Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?
Here are five moves that might not have gotten a lot of attention but were very solid nonetheless:
--Raptors get Marco Belinelli from Warriors for Devean George, cash: Belinelli may not be a starter in the NBA, but he can be a rotation guy. And it just so happens the Raptors are pretty much bereft of two guards. That alone should get Belinelli on the court, and from there he'll certainly help at various junctures. As for George, who knows if he'll be healthy and who knows if he'll be able to crack the Warriors' rotation if he is.
What happens when a guard with possibly the best set of handles in the league collides with a second-year player that has no clue what he is doing on the defensive side of the ball? Broken ankles, of course. Deron Williams is really just wrong for brutally tormenting Golden State's Marco Belinelli on this one. And when will Nellie stop putting Belinelli on top stars? I've seen Marco get destroyed by Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and now Deron Williams. I guess Nellie believes in tough love. Anyhow, here's the clip:
The news keeps getting better for Monta Ellis. Originally feared to have suffered a major neck injury when he collided with teammate Brandon Wright earlier in training camp, he was eventually diagnosed with only having a sprained neck. And now, he's officially on his way to getting back on the court. From the San Francisco Chronicle:
A Warriors spokesman said guard Monta Ellis (sprained neck) has received medical clearance to play and that it is now up to Ellis to decide on his return date. Ellis, who experienced tingling in his arms after a scary collision with Wright in Hawaii, declined to answer questions.
I can understand if Ellis wants to take some more time off -- flirting with an injury that was not only potentially career-threatening but also life-altering must have been an extremely disconcerting, to say the least. But assuming he returns in the next week or two, he still has an excellent chance to start this year.
It wasn't too long ago that Don Nelson was hyping Marco Belinelli over Ellis as his choice at shooting guard, saying that Ellis would have to earn minutes as the backup point guard, but oddly enough, it's Ellis' injury that might help his case to start. As Nelson tells Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News, there's just not enough time to get Ellis comfortable running the point, which means he's still the leading contender to replace Jason Richardson at the two.
The annual Hawaiian hoedown the Lakers and Warriors participate in has been known to draw a bit of controversy that has nothing to do with the game. This year was no exception. But for the first time in a while, someone on the court is drawing attention too. His name is Kelenna Azubuike.
Azu went 27/9 from the guard spot Wednesday and followed up with 22 last night. Shoals noted Golden State is really going off the rails of basketball sanity this year in a post at Free Darko; Don Nelson's Thursday night lineup proves that point -- Azubuike and Stephen Jackson in the backcourt, Matt Barnes, Brandan Wright and Patrick O'Bryant up front. Bizarre, as SLAM's Lang Whitaker also notes.
Nellie says the Dubs knew what they had in the spot duty Azu last season, but now it's time to unleash him. It certainly makes the starting two-guard spot more interesting. Nellie previously endorsedMarco Belinelli over Monta Ellis, but Azubuike is certainly making his case. And the team is flush with small forwards, too (Jax, Barnes, Mickael Pietrus). Someone's going to get squeezed, and I can't for the life of me figure out who it's going to be.
When the Warriors exiled Jason Richardson to Charlotte, the conventional wisdom was that Monta Ellis was your new starting two-guard. Don Nelson would like you to take your conventional wisdom and suck on it, thanks.
Nelson gave some hints as to what he foresees for Golden State over the next eight months, making it clear that rookie Marco Belinelli -- not Monta Ellis, winner of the NBA's Most Improved Player Award last season -- is the front-runner to take over the starting spot left vacant by the trade of Jason Richardson.
Ellis is only six months older, despite his two years of experience in the league. But he is the reigning Most Improved Player (grumble grumble). That might tell us how good Belinelli has looked behind closed doors (never mind what he's showed us in public view).
Maybe this has less to do with Belinelli as it does Baron Davis and the Golden State point guard situation. Yes, Troy Hudson is in town. But Ellis has shown a bit of playmaking ability from the point -- not enough to be a full-time one, but enough to spell Baron. Monta could very well be that third guard to fill up both slots, getting as many minutes as Marco while having a bit more freedom with parts of the second unit. And of course, fickle Nellie could change his mind a million times by November, let alone when the season really gets weighty.
Italy and Turkey had a highly important meet-and-greet Monday at Eurobasket, and this assault by Warriors guard Marco Belinelli over Magician Hedo Turkoglu (as found by the peaceably vicious hombres at The Painted Area) went a good way to determine the outcome.
I'd say more, but I promised Brother Hidayet I'd help him mop up what's left of his dignity. (Also, in case you're wondering: I stopped writing about Eurobasket here precisely because The Painted Area is literally the only thing you need to read to be kept up to speed and fully informed on the matter.)
Continuing today's theme of videos in foreign languages, here's an Italian Nike commercial featuring Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli. Bargnani has been in the NBA some, and Belinelli has not. That's why the former is giving the latter trash-talky advice.
Skeets, who directed me to this treasure, seems to believe this translation. It comes from the YouTube comments section, so be as skeptical as you see fit. I've cleaned up the grammar and punctuation a little:
Bargnani: Look out Beli, to me you won't last a second in NBA. In Bologna you were the #1, but there you're nobody.
(Belinelli doesn't care and keep shooting.)
Bargnani: In the morning you will bring breakfast and donuts to everybody, take out and wash dirty jerseys. And then you have to defend hard [to defend?] people like Kobe Bryant.
(Bargnani stops Belinelli)
Bargnani: But the most important thing is learning to listen.
You thought Brazil choked in international basketball play this summer? At least Nene & Friends won some games. Italy -- ranked 6th in the world -- is in danger of getting bounced in the first 72 hours of the FIBA European championship.
If Italy loses to Poland Wednesday, it won't be eligible for the 2008 Olympics. (The top three two European teams not named Spain get in; the next four are eligible for next July's qualifier. Losing to Poland would keep Italy no higher than 13th.) That's a sharp drop to take after all the excitement that near upset of the United States last summer (paired with Bargnani's explosion) created for Italian basketball.
Meanwhile, how about France? Les Bleus had a disastrous 2006 World Championship run while Parker was injured, but are looking like one of the top threats this summer. Having a world-class point guard running things makes all the difference, eh?
Summer league isn't all doom and gloom for newly minted NBA players. Golden State's Marco Belinelli proved as much by dropping 37 points on the Hornets Saturday afternoon. (Yes, the Warriors scored 110... in a 40-minute game with Toby Bailey getting burn. Can I change team allegiances?)
In retrospect, it's remarkable how seamless Marco would seem to fit into Golden State's raison d'etre. He took almost half his Italian Serie A shots from behind the three-point line. He has no conscience, with his reported 30-footer offered as proof. I'm still amazed his surname transfigured refers to Don Nelson's gastrointestinal system. This town is perfect for him.
"I like it a lot," Belinelli said of the Warriors style of play. "I can grab a rebound and run up the court, it's a lot different from what I'm used to."
Yes, somewhere Jason Richardson is throwing darts at Chris Mullin's likeness. Anyways, next up on the Marco Belinelli Tour of Hellfire: the Louis Williams All-Stars.
Half the fun of the NBA Draft is in the draft day suits. FanHouse's own Miss Gossip caught up with none other than the shiny suit man himself, P. Diddy, to dissect some of this year's fashions.
The global bad boy of music, fashion, television, restauranting, and business offers his opinions on a handful of stand-out dressers from the 2007 class.
Miss Gossip: Yi played it safe with a pretty traditional ensemble, but I think he looks sharp. Do you agree?
Puffy: Most definitely. Here's a brother who knows how to dress right ... Yi is rocking a crisp Sean John suit from our latest collection. Sean John suits are all about impeccable tailoring and quality that lasts. Can't stop. Won't stop. Eh eh, eh eh.
Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?
The news keeps getting better for 
The annual Hawaiian hoedown the Lakers and Warriors participate in has been known to draw a bit of controversy that has nothing to do with the game. This year 
When the Warriors exiled 
You thought 
Half the fun of the NBA Draft is in the draft day suits. FanHouse's own Miss Gossip caught up with none other than the shiny suit man himself, P. Diddy, to dissect some of this year's fashions. 
