State of the Union. Team Canada Basketball. (FIBA Americas Aug.31-Sep.15)

[PoundTown]

Latest draft projections from Draft Express are 17th for Lyles and 50th for Hanlan.
NBAdraft.net mock has Lyles 9th and Hanland 33rd.
Both have Murray 21st in the 2016 draft.

Wiltjer decided to stay at Gonzaga for his senior year and I believe XRM decided to stay at FSU for his sophomore season.

21st seems pretty low for Murray considering how he's been going off against the best players in the world, that are his age, lately, and looking like a tier above everyone else.


Maybe it's a size thing though, and they aren't sure if he can play PG. Great size for PG. Mediocre size for SG.

His physical attributes don't stand out. They aren't ranking high school kids high unless they are uber-athletic. Jamaal has outclassed his peers on the big stage to this point, can he continue to do so as the competetion gets stronger and faster. Personally, I think he will be a lotto pick - He might not have high end athleticism, but he does have high end strength, skill and body control - kind of like a Deron Williams type of athlete. And I think his position comes down to who he guards, he is a primary ball handler type in my opinion.

[PoundTown]

TT and Joseph's contract situations are the biggest unknown, but at the same time, those two have been the NBA players most committed to the program. When push comes to shove, I think they'll be there, since they've waited so long to play meaningful games with the NT, and a chance to go to the Olympics is pretty big. I would guess that neither will play for the Pan-Am team, but as long as they're there for the qualifier, that's what really counts.

And agreed, Hendrix, on the play of Thompson. Very encouraging to see him come into his own and find his niche in the NBA. If he can do the same stuff for the national team (defence, offensive rebounding, hustle) and not need the ball much, leaving scoring to Wiggins, Olynyk, Stauskas, etc. I think we'll be in really good shape.

I think we will see Cory this summer, have a feeling his contract status will be sorted out in first two weeks of July. It is Thompson that may have problems contractually, if he is turning down contracts like he was last summer. As good as he looks, is it time to start paying guys 13 million who don't average over 10 points, even if they are strong rebounders and defenders - Only guys I can think of in that mold that would be worth that are Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace. By the way, I am a huge TT fan, and really hope to see him playing for Canada as he is there 2nd most important player, and the other bigs can't bring his combo of energy, rebounding, defense and experience to the table.

[slothrop8]

TT will definitely be playing in the Olympic qualifier. His contract will be long settled by then. As long as LeBron stays in Cleveland, LeBron and Rich Paul will ensure TT gets paid and stays in Cleveland too. If Cleveland gets blown out in these Finals and something weird happens during the blowouts causing LeBron to leave again - then TT's status could possibly be up in the air. But provided nothing really unexpected happens to change the Rich Paul/LeBron/TT Cleveland dynamic - TT will be signed and ready to play for the NT long before the qualifier.

[Ell Curry]

Overall, I'd say it was a good NBA season for our best 3-4 players, but a disappointing ones for the others, which is better than the other way around.

5:
Thompson's development is massive, since Canada's other bigs should all be decent FIBA 3pt line shooters (Olynyk, Wiltjer, Lyles, Bennett, Nicholson) and while we might not be special defensively, Thompson crashing the boards, Wiggins being the man and 3 shooters sounds like a solid offensive template to move forward.

4:
Olynyk didn't improve much but he's got a great coach and he's already a decent offensive player. Hit his 2 pointers at a better rate but started bricking free throws.

Lyles looked like a solid all-around FIBA PF for Kentucky, guarding quicker players, spreading the floor at times and not making many mistakes. Bennett, another lost year. Nicholson seems to have regressed too.

3:
Wiggins had a better rookie year than people thought he would. Looks like an all-star, if not a superstar. His backup will play 10 minutes and if he gets hurt we're **** anyways.

2:
Stauskas had a rough year on a mess of a team. He will improve. He's not going to shoot 31% from 3 again. The non-Wiggins wing spot is our weakest, as Thompson, Olynyk, Wiggins and Joseph are all good NBA players, so he's the big X factor. Hopefully like a lot of great shooters like Redick and Korver he's just going to develop slowly but consistently.

Rathan-Mayes had some big moments. Heslip shot well. Murray is being recruited by Kentucky and Michigan, which are both excellent signs.

1:
Joseph is a solid player and played 1500 minutes, 500 more than last year, while maintaining his very good efficiency. Ennis' numbers are based on a small sample size but are truly horrific. Pangos' stock probably went slightly down. Backup PG could well be a concern going forward unless Ennis improves.

[rapz101]

There's a couple more guys like Maurice walker
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4JCBNz7hfY[/youtube]

chris egi from harvard (although he didnt get much playing time)

There is also malcolm duvivier from oregon st university, he didn't get much playing time in his first season, but he was a key player for them this year.

And Duance Notice who played at St. Mikes back in Toronto, and plays for south carolina now... Canada's pool is really getting deeper

Also Mathew wright, whose a pretty good shooter in his own right, playing at St Bonaventure [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFwCMK5jz5Q[/youtube]

[Mattd97]

yeah id say this year was a big success for wiggins, TT, cojo and olynyk and not so much for bennett, stauskas, nicholson and ennis. but really, many of those guys are still too young to overtake people ahead of them in the depth charts. and the roster is still abosultely perfectly balanced in my opinion. just a fantatsic build with wiggins as the ball dominant scoring forward, with cojo as the heady pg, stauskas/heslip/rautins as the shooters, nicholson/olynyk as spacing/shooting 4s opening up lanes for wiggins, and tt/sacre as bruisers and rebounders who dont need the ball. its really ideal.

[Hendrix]

Latest draft projections from Draft Express are 17th for Lyles and 50th for Hanlan.
NBAdraft.net mock has Lyles 9th and Hanland 33rd.
Both have Murray 21st in the 2016 draft.

Wiltjer decided to stay at Gonzaga for his senior year and I believe XRM decided to stay at FSU for his sophomore season.

21st seems pretty low for Murray considering how he's been going off against the best players in the world, that are his age, lately, and looking like a tier above everyone else.


Maybe it's a size thing though, and they aren't sure if he can play PG. Great size for PG. Mediocre size for SG.

His physical attributes don't stand out. They aren't ranking high school kids high unless they are uber-athletic. Jamaal has outclassed his peers on the big stage to this point, can he continue to do so as the competetion gets stronger and faster. Personally, I think he will be a lotto pick - He might not have high end athleticism, but he does have high end strength, skill and body control - kind of like a Deron Williams type of athlete. And I think his position comes down to who he guards, he is a primary ball handler type in my opinion.

I agree with you about the body control, strength, and skill. But, I don't think his athletisism is even as bad as advertised. Did you see some of the dunks, and acrobatic layups he did in the hoops summit, and Canada all star game? Not many PG's in the NBA I know of can do the sorts of things he was pulling off there other than the John Wall's, and Derrick Rose's of the world.

I think more-so the biggest question mark with him is physical dimensions if he were to play SG. His wingspan, height, and standing reach are nothing special at SG. About the same as Bradly Beal, so yeah he could probably get by, but it would be a lot easier if he had Harden/Wade type of wingspan.

I think we'll get a better indication once we see a season of him in college, on how this plays out.

[frumble]

Overall, I'd say it was a good NBA season for our best 3-4 players, but a disappointing ones for the others, which is better than the other way around.

5:
Thompson's development is massive, since Canada's other bigs should all be decent FIBA 3pt line shooters (Olynyk, Wiltjer, Lyles, Bennett, Nicholson) and while we might not be special defensively, Thompson crashing the boards, Wiggins being the man and 3 shooters sounds like a solid offensive template to move forward.

4:
Olynyk didn't improve much but he's got a great coach and he's already a decent offensive player. Hit his 2 pointers at a better rate but started bricking free throws.

Lyles looked like a solid all-around FIBA PF for Kentucky, guarding quicker players, spreading the floor at times and not making many mistakes. Bennett, another lost year. Nicholson seems to have regressed too.

3:
Wiggins had a better rookie year than people thought he would. Looks like an all-star, if not a superstar. His backup will play 10 minutes and if he gets hurt we're **** anyways.

2:
Stauskas had a rough year on a mess of a team. He will improve. He's not going to shoot 31% from 3 again. The non-Wiggins wing spot is our weakest, as Thompson, Olynyk, Wiggins and Joseph are all good NBA players, so he's the big X factor. Hopefully like a lot of great shooters like Redick and Korver he's just going to develop slowly but consistently.

Rathan-Mayes had some big moments. Heslip shot well. Murray is being recruited by Kentucky and Michigan, which are both excellent signs.

1:
Joseph is a solid player and played 1500 minutes, 500 more than last year, while maintaining his very good efficiency. Ennis' numbers are based on a small sample size but are truly horrific. Pangos' stock probably went slightly down. Backup PG could well be a concern going forward unless Ennis improves.

Good summary. I would add that it was a good season for Powell, both in the D-league and during his limited time with Boston and Dallas. I can see him challenging Nicholson and/or Bennett for a spot this summer.

Re Joseph, while his playing time and shooting percentages were up, it was disappointing to see him get so little playing time after Mills came back from injury. In the playoffs he barely got any time (other than garbage time). A change of scenery might be good for his further development and it will be very interesting to see where he signs.

Re Ennis, with Milwaukee signing Jorge Gutierrez, looks like even securing the 3rd PG spot is not a given.

Re NCAA players, I think Dillon Brooks had a very solid freshman season and could be in the mix at the 3 within a couple of years.

[mojo13]

Overall, I'd say it was a good NBA season for our best 3-4 players, but a disappointing ones for the others, which is better than the other way around.

5:
Thompson's development is massive, since Canada's other bigs should all be decent FIBA 3pt line shooters (Olynyk, Wiltjer, Lyles, Bennett, Nicholson) and while we might not be special defensively, Thompson crashing the boards, Wiggins being the man and 3 shooters sounds like a solid offensive template to move forward.

4:
Olynyk didn't improve much but he's got a great coach and he's already a decent offensive player. Hit his 2 pointers at a better rate but started bricking free throws.

Lyles looked like a solid all-around FIBA PF for Kentucky, guarding quicker players, spreading the floor at times and not making many mistakes. Bennett, another lost year. Nicholson seems to have regressed too.

3:
Wiggins had a better rookie year than people thought he would. Looks like an all-star, if not a superstar. His backup will play 10 minutes and if he gets hurt we're **** anyways.

2:
Stauskas had a rough year on a mess of a team. He will improve. He's not going to shoot 31% from 3 again. The non-Wiggins wing spot is our weakest, as Thompson, Olynyk, Wiggins and Joseph are all good NBA players, so he's the big X factor. Hopefully like a lot of great shooters like Redick and Korver he's just going to develop slowly but consistently.

Rathan-Mayes had some big moments. Heslip shot well. Murray is being recruited by Kentucky and Michigan, which are both excellent signs.

1:
Joseph is a solid player and played 1500 minutes, 500 more than last year, while maintaining his very good efficiency. Ennis' numbers are based on a small sample size but are truly horrific. Pangos' stock probably went slightly down. Backup PG could well be a concern going forward unless Ennis improves.

Good summary. I would add that it was a good season for Powell, both in the D-league and during his limited time with Boston and Dallas. I can see him challenging Nicholson and/or Bennett for a spot this summer.

Re Joseph, while his playing time and shooting percentages were up, it was disappointing to see him get so little playing time after Mills came back from injury. In the playoffs he barely got any time (other than garbage time). A change of scenery might be good for his further development and it will be very interesting to see where he signs.

Re Ennis, with Milwaukee signing Jorge Gutierrez, looks like even securing the 3rd PG spot is not a given.

Re NCAA players, I think Dillon Brooks had a very solid freshman season and could be in the mix at the 3 within a couple of years.

Agreed...good summary. Some additions:
5:
I don't think we will be that bad defensively - It could actually be a strong suit. CJ, Wiggins and TT are all well above average defensively and will continue to get better. That is not a bad three man anchor. Relative to the international competition the rest of the guys aren’t too terrible. Although, guys like Stauskas, Olynyk, Nicholson, Bennett struggle at the NBA level – it is mostly due to the size/athleticism of the NBA which they won’t see too often in FIBA. Don’t forget Khem Birch too....I believe he will be in the NBA soon and is a stud defensively. D-League allstar, all-rookie and 1st Team all-defense.

4:
I have very high hopes for Olynyk, although I agree that this year was a little rough for him (lots of injuries), he still has significant upside in the NBA as a playmaking powerforward (which seems to be the preferred trend away from merely "stretch fours"). I still think Olynyk is our key guy in FIBA play along with Wiggins. Nicholson had a good last couple months of the NBA season and really needed that coaching change, hopefully he stays back in the Magic rotation with Scott Skiles there. His offense will be very important if ever paired with Sacre or TT – he is really focused on improving his D too (his main weakness).
Powell, I agree, is vastly underrated right now. I think he will be a key rotation guy for the Mavs next year and I really like his 4/5 versatility for Team Canada and I would take him over Bennett right now. He beasted the D-league this year (yes it is the D-league but his was amazing when sent there, absolutely dominated).

2/3:
This is our weakness right now (after Wiggins) we don’t have much depth and I was sure not impressed by Stauskas this year. I believe he will improve significantly, but he has a loooong way to go and I worry about how much he will help (or hurt) Team Canada this summer. We may be better off with English, Rautins, or Heslip starting at the two, but what else is out there at the three? Kris Joseph? Melvin Ejim? Maybe Dillon Brooks down the road, but he was more of an undersized 4 for Oregon this year and it is a reach (same with D. Pierre). Wiggins is going to play allot of minutes for the foreseeable future. The 2/3 was a tragic hole in the 2013 team.

1:
I am less worried about PG. Ennis was just in a really bad spot for most of the year in PHX, he played pretty good in the D-League and I think has lots of room to improve. I think CJ is much better than people seem to give credit. The Spurs system is a little weird with Manu/Patty on the bench in reverse PG/SG roles. CJ just didn’t fit the 2nd unit next to Manu. He played great when Parker was hurt and was extremely efficient and plays great D. I think he will be a starting PG in the NBA in a couple years a little like George Hill's progression. Look at CJ year over year statistical improvement - significantly better and better every year in the league. It is impressive and is clearly on the right path. There are rumblings out of more than a few cities about CJ as a potential FA target as a starting PG (Houston, Dallas). Olivier Hanlan and even Pangos is out there as well.

Assuming everyone plays – I like our balance too. The issue is still FIBA experience. It is such a different game from the NBA and our guys in 2013 really struggled with the differences.

[mojo13]

There's a couple more guys like Maurice walker
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4JCBNz7hfY[/youtube]

chris egi from harvard (although he didnt get much playing time)

There is also malcolm duvivier from oregon st university, he didn't get much playing time in his first season, but he was a key player for them this year.

And Duance Notice who played at St. Mikes back in Toronto, and plays for south carolina now... Canada's pool is really getting deeper

Also Mathew wright, whose a pretty good shooter in his own right, playing at St Bonaventure [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFwCMK5jz5Q[/youtube]

Perhaps the Canadian talent pool is actually thinning out a bit? Maybe just more of a temporary trough at the high end as I agree the depth is still there. 2015/2016 is first time in 5 years or so that I don't think there is a sure fire NBA talent playing in the NCAA.

Who is there?
Kyle Wiltjer is the first that comes to mind, but he has serious critisisms about his athletism and ability to defend - enough that he can easily go undrafted.
Dillon Brooks perhaps? But I think he has a long way to go - he is an udersized 4 right now.
XRM has a very good shot, but I don't see him showing up on draft boards yet.
I'd be very suprised if any that you mention above grow into NBA players. Maybe Montaque Gill-Ceasar - but I don't see it yet (certainly a chance). Dyshawn Pierre? Tough as he is a little undersized, but you you never know (longshot).

Jamal Murray would be my next high probability guess, but he is not even in NCAA yet. Anyone else currently in the NCAA I am missing you guys think is a future NBA player?

[Qhawe]

Myck Kabongo is nowhere to be found. Just a testament to the growing talent in Canada.

[Hendrix]

One thing that's great to see is just how many people there are in this thread that care about Canada basketball! What a turnaround!

I was even in the park playing ball with some random guys, and we got chatting about team Canada basketball, and they said they were excited about the team, and can't wait for the tournaments this summer.

[frumble]

Perhaps the Canadian talent pool is actually thinning out a bit? Maybe just more of a temporary trough at the high end as I agree the depth is still there. 2015/2016 is first time in 5 years or so that I don't think there is a sure fire NBA talent playing in the NCAA.

Who is there?
Kyle Wiltjer is the first that comes to mind, but he has serious critisisms about his athletism and ability to defend - enough that he can easily go undrafted.
Dillon Brooks perhaps? But I think he has a long way to go - he is an udersized 4 right now.
XRM has a very good shot, but I don't see him showing up on draft boards yet.
I'd be very suprised if any that you mention above grow into NBA players. Maybe Montaque Gill-Ceasar - but I don't see it yet (certainly a chance). Dyshawn Pierre? Tough as he is a little undersized, but you you never know (longshot).

Jamal Murray would be my next high probability guess, but he is not even in NCAA yet. Anyone else currently in the NCAA I am missing you guys think is a future NBA player?

I think you nailed it - temporary trough at the high end, but the depth is still there (and in fact is probably better than ever).

In the high school classes of 2010 and 2011, we had three elite (RSCI top 40) guys each class:
Thompson (9), Joseph (13), and Powell (38) in 2010; and Birch (11), Kabongo (13) and Wiltjer (19) in 2011.
(That was more than we had in the previous 12 years combined (only Dalembert, Brown, Famutimi, and Theo Davis)).

We followed that up with Bennett (6) in 2012; Wiggins (1) and Ennis (23) in 2013 (XRM just missing at 43); and then Lyles (12) in 2014.

So 10 top 40 guys in five classes. Of those 10, seven will play in NBA (six already have and Lyles will), one is close (Birch), and one is still a possibility (Wiltjer).

Aside from Wiltjer, that surge of talent is already through the NCAA. The Class of 2015 has no one who I expect to make the NBA, let alone come out anytime soon (Poyser is the top ranked in the class, at 97).

So I think the only Cdns likely to be drafted in 2016 are Wiltjer (maybe 2nd round) and Murray. Very slim chance for Dyshawn Pierre.

I could see no Canadians being drafted in 2017 or 2018 (maybe Brooks, XRM, Gill-Caesar or Justin Jackson).

Our next really elite guys - Shi-ttu and Barrett Jr. won't be draft eligible until 2019 and 2020.

But we have some good depth between now and then.

The class of 2016 has Murray. Jackson may also be top 40 once the RSCI 2016 rankings come out. Plus it has Washington, Narain, Ekiyor, Cyrus, McEwen, and Tshimanga being likely or possible top 100s. It is probably our deepest class ever. With that many guys in the 40-100 range, chance that one of them blows up and ends up getting drafted.

Early to tell on class of 2017, but Isaiah Jasey is currently 14th per Scout, 20th per Rivals, and 29th per 247 Sports.
Oshae Brissett is 26th, 47th, and 40th, respectively.

And then return to elite guys with Shi-ttu and Barrett Jr. in 2018 and 2019.

[slothrop8]

I think XRM blows up this year and will be drafted next year. Needs to become more consistent with his shooting but put up pretty good percentages for a freshman - and frequently shooters get less streaky and more consistent with a year of experience at the Div 1 level. As a UNC fan I witnessed it recently with Reggie Bullock and and PJ Hairston - two guys that ended up first rounders based on their shooting but shot .367 and .308 respectively as freshman. XRM was at .416 so a pretty good base to start from - if he gets a sophomore spike he's going to post very efficient shooting numbers. He's also a good passer - finished 6th in the ACC in assists. He absolutely strafed UNC when he played them - was on fire. And of course had the game where he score 30 points in 4 and a half minutes. He's a great bet to lead the ACC in scoring this year (14.9 ppg as a freshman last year) - and if he's the ACC leading scorer he's going to get draft attention.

[bozothepope]

I think XRM blows up this year and will be drafted next year. Needs to become more consistent with his shooting but put up pretty good percentages for a freshman - and frequently shooters get less streaky and more consistent with a year of experience at the Div 1 level. As a UNC fan I witnessed it recently with Reggie Bullock and and PJ Hairston - two guys that ended up first rounders based on their shooting but shot .367 and .308 respectively as freshman. XRM was at .416 so a pretty good base to start from - if he gets a sophomore spike he's going to post very efficient shooting numbers. He's also a good passer - finished 6th in the ACC in assists. He absolutely strafed UNC when he played them - was on fire. And of course had the game where he score 30 points in 4 and a half minutes. He's a great bet to lead the ACC in scoring this year (14.9 ppg as a freshman last year) - and if he's the ACC leading scorer he's going to get draft attention.

And Florida State is getting in some better recruits this fall. I expect to see them in the tournament next year. All good for X.

[SharoneWright]

^^
Hanlan gets drafted this year.

[Dread-Eye]

Shouldn't Melvin Ejim be in the mix for SF/PF?

[PoundTown]

There's a couple more guys like Maurice walker
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4JCBNz7hfY[/youtube]

chris egi from harvard (although he didnt get much playing time)

There is also malcolm duvivier from oregon st university, he didn't get much playing time in his first season, but he was a key player for them this year.

And Duance Notice who played at St. Mikes back in Toronto, and plays for south carolina now... Canada's pool is really getting deeper

Also Mathew wright, whose a pretty good shooter in his own right, playing at St Bonaventure [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFwCMK5jz5Q[/youtube]

Perhaps the Canadian talent pool is actually thinning out a bit? Maybe just more of a temporary trough at the high end as I agree the depth is still there. 2015/2016 is first time in 5 years or so that I don't think there is a sure fire NBA talent playing in the NCAA.

Who is there?
Kyle Wiltjer is the first that comes to mind, but he has serious critisisms about his athletism and ability to defend - enough that he can easily go undrafted.
Dillon Brooks perhaps? But I think he has a long way to go - he is an udersized 4 right now.
XRM has a very good shot, but I don't see him showing up on draft boards yet.
I'd be very suprised if any that you mention above grow into NBA players. Maybe Montaque Gill-Ceasar - but I don't see it yet (certainly a chance). Dyshawn Pierre? Tough as he is a little undersized, but you you never know (longshot).

Jamal Murray would be my next high probability guess, but he is not even in NCAA yet. Anyone else currently in the NCAA I am missing you guys think is a future NBA player?

Of all those guys I like brooks the most to play in the nba. He's got a solid shot and has a motor. Also just knows how to play.

[rapz101]

Perhaps the Canadian talent pool is actually thinning out a bit? Maybe just more of a temporary trough at the high end as I agree the depth is still there. 2015/2016 is first time in 5 years or so that I don't think there is a sure fire NBA talent playing in the NCAA.

Who is there?
Kyle Wiltjer is the first that comes to mind, but he has serious critisisms about his athletism and ability to defend - enough that he can easily go undrafted.
Dillon Brooks perhaps? But I think he has a long way to go - he is an udersized 4 right now.
XRM has a very good shot, but I don't see him showing up on draft boards yet.
I'd be very suprised if any that you mention above grow into NBA players. Maybe Montaque Gill-Ceasar - but I don't see it yet (certainly a chance). Dyshawn Pierre? Tough as he is a little undersized, but you you never know (longshot).

Jamal Murray would be my next high probability guess, but he is not even in NCAA yet. Anyone else currently in the NCAA I am missing you guys think is a future NBA player?

I agree our top heavy talent is probably thinning out, but since this thread is about team canada's ball, im jus stating the fact that we have alot of guys to possibly consider that have been named/ not named yet...guys like the ones I just mentioned could potentially sneak in on the team.

Not saying these guys will make the NBA, and dillon brooks is probably the next guy to hit the league after lyles, but the fact that we've got so much more guys playing NCAA ball bodes well for team canada, we can have A and B teams and good practice scrimmages based off the bodies that play in the NCAA today.

Like more unnamed guys like brandon bos, kevin blake...not everyone makes the league but seeing the uptick in canadians in the NCAA is just really refereshing as a fan of basketball period.

[mojo13]

I posted earlier about Tyler Ennis's recent shoulder surgery and how it may impact his participation this summer. After a little more digging, the Bucks boards and bloggers seem to think he is out for the entire summer both summer league and Canadian National Team duties. Now this is probably very uncertain and there isn't much focus by fans/boards/bloggers on the Bucks 12th man, but my guess is yes, he misses summer league which is mostly in July. But SMNT is going to be mid-August through early September right? Can anyone confirm how serious this surgery was and whether he will (un)likely rep Canada this summer?

Assuming he is out, where do you think we are with the back up PG? Jermaine Anderson? Pangos? A semi capable Steve Nash could be useful. I am sure the chances are slim to none, but anyone care to speculate on a player/GM, Steve Nash giving it a final go?

It sure makes CJ's contract situation more important, that’s for sure.


From BrewHoop:

The Milwaukee Bucks' season may be over, but the injury jinx continues to haunt the team's rookies.

The Bucks announced via press release on Tuesday that rookie point guard Tyler Ennis had shoulder surgery earlier in the day, with no specific timetable for his recovery.

Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond announced that guard Tyler Ennis underwent successful labral repair surgery to his right shoulder today. After consultation with Bucks orthopaedist Dr. Michael Gordon and Dr. David Altcheck from the Hospital for Special Surgery, the procedure was performed this morning in New York.

Ennis played garbage time minutes in the Bucks' season-ending game six loss in Milwaukee on April 30, but it's not clear when he might have suffered the injury. Assuming it's a torn labrum, Ennis could face months on the sidelines, erasing any hopes he had of playing for the Bucks' summer league team in Vegas (DAMN!) or for Team Canada thereafter.

Ironically, fellow Bucks point guard and Syracuse alum Michael Carter-Williams also underwent surgery on his labrum a little over a year ago. MCW returned to the court six months later on November 13, but he wasn't able to work on his shaky jumper over the summer and struggled with his shooting before landing in Milwaukee at the deadline. Not exactly an encouraging precedent for Ennis, who figured to battle Jerryd Bayless for backup point guard minutes this fall.