Delfino? Maybe No.

I think that we may be looking the wrong way when we consider Delfino to be a slam dunk to return to the Raptors. Instead of just worrying about team depth, what the Raptors also have to watch for is becoming too deep with players that need to be in the rotation.

NBA teams are based on a rotation and players function best when they know where they fit into the rotation. One of the strengths that Triano brought to the team was a commitment to a rotation so that players knew when they would be playing and what their role was. This gave a player like Bargnani a solid understanding of what his job is. Under Mitchell he was constantly being moved between different positions and he could not establish a mind set as to what he was supposed to be. It is very difficult to go out with your role being a finesse outside player one moment, and then go back out the next time and be an inside banger.

In some ways putting together an NBA team is simple. You only have five players on the court at one time and there are 48 minutes in a game. If you assign your starters an average 36 minutes a game each, that does not leave much playing time for your bench. Let’s break this down a little.

In the backcourt you can pencil Calderon in for 36 minutes a game playing the point. Wright and DeRozan will share the shooting guard spot eating up the 48 minutes there. This leaves Ukic to play the remaining 12 minutes. Douby ends up sitting on the bench and is an emergency player for injuries.

In the frontcourt Bosh, Bargnani and Turkoglu will average 36 minutes each. This leaves only 36 minutes to be shared by the remaining team. I think Nesterovic will be back with the Raptors since they do need an experienced big man to bang with the big boys. If he plays12 minutes and Reggie Evans adds his grit and rebounding for another 20 minutes a game, you are left with very little playing time for anyone else. Devean George can easily eat up those minutes without hurting your team.

While Delfino can fit into many roles, my worry is that he will demand more playing time to be effective, and without that his play and effort will start to drift. I believe that was his problem last time with the Raptors and I see that as a concern with bringing him back.

Colangelo is very aware of the salary implications going forward and what the team will need in budget room next year. As he has stated, he would be willing to overpay for a player that is willing to take a one year contract. I expect him to take his time and not jump on Delfino. If something happens quickly, I would not be surprised to see him make a last minute pitch to Anthony Parker for a one year deal at a bigger number then Cleveland is willing to offer. Parker could be a solid role player for the team and will not need the coddling that Delfino will to keep him positive. Parker can even play some point, especially when you can now run the offense through Turkoglu.

I like the look and rotation of the Raptors with the addition of Nesterovic, which I think will happen. I think Colangelo will be careful in picking up back end rotation pieces since you do not need attitude problems on the team.

The biggest exposure right now is Calderon going down with a nagging injury since I do not see Ukic starting for an extended time period. I see the Raptors going for a more experienced point guard that is capable of filling the starter’s role.