<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><span id="mn_Global"><span id="mn_Article"> LAIE, Hawaii - If Don Nelson had his druthers, the biggest competition of the Warriors' training camp wouldn't qualify as much of a competition at all.</p> Nelson has made it very clear that his preferred replacement for Jason Richardson at starting shooting guard is Italian rookie Marco Belinelli, not third-year player Monta Ellis.</p> The rest of the roster is split on the issue.</p> Center Andris Biedrins predicted Belinelli would eventually prevail, noting that, "He's a really great shooter and I think he'll have a really good career in the NBA, so we'll see how it goes in training camp."</p> Said forward Matt Barnes: "I have a feeling it's going to be Monta at the '2,' and Monta's one of the best young players in the NBA. For sure, we'll miss Jason's heart and soul, but we've got to move on.</p> "We're very happy we still have Monta, and I'm sure Monta is going to do a great job playing that '2' spot."</p> With his scissor-kick fallaways and a quick release from anywhere on the court, Belinelli has a distinctly different vibe from much of the rest of the NBA. Nelson initially couldn't come up with a comparison, then after a bit of contemplation drew up the name of Drazen Petrovic, the Croatian scorer who averaged more than 20 points for the New Jersey Nets in the early 1990s before his death.<span id="mn_Global"><span id="mn_Article"> "(Belinelli) has the ability to come off screens at a really fast gait and still catch and score and shoot with unlimited range," said Nelson, who is </span></span><span id="mn_Global"><span id="mn_Article">drawing up plays to maximize Belinelli's skills. "You see him in a European (game), the three-point line is shorter there, but he'll come off screens and shoot fadeaways from three, which you're not used to seeing very often. And his reads off the screens are as good as I've seen for a rookie. He's got a lot of things that he's already done, so he'll fit right in." For his part, Belinelli said he's ready to start in the NBA after playing in Italy's top league since the age of 16.</p> "Everything is new, but I have to prove something to the team and myself," Belinelli said. "I can shoot for three or I can take the ball after a rebound and go up court. It's easy for me. I like to play that way. I like to shoot in every situation - in fast break, after pick and roll. It's my job."</div></p> Source: Mercury News</p> </span></span></p> </span></span></p>
Hey who was it on this board that called Belinelli the next Drazen Petrovic? That was definitely spot on comparrison IMO!</p> While Belinelli is a pretty good shot, I'd like to see him go inside a lot this year just like how Sjax and Baron try to vary their games.</p>
Was it REREM who made the comparison? He's usually spot on with them.</p> I'm really looking forward to the first preseason game next week against my Lakers. If the Warriors and fans want to see what Belinelli is capable of, he'll get a first hand look at the premiere shooting guard in the league in Kobe Bryant.</p> </p> </p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (shapecity)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> Was it REREM who made the comparison? He's usually spot on with them.</p> I'm really looking forward to the first preseason game next week against my Lakers. If the Warriors and fans want to see what Belinelli is capable of, he'll get a first hand look at the premiere shooting guard in the league in Kobe Bryant.</p> </p> </p> </div></p> I could have sworn it was more like CohanHater, AlleyOop, or somebody. It could be REREM, though. If it's none of the above, I'm really off.</p> Drazen is pretty good, but it's like if we're talking modern day players, lots of people are saying this guy has a tad of Ginobilli because of the quickness and athleticism factor. Some are saying Ray Allen or Mike Miller because of the quick release shot mechanics, nice passing, ballhandling, prototypical guard skills that Jrich and Pietrus don't have (and influence from nbadraft and draft express scouting reports.)</p> Chris Mullin says Vinnie Del Negro.</p> I think he could be a Cuttino Mobley/Brent Barry cross. He'll be an outside threat, a fastbreaking finisher type of threat. He will find it hard to score inside or rebound in his first year, I think. He can be active on defense, but he won't be the best defender on the team (I think he's a bit light for his position since many 220 something pound college small forwards can play shooting guard in the nba and they will outmuscle him). He'll look to shoot a lot, but he can change up his game to be more unselfish. I think he'll be a decent passer and ballhandler, but not a Kobe Bryant or Ray Allen when it comes to those two things. I think certain aspects of ballhandling will need to be improved upon so he can move quickly with the ball as he is without it. From what I remember, he wasn't as smooth with the ball in his hands and he doesn't have the strength to finish in traffic like Baron and Jrich do. But we'll see. I do think that Belinelli has a strong chance of winning rookie of the year if he fits well with this team, but there is always a chance that he might shoot 37% from the field this year and totally suck. If he doesn't impress Nelson quickly, he will fall out of favor as a rookie.</p>
