Team Canada Basketball Thread V2.0

[mojo13]

So if I'm reading the FIBA article correctly, it looks like Canada was the victim of the rule that avoids having teams from the Americas in the same pool, as we were moved from pot 5 to 6. I wonder why Canada was chosen to move pots? Maybe it was something as simple as they thought Canada Basketball was least likely to complain about the change or have any influence to affect change if they did.

Maybe I'm reaching, but it seems like we got kind of screwed. Of course, the other teams that will be upset are any first or second seeded country that ends up getting stuck in a pool of death with us.

Edit: Actually, after looking at it more closely, I see that there's really no other team they could have moved. My bad. They're really handcuffed by rankings that don't reflect the current strength of certain teams such as Argentina.

Could they not have left us in 5, moved Germany up to 4 and one of the weak Americas teams into 5, rather than moving us down to 6?

[aminiaturebuddha]

So if I'm reading the FIBA article correctly, it looks like Canada was the victim of the rule that avoids having teams from the Americas in the same pool, as we were moved from pot 5 to 6. I wonder why Canada was chosen to move pots? Maybe it was something as simple as they thought Canada Basketball was least likely to complain about the change or have any influence to affect change if they did.

Maybe I'm reaching, but it seems like we got kind of screwed. Of course, the other teams that will be upset are any first or second seeded country that ends up getting stuck in a pool of death with us.

Edit: Actually, after looking at it more closely, I see that there's really no other team they could have moved. My bad. They're really handcuffed by rankings that don't reflect the current strength of certain teams such as Argentina.

Could they not have left us in 5, moved Germany up to 4 and one of the weak Americas teams into 5, rather than moving us down to 6?

As I read it, that would have meant 5 Americas teams in the 1,4,5,8 pots (USA, PR, DR, Ven and Can), which would have necessitated 2 Americas teams in one pool. I think the only way it would have worked would have been to move a team by two pots (i.e. from 4 to 6), which understandably they wouldn't have wanted to do.

I think it's just a bad beat, since they were only using FIBA rankings. We'll just have to hope for the lesser of two evils tomorrow.

Edit: I guess what might have worked is to leave Canada in pot 5, and move Puerto Rico from 4 to 3 and Italy from 3 to 4. So there was another option.

[mojo13]

Looks like we are 50/50 to have Australia since they can not have PHI or KOR from our Pot. Only choice is CAN or MNE.
That really sucks.


EDIT - I might be wrong here - do they consider Australia Oceania still? or part of Asia for this consideration?

[BilboBanginz]

Looks like we are 50/50 to have Australia since they can not have PHI or KOR from our Pot. Only choice is CAN or MNE.
That really sucks.


EDIT - I might be wrong here - do they consider Australia Oceania still? or part of Asia for this consideration?

You're right. It's a 50/50 chance we get drawn into a group with Australia. @3:24 mark of that video it says that Korea and Philippines cannot be drawn into the same group as Australia.

[BilboBanginz]

Read on Twitter

Andrew Nembhard with 20/4/6 + the game winner in a huge upset over LSU.

This probably secures Florida's spot in the tourney.

[frumble]

Read on Twitter

Andrew Nembhard with 20/4/6 + the game winner in a huge upset over LSU.

This probably secures Florida's spot in the tourney.

One point shy of his season (career) high.

Lawson back from his ankle injury and playing a little for South Carolina.

[UcanUwill]

World cup group H

Lithuania
Australia
Canada
Senegal

Worst possible scenatio for my Lithuania, unbelievable.

[BilboBanginz]

Venezuela, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Argentina all drew easy groups, making it even more difficult for Canada to finish as a top-2 Americas team, especially if point differential plays a role.

[Jstock12]

World cup group H

Lithuania
Australia
Canada
Senegal

Worst possible scenatio for my Lithuania, unbelievable.

**** Kobe

[Sakkreth]

This must be a joke. Compare group H to group A. Group H has 3 teams that would top group A without question. FIBA is becoming a joke.

[RaptorsLife]

Hard ass group. Canada better have chemistry or were out quickly no matter how much talent we have

[lexxus]

Lmao. Canada really got Australia

[Hair Canada]

Well, you could see it coming from miles... 3 of the arguably top-8 in the world in the same group. And the absurd is that with all the preliminary FIBA set-ups it was almost unavoidable. And somehow China and Russia got laughable groups. I'm sure it was completely random and nothing to do with politics or under-the-table arrangements...

[young11a]

Venezuela, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Argentina all drew easy groups, making it even more difficult for Canada to finish as a top-2 Americas team, especially if point differential plays a role.

Wow some of those groups are jokes.

Why would the host get automatically put Into the same tier as USA-spain and France how dumb is that

[Hair Canada]

Oh, and note that if we do get to the second stage, pool H crosses with pool G. So out of Lithuania, Australia, Canada, France, and Germany only two teams will get to the quarterfinals (and to a likely spot in the Olympics).

And to add insult to injury, pool A crosses with pool B (the two pools that are by far the weakest), leading to a very realistic quarterfinals appearance for Russia and China if they can put up a half-decent team. Again, leading to a likely Olympics berth.

[frumble]

We all saw it coming, but it still sucks.

Groups A through C are a complete joke. FIBA makes FIFA look like a clean organization.

[Hair Canada]

All good news to hear - my only concern is bringing in a fresh coach with a new system and style right before the WC is a little risky. Would much rather have had someone in place for a year or so already. I'd be happy with Rana at the helm with guys like JD Jackson and Smart around him.


Anyways I took a look at the competition format for the WC and it is a little different from what we have seen in the past.
Two rounds of pool play, w/ top two advancing from 1st rnd w/ all results carrying over to the 2nd round. Then top two per pool from 2nd round move on to single elimin. Quarter-finals. So it puts the pool draws of even more importance. As we need to be very concerned not just about or first pool (especially when results carry over), but the pool we combine into. There is still huge potential for imbalance if they heavily use FIBA Rankings as draw guidance. With potential for multiple "Death Pools" and multiple cake walk pools.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/competition-system-a4.pdf

Agreed. Just one example: Given the ranking and the principle of separating continents when possible, the following two pools are certainly possible:

1. Spain (or France/Serbia), Australia, Canada, Nigeria

2. China, Venezuela, Poland, Ivory Coast

Okay, this was written 10 days ago. Take a look at group 2... And I'm not bringing this to say I'm some sort of a modern Nostradamus. This pool was just the very weakest that China could possibly get in my opinion. And lo and behold, they "miraculously" got it, plus a bonus of crossing with the second incredibly weak group in the draw (which happens to include Russia).

[TrueNorth31]

As the profound Stampede wrestling star Tor Kamatsu was fond of saying , " Money talks Mr. Whelan, money talks ".

Basically FIBA has chosen to pursue financial gain over competitive equity.

By putting China in a weak draw they essentially ensure that the 1.2 billion people of China will stay engaged as their team goes onto the final 16. To accomplish this goal someone had to be sacrificed. FIBA looked around and decided that Canada, Australia and Lithuania would all make good sacrificial lambs.

On paper you have 3 of the top six teams in the world in the same pool. Lithuania is a basketball power, but has a very small population base of only 2.85 million citizens so it's easy to screw them over. Canada and Australia are obviously seen by FIBA as peripheral countries that never host any tournaments, aren't European ( where the real power and influence resides in FIBA ) and are polite non entities that don't seem to matter.

[VanWest82]

Are we 100% sure Simmons will play this summer given he’s extension eligible?

[TrueNorth31]

It gets even worse - if Canada somehow gets into the second round we have to beat France ( # 2 in the world on paper ) to avoid playing the States in a quarter final.

The good news if we win group L , we avoid the Yanks in the semifinals. Just win baby .....