Team Canada Basketball Thread V2.0

mojo13 · Post #341 » by **mojo13** » Wed Oct 17, 2018 12:02 am

No known rule to my knowledge. Just practice. There were many many two way guys the USA would have loved to have used but couldn’t. Even a couple that played in the First window, then revived a two way and didn’t play for USA in the 2nd window.
They are on NBA rosters and have a NBA contract and the NBA is not releasing guys. I just don’t think it will happen but not 100 percent certain.

frumble · Post #342 » by **frumble** » Thu Oct 18, 2018 3:38 pm

Mojo and Buddha,
Thanks for the info and insights.

I caught part of Mavs/Suns and Powell looked very good offensively in the limited minutes he played.

Based on boxscores, looks like SGA and Wiggins played well, and Brooks is barely in rotation.

TheFutureMM · Post #343 » by **TheFutureMM** » Thu Oct 18, 2018 3:39 pm

Lots of Canadians played last night in the league. Below are the stat lines ranked (imo):

1. Powell (Dal) (17 mins, 16pts (6-8), 5rbs, 1stl, 1blk, 0to). [Loss]
2. Wiggins (Min) (37 mins, 20 pts (8-18), 6rbs, 3ast, 1stl, 2to). [Loss]
3. Joseph (Ind) (28 mins, 11pts (5-7), 6rbs, 3ast, 1stl, 2blk, 2to). [Win]
4. Gilgeous-Alexander (LAC) (28 mins, 11pts (5-6), 2rbs, 4ast, 1stl, 1blk, 3to). [Loss]
5. Lyles (Den) (19 mins, 10pts (3-6), 7rbs, 1stl, 1to). [Win]
6. Murray (Den - Starting) (32 mins, 7pts (3-12), 5rbs, 3ast, 1stl, 1to). [Win]
7. Thompson (Cle) (27 mins, 3pts (1-5), 13rbs, 1ast, 4to). [Loss]
8. Olynyk (Mia) (15 mins, 4pts (1-4), 1rbs, 1to). [Loss]
9. Brooks (Mem) (6 mins, 0pts (0-1), 1to). [Loss]

Notes:
- Powell went in and did some serious damage in 17 mins. Really efficient with other counting stats as well.
- Wiggins played a decent game last night. Unfortunate that it didn't get them the win but KAT was off and Jimmy didn't play great either.
- Gilgeous-Alexander looked smooth (see the video below). I don't think it's long before he's starting in over Beverly.
- Everyone else had expected performances. As for Brooks, it's only a matter of time before Parsons minutes start to get redistributed in Memphis among the other wings. There is some depth ahead of him but he should be able to make a case for minutes in about 20 games if this continues.
- Also, does anyone have a bias now in fantasy for Canadians? I drafted Wiggins on a whim in the 9th round of my 12 team draft likely due to the fact that I follow these more closely and now I have picked up SGA...

Watch on YouTube

Hair Canada · Post #344 » by **Hair Canada** » Thu Oct 18, 2018 7:55 pm

One notable thing: Jamal continues the tradition of slow (to put it mildly) openings to his seasons.

Yesterday: 7 points (shooting 3/12).
Last year (first 3 games): 6 points a game, shooting 7/27
His first year (first 4 games): 0.5 points a game, 0/16

He'll bounce back as he did before, but would be nice to see a different pattern.

TheFutureMM · Post #345 » by **TheFutureMM** » Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:58 pm

Hair Canada wrote:One notable thing: Jamal continues the tradition of slow (to put it mildly) openings to his seasons.

Yesterday: 7 points (shooting 3/12).
Last year (first 3 games): 6 points a game, shooting 7/27
His first year (first 4 games): 0.5 points a game, 0/16

He'll bounce back as he did before, but would be nice to see a different pattern.

At least he's trending in the right direction? :lol:

Curious to see how Stauskas plays tonight and more importantly how many minutes he gets.

bozothepope · Post #346 » by **bozothepope** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 5:22 am

TheFutureMM wrote:
Curious to see how Stauskas plays tonight and more importantly how many minutes he gets.

He looked like the Michigan version of himself out there tonight. Happy to see.

BilboBanginz · Post #347 » by **BilboBanginz** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:06 am

Watch on YouTube

Great start for Nik

Post #348 » by **Double Helix** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:56 am

Came here to post Nik Stauskas’ best regular season game in a while. Glad it’s alread posted. It’s too bad Portland has so much perimeter talent because it looks like Terry Stotts might be the right coach for him. I thought he looked good at times in preseason as well.

And1Skip · Post #349 » by **And1Skip** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 12:14 pm

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Post #350 » by **Double Helix** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 12:57 pm

At this point I think Marco Bellinelli is a fairly realistic career path Nik should aim for. I had hoped for more from him back in college because he had some JJ Reddick qualities to him back then but Bellineli’s had a very respectable 10 year career in the league. Aim for that. I used to think he’d be smart to play for lottery teams to get more usage and ball handling but I think the opposite happened. It showed he just wasn’t at that same level at the pros versus starting NBA wing defenders off the bounce unless he’s attacking a close out.

Perhaps Portland will be his version of Bellinelli’s San Antonio. Playing an important bench scoring and shooting role for a coach who likes him and tells him to play his game. The other thing about playing on a playoff team is the exposure. If you make big shots in the playoffs you get more job offers.

TheFutureMM · Post #351 » by **TheFutureMM** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 1:38 pm

BilboBanginz wrote:
Great start for Nik

Thanks for posting this. I was watching the game last night and what the statline doesn't show is that he went 6/6 initially with the crowd getting more and more fired up. On his 7th shot, he actually sidestepped the incoming defender, got wide-open, and you could just hear the gasp in the arena like, "is he really going to do it again???" - he missed the 3, which is too bad. Still a great game but I remember thinking to myself that this dude was about to light the whole city on fire if he made that 7th shot.

Also, underrated in the whole Stauskas commotion but Kelly Olynyk had a very efficient 9pts (4-6), 4rbs, 1ast, and 1blk in 15 minutes last night with a bonus game winner. Video below.

Watch on YouTube

Hair Canada · Post #352 » by **Hair Canada** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:05 pm

Nik is one of the players who are most dependent on gaining confidence and having a good start. So that first three ball, which seemed like it was going to go out but eventually dropped in was crucial. Without it, the whole night might have looked different. All shooters need confidence of course, but with Nik this seems to be on steroids. Hope he can build on this great start, because beyond the shooting, he was making the right plays and showed in Michigan that he has the ability to do that when he plays with confidence without overthinking things. He was also okay on defense, which is the other thing that might keep him on the court even on nights when balls are not dropping smoothly.

mojo13 · Post #353 » by **mojo13** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 4:45 pm

Hair Canada wrote:Nik is one of the players who are most dependent on gaining confidence and having a good start. So that first three ball, which seemed like it was going to go out but eventually dropped in was crucial. Without it, the whole night might have looked different. All shooters need confidence of course, but with Nik this seems to be on steroids. Hope he can build on this great start, because beyond the shooting, he was making the right plays and showed in Michigan that he has the ability to do that when he plays with confidence without overthinking things. He was also okay on defense, which is the other thing that might keep him on the court even on nights when balls are not dropping smoothly.

It is just one game and we have seen Nik have games like this before, but man it would be great if he finally found some extended confidence (I agree it is crucial for him). Poor guy was drafted into the worst spot imaginable. Sacramento was a bloody mess (its low point) and Boogie Cousins was at his absolute worst (I think he has matured a little since then). I keep hearing stories of what Boogie did to Nik in his rookie year - it pretty much has ruined Nik to this day. I know he has had allot of counseling with sports psychologists over the last couple years - hopefully that and the right team fit has put him back on the right path. It would be a wonderful story if he could turn his career around (A Belinelli type career would be great at this point). I was semi-surprised he even received a contract this summer and now figure this is likely his last shot.

TheFutureMM · Post #354 » by **TheFutureMM** » Sat Oct 20, 2018 4:19 pm

Team Canada stat lines from last night. Ranked again under my opinion.

1. Tristan Thompson (CLE) (36 Mins, 14pts (7-9), 10rbs, 2ast, 1blk, 1to) [Loss]
2. Andrew Wiggins (MIN) (37 Mins, 22pts (8-21), 3rbs, 2ast, 3stl, 1to) [Win]
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (LAC) (23 Mins, 2pts (0-2), 3rb, 4ast, 2to) [Win]
4. Cory Joseph (IND) (18 Mins, 3pts (1-4), 1rb, 1stl, 1to) [Loss]
5. Khem Birch (ORL) (10 Mins, 0pts (0-1), 1rb) [Loss]
6. Dillon Brooks (MEM) (17 Mins, 4pts (1-7), 1rb, 1ast, 1to) [Win]

Notes:
- Take a look at the Thompson highlights. Nice to see him score with some low post moves that aren't just offensive putbacks. Couple over the shoulder hooks that show off his nice hands. Near the end you also see him (true to form) out-rebound Jimmy Butler for the putback.

- Wiggins doing more pull-up jumpers... It's unfortunate that he doesn't attack the rim more with his length and bounce. His FG% would go up and make him that much harder to stop. He does show a nice post-up move near the end of the highlight video - should try to work this into his game more when he gets picked-up by smaller guards.

Watch on YouTube

mojo13 · Post #355 » by **mojo13** » Sat Oct 20, 2018 8:45 pm

SGAs game last night was was better than the box showed. He was making things happen all night despite the lack of scoring.

He defense will be the game changer. Through two games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is giving up 0.464 points per possession in 28 possessions, according to Synergy. Opponents are 5-of-24 against him. Pick-and-roll ball-handlers are 3-of-16. Jump shooters are 1-of-12.

Dillon Brooks has been an utter mess so far. Really looks to be forcing everything and just desperate to make something happen in the limited minutes he is seeing. He needs to relax and let it come to him.

TheFutureMM · Post #356 » by **TheFutureMM** » Sun Oct 21, 2018 2:09 pm

Canadian NBA stat-lines from last night:

1. Jamal Murray (DEN) (37 Mins, 26pts (9-18), 3rbs, 5ast, 2stl, 1blk, 3to) [Win]
2. Dwight Powell (DAL) (17 Mins, 19pts (6-7), 6rbs, 2ast, 1blk, 3to) [Win]
3. Cory Joseph (IND) (25 Mins, 12pts (5-7), 3rbs, 6ast, 2to) [Win]
4. Andrew Wiggins (MIN) (27 Mins, 19pts (5-9), 3rbs, 2ast, 1stl, 3to) [Loss] - Fouled Out
5. Kelly Olynyk (MIA) (16 Mins, 8pts (3-6), 3rbs, 2ast, 1blk, 1to) [Loss]
6. Nik Stauskas (POR) (21 Mins, 3pts (1-5), 1rbs, 3ast, 1stl) [Win]
7. Trey Lyles (DEN) (17 Mins, 2pts (0-4), 3rbs, 1ast, 6to) [Win]

Watch on YouTube

Hair Canada · Post #357 » by **Hair Canada** » Sun Oct 21, 2018 3:46 pm

Powell is just phenomenal. His P&R with JJ Barea is a thing of beauty. Last year Powell was one of the most efficient offensive players in the NBA. In the first two games of this season, he's putting an unreal 41 points per 40 minutes (13 rebounds), with 83% true shooting. Naturally, these numbers are not going to last, but it's really too bad he gets such limited playing time behind Jordan. He's good enough to be the starting center of an NBA team.

aminiaturebuddha · Post #358 » by **aminiaturebuddha** » Sun Oct 21, 2018 4:41 pm

I watched a fair bit of the Denver game last night, and one thing that really stood out to me is that Murray is really working hard on his defence. He's never going to be an All-Defensive player, but his defence looked a lot better than last year. There was one stretch where the Suns put Jamal Crawford in, and Murray matched up against him and didn't let him do anything he wanted to do for about 5 minutes, and so he never got going off the bench.

If Murray can become even an average defender, he's going to be a very valuable player in the league. And maybe he could even become a better than average defender. I didn't think that was likely last year, but he's clearly making an effort.

TheFutureMM · Post #359 » by **TheFutureMM** » Sun Oct 21, 2018 4:49 pm

Hair Canada wrote:Powell is just phenomenal. His P&R with JJ Barea is a thing of beauty. Last year Powell was one of the most efficient offensive players in the NBA. In the first two games of this season, he's putting an unreal 41 points per 40 minutes (13 rebounds), with 83% true shooting. Naturally, these numbers are not going to last, but it's really too bad he gets such limited playing time behind Jordan. He's good enough to be the starting center of an NBA team.

Yeah it's a shame that he has to split his minutes with DJ but that might also be helping his efficiency - he's going up against the opposing bench while also getting more looks as he isn't sharing the floor with the Dallas starters.

Regardless, he's so good at diving to the rim and finishing the pick and roll. Anyone know how good his defense is? What do the advanced stats say?

aminiaturebuddha · Post #360 » by **aminiaturebuddha** » Sun Oct 21, 2018 5:00 pm

TheFutureMM wrote:
Regardless, he's so good at diving to the rim and finishing the pick and roll. Anyone know how good his defense is? What do the advanced stats say?

Powell's never been much of a rim protector that you might hope for from a guy with his size and athleticism, but he seems to do a lot of the little things right - making the right read on switches, knocking balls away with active hands, rarely overplaying on pick and roll D, etc. I'm not sure what the number say, but from what I've seen, he's not a world-beater, but he's solid.