Team Canada Basketball Thread V2.0

[UcanUwill]

Tyler Ennis suffered a gruesome leg injury,

Watch on YouTube

[Hair Canada]

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.

I agree. That was my impression as well. Denver more generally has been doing a much better defensive job than last year, but it's only two games. Let's see them (and Jamal) against the Warriors today.

[Hair Canada]

Bad luck for Tyler Ennis. Just as he was starting to find his place with Fener, he suffers what seems like a pretty bad leg injury. Hope it's not a Gordon Hayward type of injury, but it didn't look good.

[Mattd97]

feel terrible for ennis

[NotMyKawhi]

SGA is foreal..he's already better than Dwright has ever been...by the olympics I say he starts


SGA/Cory
Murray/Stasukus
Wiggins/Brooks
Barrett/Lyles/Powell
Olynick/TT/Birch

[Patman]

That injury looks terrible. Get well, Tyler.

[BilboBanginz]

Read on Twitter

[mojo13]

Yep, as said Dwight Powell is looking good so far this season. Yet another great game in limited minutes. Can’t tell if this is personal improvement or if he is just a tremendous benefactor of that system and team mates. Fun to dream of seeing that with Team Canada.

Both Wiggins and Brooks with minor injuries tonight. Hopefully nothing serious for either. And Chandler Parsons went down in the first half too, Brooks started the 2nd half.

Speedy recovery wish to Ennis too. Gruesome injury and their is not much more I can say about it.

[TheFutureMM]

Yep, as said Dwight Powell is looking good so far this season. Yet another great game in limited minutes. Can’t tell if this is personal improvement or if he is just a tremendous benefactor of that system and team mates. Fun to dream of seeing that with Team Canada.

Both Wiggins and Brooks with minor injuries tonight. Hopefully nothing serious for either. And Chandler Parsons went down in the first half too, Brooks started the 2nd half.

Speedy recovery wish to Ennis too. Gruesome injury and their is not much more I can say about it.

Watch on YouTube

Nik Stauskas with another efficient game for the Blazers - clutch shot near the end. Happy for this guy - hope he can keep it up.

[BilboBanginz]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[CrookedJ]

RJ Barrett had 23 in a Duke exhibition game last night.

His highlights

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Full Duke highlights.

Sweet merciful crap this team looks good. Williamson and Barrett of course, but Reddish, Jones, White, O'Connell, Bolden etc etc etc They are moving the ball like they have been playing together for years.

Watch on YouTube

[kwajo]

Yep, as said Dwight Powell is looking good so far this season. Yet another great game in limited minutes. Can’t tell if this is personal improvement or if he is just a tremendous benefactor of that system and team mates. Fun to dream of seeing that with Team Canada.

Both Wiggins and Brooks with minor injuries tonight. Hopefully nothing serious for either. And Chandler Parsons went down in the first half too, Brooks started the 2nd half.

Speedy recovery wish to Ennis too. Gruesome injury and their is not much more I can say about it.

Watch on YouTube

Nik Stauskas with another efficient game for the Blazers - clutch shot near the end. Happy for this guy - hope he can keep it up.

I hope Nik can too, I was worried after a couple teams with mediocre showings early in his career that he might not stay in the NBA but he looks like he has a great season ahead of him with the Blazers.

[basketball royalty]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Wiggins on vid sounds a lot less committed to playing for Team Canada in the future than those quotes make it sound.

It’s too bad but really if the guy doesn’t give a crap he shouldn’t be taking the spot of a guy that will. He’s good but not like he’s great.

[Mattd97]

Hey JN/hassassin, any opinion on Simmons accusations about Wiggins demanding to be paid and have his brothers put on the Canada team?

[mojo13]

France is in early as the 1st to announce its 12 man roster for the upcoming WC Qualifier window.
https://www.eurohoops.net/en/fibawc/763302/fiba-announces-12-man-roster-for-upcoming-world-cup-qualifiers/

I didnt go through the entire roster, but it looks like no EuroLeague guys, but guys from its Pro-A, EuroCup teams, top ACB teams, VTB and other leagues.

Gives hope that we may see a good amount of releases among most of our top Euro talent besides Pangos (and Tyler Ennis of course).

I'd expect a large number of familiar faces from the guys you have played over the last year - Ejim, P Scrubb, T Scrubb, Best, XRM, Keane, Diressa, Heslip, Klassen, Peter-McNeily Landry etc. And maybe some new faces in Wiltjer or maybe Doornekamp now that they are out of the EL. I'd also expect G league guys in Bennett, Justin Jackson etc. - maybe even Oliver Hanlan (not sure where he ended up).

[Hair Canada]

France is in early as the 1st to announce its 12 man roster for the upcoming WC Qualifier window.
https://www.eurohoops.net/en/fibawc/763302/fiba-announces-12-man-roster-for-upcoming-world-cup-qualifiers/

I didnt go through the entire roster, but it looks like no EuroLeague guys, but guys from its Pro-A, EuroCup teams, top ACB teams, VTB and other leagues.

Gives hope that we may see a good amount of releases among most of our top Euro talent besides Pangos (and Tyler Ennis of course).

I'd expect a large number of familiar faces from the guys you have played over the last year - Ejim, P Scrubb, T Scrubb, Best, XRM, Keane, Diressa, Heslip, Klassen, Peter-McNeily Landry etc. And maybe some new faces in Wiltjer or maybe Doornekamp now that they are out of the EL. I'd also expect G league guys in Bennett, Justin Jackson etc. - maybe even Oliver Hanlan (not sure where he ended up).

XRM meanwhile is doing quite well in Greece. 24 points and 6 assists on his last game, a win for AEK over Bamberg. For the season in European competition, he has 14.3 points and 6.7 assists. In the Greek league, he has 15 points and 5.5 assists. Might be our best option at the PG position.

[Mirotic12]

XRM meanwhile is doing quite well in Greece. 24 points and 6 assists on his last game, a win for AEK over Bamberg. For the season in European competition, he has 14.3 points and 6.7 assists. In the Greek league, he has 15 points and 5.5 assists. Might be our best option at the PG position.

I assure you, he's most definitely not. You don't want him playing any point guard at all. He's putting up numbers, but he has zero point guard skills. AEK really needs to move him to shooting guard. You can't win with a "point guard" playing like he does.

I think he could be a good shooting guard, but as a point guard, he leaves a lot to be desired. His team (which is pretty deep), is actually winning despite him so far. He would be fine for Canada, as long as he's nowhere near the point guard position.

[Mirotic12]

Here is a current ranking of European domestic leagues if anyone is interested (per EuroHoops):
https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/750782/domestic-leagues-rankings-turkish-and-german-downfall/

ACB (Spain), VTB (Russia), TBL (Turkey) the top tier. France, Italy, Germany, Greece after that.

Eurohoops is too subjective with those rankings. They factor in stuff that isn't related to players and coaches too much (arenas, marketing, salaries, publicity, economics, and even political nonsense like whether teams play in EuroCup or Basketball Champions League)...

Such a ranking should be on the level of the teams, players, coaching, and the level of the play and competition. In that regard, it's more like this,

Top tier:

1. ACB (Spain)
2. BSL (Turkey)
3. VTB (Russia)
4. GBL (Greece)
5. LBA (Italy)

2nd tier:

6. Pro A (France)
7. BBL (Germany)
8. ABA (Adriatic)
9. LKL (Lithuania)
10. BSL (Israel)

'
something like that is more accurate for the level of competition.

[TrueNorth31]

Thanks for your input Mirotic.

Canada has chosen St. John's Newfoundland as the host city for the February window.

http://basketball.ca/en/news-article/mile-one-centre-in-st-johns-to-host-upcoming-fiba-basketball-wor

Truly after the summer game in Victoria they are bringing the National Team coast to coast. Chile played us at the very far end of their country we are doing something similar.

Let's hope the travel agents are on their game. Canada soccer has hosted games in St. John's in the past ( games scheduled in Toronto often draw more home fans from the visiting country ) and I've heard stories of how errant plane loads of fans from foreign countries have inadvertently wound up in Saint John New Brunswick looking for the soccer match.

[Yeezus_]

What's it looking like for our chances to qualify for the FIBA WC? Top 3 teams from the division qualify so we should be okay considering we sit on top of the division?