Team Canada Basketball Thread V3.0

[mojo13]

Putting my rant above aside - we are three months out from the July WC Qualifiers. Any thoughts on a likely roster?

I do think a number of guys are very questionable do to lingering injuries, free agency and a history of poor attendance. With the NBA guys I am feeling:

Unlikley:
SGA - minor injury, history of sitting out
Dort - more serious injury
Murray - serious injury, still not recovered, history of sitting out
Birch (talked about his knee bothering him all year and may need surgury)
Boucher (FA)
TT (Old, old)


Maybe:
Brissett (club option)
CoJo (Old)
Pangos (FA but maybe looking for something to do)
Clarke - unknown interest
Brooks - usually hurt and poor recent attendance


More likely:
Wiggins
Barrett
NAW
Lyles
Powell
Olynyk


Guys that don't really move the needle and likely have better versions in Europe:
Wigginton, Stauskas, Mulder, Banton, Kabengele

[bozothepope]

Anybody watch the Biosteel game yesterday? Elijah Fisher reminds me a bit of Mathurin. It'll be interesting to see where he plays next season.

[aminiaturebuddha]

I'm a little different than you both....


Edey I am little more down on post March. I really think he needs to stay at Purdue for at least another year and continue to work on his game. He is such a defensive liability out there against smaller, quicker teams even at the NCAA level, I cant see how you put him in the floor in the NBA. He offensive upside just wouldn't compensate at this point in the NBA as it can in the NCAA. I, as well, hope he heads to Europe to continues to improve rather than stagnate at the deep end of an NBA bench. I honestly don't see him as a crucial piece to the SMNT but one of the many that could plug a SMNT deficiency when the better players don't show. Yes the FIBA game is different so maybe I'm being hyperbolic here but at this point (and years to come) I'd rather have KO, Birch, TT, Kyle Alexander and even Boucher(!) manning the paint for Canada. Aimaq and Bediako could end up more useful. Is there a role for Edey as a limited minutes tool? Probably...but he is far from a crucial piece for the SMNT in my mind right now.

Just to clarify, when I said that I see Edey as an important piece for Team Canada, I didn't mean for this window. I'd agree that there isn't much of a place for him at this point, unless we get virtually no participation from our top bigs. I was more talking down the road, perhaps even as early as next window, as guys like KO, TT, Powell, Birch, and Boucher get older and are no longer options for the team (for example, I don't think there's any way that TT will be around for the next WC, Olympic rounds in 27/28, and likely not KO or Powell either).

I basically agree with everything else you had in this post though.

[aminiaturebuddha]

Putting my rant above aside - we are three months out from the July WC Qualifiers. Any thoughts on a likely roster?

I do think a number of guys are very questionable do to lingering injuries, free agency and a history of poor attendance. With the NBA guys I am feeling:

Unlikley:
SGA - minor injury, history of sitting out
Dort - more serious injury
Murray - serious injury, still not recovered, history of sitting out
Birch (talked about his knee bothering him all year and may need surgury)
Boucher (FA)
TT (Old, old)


Maybe:
Brissett (club option)
CoJo (Old)
Pangos (FA but maybe looking for something to do)
Clarke - unknown interest
Brooks - usually hurt and poor recent attendance


More likely:
Wiggins
Barrett
NAW
Lyles
Powell
Olynyk


Guys that don't really move the needle and likely have better versions in Europe:
Wigginton, Stauskas, Mulder, Banton, Kabengele

That looks about right, and actually, if your list of "more likely" actually show up, that's a very solid core for a team. We'd still need a couple of point guards, but I think we've got some depth there with decent showings recently from guys like Bell-Haynes and Chery (along with the hope that Pangos might show up).

Of the guys playing in Europe that have recently shown up, I think Wiltjer, Alexander, and Robertson should all have a role, and probably the Scrubb brothers as well.

If there's an extra guard spot near the end of the bench, Mulder vs Banton is an interesting discussion. There's no question that Mulder would be more useful right now. But Banton now knows Nurse's system, would be better defensively, and they might want to get him some national team experience in the hope that with further development he becomes a more useful player down the road.

[Snowwy]

Anybody watch the Biosteel game yesterday? Elijah Fisher reminds me a bit of Mathurin. It'll be interesting to see where he plays next season.

I'm not the biggest fan of these guys reclassifying. It seems to hurt more guys than help.

[mojo13]

Keep an eye out for Leonard Miller at the Nike Hoops Summit this week. We should finally get some unbiased intel on him (besides the comments here of course).


As for Europe - Olivier Hanlan signed with Valencia yesterday via a buyout from his Greek club Aris. This was pretty surprising for me as I've sort of written him off. But he’s been tearing it up in the A-1 this year, leading the league in scoring at 21ppg.

You may recall Olivier Hanlan was the 42rd pick (Jazz) in 2015. He never played an NBA game and joined Zalgaris for the 15/16 EuroLeague season. After a really disappointing EL stint followed by very subpar seasons in the French Pro-A & German BBL(yes he even stunk in the BBL) he finally found his footing in Greece.

After two solid seasons with a lowly Iraklis club, Hanlan looked the part of a common, high volume, inefficient, ball dominant scoring guard. Certainly nothing I ever wanted around the SMNT. But this season at Aris he's really tightened things up, posting career best scoring, 21pg, & near 3 made threes a game at 38% - a huge improvement of volume and efficiency. His highlight real is below.

Valencia is a perennial contender in the ACB and likely returns to the EuroLeague next season (3 of the last 5 seasons have been EL). If Hanlan can impress, maybe he finds his way back into the EuroLeague for 22/23. But that improved 3pt shooting needs to hold. This marks his highest level of competition since his rookie year with Zalgaris.

Anyways - I though that news worthy. Still not sure I want him around the SMNT, but yet another guard to consider for the winter "core".

Watch on YouTube

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[mojo13]

Olivier Hanlan also got me thinking of who the best players in Europe are this season and their potential value to the SMNT.
These guys play would play very different roles with the summer team vs the winter team so I'll leave the SMNT value alone for now and rank them in a vacuum.

Tiering them is easiest path, but I've semi-ranked them within the Tiers. It is much more muddled in the Tier 2. Its tough comparing guys across domestic leagues and club quality.

Tier 1
Dyshawn Pierre - A swiss army knife starter for Fenerbahce. Excellent defense, multiple positions, can hit the three efficiently. He could fill allot of roles for the SMNT. He is a better version of prime Melvin Ejim and I don't think many Canadian know that.
Naz Mitrou Long - fantastic rookie season in Europe (Italy). Lots of talk of him being chased by multiple EL teams.
Kyle Alexander - keeps getting better and better as the season goes on. Becoming a three point threat too. Some talk of him moving to the EL next season.

I do think these are the top three (not including Pangos as he is not currently there) and I think Long and Alexander have a really good shot at joining Pierre in the EuroLeague next season.

Tier 2
Marial Shayok
Kassius Robertson
Melvin Ejim
Tyler Ennis
Thomas Scrubb
Trae Bell Haynes
Kenny Chery
Phil Scrubb
Kyle Wiltjer
Johnny B
Olivier Hanlan

[TheFutureMM]

Read on Twitter

The odds on Sharpe going 1st overall in this draft are way too tempting right now. I just threw $6 bucks on it hoping he absolutely destroys workouts lol.

[BilboBanginz]

Leonard Miller Hoop Summit highlights + Interview w/ Jonathan Givony. He mentions G-League, Overtime Elite, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, TCU, Providence, Auburn, and Alabama as options for next season. Also says the draft is "very much possible"

Also, he mentioned that his brother is brother is Emmanuel Miller at TCU, which is news to me.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[TheFutureMM]

Leonard Miller Hoop Summit highlights + Interview w/ Jonathan Givony. He mentions G-League, Overtime Elite, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, TCU, Providence, Auburn, and Alabama as options for next season. Also says the draft is "very much possible"

Also, he mentioned that his brother is brother is Emmanuel Miller at TCU, which is news to me.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

I can't help but hope that he doesn't go the draft route after watching these highlights - seems really really raw.

I'd prefer he go the D1 route as opposed to G-League / Overtime Elite but the money might be too hard to pass up. Doesn't strike me as a 1-and-done guy.

[BilboBanginz]

Lloyd Pandi leaving Carleton for the NBA draft.

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[aminiaturebuddha]

Looks like Andrew Nembhard is officially declaring for the draft. I had somewhat forgot about the possibility of him returning for yet another year, but the NCAA granted players eligibility for another year because of lost games and opportunities due to Covid.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/33778131/gonzaga-bulldogs-senior-andrew-nembhard-declare-2022-nba-draft

He seems to have the right mindset in terms of what kind of player he can be, based upon this quote in the article, but I still don't really see him as a long term NBA option. That said, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if some team used a late 2nd on him.

"Initially I can bring backup point guard minutes to a team. A player like Tyus Jones -- I can emulate his role, bring a high assist-to-turnover ratio, get guys open shots, hit open 3s and understand the game. I can see myself in a similar role. I can give a team a different look off the bench, pushing the pace in transition, getting guys open shots. With the way the NBA spacing is, that's only going to help me. Every kid wants to go first round -- that would be a blessing -- but a win for me on draft night would be going to a team that I can make an impact on. A team that I can fit into and win games."

[aminiaturebuddha]

And Shaedon Sharpe will enter the draft as well. It's a strange situation, considering he never saw the floor after arriving at Kentucky, but if his people really believe that he's going to be a top 10 pick, it's hard to walk away from that and risk that kind of money (over $10 million over 3 years as the #10 pick and rising from there).

I would imagine that his people (no official agent yet as he's maintaining his college eligibility for now) would probably limit him to individual workouts, which could mean that the first organized basketball above the high school level that anyone will see of him will come in Summer League after he's drafted. Certainly one of the more unique situations since the introduction of the "One-and-done" rule in 2006.

[mojo13]

And Shaedon Sharpe will enter the draft as well. It's a strange situation, considering he never saw the floor after arriving at Kentucky, but if his people really believe that he's going to be a top 10 pick, it's hard to walk away from that and risk that kind of money (over $10 million over 3 years as the #10 pick and rising from there).

I would imagine that his people (no official agent yet as he's maintaining his college eligibility for now) would probably limit him to individual workouts, which could mean that the first organized basketball above the high school level that anyone will see of him will come in Summer League after he's drafted. Certainly one of the more unique situations since the introduction of the "One-and-done" rule in 2006.

Sharpe is keeping one foot at UK just in case his eligibility is denied by the NBA. The NBA can't begin to review his application until he declares so the clock starts ticking now. His school came out today in support of his graduation timeline, so that is more good news. Some articles yesterday saying NBA scouts expect him to clear eligibility although this is a first for these particular circumstances.

I think he is in. And once he gets official clearance he goes all in and hires an agent.

Waiting on Miller now. I keep hearing he doesn't want to got to school if he can avoid it.

[BilboBanginz]

Kellen Tynes transferring from Montana State to Maine. He got limited playing time in two years on good Montana State team, so transferring to a very bad Maine team should give him a bigger role. Maine has a new coach coming from the Boston College staff so who knows, maybe he can turn it around.

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[raptorforlife88]

Looks like Andrew Nembhard is officially declaring for the draft. I had somewhat forgot about the possibility of him returning for yet another year, but the NCAA granted players eligibility for another year because of lost games and opportunities due to Covid.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/33778131/gonzaga-bulldogs-senior-andrew-nembhard-declare-2022-nba-draft

He seems to have the right mindset in terms of what kind of player he can be, based upon this quote in the article, but I still don't really see him as a long term NBA option. That said, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if some team used a late 2nd on him.

"Initially I can bring backup point guard minutes to a team. A player like Tyus Jones -- I can emulate his role, bring a high assist-to-turnover ratio, get guys open shots, hit open 3s and understand the game. I can see myself in a similar role. I can give a team a different look off the bench, pushing the pace in transition, getting guys open shots. With the way the NBA spacing is, that's only going to help me. Every kid wants to go first round -- that would be a blessing -- but a win for me on draft night would be going to a team that I can make an impact on. A team that I can fit into and win games."

With that attitude he'll have a better shot than others without a realistic idea of their own limitations. When it comes to bench players a player who plays within themselves is always going to better than a Michael Beasley type who has significantly more talent, but no sense of what they should be doing on the court.

[mojo13]

Waiting on Miller now. I keep hearing he doesn't want to got to school if he can avoid it.

Leonard Miller declared for the draft over the weekend. Maintaining his college eligibility.
Still a little mystery at this point on where he'd go. I've seen talk of the mid 2nd all the way to the late lottery.


Zach Edey declared he will NOT enter the draft and return to Perdue. Good move IMO as I'm not near sold on his NBA role and he has developed really well at Perdue. Perhaps if he continue the pace of the last couple years he finds that role.

And yeah...I really enjoyed that quote by Nembhard. Smart kid...

[aminiaturebuddha]

Waiting on Miller now. I keep hearing he doesn't want to got to school if he can avoid it.

Leonard Miller declared for the draft over the weekend. Maintaining his college eligibility.
Still a little mystery at this point on where he'd go. I've seen talk of the mid 2nd all the way to the late lottery.


Zach Edey declared he will NOT enter the draft and return to Perdue. Good move IMO as I'm not near sold on his NBA role and he has developed really well at Perdue. Perhaps if he continue the pace of the last couple years he finds that role.

And yeah...I really enjoyed that quote by Nembhard. Smart kid...

Yep, good move by Edey to head back to Purdue, especially since Trevion Williams declared that he's heading to the draft and hiring an agent (rather than take advantage of that extra year). I'm sure that Edey learned a lot from him, and their battles in practice were probably interesting, but I'm looking forward to seeing what Edey can do when he doesn't have to split time, and where he'll be given the opportunity to play through struggles.

Purdue still does have another big guy in Caleb Furst, but I'm hoping that Matt Painter won't be as dogmatic about keeping only one on the floor at all times like he was with Edey and Williams, especially since Furst did get minutes with those guys at times during this past year.

[mojo13]

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Shaedon Sharpe cleared for the draft. Looks like Leonard Miller will be too (pending some additional paperwork).

[mojo13]

Official early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2022. Canadians include:
Fardaws Aimaq
Emmanuel Akot
Quincy Guerrier
Caleb Houstan
Noah Kirkwood
Bennedict Mathurin
Andrew Nembhard
Shaedon Sharpe

They have until June 1st to remove themselves and return to school.