and a very raw player. Anyways, who do you all think the Raptors will have in the starting lineup and who do you want to see in the starting lineup the most? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Belinelli is undoubtedly the best on the offensive end of the floor and is a very good shotoer but doesn't do much defensively. He is actually a good perimeter defender. Much improved from his rookie season and is probably one of your best perimeter defenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Tzu Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I think DeRozan will be the starter after the all-star break but at the season I think it will be Belinelli. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Built Ford Tough Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 (edited) He is actually a good perimeter defender. Much improved from his rookie season and is probably one of your best perimeter defenders. From what I have seen of him, I wouldn't classify him as a good perimeter defender. He seems to be more of an annoying perimeter defender than an actual good one. As a Warriors fan you are obviously more inclined to speak about him because you have seen him play a lot more than I have because aside from his international experience with Italy I really haven't see enough of him to have a complete breakdown of his game and we all know that international basketball is entirely different from the NBA. From what I have seen though, I have got the impression that he is more like a Sasha Vujacic type of defender. One that gets up tight on you and plays really pesterting defense. He will get up tight on you and annoy you with his aggressive defense but isn't really a good defender when it comes to actually stopping his man. He isn't a liability out there but he isn't really going to do much to stop his defender either. Just your average NBA defender that the majority of offensive players won't have much trouble scoring on. Like I said though, you have definitely seen more of him and would be in a better position to make the argument though. As for your comment about him being one of the Raptors better perimeter defenders, that isn't really saying much at all lol. Calderon is a very good offensive point guard, but when it comes to defense he is a borderline liability. Turkoglu definitely won't be earning his paycheck on the defensive end of the floor either and who knows what kind of defense DeRozan will be playing. He was a pretty good defender from what I saw at USC, but it is going to be a whole different story when it comes to guarding NBA players. Considering the fact that the Raptors are probably going to be one of the worst, if not the worst, defensive teams in the entire NBA, it doesn't really say much for Belinelli if he is going to be the 3rd best perimeter defender on the team behind Wright and Jack lol. As for who I think will be the starter, it really is a toss up between Belinelli and DeRozan. I think that they will start DeRozan and play him for about 7-9 minutes at the start of each half and the of the playing time that he gets will be dependant on how well he plays during that stretch. I think that having DeRozan out there at the start of each half and having him play alongside talented players like Bosh, Bargnani, Calderon and Turkoglu will be good for his development because he won't be asked to do too much. It will allow him to come along slowly as he will just focus on playing defense, hitting open shots when they present theirselves and things of that nature. Then they can bring Belinelli off of the bench as an offensive spark and allow him to have a big role when he is out there with the majority of the second unit. It is ultimately going to come down to either DeRozan or Belinelli in my opinion though. Wright is the best defensive player of the three but having Wright out there really isn't going to do much for the defense because he isn't a lockdown defender or anything like that. I say go for broke and have an offensive powerhouse type of lineup with Belinelli or give DeRozan some valuable experience playing with the best the Raptors have to offer. Edited August 2, 2009 by Built Ford Tough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multi-Billionaire Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 It really depends. If he can play right away out of the gate, then he will start. I think he will be able to play right away, but if Belinelli flourishes, it'll be a tough decision. Whenever you have Hedo as your teammate, it's a big advantage if you can knock down long ball because Hedo is so good at penetrating and kicking out. So this is a plus to Belinelli. Add that Hedo and Calderon are basically the slashers on the team, more slashing isn't necessary... it's the shooting that will count. Belinelli has the advantage here, but if he can't make the open shots, it's also an opportunity wasted. If he can't turn around his career here, he won't elsewhere. I like DeRozan, I think he will be a star but if Belinelli keeps making shots, it'll be tough to take the starting job from him. But if Belinelli struggles, he should be the favorite to start. Wright stands no chance as you mentioned. He has no offense to speak of and his defense is not at the level where he is considered a specialist like Dahntay Jones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtTheDriveIn Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 (edited) Wright stands no chance as you mentioned. He has no offense to speak of and his defense is not at the level where he is considered a specialist like Dahntay Jones. I'd argue otherwise. I think if Toronto is looking to field a team who know their roles and will run the offense with efficiency at any tempo, then Wright is a perfect candidate. Though he has shortcomings on both ends, his basketball IQ is actually pretty good. With a lineup consisting off Bargnani, Bosh and Turkoglu as well as Calderon, sometimes you have to have a guy who is happy not taking shots and focusing his energies on being the guy who cuts in and out of the paint or the guy who looks to create mismatches for his teammates. Wright worked as a near full-time starter in Dallas; a winning team, who sort of have the same structure as Toronto (Star Forward, strong PG's, scorers) and he excelled in being the guy who wasn't usually noticed, but did the little things that went unnoticed most of the time. To me, both Bellinelli and DeRozen are project players. Bellinelli, I think will get playing time because of his offensive energy. With Kapono gone to Philadelphia, instantly, there is half a games worth of playing time which Toronto will be looking to fill with someone who creates energy. Bellinelli also isn't a bad defender. He's not a good one, but he holds his own. His overall development from last season to this season will also play a big role in how much playing time he gets. DeRozen on the other hand most likely wont get much playing time partly because most project players aren't usually thrust into any immediate playing situation, especially on teams who are looking to win games and make the playoffs. Edited August 2, 2009 by AtTheDriveIn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multi-Billionaire Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 ^On a team with plenty of passers, and generally unselfish players, you must take shots. Hedo's presence and his being a good passer and his passing nature will rub off the rest of the team. If a player can't make shots like Wright has not shown consistently, he will play little minutes. It's not about someone who is unhappy not taking shots... it's about the team being happy if they can make shots. They're trying to create the Magic offense here with Bosh the only below average three point shooter on the lineup. Bargnani, Calderon, Hedo himself are exceptional three pt shooters. If there is another perimeter player who can't make shots, that offense is missing something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtTheDriveIn Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 ^ yeah cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Check my Stats Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 (edited) Frankly I'd rather see us put all our firepower out there. That means Marco. We'd have 5 guys who can all shoot the 3 at a great percentage. I mean Demar and Antoine are probably superior defenders but what does it really matter? Have one good defender on the floor? Even if they are better defenders Marco's offense will help us more than his defense will hurt us IMO. It's obvious we are going to have to be a team that outscores their opponents to get wins. And Marco has a good handle, we'd have 3 guys from SF-PG who are all comfortable holding the rock, and Bargs is a nice passer too. We are going to thrive on good ball movement and making jumpers. EDIT- Not sure who starts, but I'd like to see Marco at least start the year as the guy getting the majority of the minutes. If he stinks it up we can change it up. Edited August 2, 2009 by travesy3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guru Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Frankly I'd rather see us put all our firepower out there. That means Marco. We'd have 5 guys who can all shoot the 3 at a great percentage. I mean Demar and Antoine are probably superior defenders but what does it really matter? Have one good defender on the floor? Even if they are better defenders Marco's offense will help us more than his defense will hurt us IMO. lmao, you make a good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueDevil Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Im going to say Wright starts, because he would be the only starter who can actually play defence. Marco will come in and shoot, and DeRozen will do a bit of everything, but what we will need out of the starter is a player who can guard the other teams best perimeter player, and that is something Wright can do. He wont get starters minutes imo, but he should be starting.That being said, I imagine DeRozen will be starting by December, if everything goes right in his progression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erick Blasco Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 I don't think Marco plays good enough defense to start, and he seems like he'd be at his best in an uptempo sixth man role. I think the Raptors will start Wright until they feel DeRozen is the real deal, and then make the switch. If DeRozen is a defensive liability, they may just start Wright anyway, and use DeRozen as a backup too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 If you start Marco with Hedo, Calderon won't even have to pass anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 I think Wright starts the season as the starter. He's the best defender out of the group and is a veteran. Like another poster said I think DeRozan will eventually become the starter after the all star break. He has a lot of potential on both the offensive and defensive end. I could see Belinelli getting in the rotation if there's an injury or they play DeRozan at the three in different situations. This should be a real competitive position battle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleveland's Finest Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Antoine Wright. Starting for a playoff team as he did for the Mavs last year overrides Rozan and Belinelli. He's taller than Marco and he's got more experience. Unless Rozan or Belinelli have a huge preseason or beginning to the season coming off the bench, I see Wright starting at guard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Check my Stats Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Well our coach already said, albeit prior to the Bellinelli deal, that he looks for Demar to start the 1st and 3rd quarters and have others likely finish out the games. This would obviously be a result of his lack of experience and inexperience closing out games. I honestly see all these guys averaging close to the same 20 MPG or so during the year unless one of them makes an unexpected vault into a very good player which is unlikely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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