Carlos Francisco Delfino (born August 29, 1982) is an Argentine professional basketball player for Baltur Cento of the Italian Serie A2 Basket. Standing at 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in), he plays at the small forward and shooting guard positions. He is also noted for his defense and three point shooting skills.[3]

Carlos Delfino
Delfino with the Rockets
No. 82 – Baltur Cento
PositionSmall forward / shooting guard
LeagueSerie A2 Basket
Personal information
Born (1982-08-29) August 29, 1982 (age 41)
Santa Fe, Argentina
NationalityArgentine / Italian[1][2]
Listed height1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Listed weight104 kg (229 lb)
Career information
NBA draft2003: 1st round, 25th overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career1998–present
Career history
1998–1999Libertad de Sunchales
1999–2000Unión de Santa Fe
2000–2002Viola Reggio Calabria
2002–2004Fortitudo Bologna
20042007Detroit Pistons
2007–2008Toronto Raptors
2008–2009Khimki Moscow Region
20092012Milwaukee Bucks
2012–2013Houston Rockets
2013–2014Milwaukee Bucks
2017Boca Juniors
2017Baskonia
2018–2019Auxilium Torino
2019Fortitudo Bologna
2020–2023Victoria Libertas Pesaro
2023-presentBaltur Cento
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Argentina
Summer Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing
FIBA Diamond Ball
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Belgrade
Gold medal – first place 2008 Nanjing
FIBA AmeriCup
Gold medal – first place 2011 Mar del Plata
Gold medal – first place 2022 Brazil
Silver medal – second place 2007 Las Vegas
FIBA South American Championship
Gold medal – first place 2004 Rio de Janeiro

Professional career edit

Early years edit

The son of Carlos and Cristina Delfino, he began his professional career playing in the Argentine Basketball League for Olimpia de Venado Tuerto in the 1998–99 season, and he then transferred to Unión de Santa Fe in 1999–2000.

Italian clubs edit

Delfino moved to Italy in 2000 and played four seasons in the Italian A League, the first two with Reggio Calabria and the other two seasons with Skipper Bologna.

In his first season in Italy, he played for Reggio Calabria. In just under 21 minutes per game he averaged 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He scored a season-high 25 points in his second game against Scavolini Pesaro, making five of eight three-point attempts. He scored 15 points in just 20 minutes against Cordivari Roseto and tallied 14 points apiece against Paf Bologna, Muller Verona and Kinder Bologna. He hit at least one three-pointer in 19 of 24 games.

In his first season with Skipper Bologna, he moved into the starting lineup in the third game of the season and averaged about 26 minutes. He scored 18 points, including shooting 3-of-5 from three-point range, versus Euro Roseto and posted double-doubles against Benetton Treviso (13 points, 13 rebounds), Oregon Scientific Cantù (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Pippo Milano (14 points, 11 rebounds). He suffered torn ligaments in his ankle late in the season, but returned in late May.

Detroit Pistons (2004–2007) edit

Beginning in 2004, Delfino signed to play for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association, who made him the 25th pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft, making him the first Argentine player ever to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft. In November 2004, he suffered a knee injury that kept him on the injured list for over three months. He had an operation in the U.S. and then another in Argentina, where he recovered. However, Delfino did not immediately return to form after his rehabilitation, and was left off the Pistons' 2005 playoff roster. After he recovered from the knee injury, Delfino averaged 15.3 minutes, 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game in 30 games under coach Larry Brown. Many regarded Brown as having limited space for Delfino's offensive creativity. It was perceived that under the Pistons upcoming new coach Flip Saunders, that Delfino would thrive.

In his second season on the Pistons' active roster, Carlos averaged 10.7 minutes, 3.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game. Delfino played off the bench substituting for either Tayshaun Prince or Richard Hamilton. He had three straight games where he scored in double digits before being sidelined for the next 4 with the flu. Delfino became an important change-of-pace player in Flip Saunders' offensive scheme.

Toronto Raptors edit

On June 15, 2007, the Detroit Pistons traded Delfino to the Toronto Raptors for 2nd-round draft picks in both the 2009 NBA draft and the 2011 NBA draft.[4] The 2007–08 season was his most productive in the NBA, as he averaged 9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game during the regular season.

On June 16, 2009, the Toronto Raptors extended a qualifying offer to Delfino.[5]

Khimki edit

In the summer of 2008, Delfino signed a 3-year contract with the Russian Super League club Khimki Moscow Region. Delfino was one of the highest-paid basketball players in Europe, earning about US$10 million per season, plus a house, a car and a driver, and savings on taxes.[6] He averaged 13.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in Europe's secondary level competition, the EuroCup, during the 2008–09 season.[7]

Milwaukee Bucks (2009–2012) edit

On August 18, 2009, the Raptors signed and traded Delfino to the Milwaukee Bucks along with Roko Ukić in exchange for Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems.[8]

Delfino had a breakout season with the Bucks, as he posted career highs in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, steals per game and blocks per game, while playing 30 minutes per game. He also played a major role in the playoffs, shooting a career-high .405 from behind the 3-point line.

Houston Rockets (2012–2013) edit

On August 20, 2012, Delfino signed with the Houston Rockets.[9] After being a starter for three years in Milwaukee, Delfino became the sixth man for the Rockets in 2012–13. On June 30, 2013, Delfino was waived by the Rockets.[10]

Delfino's final NBA game ever was during Game 5 of the 2013 Western Conference First Round on May 1, 2013. In that game, Houston would defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 107 - 100 with Delfino playing for 10 minutes and the only stat he recorded was 1 assist. He missed the entire second half due to discomfort in his right foot, which was later found to have a fracture that caused him to miss the rest of the playoffs.[11]

Injury-riddled seasons (2013-2016) edit

Delfino spent the next three years off the court due to various complications to the injury suffered while playing for Houston, which required nine surgical interventions.[12] On July 17, 2013, Delfino signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.[13] However, he never appeared in a game for the Bucks during the 2013–14 season due to his broken foot.[14] On August 26, 2014, Delfino was traded, along with Miroslav Raduljica and a 2015 second-round draft pick, to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Jared Dudley and a 2017 conditional first-round draft pick.[15] Three days later, he was waived by the Clippers.[16]

Comeback (2016-2017) edit

Delfino made his return to the courts in 2016 when he joined Argentina's senior basketball team at the Summer Olympics.[17] On March 6, 2017, Delfino signed with the Argentine team Boca Juniors.[18] There, he joined his brother Lucio, who was also recovering from injury.[19]

On September 27, 2017, Delfino signed with Spanish club Baskonia.[20] On October 26, 2017, Delfino finished his stint with Baskonia.[21]

Return to Italy (2018–2023) edit

On July 3, 2018, Delfino came back to Italy after 14 years and signed a deal with Italian club Auxilium Torino.[22]

On February 27, 2019, Delfino returned to Bologna and signed on the Lavoropiù Bologna.[23]

After one year where Delfino didn't play anywhere, Jasmin Repeša, new coach of VL Pesaro, wanted him in his new team and he was the first hire for the season 2020-21 for Pesaro.[24]

National team career edit

Delfino was a member of Argentina's junior national team that won the bronze medal at the 2001 FIBA Under-21 World Championship that was held in Saitama, Japan. Delfino was also a part of the senior Argentine national basketball team that won the gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He also played with Argentina's senior national team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he helped Argentina to win the bronze medal.

In 2011, he won the gold medal in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship, held in Mar del Plata.

After years of absence following injury, he played with Argentina's senior basketball team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[17][25]

In 2022, Delfino won the gold medal in the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup held in Recife, Brazil. He was the Argentina´s starting small forward in the tournament

Career statistics edit

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high  *  Led the league

NBA edit

Regular season edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004–05 Detroit 30 4 15.3 .359 .257 .575 1.8 1.3 .7 .2 3.9
2005–06 Detroit 68 1 10.7 .403 .333 .672 1.7 .6 .3 .2 3.6
2006–07 Detroit 82* 1 16.7 .415 .333 .787 3.2 1.1 .6 .1 5.2
2007–08 Toronto 82* 0 23.5 .397 .382 .744 4.4 1.8 .8 .1 9.0
2009–10 Milwaukee 75 66 30.4 .408 .367 .782 5.3 2.7 1.1 .3 11.0
2010–11 Milwaukee 49 40 32.4 .390 .370 .800 4.1 2.3 1.6 .2 11.5
2011–12 Milwaukee 54 53 28.5 .402 .360 .792 3.9 2.3 1.5 .2 9.0
2012–13 Houston 67 5 25.2 .405 .375 .857 3.3 2.0 1.0 .1 10.6
Career 507 170 22.8 .401 .365 .758 3.6 1.7 .9 .2 8.1

Playoffs edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006 Detroit 8 0 4.0 .167 .500 1.000 .5 .3 .1 .0 .6
2007 Detroit 16 0 8.4 .405 .188 .667 1.3 .5 .3 .1 2.3
2008 Toronto 5 0 24.2 .405 .267 .900 4.8 2.2 .8 .0 8.6
2010 Milwaukee 7 7 32.3 .356 .405 .750 4.0 2.6 .7 .3 10.0
2013 Houston 5 0 24.0 .375 .355 1.000 2.4 2.0 .6 .2 9.0
Career 41 7 15.5 .373 .337 .846 2.2 1.2 .4 .1 4.9

EuroLeague edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2002–03 Bologna 16 15 31.8 .393 .291 .673 7.1 1.7 1.7 .3 12.0 13.4
2003–04 Bologna 21 16 30.9 .414 .338 .778 6.0 2.2 1.7 .1 12.4 13.7
2017–18 Baskonia 2 0 5.0 .000 .000 .000 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Career 39 31 31.3 .405 .314 .732 6.5 2.0 1.7 .2 12.2 13.6

References edit

  1. ^ El Madrid ficha a Delfino e incorpora a Mena y Lampe (in Spanish).
  2. ^ "Carlos Delfino nacionalidad | licencia: ITA | EUR {{in lang|es}}". Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  3. ^ Smith, Doug (November 2, 2007). "Laid-back Delfino playing mean 'D'". The Star. Toronto. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  4. ^ Raptors Acquire Carlos Delfino From Pistons, nba.com/raptors, Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  5. ^ Raptors Extend Qualifying Offer To Delfino
  6. ^ Raptorsrepublic.com Carlos Delfino's options.
  7. ^ Eurocup profile and stats.
  8. ^ "Bucks complete trade with Raptors". NBA.com. August 18, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2009.
  9. ^ "Rockets Sign Carlos Delfino" (PDF). NBA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  10. ^ "Houston Rockets waive Aaron Brooks and Carlos Delfino". Archived from the original on August 27, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  11. ^ "Carlos Delfino Will Miss Rest of Playoffs with Fractured Bone in Foot". Bleacher Report. May 4, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  12. ^ "Carlos Delfino ya es de Boca: "En algún momento tenía que volver a jugar"". Clarín (in Spanish). March 6, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  13. ^ Bucks Sign Free Agent Guard-Forward Carlos Delfino
  14. ^ Moore, Matt (October 1, 2013). "Carlos Delfino suffers injury setback, out indefinitely". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  15. ^ Clippers Acquire Carlos Delfino and Miroslav Raduljica
  16. ^ Clippers Waive Carlos Delfino And Miroslav Raduljica
  17. ^ a b "Confirmados los 12 para los Juegos Olímpicos de Río" [12 confirmed for the Rio Olympic Games] (in Spanish). Confederación Argentina de Básquetbol. July 16, 2016. Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  18. ^ "Boca Juniors signs Carlos Delfino". Sportando.com. March 6, 2017. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  19. ^ "La increíble historia de cómo una medalla dorada terminó siendo un autito de juguete". Infobae (in Spanish). April 1, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  20. ^ "Baskonia keeps Delfino temporarily". Euroleague.net. September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  21. ^ "Carlos Delfino finaliza su etapa en Baskonia". Saski Baskonia (in European Spanish). October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  22. ^ "Carlos Delfino sings with Fiat Torino". Sportando.basketball. July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.[permanent dead link]
  23. ^ "La Fortitudo Lavoropiu firma Carlos Delfino! Venerdì l'esordio in Coppa Italia". fortitudo103.it (in Italian). February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  24. ^ "Carlos Delfino firma con la VL!" (in Italian). victorialibertas.it. July 7, 2020.
  25. ^ "Rio 2016 ARG - BRA Men's Preliminary Round Group B basketball game". Rio 2016 official page. August 13, 2016. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-16.

External links edit