Bring On Delfino!

So our beloved Raptors recently acquired guard/forward Carlos Delfino from Detroit for a couple of second-rounders. Before I say anything else, I'll say that this is an excellent move.

We recently ran a list of impact players from the second round (lower on this page) but they're few and far between. For every Michael Redd or Antonio Davis that gets mentioned, there's a Derrick Zimmerman, an Alex Acker or any other second-round hopeful that couldn't translate or merely didn't have the talent. Most importantly, and this is crucial because Bryan Colangelo's known as a GM who likes making moves, second-round picks are very easy to get. They flow faster than champagne at San Antonio celebration parties. (Something's telling me TD'll have to use the leftovers in place of Gatorade on the sidelines.)

Point is, the picks are virtually meaningless. There are two major components to this trade: Carlos Delfino and the teams involved. (No, I don't consider Detroit gaining $2M in cap relief to be all that major.) Delfino's a solid prospect, and very young at that; he's one of the many international players who's effectively spent his college years in the NBA. The 24-year old Argentine, while never a factor in Detroit, had a chance to learn from some of the best. One of Delfino's best abilities is his perimeter defence, while the always tenacious Ron Harper, who's probably still better on D than most of the NBA's starting guards, is an assistant coach there. On top of that, Delfino's rebounding is a skill that's virtually a part of every Pistons player the way lungs are to the rest of us.

Why his defence and rebounding are so fascinating are because these are exactly what the Raptors need. Andrea Bargnani, for one, is a gifted passer and scorer who's improving defensively but needs to play with a player who won't get beaten by his man. Delfino's tough, having demonstrated the ability to use his athleticism to slow down opponents - this can, in turn, lead to Bargnani getting prime position to block shots. Also, Bargnani's poor rebounding can be masked when a player like Delfino slides to the shooting guard position. Delfino averaged 3.2 rebounds per game in 16.7 minutes this past season, which isn't immediately impressive but came on a team given to rebound cannibalism and that translates to 6 a game if he were to get starter's minutes.

If Delfino's such an intriguing player and all Detroit gets are a couple of measly picks that are often sold for cash considerations, why do the Pistons do this deal? The Pistons have been known to be interested in long-time Raptor Morris Peterson, who went to college at Michigan State and would fill their opening at backup swingman quite nicely. His combination of effective spot-up shooting (a skill Delfino lacks) and tight defence, as well as his experience in the league (since 2000) would make him a very attractive candidate for a team that clearly needs reinforcements. Ultimately, could the Delfino trade be part of a larger plan that places Peterson in Detroit? Come July, we'll see.

Even with these reasons, though, Pistons blogger Matt Watson claims that "[Peterson] is a talented guy who plays both sides of the ball, so as long as the Pistons didn’t sacrifice a young player (Delfino, Jason Maxiell, one of their first-round draft picks) I wouldn’t be terribly disappointed." Well, it's looking like he'll be plenty disappointed even in the best-case scenario. As a Raps fan, I couldn't be happier.

Let's see how Delfino plays in summer league and then, barring any collapse, let's welcome the newest member of an increasingly international and playoff-worthy rotation.