NBA fans everywhere take note: The European basketball feel is coming soon to an arena near you! Ball movement, unselfish play, and all the things the league used to stand for are about to experience a long awaited revival.

The Marco Belinelli trade adds yet another piece to the European conglomerate that is the Toronto Raptors.

Why do European Players prefer to play in Toronto anyway?

I will see this bench only if I am injured in Toronto! (Credit:picapp.com)

Look at this international roster:

Italy: Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli

Spain: Jose Calderon

Turkey: Hedo Turkoglu

England: Pops Mensah-Bonsu

Croatia: Roko Ukic

Ljubljana (Slovenia): Rasho Nestrovic

Las Vegas: Marcus Banks

This Raptors team is capable of the best ball movement and unselfish play we have seen for quite some time. The shooting ability of the Italian duo will spread the floor, allowing Chris Bosh and the super-athletic DeMar DeRozan to terrorize the paint.

Calderon has a huge shot, if he stays healthy, of leading the league in assists.

"This is how Euro style is done son" (Credit: picapp.com)

The Raptors have a huge chance of hosting a first round playoff series in the East.

Kobe could be the only one–we know Danilo Gallinari won’t be on the court– understanding the dialogue between Belinelli and Bargnani.

Maybe Kobe will ask them for recommendations for good Italian food in Toronto. Then maybe he’ll drop 81 on them.

It will be very interesting to see if Belinelli breaks out in Toronto. He has proven to be a capable offensive weapon in decent stretches of minutes, which he should see in Toronto.

"Ersan, Hedo is turkish too. Come to Toronto! (Credit:picapp.com)

Another question is whether his presence will have a positive impact on Bargnani.

Early on, all signs point toward a big ‘yes’.

Calderon, Jarrett Jack, Belinelli and Roko Ukic fill out a deep guard rotation.

Toronto is poised for a deep run into the Eastern Conference Playoffs this season.

Latavious Williams became the latest in a potentially long line of immensely talented young players forgoing collegiate careers in order to cash in on their talents. Williams declared he will not attend Memphis, opting for a professional experience in China instead. This new trend–started by Brandon Jennings and Jeremy Tyler–isn’t what the NBA had in mind when instituting an age minimum.

Expect Williams to eat well and train hard for the 2010 draft (Credit: Charles A. Smith)

Having spent a respectable portion of time in China over the past two years, I can assure first hand Latavious Williams is in for a treat. The Chinese are extraordinarily hospitable and ardent supporters of basketball.  He’ll receive star treatment while the fast-paced Chinese lifestyle will dictate a radical increase in his maturity.

Williams placed himself in a large market, and will be dominant, celebrated face in China. Expect endorsement deals with the folks of Li Ning. He could join Shaquille O’Neal, Jose Calderon, and Baron Davis as another NBA player with a Chinese made signature shoe.

Wil Latavious be the next face of Li Ning basketball products? (Credit: lining.com)

Latavious will make more cash during one year in China than a four-year tuition would cost. Which is the best Memphis University could offer him via the scholarship route.

The Chinese love their basketball. The NBA is constantly plotting expansion in China as a result. In the most obscure areas of China, you find more public basketball courts than in any major U.S. city. Games finds you.

You will not have to shoot jumpers on your own. Nor will you do something ridiculously sadistic like 1-on-1 full court with another Protect the Paint writer to attain your cardio. The Chinese are basketball crazed. Pick up games with long waits linger late into the night.

Congress and the NBA are “attempting” to make sense of this “must-be-19-years-old to-play” fiasco, doing more harm than good. They allow our talented youth pool to gett paid while experiencing cultures unavailable in college.

The NBA as a business should have a better training and support system in place for their employees, instead of using an age minimum to determine who can join the league.

At the age of 18, Latavious Wiliams can opt to enlist in the armed forces. His life could be cut short while serving his country. Also, he can be tried as an adult if he commits a crime.

That being said, how can the NBA force young and talented athletes to seek employment elsewhere?

Maybe congress and the NBA should start working on that.

This past Thursday, Hedo Turkoglu–who opted out in Orlando after vastly improving his stock during the Magic’s run to the finals–announced he would sign a fat deal with the Portland Trailblazers, good for $50 million over 5 years. Sounds good.

Then on Friday, Turkoglu reneged on this agreement to come to the pacific northwest and decided to head about as far north as you can go in the NBA to the Toronto Raptors for $53 million over 5 years. Either way, these two offers for Hedo dwarf the Orlando offer ($35 million over 4 years).

The $3 million more Toronto is offering–which is nothing to sneeze at–may have more to do with placating Mrs. Turkoglu than anything else?

In Portland, Hedo would have joined All-Star Brandon Roy on the up and coming team in the super-competitive Western Conference. Instead, Hedo opted to join a far weaker Toronto Raptors team as part of Bryan Colangelo’s last ditch effort to retain Chris Bosh past 2010. Winning doesn’t appear to be priority number one for Hedo.

Hedo is joining a weaker team in a weaker division for $3 million more (Credit: streetball.com)

In being outbid for Hedo by teams with more cash to spend, and opting to allow Courtney Lee go in the deal that brought Vince Carter to Florida, Orlando has now lost two vital cogs in the rotation that got them to the finals. As a result, the Magic become slower and older. Rarely the elixir for NBA success.

Protect the Paint will now view the pros and cons of Turkoglu selecting Toronto over Portland.

PROS

Hedo's passing skills will be useful for Toronto (Credit: sportsagentblog.com)

Hedo is an amazing passer/ball-handler for a guy his size. There are very few 6’10” players who can drop in 20 points and 10+ assists on any given night. Hedo is one of the few.

Turkoglu will instantaneously make life easier on Chris Bosh. The floor spacing of Hedo, Jose Calderon, and Andrea Bargnani should allow Bosh to have more of an impact late in games when it really matters. Look for a huge spike in production and desire out of a rejuvenated Bosh. No one knows if this will this be enough to keep in him in Canada for years to come, but you have to give the Raptors’ front office and A for effort.

Turkoglu is one of the best at finishing games and his play in the 4th quarter should dramatically help Toronto in close games.

Brandon Roy almost had Turkoglu at his side (Credit: nike.com)

CONS

Adding Turkoglu to the team almost certainly results in Toronto not being able to retain Shawn Marion–a tireless rebounder and full of hustle. This results in the Raptors becoming a much weaker rebounding team.

Boozer started the trend of breaking verbal agreements (Credit: nike.com)

Turkoglu’s reputation takes a hit here. Hedo is now the latest to pull off a Carlos Boozer. It’s not quite the same scenario. Boozer was let of a deal and then hosed the Cavs. Hedo opted out. He’ll say he didn’t use the Blazers offer as leverage for something better. We’ll never know for sure.

Hedo will take extra money and justify it by saying he can be in a more international, multi-cultural city. Although there may be a Turkish community up there, there is no Championship-caliber basketball team. This indicates where Hedo’s head and heart are, or maybe better put, where they’re not–not concerned with winning. If they were, he would choose Portland by a landslide. Gotta keep the wife happy though.

SYNOPSIS

Hedo’s arrival in Toronto will result in a 7-8 playoff seed. That’s better than last year, but it is doubtful they will go any further as they will lose Marion, Anthony Parker, and possibly more in order to pay his salary, in addition to stockpiling the money needed to resign Bosh. The Raptors are now good enough to get in the playoffs, but will be ‘one and done’ once they get there as rebounding and tough defense keeps you alive in the post-season.

Bosh will have 1 year with Turkoglu to decide to stay in Toronto (Credit: cbcnews.com)

Bosh will not be able to carry this load. He will be frustrated his team won’t advance past the first round, and sign elsewhere (in America) in 2010. At least Hedo will have his international city, and Turkish community, and oh yeah, the $53 Million. That kind of coin always helps ease the sting of losing.

Seems like Portland managed to dodge the bullet of signing a player more focused on money and living situation over winning.

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