What about Marco?

by Seth on Jun 16, 2007 1:14 PM EDT in Draft Things

I have a tendency to immediately discount foreign draft prospects. Call it the curse of Frederic Weis. However, in a recent visit to Hooplah..Nation, I got a look at this video of a guy who's projected to go in the Knicks' range: Marco Belinelli of Italy.

How 'bout that shit, eh? Mind you, he's 190 pounds, which is preposterous for a 6'6'' guy. That's about how much Stephon Marbury's head weighs. Belinelli is also noted as a weak and rather slow defender, so the kid obviously needs some work. At least he knows what's up:

"I'm a strong shooter and I can get to the basket,'' Belinelli said in clear, though heavily accented English. "But I have to get stronger and more physical. Right now, I'm too little for the NBA."

He goes on to compare himself to Kyle Korver, but more athletic. I'd say it's hard not to compare him a little to Manu Ginobili, because he's got that ability to get to the rim...not to mention the oblong head and the prominent schnozz. With some training, I think Bellinelli can be a very potent NBA player. Am I going by what I saw in one highlight video? Absolutely. That's how we do things at Posting and Toasting.

Thought: What would you call a three-guard lineup with Stephon Marbury, Mardy Collins, and Marco Belinelli? The Tri-Mar squad?

One other thing: Nick Young and Acie Law (the current front-runner in the poll) have already been taken in the SB Nation Mock Draft. I'm gonna narrow down the poll a little bit so we can zero in on some top choices for the 23rd pick, which should come within a few days. In the meantime, let us hear anything you know or think about Marco Belinelli in the comment section. Peace.

UPDATE: There's plenty more of Belinelli on Youtube if you're interested.

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Europe

I was thinking, a European project draft pick might be a good idea this year. We have 14 players with guaranteed contracts, hopefully, we're dumping Franchise, so there are at least 13 players with guaranteed contracts. I wouldn't mind having a cheap free agent role player, or another year of Kelvin Cato, and the only way we could do that is by not picking up a draft pick this year, and a European guy who won't play for two or three more seasons might be a good idea, especially Bellinelli, who's only 19 and probably not ready for prime time.

The Son of Dippin.

by Barnesgasm on Jun 16, 2007 2:49 PM EDT 0 recs