Note to Self: Don't get on Chad Ford's bad side
Note from Self: Yeah it's a little late for that.
I've never been the biggest believer in Chad Ford and his Euro-lust has made me laugh but recently that has subsided and he's gone in the opposite direction. If Chad Ford decides he doesn't like a Euro, Chad Ford is going to take shots at him whenever he can. So while Ford was hyping up Darko years after most people had given up on him, he's quick to throw others under the bus. In a recent article, he discussed the dropping enthusiasm surrounding European players and said part of the reason was "backlash from a number of seemingly high-profile Euro busts, including Darko Milicic, Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli."
OK, it's nice to see that Chad is off of the Darko train and I agree that Bargnani has a LOT to prove if he wants to seem like a worthwhile top 5 pick, let alone #1, but Marco Belinelli? The 18th pick who played for a coach who isn't exactly fond of giving minutes to rookies is a bust? Unfortunately for Marco, Chad Ford was never particularly high on him. He thought he was a late first/second round talent and thought he was equal to guys like Derrick Byars, Nick Fazekas, Taurean Green, and Marcus Williams.
Now while Marco certainly didn't live up to the hype that he built up after the summer league, it's a little early to dismiss the guy. It's especially early if you're an NBA writer who's still copping pleas for Pavel Podkolzine.
