Don Nelson is impatient. The Raptors hope that will work to their advantage.
Although he was taken with the No. 18 pick in the 2007 draft, guard Marco Belinelli lasted just two seasons with Golden State, coached by Nelson. He was shipped to the Raptors recently for forward Devean George, who had been acquired earlier in the summer from Dallas. Belinelli averaged 8.9 points in 42 games last season for the Warriors. But he never was a Nelson favorite.
Belinelli is yet another international player for the Raptors, who believe the city of Toronto caters to such players. Other international players on the roster are Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, Hedo Turkoglu and Roko Ukic.
Prior to entering the NBA, Belinelli played for Bologna in the Italian league for five seasons. He really got the attention of NBA scouts when he scored 25 points against Team USA in a 2006 World Championships game in Tokyo.
In his first summer league game in 2007, Belinelli rolled up 37 points. However, after that he wasn't able to live up to expectations in Golden State.
