Is Delfino an egg that’s hatched? Some thoughts about his career and future
by palomba on Jul 25, 2010 12:30 AM CDT
59 comments
You’ve been improving steadily. Do you arrive to Turkey at your best moment?
“I believe I’m more at ease now. I know what I can give. I don’t try to invent anything. Before, I tried to do a lot of things and ended up blocked. I enjoy playing and I want to play. When I get the feeling I’m participating, I feel comfortable and time runs fast (…)”.
This is how it finished a recent interview to Carlitos in Clarin, the most important newspaper down here in Argentina. His answer reminded me of a recent comment in the who will be the starting SF post where unklchuk said that Delfino is an egg that hatched, intending there was little space for him to progress.
This made me think of his whole career.
When he first appeared In Argentina, many fans thought he would be a Ginobili-like player: he was an elegant swingman and had an interesting selection of moves: he could shoot threes, but also assist, penetrate and dunk. This situation, I think, ended confusing people about what to expect from him (and maybe confusing him as well). When some of those expectations weren’t quickly met, he was finally perceived as a talented bur erratic player, capable of great moments (check his 18 points in a row for Argentina winning to Greece in last’s Olympic Games) but inconsistent in the final run. Or even worse: a sort of never be promise.
If you want an example of this point of view, just check what Latin D, an Argentinean writer at Pounding The Rock Spur’s blog, wrote just about a year ago.
“Carlos is a player I've seen play for many years, and it's this simple: he sucks. Granted, he has a lot of talent - but no heart. On any given night he can be a white Michael Jordan, doing anything and everything, and then he'll disappear for a five-game stretch and you will be left scratching your head in confusion. He's the only Argentine player I know that can finish at the rim with nearly as much skill as Manu, but don't worry, he won't. Instead he'll take countless ill-advised threes and try to win the game with as little effort as possible. As I said before, he sucks, and he's probably the reason the Bucks might not make the playoffs… “
Obviously I don’t agree with him, and I find special joy that the Bucks finally made the playoffs. So getting back to Delfino and unklchuk comment, is he an egg that's hatched?
Well, yes and no.
In the yes part I think he has matured and that he finally has find his identity as a player, so to speak. His trying no more to be Ginobili and his game has become about to be a bit of everything, strongly oriented to favor his teammatesroles and skills, as any Buck fan saw last season. In his better moments he could carry the ball, develop an effective pick and rolling with Bogut, and be a key piece when the team decided to move around the ball. And he ended the season scoring his threes when they were most needed. As some stated here, he found a place being like a sort of glue in the team’s general functioning.
The “no” part has more to do with my hopes and are still to be proved. I believe Delfino will continue to gain confidence and his new approach to his game will improve even more. He always had the skills and he now seems he now what do do with them. And he has finally come to the point where he needs to define the kind of player he’ll be from here until he retires.
Next World Cup will surely show what this will be: as I’ve been saying, there are a lot of expectations here about his performance. There is a feeling that this may be Argentina’s last chance to win something big before its golden generation (Ginobili, Oberto, Nocioni , Scola) is finally gone. And for Delfino, the youngest of them all, may be also his last chance of making a major contribution to the better basketball team in Argentina's history.
If he proves his detractors wrong and does not suck, I think much of Buck's ambitions for next season will be empowered.
P.S; A couple of days ago Delfino ended a training camp for kids in Santa Fe, the city where he is from. Here you can see some nice pictures of it.
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great stuff as usual...
I tend to agree about finding his role and niche in the NBA and as a player….what he can do to be a success both individually and team wise, being compared to Ginobli all the time is a tough call as we are talking about a top grade special player
I was surprised by the all round game Delfino displayed, my perception was pretty different, but his toughness, durability and rebounding were all surprises to me, his ability to contribute in a number of ways was great
Offensively I think he has room to grow but that depends on the opportunity, last year he was dangerous but that was only if his 3 pt shot was falling, thats why he was pretty streaky in that area he tended to live and die by that, if he can develop his mid range game and ability to get to the basket a bit more that will help, but with Maggette and CDR on board, also Salmons he will have to fight to get those minutes………and even then the chance to anything more than a spot up shooter might not be there
anyway I like Delfino as our starting SF for his attributes he has and his fit with the other potential starters, but he is definitely a guy I like on our team, not sure how much his role will progress though
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
thanks
I understand your point, and I agree that his mid range game is not as strong as it should be, so a good attacker as Maggette seems to be will be of great help.
But for me it’ll be a pity if he goes back to be a spot up shooter as you say. My point is that offensively his contribution for the team was other: with him on the court, the key players in the team Bogut, Brandon and Salmons played better. He could assist them, carry the ball for BJ in the transitions, open spaces. That’s what will be missed if he looses a lot of minutes.
agreed...
personally I hope he is the starter for those reason as he is a great complimentary guy, he averaged 2.7 apg and over 5 rebounds, so he also produces reasonably well in that role
I think last year he averaged around 30 minutes per game……so he will have to perform to maintain those minutes with Maggette and CDR on board, but the great thing with Skiles is that if you do all those small things on both ends of the court he will get you your minutes, but this a the good thing about improving our depth over summer the competition will be great
Id like to see a starting lineup with Bogut, Gooden, Delfino, Salmons & Jennings
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
Delfino's rebounding skills ARE underrated.
I could so go for that starting lineup…
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Jul 25, 2010 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Yup
15th in the league in TRR for SF’s. In fact, the Bucks have 3 players in the top 15. Mags and Prince are the others.
"Now, Maggette's one of those where when he catches, it's probably going to go up--Not to a teammate." --Jon McGlocklin, 11/14/09
by Speedingtime on Jul 25, 2010 12:34 PM CDT up reply actions
You prefer Mags
To his other nickname?
I'm taking my talents to.......The Golden Arches!
by CanadaBucks on Jul 25, 2010 12:39 PM CDT up reply actions
What? Bad Porn?
I’m debating whether we should call him that…
But it has awesome reasoning: "Sure, there’s penetration and scoring, but are you really happy with what you’re seeing?" Amazing.
"Now, Maggette's one of those where when he catches, it's probably going to go up--Not to a teammate." --Jon McGlocklin, 11/14/09
by Speedingtime on Jul 25, 2010 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions
bad porn is just in a class of its own
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
Not sure censorship or good taste...
…would allow me to post a ‘Bad Porn’ themed poster for Maggette!!! ;)
Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!
by Big Crazy Dave on Jul 26, 2010 1:26 AM CDT up reply actions
what does one have to do with the other ;)
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
OK......;)
Keep your eyes open!
BTW…I would have thought penetration and scoring would be the hallmarks of average-good porn…unless you guys actually look for a STORYLINE? LOL ;)
Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!
by Big Crazy Dave on Jul 27, 2010 12:53 AM CDT up reply actions
I only watch it for the articles
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
Ha!
Missing articles of clothing no doubt?
Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!
by Big Crazy Dave on Jul 28, 2010 1:25 AM CDT up reply actions
Hilarious!
I just did a ‘Bad Porn’ image search on Google…Maggette’s image comes up at least 6 times in the first 5 pages!
Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!
by Big Crazy Dave on Jul 28, 2010 4:17 AM CDT up reply actions
Don't worry, took care of it for you ;)
"Now, Maggette's one of those where when he catches, it's probably going to go up--Not to a teammate." --Jon McGlocklin, 11/14/09
by Speedingtime on Jul 28, 2010 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions
oh man they always censor the best bits damn
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
HAHAHAHA!
Perfect Speedy!
Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!
by Big Crazy Dave on Jul 29, 2010 2:03 AM CDT up reply actions
yup we are going to kill on the boards this season......
Bogut, Gooden, Sanders, Ersan, Luc, Maggette, Delfino, Brockman all have a nose for the ball, Skiles loves his rebounding so he should be satisfied with what he has this season coming
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
Outrebounding an opponent is a huge plus.
On the other hand, I think Gooden is really going to have to prove himself if he wants a starting position. Once he gets that position, he’s going to have to work harder.
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Jul 25, 2010 5:47 PM CDT up reply actions
well the thing is.....
Gooden is pretty set, he’ll play his minutes consistently, 25-30 over his career, score his points get his rebounds, zone out and miss some defensive rotations, but he has legit size and pairing him with Bogut is a decent combo, as he Gooden can score in a few different ways…..
interesting to see if Skiles can get anything more out of him, which the 7-8 teams before him couldnt, the thing that makes me wonder is when he couldnt latch on at a team like the Spurs, a contender who always need an athletic big guy who can rebound and score, but he couldnt stick and eventually they went out for McDyess
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
I don't think he'll be keeping such amount of minutes
and that shouldn’t be necessarily a bad thing: last season there were a lot of moments in which a more aggressive game was needed. Maybe a player like Magette would have helped the Bucks in game 6 second half to the Hawks, for example.
My concern, putting aside the fact I love seeing Delfino play, is that the Bucks don’t loose that collective talent they developed last year, which I enjoyed a lot.
good point
I think thats the challenge of adding more depth, players like Ersan, Delfino & Luc who were great contributors and role players will have to develop their other skills and improve to maintain their minutes, and earn more, so that is the positive factor
it will definitely be a balancing act minutes wise and keeping everyone happy, but one thing with Skiles is that everyone admits that he is very fair in his treatment, and he treats everyone the same, so the opportunity is still there, you wont simply earn minutes with your reputation and previous achievements
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
I agree, particularly on Skiles
He does take on account small things, team playing… and for some reason turned out to be good with Argentineans: both Nocioni and Delfino had their best seasons with him.
Let's hope Delfino has an even BETTER season this year...
I mean, it wouldn’t hurt, would it?
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Jul 25, 2010 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Great post.
Sometimes I forget just how many Argentinean players there are in the NBA. Del3no has aid that he needs playing time to be effective, so that could be a concern going forward. Right now, I’m locked between wanting him or Luc to start at forward. So we’ll see how things shake out.
Anyway a hatched egg is better then scrambled anyway…
"Now, Maggette's one of those where when he catches, it's probably going to go up--Not to a teammate." --Jon McGlocklin, 11/14/09
Thanks
Yeah, maybe this will be the last year you see so much Argentineans. Oberto is 35 and down Delfino there is nothing, sadly.
Why did the talent run out in Argentina? What happened?
I would think a great national squad like Argentina had would have sparked youth basketball camps there and a whole new generation of players, but it seems to have fizzled out.
by Brick's house on Jul 25, 2010 11:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Difficult to tell
I would say that there was a combination of elements: some structural problem with sports in Argentina that makes impossible to local leagues to retain and develop their talents (a second or third Spain or Italy league team, for example, pays more than a local one), some lack of awareness from local basketball administration that our national league (Liga Nacional), one of the main impellors for the appearance of Ginobili et al, needed some changes and some complementary politics with young talent, and that the genuine enthusiasm generated by the national basketball team wasn’t deep enough to modify preferences for soccer when choosing a sport.
In this context, seeing Delfino spending his time and money in a campus for kids in his native city –similar actions were made by Scola and Oberto- when he could be on holidays in some great beach around the world, it’s at least praiseworthy.
Seeing as Carlitos has his own Post thread...
…I’ve been waiting for the right time to put this up. The time has arrived :)
Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!
class.....
looking brilliant now…the progression continues great stuff Dave!!
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
thats t-shirt quality now forget the cards
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
thats what you call get posterized!!
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
If you posted that outside a Movie Theatre
You would have people lined up buying tickets for it.
I'm taking my talents to.......The Golden Arches!
In honour of the Thread Title...
Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!
It's a boy...!
"Now, Maggette's one of those where when he catches, it's probably going to go up--Not to a teammate." --Jon McGlocklin, 11/14/09
by Speedingtime on Jul 28, 2010 9:03 AM CDT up reply actions
what came first Delfino or the Egg?
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
Insert appalling egg, yolk, hatching, cracked themed joke here >
Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!
by Big Crazy Dave on Jul 29, 2010 4:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Ha!
Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!
by Big Crazy Dave on Aug 6, 2010 1:15 AM CDT up reply actions
that clears it up
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
Intangibles
I know that word is thrown out there like candy, in sports discussions. But I think Delfino, Luc and Ersan give you things that don’t always show up in box scores. So having Delfino start gives us one intangible guy in the starting lineup. I hope the lineup shakes out like this:
F- Delfino
F – Gooden
C – Bogut
G – Salmons
G – Jennings
This won’t preclude Skiles from tinkering with other lineup combinations after the first X minutes of the game. But Delfino is solid, albeit limited, defensively. And we need that on the wind in our starting 5.
I completely agree about Carlitos, Luc and Ersan
And more: these intangibles being always open for receiving a pass, ball sharing, positioning yourself so others can make comfortably their moves, etc. were very important for the great teamwork the Bucks showed last season
by palomba on Jul 28, 2010 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
thats the line up for me..... for me.....
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
I'll post this here because I don't want to more abusive with Delfino news: Nocioni talks about Delfino
This except from a interview to Andrés Nocioni in the first day of Argentina’s national team preparation for Turkey shows how Delfino is over and over comapred with Ginobili. I love what Chapu replies, speaking his mind, as allways
(www.ole.com.ar/edicion-impresa/titulo_0_307169371.html)
Interviewer: ¿How do you do (to hide manu’s absence)? ¿What is lost without Ginobili?
-We loose a lot of pick and roll and generation and discharge. Manu ttracts a lot of attention and delivers passes for everyone. But Carlitos can do it just fine. We loose (Manu), but we will gain Delfino’s presence . This year I saw him playing in great level in Milwaukee and if he can keep it, the absence of manu will not be noticed that much. In these two days here, I saw Carlitos very well, focused, and I have faith on him. Neverthelees. it will be a matter of team effort. Every one will have to step uo a little more, add up a point, a rebound and our effort to help him.
-Delfino is a great talent but lacks Manu’s killing mentality. ¿What would you say to him for him to step up a little more?
To play the way he knows. You can’t ask him to play like Nocioni or a Scola. He feels basketball in a different way and shows his passion in a different way. We cannot ask him to change himself into something he is not. We do can ask him to be more regular, to play well every night … That would be a key thing and he can do it.
sorry about the mistakes: better read the comment here
This excerpt from an interview to Andrés Nocioni in the second day of Argentina’s national team preparation for Turkey shows how Delfino is over and over compared with Ginobili. I love what Chapu replies, speaking his mind, as allways
(www.ole.com.ar/edicion-impresa/titulo_0_307169371.html)
Interviewer: ¿How do you do (to hide manu’s absence)? ¿What is lost without Ginobili?
Nocioni: -We loose a lot of pick and roll and generation and discharge. Manu attracts a lot of attention and delivers passes for everyone. But Carlitos can do it just fine. We loose (Manu), but we will gain Delfino’s presence. This year I saw him playing in great level in Milwaukee and if he can keep it, the absence of Manu will not be noticed that much. In these two days here, I saw Carlitos very well, focused, and I have faith on him. Nevertheless, it will be a matter of team effort. Everyone will have to step up a little more, add up a point, a rebound and our effort to help him.
I: -Delfino is a great talent but lacks Manu’s killing mentality. ¿What would you say to him so he can step up a little more?
N:To play the way he knows. You can’t ask him to play like Nocioni or a Scola. He feels basketball in a different way and shows his passion in a different way. We cannot ask him to change himself into something he is not. We do can ask him to be more regular, to play well every night … That would be a key thing and he can do it.
what an epic response.
“He feels basketball in a different way and shows his passion in a different way. We cannot ask him to change himself into something he is not.”
I wish all basketball interviews sounded like this.
oh to be a spanish goalkeeper for a day...........
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
If you give up a goal, you will get mobbed
figuratively speaking, of course…
My kingdom for a spellchecker. Or Devin Harris. Hopefully both.
Fire KP! He forgot to turn off injuries in dynasty mode. - by Norsktroll on BlazersEdge
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Aug 6, 2010 3:10 AM CDT up reply actions
I was thinking more of the fringe benefits.....like dating smokin hot tv reporters
always a price to pay I suppose ;)
"That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness."
Speaking of which
If you type a name of an NBA player in google, one of the suggestions is almost always “’s wife”
I think having a trophy wife is a requirement as an NBA player.
"Now, Maggette's one of those where when he catches, it's probably going to go up--Not to a teammate." --Jon McGlocklin, 11/14/09
Haha, noticed that too
“wife” or “girlfriend” always seems to be the first or second thing suggested. Maybe there are more NBA groupies than fans?
Hmm, nobody loves the eyes
Maybe he should play first base instead. That is, he should lie out there and we can step on him when we get a hit.
Poor KT!
Squad Six is to the Bucks what beer is to Milwaukee (or anywhere else for that matter)... the catalyst for you doing dumb things in public and not feeling self-conscious!
by Big Crazy Dave on Aug 6, 2010 11:27 PM CDT up reply actions
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