Olympic Qualifiers Results: Brazil, Spain, Greece and Puerto Rico Off to Paris!

[UcanUwill]

Any info on Georgia? We’ll probably get plastered by Latvia so if we want to advance to the group stages, it’s the Georgia game we need to win, via a minor upset methinks and i am assuming they are not that strong relative to the other Euro squads.


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Well, they might have best front court in Latvia tournament, in my opinion, Bologna's PF Tornike Shengelia, Spurs PF Sandro Mamukelashvili, and NBA free agent C Goga Bitadze. After those 3, almost everyone are from Georgian league or at best irrelevant players from known European teams. I think its 3 bigmen team.

[durden_tyler]

Any info on Georgia? We’ll probably get plastered by Latvia so if we want to advance to the group stages, it’s the Georgia game we need to win, via a minor upset methinks and i am assuming they are not that strong relative to the other Euro squads.


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Well, they might have best front court in Latvia tournament, in my opinion, Bologna's PF Tornike Shengelia, Spurs PF Sandro Mamukelashvili, and NBA free agent C Goga Bitadze. After those 3, almost everyone are from Georgian league or at best irrelevant players from known European teams. I think its 3 bigmen team.

For most teams, it's mad back to back games for this OQT too, so it's going to be a test of depth and conditioning for the key players.

[durden_tyler]

Man, yesterday I thought our U17 team must be insane. I had to look up these GIlas players right now, their tallest guy is listed 6'6 and 4 out of 12 guys are under 6'... How did they qualify?

Asians are a bit shorter in general, that Philippines squad may be short but it's probably not much shorter than their opponents in asian qualifiers. Look at the Japanese squad for the Olympics, their 2 PGs are 5'6" and 5'8" and their tallest players are Rui Hachimura and Josh Hawkinson who are respectively of mixed descent and not asian at all.

Yes, I know Asians are shorter. Still pretty wild to see on Basketball court. I always thought these countries have such huge populations, they must have options, but maybe I am wrong, because someone here once provided stats comparing Philippines to Slovenia I believe, and numbers suggested, that despite Philippines having 60 times bigger population, the way their height scales, Slovenians most likely still have way more 6'8+ guys overall, which is crazy, but I guess that can be true?

In the Under-age group level, we are like the Atlanta Hawks of Asia. We'll get to the KO rounds and maybe upset a team here or there (it happened last year). Australia, New Zealand, China are "guaranteed" top 3 winners all the time and it's a matter of the weaker teams (Japan, Iran, etc) settling for that 4th to 5th slots (so happened Asia had 4 slots for the WC U17 i believe). So we took advantage and obviously, we are outmatched at this level.

[UcanUwill]

Any info on Georgia? We’ll probably get plastered by Latvia so if we want to advance to the group stages, it’s the Georgia game we need to win, via a minor upset methinks and i am assuming they are not that strong relative to the other Euro squads.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, they might have best front court in Latvia tournament, in my opinion, Bologna's PF Tornike Shengelia, Spurs PF Sandro Mamukelashvili, and NBA free agent C Goga Bitadze. After those 3, almost everyone are from Georgian league or at best irrelevant players from known European teams. I think its 3 bigmen team.

For most teams, it's mad back to back games for this OQT too, so it's going to be a test of depth and conditioning for the key players.

Group stage is just two games, whole tourney 4 games max. Yes its 4 in 5 days, brutal schedule, but this is 5 days of cant lose anything games, if needed, top players will undoubtedly slog more than they usually would. Again, group stage is just two games. All teams been practicing for a these past several or more days, so their top players would be ready.

[durden_tyler]

Well, they might have best front court in Latvia tournament, in my opinion, Bologna's PF Tornike Shengelia, Spurs PF Sandro Mamukelashvili, and NBA free agent C Goga Bitadze. After those 3, almost everyone are from Georgian league or at best irrelevant players from known European teams. I think its 3 bigmen team.

For most teams, it's mad back to back games for this OQT too, so it's going to be a test of depth and conditioning for the key players.

Group stage is just two games, whole tourney 4 games max. Yes its 4 in 5 days, brutal schedule, but this is 5 days of cant lose anything games, if needed, top players will undoubtedly slog more than they usually would. Again, group stage is just two games. All teams been practicing for a these past several or more days, so their top players would be ready.

Yes, just 2 games and for these teams it's back-to-back play dates on these playdates (not even 24 hours, >23 hours for some. LOL

Croatia vs New Zealand, Slovenia (July 2 and 3)
Dom Republic vs Egypt, Greece (2 and 3)
Montenegro vs Brazil, Cameroon (2 and 3)
Philippines vs Latvia, Georgia (3 and 4)
Bahrain vs Italy, Puerto Rico (2 and 3)
Ivory Coast vs Lithuania, Mexico (2 and 3)
Puerto Rico vs Italy, Bahrain (3 and 4)
Bahamas vs Finland, Poland (2 and 3)
Angola vs Spain, Lebanon (3 and 4)

So most host teams obviously intentionally not doing the back to back (weirdly Puerto Rico has one) but Latvia, Spain, Greece has the opener and final day so they don't go back to back. It is what it is and i like it--- if you want to go to Paris you have to prove you have the depth to deal with this quick turnaround.

[Nuntius]

Any info on Georgia? We’ll probably get plastered by Latvia so if we want to advance to the group stages, it’s the Georgia game we need to win, via a minor upset methinks and i am assuming they are not that strong relative to the other Euro squads.


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Georgia, just like Latvia, took part in last year's World Cup and they both advanced past the first round. They both went 2-1 in their respective groups. Georgia beat Cape Verde (85-60) and Venezuela (70-59) while losing to Slovenia (67-88). Latvia beat Lebanon (109-70) and France (88-86) while losing to Canada (101-75).

So, it's not really a weak team and I do not think I'd consider them weaker than a Latvia that's missing Porzingis. I think that Georgia has a good chance at winning their group.

UcanUwill is also right about how Georgia generally plays. It's a team that is led by their bigs. They play through them and they generally pound you on the inside. I think that this would generally be a bad match-up for the Philippines. But, hey, maybe you can out-speed them, push the pace of the game high enough and out-shoot them. It's one game. It can definitely happen.

[durden_tyler]

Any info on Georgia? We’ll probably get plastered by Latvia so if we want to advance to the group stages, it’s the Georgia game we need to win, via a minor upset methinks and i am assuming they are not that strong relative to the other Euro squads.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Georgia, just like Latvia, took part in last year's World Cup and they both advanced past the first round. They both went 2-1 in their respective groups. Georgia beat Cape Verde (85-60) and Venezuela (70-59) while losing to Slovenia (67-88). Latvia beat Lebanon (109-70) and France (88-86) while losing to Canada (101-75).

So, it's not really a weak team and I do not think I'd consider them weaker than a Latvia that's missing Porzingis. I think that Georgia has a good chance at winning their group.

UcanUwill is also right about how Georgia generally plays. It's a team that is led by their bigs. They play through them and they generally pound you on the inside. I think that this would generally be a bad match-up for the Philippines. But, hey, maybe you can out-speed them, push the pace of the game high enough and out-shoot them. It's one game. It can definitely happen.

Eh, if they are of the same quality as Latvia then we're toast either way then. i just don't see us #1) getting two upset victories in a two day span and #2) especially not against the hosts in Riga. To an extent, just play well vs Latvia (i'd settle for a 10 point feel good loss) and prepare more for Georgia the next day.

[Nuntius]

Any info on Georgia? We’ll probably get plastered by Latvia so if we want to advance to the group stages, it’s the Georgia game we need to win, via a minor upset methinks and i am assuming they are not that strong relative to the other Euro squads.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Georgia, just like Latvia, took part in last year's World Cup and they both advanced past the first round. They both went 2-1 in their respective groups. Georgia beat Cape Verde (85-60) and Venezuela (70-59) while losing to Slovenia (67-88). Latvia beat Lebanon (109-70) and France (88-86) while losing to Canada (101-75).

So, it's not really a weak team and I do not think I'd consider them weaker than a Latvia that's missing Porzingis. I think that Georgia has a good chance at winning their group.

UcanUwill is also right about how Georgia generally plays. It's a team that is led by their bigs. They play through them and they generally pound you on the inside. I think that this would generally be a bad match-up for the Philippines. But, hey, maybe you can out-speed them, push the pace of the game high enough and out-shoot them. It's one game. It can definitely happen.

Eh, if they are of the same quality as Latvia then we're toast either way then. i just don't see us #1) getting two upset victories in a two day span and #2) especially not against the hosts in Riga. To an extent, just play well vs Latvia (i'd settle for a 10 point feel good loss) and prepare more for Georgia the next day.

These qualifiers are just brutal, man. You just have to win every game. You don't just have to win your group, you have to win the final cross-match as well.

I do not feel confident at all that Greece will advance, for example, even though we're the hosts of our tournament and have won all of our friendlies convincingly.

[durden_tyler]

Georgia, just like Latvia, took part in last year's World Cup and they both advanced past the first round. They both went 2-1 in their respective groups. Georgia beat Cape Verde (85-60) and Venezuela (70-59) while losing to Slovenia (67-88). Latvia beat Lebanon (109-70) and France (88-86) while losing to Canada (101-75).

So, it's not really a weak team and I do not think I'd consider them weaker than a Latvia that's missing Porzingis. I think that Georgia has a good chance at winning their group.

UcanUwill is also right about how Georgia generally plays. It's a team that is led by their bigs. They play through them and they generally pound you on the inside. I think that this would generally be a bad match-up for the Philippines. But, hey, maybe you can out-speed them, push the pace of the game high enough and out-shoot them. It's one game. It can definitely happen.

Eh, if they are of the same quality as Latvia then we're toast either way then. i just don't see us #1) getting two upset victories in a two day span and #2) especially not against the hosts in Riga. To an extent, just play well vs Latvia (i'd settle for a 10 point feel good loss) and prepare more for Georgia the next day.

These qualifiers are just brutal, man. You just have to win every game. You don't just have to win your group, you have to win the final cross-match as well.

I do not feel confident at all that Greece will advance, for example, even though we're the hosts of our tournament and have won all of our friendlies convincingly.

True true. This is like the play-in of the NBA playoffs but only extended to a group stage, then two knockout games. LOL.

1 loss is not the end of the world though, if you're a team like Greece/Slovenia (one of them will not go winless entering the KO rounds) you can actually afford to suffer 1 L but make sure you have your A-game come the KO semis.

[Nuntius]

Eh, if they are of the same quality as Latvia then we're toast either way then. i just don't see us #1) getting two upset victories in a two day span and #2) especially not against the hosts in Riga. To an extent, just play well vs Latvia (i'd settle for a 10 point feel good loss) and prepare more for Georgia the next day.

These qualifiers are just brutal, man. You just have to win every game. You don't just have to win your group, you have to win the final cross-match as well.

I do not feel confident at all that Greece will advance, for example, even though we're the hosts of our tournament and have won all of our friendlies convincingly.

True true. This is like the play-in of the NBA playoffs but only extended to a group stage, then two knockout games. LOL.

1 loss is not the end of the world though, if you're a team like Greece/Slovenia (one of them will not go winless entering the KO rounds) you can actually afford to suffer 1 L but make sure you have your A-game come the KO semis.

A loss in the first two games isn't the end of the world, true, but it could still get you in trouble. Better safe than sorry

[durden_tyler]

These qualifiers are just brutal, man. You just have to win every game. You don't just have to win your group, you have to win the final cross-match as well.

I do not feel confident at all that Greece will advance, for example, even though we're the hosts of our tournament and have won all of our friendlies convincingly.

True true. This is like the play-in of the NBA playoffs but only extended to a group stage, then two knockout games. LOL.

1 loss is not the end of the world though, if you're a team like Greece/Slovenia (one of them will not go winless entering the KO rounds) you can actually afford to suffer 1 L but make sure you have your A-game come the KO semis.

A loss in the first two games isn't the end of the world, true, but it could still get you in trouble. Better safe than sorry

Yes it won't matter to the top teams losing a game since it's a favorable draw anyway, either way, in the KO semis. EXCEPT for the Greece OQT since a loss by either Greece or Slovenia means a Greece vs Slovenia semis (hmm, as a basketball fan i now wish for this to happen. LOL)

So early predictions just basing on perceived quality of teams, the KO rounds (semis) for each group:

OQT Greece:
Greece vs New Zealand
Slovenia vs Dominican Republic

OQT Latvia:
Latvia vs Montenegro
Brazil vs Georgia

OQT Spain:
Spain vs Poland
Bahamas vs Angola

OQT Puerto Rico
Lithuania vs Puerto Rico
Italy vs Mexico

[FollowTheSound]

Ok, thanks for update. Still looks good tho. Flagg must be different beast entirely, he has to be the most hyped up american out of highscool in a very long time, correct?

Yeah, #1 guy since Zion.

Wasn't ZIon just third highest rated highschool recruit on Duke alone, behind RJ and Reddish? Googling back, he was ranked 7 in recruit class 2018, ZIon was the guy who dominated highschoolers, but people didn't really believe yet, because it was highschool, it was when he went to college and dominated NCAA just as much, then his hype skyrocketed and he leapfrogged RJ in the draft, he had one of the best college seasons of all time.

I never follow these recruit classes, but as Raptors follower, I definitely was aware of this one, cause of RJ, and ZIon wasnt most hyped up even in his class. So it cant be him.

Just googling now, I think the fairer would be, most hyped up American (Wiggins and RJ out) since OJ Mayo maybe? Or Greg Oden? I think Flagg is more hyped up than Anthony Davis was.

To be honest context is needed. Zion played in a 1A or 2A (I forgot) division in highschool. Those are for extremely small schools (the bigger the number, the bigger and more likely the competition is better) and the big, powerhouse high schools tend to play in 6A (6A is for the biggest schools, 1A for the smallest in terms of student population) divisions and on the national circuit. RJ was ranked #1, Zion was ranked #2 and Cam #3 by ESPN, but RJ and Cam played in 6A and on the national circuit while Zion only got to showcase against small schools with lesser talent which is why he wasn't ranked #1 even tho Zion was by FAR the most popular player online. Zion had way more hype than both RJ and others of his class which is why even when they got at Duke everyone was talking about Zion rather than the other 2 cause Zion was arguably the biggest non NBA player in basketball while in Highschool and university.

[UcanUwill]

Greece tournament is just brutal, all top 3 teams there should smoke Latvian tournament, but thats how it was drawn. But I got to say, people expect Latvia to qualify, but I dont know, Montenego and Brazil should be better and its not like Georgia is much worse. Latvia is on crazy roll, they beat 3 big teams last year, but man, they have to run out of juice at one point, their roster is just not as good at all as their results would suggest.

The team that should feel the best here is definitely Spain. If I wasnt pessimist, I would say Lithuania would also need to choke badly to not win their thing, but Latvian and Greek tournaments will be a bloodbath, I feel bad for Greece and Slovenia, one of those flat out wont be in Olympics, possibly neither. Imagine if Montenegro or Latvia qualifies and Greece or Slovenia doesnt....

[UcanUwill]

Yeah, #1 guy since Zion.

Wasn't ZIon just third highest rated highschool recruit on Duke alone, behind RJ and Reddish? Googling back, he was ranked 7 in recruit class 2018, ZIon was the guy who dominated highschoolers, but people didn't really believe yet, because it was highschool, it was when he went to college and dominated NCAA just as much, then his hype skyrocketed and he leapfrogged RJ in the draft, he had one of the best college seasons of all time.

I never follow these recruit classes, but as Raptors follower, I definitely was aware of this one, cause of RJ, and ZIon wasnt most hyped up even in his class. So it cant be him.

Just googling now, I think the fairer would be, most hyped up American (Wiggins and RJ out) since OJ Mayo maybe? Or Greg Oden? I think Flagg is more hyped up than Anthony Davis was.

To be honest context is needed. Zion played in a 1A or 2A (I forgot) division in highschool. Those are for extremely small schools (the bigger the number, the bigger and more likely the competition is better) and the big, powerhouse high schools tend to play in 6A (6A is for the biggest schools, 1A for the smallest in terms of student population) divisions and on the national circuit. RJ was ranked #1, Zion was ranked #2 and Cam #3 by ESPN, but RJ and Cam played in 6A and on the national circuit while Zion only got to showcase against small schools with lesser talent which is why he wasn't ranked #1 even tho Zion was by FAR the most popular player online. Zion had way more hype than both RJ and others of his class which is why even when they got at Duke everyone was talking about Zion rather than the other 2 cause Zion was arguably the biggest non NBA player in basketball while in Highschool and university.

Zion was easily biggest youtube star, his mixtapes were by far craziests. But did he really have more hype than RJ? RJ was just comming from U19 the year before, where he smoked team USA, won gold and put maybe the most impressive U19 tournament performance ever, at the age of 17. RJ dominated real NBA prospects already, Zion had far more scepticism, guy was dunking on 5'9 guys. RJ was projected number pick universaly.

Granted, Zion will carry same criticism even after destroying college, because there were still fools who didnt believe his bully dominance would translate, as like he wasnt obviously stronger and more athletic than any freaking pro. Anthony Bennett comps were still being made, but at that point, he definitely had the most hype by far, so I dont know.

Zion did not pan out perfectly, so I feel people kind off forget how crazy he was perceived as top pick. I believe he was right after Luka rookie year, and Luka obviously panned out at that point, but we would have traded Luka for Zion still no question. Pre draft Zion wasnt that much worse than even Wemby. But strickly before college, I do not think he was that hyped, he was projected to go top 10 in a draft year later i think, but yeah, guy like Flagg was put number one for a very long time already.

[FollowTheSound]

Wasn't ZIon just third highest rated highschool recruit on Duke alone, behind RJ and Reddish? Googling back, he was ranked 7 in recruit class 2018, ZIon was the guy who dominated highschoolers, but people didn't really believe yet, because it was highschool, it was when he went to college and dominated NCAA just as much, then his hype skyrocketed and he leapfrogged RJ in the draft, he had one of the best college seasons of all time.

I never follow these recruit classes, but as Raptors follower, I definitely was aware of this one, cause of RJ, and ZIon wasnt most hyped up even in his class. So it cant be him.

Just googling now, I think the fairer would be, most hyped up American (Wiggins and RJ out) since OJ Mayo maybe? Or Greg Oden? I think Flagg is more hyped up than Anthony Davis was.

To be honest context is needed. Zion played in a 1A or 2A (I forgot) division in highschool. Those are for extremely small schools (the bigger the number, the bigger and more likely the competition is better) and the big, powerhouse high schools tend to play in 6A (6A is for the biggest schools, 1A for the smallest in terms of student population) divisions and on the national circuit. RJ was ranked #1, Zion was ranked #2 and Cam #3 by ESPN, but RJ and Cam played in 6A and on the national circuit while Zion only got to showcase against small schools with lesser talent which is why he wasn't ranked #1 even tho Zion was by FAR the most popular player online. Zion had way more hype than both RJ and others of his class which is why even when they got at Duke everyone was talking about Zion rather than the other 2 cause Zion was arguably the biggest non NBA player in basketball while in Highschool and university.

Zion was easily biggest youtube star, his mixtapes were by far craziests. But did he really have more hype than RJ? RJ was just comming from U19 the year before, where he smoked team USA, won gold and put maybe the most impressive U19 tournament performance ever, at the age of 17. RJ dominated real NBA prospects already, Zion had far more scepticism, guy was dunking on 5'9 guys. RJ was projected number pick universaly.

Granted, Zion will carry same criticism even after destroying college, because there were still fools who didnt believe his bully dominance would translate, as like he wasnt obviously stronger and more athletic than any freaking pro. Anthony Bennett comps were still being made, but at that point, he definitely had the most hype by far, so I dont know.

Zion did not pan out perfectly, so I feel people kind off forget how crazy he was perceived as top pick. I believe he was right after Luka rookie year, and Luka obviously panned out at that point, but we would have traded Luka for Zion still no question. Pre draft Zion wasnt that much worse than even Wemby. But strickly before college, I do not think he was that hyped, he was projected to go top 10 in a draft year later i think, but yeah, guy like Flagg was put number one for a very long time already.

Yes, ask anyone who watched highschool hoops in 2018 and they'll tell you Zion had way more hype and was much more known.

[FollowTheSound]

Wasn't ZIon just third highest rated highschool recruit on Duke alone, behind RJ and Reddish? Googling back, he was ranked 7 in recruit class 2018, ZIon was the guy who dominated highschoolers, but people didn't really believe yet, because it was highschool, it was when he went to college and dominated NCAA just as much, then his hype skyrocketed and he leapfrogged RJ in the draft, he had one of the best college seasons of all time.

I never follow these recruit classes, but as Raptors follower, I definitely was aware of this one, cause of RJ, and ZIon wasnt most hyped up even in his class. So it cant be him.

Just googling now, I think the fairer would be, most hyped up American (Wiggins and RJ out) since OJ Mayo maybe? Or Greg Oden? I think Flagg is more hyped up than Anthony Davis was.

To be honest context is needed. Zion played in a 1A or 2A (I forgot) division in highschool. Those are for extremely small schools (the bigger the number, the bigger and more likely the competition is better) and the big, powerhouse high schools tend to play in 6A (6A is for the biggest schools, 1A for the smallest in terms of student population) divisions and on the national circuit. RJ was ranked #1, Zion was ranked #2 and Cam #3 by ESPN, but RJ and Cam played in 6A and on the national circuit while Zion only got to showcase against small schools with lesser talent which is why he wasn't ranked #1 even tho Zion was by FAR the most popular player online. Zion had way more hype than both RJ and others of his class which is why even when they got at Duke everyone was talking about Zion rather than the other 2 cause Zion was arguably the biggest non NBA player in basketball while in Highschool and university.

Zion was easily biggest youtube star, his mixtapes were by far craziests. But did he really have more hype than RJ? RJ was just comming from U19 the year before, where he smoked team USA, won gold and put maybe the most impressive U19 tournament performance ever, at the age of 17. RJ dominated real NBA prospects already, Zion had far more scepticism, guy was dunking on 5'9 guys. RJ was projected number pick universaly.

Granted, Zion will carry same criticism even after destroying college, because there were still fools who didnt believe his bully dominance would translate, as like he wasnt obviously stronger and more athletic than any freaking pro. Anthony Bennett comps were still being made, but at that point, he definitely had the most hype by far, so I dont know.

Zion did not pan out perfectly, so I feel people kind off forget how crazy he was perceived as top pick. I believe he was right after Luka rookie year, and Luka obviously panned out at that point, but we would have traded Luka for Zion still no question. Pre draft Zion wasnt that much worse than even Wemby. But strickly before college, I do not think he was that hyped, he was projected to go top 10 in a draft year later i think, but yeah, guy like Flagg was put number one for a very long time already.

American media still didn't talk much about RJ because he's canadian and Zion's highlights had like 30x more views than RJ's so the hype came from there. Especially on social media. I do remember there being a lot of skepticism like you said, but the hype was still extremely huge.

[Muizha]

Latvia announced its 12-man roster yesterday, which will include:

Rodions Kurucs (Murcia, Spain)
Mareks Mejeris (Cluj Napoca, Romania)
Dāvis Bertāns (Charlotte Hornets, NBA)
Dairis Bertāns (VEF Rīga)
Jānis Timma (Obradoiro, Spain)
Rolands Šmits (Žalgiris, Euroleague/Lithuania)
Artūrs Strautiņš (Derthona, Italy)
Jānis Strēlnieks (Obradoiro, Spain)
Klāvs Čavars (Yokohama, Japan)
Rihards Lomažs (Virtus Bologna, Euroleague/Italy)
Artūrs Žagars (Wolves Vilnius, Lithuania)
Kristers Zoriks (Petkim Spor, Turkey)

Last 3 cuts were:

Anzejs Pasecniks (somewhat surprising cut, as he had a nice 13p+5r season in Spanish ACB)
Arturs Kurucs (he was part of last year's FIBAWC squad, but did not play much this year and as I mentioned previously this year's backcourt is much deeper)
Marcis Steinbergs (had a considerable role on a Spanish ACB team and looked good in friendlies, therefore I was somewhat surprised that he was cut instead of Mejeris, for example)

Given that there is only 1 somewhat real center in the final-12 (Cavars), seems that we will lean heavily on the small-ball/5-out offense/switch everything on defense ball that worked so well last year in the FIBAWC.


Lastly, NBA fans that are not following FIBA ball that much here is how you may recognize some of the guys from this roster:

Dāvis Bertāns - the most obvious one, an 8-year NBA veteran, "Latvian laser", most recently with Charlotte Hornets
Rodions Kurucs - any Brooklyn fans here remember his rookie season for the Nets?
Dairis Bertāns - only real Pelicans sickos will remember his 12-game stint for the Pels in 2018-19 season
Jānis Timma - Orlando Magic Summer League legend
Artūrs Žagars - before the world got to know him in last year's FIBAWC, he actually had a short summer league stint with the Wizards in the summer of 2022

[LuDux1]

Latvia announced its 12-man roster yesterday, which will include:

Rodions Kurucs (Murcia, Spain)
Mareks Mejeris (Cluj Napoca, Romania)
Dāvis Bertāns (Charlotte Hornets, NBA)
Dairis Bertāns (VEF Rīga)
Jānis Timma (Obradoiro, Spain)
Rolands Šmits (Žalgiris, Euroleague/Lithuania)
Artūrs Strautiņš (Derthona, Italy)
Jānis Strēlnieks (Obradoiro, Spain)
Klāvs Čavars (Yokohama, Japan)
Rihards Lomažs (Virtus Bologna, Euroleague/Italy)
Artūrs Žagars (Wolves Vilnius, Lithuania)
Kristers Zoriks (Petkim Spor, Turkey)

Last 3 cuts were:

Anzejs Pasecniks (somewhat surprising cut, as he had a nice 13p+5r season in Spanish ACB)
Arturs Kurucs (he was part of last year's FIBAWC squad, but did not play much this year and as I mentioned previously this year's backcourt is much deeper)
Marcis Steinbergs (had a considerable role on a Spanish ACB team and looked good in friendlies, therefore I was somewhat surprised that he was cut instead of Mejeris, for example)

Given that there is only 1 somewhat real center in the final-12 (Cavars), seems that we will lean heavily on the small-ball/5-out offense/switch everything on defense ball that worked so well last year in the FIBAWC.


Lastly, NBA fans that are not following FIBA ball that much here is how you may recognize some of the guys from this roster:

Dāvis Bertāns - the most obvious one, an 8-year NBA veteran, "Latvian laser", most recently with Charlotte Hornets
Rodions Kurucs - any Brooklyn fans here remember his rookie season for the Nets?
Dairis Bertāns - only real Pelicans sickos will remember his 12-game stint for the Pels in 2018-19 season
Jānis Timma - Orlando Magic Summer League legend
Artūrs Žagars - before the world got to know him in last year's FIBAWC, he actually had a short summer league stint with the Wizards in the summer of 2022

Let this be a lesson, nobody cuts Timma two summers in the row!

They'll miss Andrejs Gražulis and possibly Artūrs Žagars, who wasn't his usual self after injury then his season ended 3 weeks ago

[Pachinko_]

Asians are a bit shorter in general, that Philippines squad may be short but it's probably not much shorter than their opponents in asian qualifiers. Look at the Japanese squad for the Olympics, their 2 PGs are 5'6" and 5'8" and their tallest players are Rui Hachimura and Josh Hawkinson who are respectively of mixed descent and not asian at all.

Yes, I know Asians are shorter. Still pretty wild to see on Basketball court. I always thought these countries have such huge populations, they must have options, but maybe I am wrong, because someone here once provided stats comparing Philippines to Slovenia I believe, and numbers suggested, that despite Philippines having 60 times bigger population, the way their height scales, Slovenians most likely still have way more 6'8+ guys overall, which is crazy, but I guess that can be true?

The numbers are there but being NBA tall against a very short average height is like an extra standard deviation away from the local average.

Being an NBA 6'3, I'm a **** giant everywhere I've been in Asia. Hell my tiny wife is roughly average man height in a lot of SE Asia.

And by "NBA 6'3" we mean 6'1" right?

[Pachinko_]

I do not feel confident at all that Greece will advance, for example, even though we're the hosts of our tournament and have won all of our friendlies convincingly.

In Giannis we trust.