Not quite the type, since he plays the 5, but this guys is a pretty physical defender as far as I can tell. And these four French guys are pretty physical, too...
Yea, there are definitely some tough foreign players out there, some of which I'd love to have on the Rockets. What I really meant to say originally was that I don't think Delfino is what the Raptors need most right now. I think they need some toughness, both in the frontcourt and backcourt. Delfino is a nice player. I like his skillset. Maybe they have other moves they plan to make later this summer.
All they are doing is reserving their rights on a potential asset. By making a relatively cheap QO on the guy (which is a 1 year deal at an amount at which they apparently find to be below his market value), they make him a restricted FA, with matching rights. This means if they want to sign him long term, they are in a better position to work out a cheaper deal (see Landry) or else they can still decide wither to let him go. They also put themselves in a better position to make a S&T deal. It's all about options. He's not a star-level talent, or even the most urgent need fo rthe team, but he's worth the QO, and, at a reasonable price, he's an asset to the team and in a trade. It's something a reasonably smart asset manager would do.
