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Can he guard a 3 pt shooter, whom is only wearing one shoe? ...that is the real question, here?
STFU, you clown. Idiotic 'Murican, per par.
Can he guard a 3 pt shooter, whom is only wearing one shoe? ...that is the real question, here?
Yep, Neal is a much better shooter. Much better chucker too tbh
Love this signing he can create for himself which is huge, and also can play back up point guard and can take pressure off of Manu, good signing.
I'd love to see Holt sell the team to a Mark Cuban-type who'd spend what it takes to bring 1-2 more rings before TD, Manu and TP leave, while building for the future.
That bulls team was also decimated with injuries, neal could put up similar/higher numbers with more PT/touches too. Beli isn't bad or anything, but I dont really see him as an upgrade to neal. Maybe he has more upside though, cant wait to see him play in a spurs uni!
Good God, the horror of reading posts from the dregs of humanity when I forget to log on.
found this through FB
Patty wears doe
To those that think Marco is a pussy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKM08mCad3Q
Of course, he won't be allowed to showboat like that as a Spur but he's got swag no doubt about it.
Smart move. He takes a 2-yr contract knowing he'll get better looks with the Spurs and two chances for a le. Then, when TD and Manu retire, b/c MB improves his shooting % with better looks, and at 29-30 yrs of age he takes makeup money from someone who will overpay on one last contract before returning overseas when he's past his prime.
Marco is the best signing in Spurs history.
book it
Uh, no.
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/daLaS?u...-antonio-spurs
The Spurs have secured the services of Italian sharpshooter Marco Belinelli and I for one, like it. We don't have the details of the contract fully pinned down yet (and won't until the 10th, an perhaps not even then) but reports are that it's a two year, $6 million dollar contract -- possibly, a little lower. That's a good deal for a proven player that fits the team as well as Belinelli does.
If Belinelli is expected to become the team's Manu, even though Ginobili isn't, at 35, exactly the best version of himself, Spurs fans will certainly be underwhelmed. Belinelli's scoring off pick and rolls last season was just fine, but he is not the best finisher, and he lacks creativity as a playmaker. He is not as disruptive defensively as latter-career Manu is, and his rebounding is inferior as well. So he's far from a complete player and nowhere near Manu's level.
But if he was brought in to replace Gary Neal, he's likely to be a fantastic get.
Marco vs. Neal
Belinelli is a career 39% shooter from the arc and 80% from the line. While Gary Neal has better career percentages, last season saw a dip in his three point production. Playing for the Bulls, Belinelli shot 41.5% on spot up threes, 36% coming off screens (in just a few attempts) and 35.3% as the pick and roll ball handler, according to MySynergySports.com. Those numbers were all better than Gary Neal's last season, which means it's possible to say the Spurs upgraded slightly in shooting. Even if Neal's ability to hit off-the-dribble three pointers at a higher rate makes them comparable marksmen, Belinelli was a significantly better defender by the numbers, and he got to the rim more while having a comparable conversion rate. Not to mention he got to the line twice as often as Neal.
What is up with the Spurs' salary cap situation?
It's been a busy week for the Spurs. They re-signed Tiago Splitter, and Manu Ginobili -- and now they've signed Marco Belinelli. So where does that leave them in terms of the salary cap?
Since the Spurs have four poing guards already under contract, losing the option of playing Neal at the point is not that big a deal, and Belinelli's potential to occasionally slide over to the three is significant. At 6-5, Belinelli is longer than Neal and he could be an option to guard back up small forwards when he shares the court with Ginobili. Overall, this seems like a just the kind of low-risk, medium-reward signing the Spurs are known for. I don't see a way Belinelli forgets how to shoot, especially with the open looks he'll get in the Spurs system. How well he can adapt to the different defensive style of the Spurs after having the more mobile Bulls bigs to help him out last season will be what determines how valuable a contributor he can be.
Compared to Neal, Marco is younger, considerably longer, a better defender and a comparable shooter. And I'm happy the Spurs went went with the Italian over the beloved Nail. It's hard to see Neal re-signing now, so I wish him the best and hope he gets a sizable deal. He deserves it considering the bargain-basement contract he had with the Spurs.
Green as a trade chip?
The other possibility to consider is signing Belinelli allows the Spurs to explore trade options that include Danny Green. Belinelli is not the shooter or defender Danny is, but if he proves reliable enough, the Spurs could use the great trade asset that the underpaid Green represents to shore up a deficiency elsewhere. Combining Green's and Bonner's expiring contract would give the Spurs around $7.5 million dollars. That's enough to trade for Anderson Varejao or Thadeus Young. Still, I'm getting ahead of myself. Until Belinelli proves he can contribute, the Spurs should not even entertain the notion of trading Green. And even if the Italian proves to be a good option, losing Green could be too tough a blow unless it's for the right player.
Final thoughts
For approximately $3M/year, Belinelli is a terrific signing for the Spurs. Compared to Neal, Marco can shoot as well, defend better, and play limited stints at the three, as well as his natural shooting guard position. Belinelli doesn't necessarily plug any holes like a long, mobile forward would have, but his shooting makes him a great fit. Plus, as I said earlier this morning, the Spurs still have options and can still sign someone else.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-antonio-spurs
Earlier today (July 4), it has been reported, courtesy of Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com, that Marco Belinelli and the San Antonio Spurs reached an agreement. Belinelli was signed to a two-year contract worth approximately $5.6 million.
Not only was the market value of Belinelli probably a bit higher than what the Spurs put on the table, but his skills and assets would sync perfectly with the Spurs' system.
Belinelli, a career 38.7 percent three-point scorer, would allow the Spurs to have another offensive weapon off of the bench to support Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Although Belinelli isn't the caliber of a defender as either of those two players, he improved his individual defense drastically last season under Tom Thibodeau and the Chicago Bulls.
According to 82games.com, Belinelli held opposing point guards to a PER of just 9.6, and opposing shooting guards to a PER of 12.3. He's no longer the one-dimensional shooter that he was always described as during his days with the New Orleans Hornets (now New Orleans Pelicans).
Hi-res-168684223_crop_exact Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
With a year under arguably the best defensive coach in the entire league, Belinelli's game has expanded beyond what people thought he was capable of.
Instead of being that "spark" off of the Spurs bench, Belinelli can provide much more. He can keep consistent pressure on the defensive end as Leonard and Green take a breather, while also grabbing the attention of the opposing defense on the other end of the floor.
Belinelli is a shooter, and that's his trademark. In the past few seasons, he has developed his playmaking and displayed a newfound aggressiveness during the Bulls' playoff run, which makes him a much bigger threat than others might think.
The Spurs, who ranked seventh in the league in three-point attempts during the 2012-13 campaign, are experts at finding the most efficient shots on the court. Although Belinelli shot only 39.5 percent from the field last season, he will have much more space to do his work when the defense is honing in on Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. On the Bulls, he was the first or second option on offense at times because of their lack of scorers, but his shooting efficiency should be much better on a superior offensive system with the Spurs.
I love this signing.
I think you're selling some players short.
Great Spur or greatest Spur?
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Raven
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