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

[TheFutureMM]

Jamal Murray picked Kentucky. Discuss.

I'm surprised. I thought for sure he would have picked Oregon due to Dillon and the opportunity to be more of the man there.

On the other hand the Kentucky pick is WAY more exciting lol. Going to be a crowded backcourt with Briscoe and Ulis as well. I guess they can carve out decent minutes between the three of them with Murray playing both the 1 and 2.

[mojo13]

Ya I get that. I am just bitter as I don't like UK. Still, if it is a three guard line up, right now in my mind he is third in line with a couple other good ones right behind him.

And is it certain Jamal is even a starter on this team? With Skal, Poythress, Marcus Lee, Mulder, Willis? I can easily see an Ulis, Briscoe, Lee, Poythress, Skal starting 5.

I for one think Trey made a mistake going to UK. His PT and opportunities were limited, he played out of position and there is a good chance it has hurt his draft stock. I think Trey would have showcased himself better on a team where is was a key player.

You'd think Wiltjer's debacle would have scared more of theses kids off.

[TheFutureMM]

Ya I get that. I am just bitter as I don't like UK. Still, if it is a three guard line up, right now in my mind he is third in line with a couple other good ones right behind him.

And is it certain Jamal is even a starter on this team? With Skal, Poythress, Marcus Lee, Mulder, Willis? I can easily see an Ulis, Briscoe, Lee, Poythress, Skal starting 5.

I for one think Trey made a mistake going to UK. His PT and opportunities were limited, he played out of position and there is a good chance it has hurt his draft stock. I think Trey would have showcased himself better on a team where is was a key player.

You'd think Wiltjer's debacle would have scared more of theses kids off.

I am fairly positive Kentucky is going to start Ulis and it's going to be Murray vs Briscoe for the starting SG spot. Probably not a big deal as Murray could be the 6th man and could sub either guy out depending on matchups.

Regarding Trey I'd probably disagree. The reason why Kentucky was so good was because they were loaded with talent. Combined that with a near undefeated season, a solid individual season, and endless media attention and you have the recipe to get pretty acquainted with NBA scouts. I'm unsure if he would have got quite the attention on a team where he was featured more in the spot light.

Final thought regarding Trey... If he ends up being a lottery pick tomorrow I'm pretty sure it's pretty unarguable that he made the right decision going to Kentucky. I think it's near impossible for him to slip past Boston at 16 so I think that's about his floor draft wise. I bet if you asked him after he got picked hypothetically at 16 if he would do it all over again on a different team to get a higher pick he'd probably laugh.

[NBACommissioner]

Not surprised at all he followed two Kentucky players a day ago and followed nobody from Oregon.

[frumble]

Oregon also has a crowded backcourt, with Ennis, Dorsey, and Small all coming in.

I think he will start - Marcus Lee will be the odd man out, again - and should get at least 25 minutes a game.

Mulder will probably get very little playing time.

In the press conference the only reason Murray cited for picking Kentucky over Oregon was proximity. But if proximity was a significant consideration, why not at least go ahead with the Michigan and Michigan State visits before reaching a decision?

[SharoneWright]

Trey would have owned the stage at IU. He must have fainted as he saw UK add more and more front line talent...
( and their underclassmen decide to stay...)

[UneducatedFan86]

Another reason to do a mini-rebuild and try to get as high as we can in the draft next year: Jamal Murray. The guy is going to be something special and we already passed up on one amazing Canadian talent in Wiggins.

[aminiaturebuddha]

I'd tend to side with mojo on this. It's not just about draft position (although that's obviously important to the players), it's also about a year of development. Maybe Lyles gained some valuable experience about guarding smaller perimeter players from playing the 3, but I think his year would have been better spent playing offensively and defensively against the kinds of players he will see most often in the NBA (4s and 5s). I still think he's an incredibly talented player that will be successful in the league, but I think he probably would have been a little further along and more prepared for the NBA if he hadn't been playing out of position in that crowded UK frontcourt.

Regarding Murray, I'm also not sure it was the right decision. Yes, he's a combo guard, but to be more than just a bench player in the NBA, he'll probably need to become a full time point guard. Again, that means getting as many reps at the 1 as possible, something I don't think he'll get at Kentucky. And I'm not even a UK hater!

The best option for Murray probably would have been to get this all settled many months ago and make a commitment to Duke before they urged Derryck Thornton to reclassify. That probably would have been the best scenario in terms of exposure, playing time, NBA prep, etc. And I don't even like Duke! Haha. Anyway, all a moot point now.

[TheFutureMM]

I'd tend to side with mojo on this. It's not just about draft position (although that's obviously important to the players), it's also about a year of development. Maybe Lyles gained some valuable experience about guarding smaller perimeter players from playing the 3, but I think his year would have been better spent playing offensively and defensively against the kinds of players he will see most often in the NBA (4s and 5s). I still think he's an incredibly talented player that will be successful in the league, but I think he probably would have been a little further along and more prepared for the NBA if he hadn't been playing out of position in that crowded UK frontcourt.

Don't forget the amount burn he got in practise vs. Towns, WCS, Alex P (before he went down), Marcus Lee, etc...

Game experience is important but sometimes you play schools where the starting center is 6'8. Imagine every time you lace it up in practise going against all the guys listed above.

I would argue it's almost better that he got to play these guys multiple times a week in the gym at Kentucky then to play guys there size once or twice a month (which he often still did in certain rotations).

[frumble]

Don't forget the amount burn he got in practise vs. Towns, WCS, Alex P (before he went down), Marcus Lee, etc...

Game experience is important but sometimes you play schools where the starting center is 6'8. Imagine every time you lace it up in practise going against all the guys listed above.

I would argue it's almost better that he got to play these guys multiple times a week in the gym at Kentucky then to play guys there size once or twice a month (which he often still did in certain rotations).

Marcus Lee spurned Cal for Kentucky a couple years ago. Many Cal fans noted that he could have been the focal point in Berkeley (on a team with a great backcourt but not much up front) instead of the 4th or 5th big in Lexington. On a Cal message board his brother made the same practice arguments as you are making here.

I see some merit in the higher level of competition at practice, but I am not sure that it makes up for playing out position, or not playing much at all, in games. With not much game experience, you are really banking on impressing teams with your individual workouts, and I am not sure how much stock teams put in those.

I see that Lee is projected by DraftExpress to be picked 28th in 2016, and NBAdraft.net doesn't have him on its 2016 board. We'll never know how highly he would be rated/picked if he had gone elsewhere, but I suspect it would have been higher.

[duppyy]

Murray will be the Canadian Iverson

[frumble]

Wolstat says Murray will attend senior men's training camp and that the plan is for him to play at the PanAms.

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/06/25/jamal-murray-hoping-to-be-one-and-done-at-kentucky

Murray will not play for Canada’s under-19 team this summer, instead taking part at the senior men’s camp, the way a young Joseph once did before becoming a program lynchpin. The plan is for him to play at the Pan Am Games in Toronto.

[TheFutureMM]

So two more Canadians got drafted last night - which is great. If Hanlan could somehow find a way to stick in the NBA we could be in good shape from a national team perspective.

How do you guys think Vasquez's move to Milwaukee will effect Ennis's development? It would be such a bummer for him to be the 3rd PG on that team after escaping Phoenix.

[frumble]

So two more Canadians got drafted last night - which is great. If Hanlan could somehow find a way to stick in the NBA we could be in good shape from a national team perspective.

How do you guys think Vasquez's move to Milwaukee will effect Ennis's development? It would be such a bummer for him to be the 3rd PG on that team after escaping Phoenix.

I hope Hanlan sticks, but I think he will able to contribute to the national team whether he plays pro in the NBA, the D-league, or Europe.

Re Ennis, I hope Milwaukee makes another move. They also have Jorge Gutierrez, who I thought Ennis would be battling with for the 3rd PG spot. Now, barring a trade, those two will be fighting for 4th on the depth chart? Ennis being hurt and out of action all summer doesn't help.


Canada opens U19 worlds against Australia this morning. Tied 30-30 at the half.
Stream is here:
http://www.fiba.com/en/Page/a5afba71-2b26-48d6-9e3c-035df452b5e7/500a5c7a-d0db-4fe9-97c2-ee2ce03a064a

Live stats and boxscore are here:
http://www.fiba.com/ls/#8043&11700-C-1

At halftime Brooks leads the team with 10 pts. No one else has more than 4. I caught last 5 minutes of the half and Brooks was sitting (2 fouls).

Neither team is shooting well. (30-32%)

[Dr Comeback]

Deeply deeply unimpressed with the high school talent on this u19 squad.

Justin Jackson development seems to have stalled out and he's going to a terrible coach and program in UNLV. (I hope he's not seriously injured)

Jaylen Poser hitch in his jumper seems to compltely prevents him from getting it off when he's close out on with semblance of competency.

I've heard all this hype about Abu Kigabe, but all I see is just a nice body but not much in the way basketball skills. but he's soo...

Chri Egi hasn't really developed at all, and while he gets a ton of shot blocks, he's not a smart or super effective defender.


The rest of them seem like Non prespects, the only one I like is Corey Johnson.

[frumble]

Canada hangs on for a 74-71 win.

From what I saw, Brooks was their best player. 22 pts (on 7/15 shooting), 6 boards and 4 assists.
But he did take two ill advised, early in the shot-clock jumpers when Canada was nursing a 5 to 7 point lead with about 2 minutes left.

Jackson left the game early in the 4th Q (looked like a knee issue). Hopefully it is not serious.
He had 11 pts (on 5/12 shooting), 9 boards, and 4 blocks in 23 minutes, and played particularly well in the 3rd Q.


Canada committed 21 turnovers, and couldn't seem to handle Australia's press.

I don't think Rana was comfortable with Cohee (24 mins), Provo (13 mins) or Henry (7 mins) running the point. When Cohee was point, it was more of a nominal role, as Brooks would often be the one bringing the ball up the floor, and would always have it is in hands to start the half court set.

Its too bad Wigginton or Washington didn't participate. They are a little younger than Provo/Henry, but might be better.

I think the team is at least one top level player away from being a contender at this tournament. If Murray and/or Gill-Caesar were playing they would be much stronger. Having Narain up front would also have been helpful.

Egi was 0/5 from the line, and they were bricks. They may not be able to have him in the game on offense late in close games.

Johnson was 3/11 (all from 3). Overall the team was 6/25 from three.

Kigab barely played for the first 3 quarters, but was in for most of the last 5 minutes.

Poyser only had 3.5 minutes, all in the first half.

Canada has Tunisia tomorrow and is off Monday. Italy beat Tunisia by 27 in today's other Group C game.

If I am understanding tournament format, everyone makes playoffs, and Canada's group plays Group D (Serbia, Greece, Dominican and Korea) in the round of 16 (1st v 4th, 2nd v 3rd, etc).

[TheFutureMM]

Hope Justin Jackson isn't hurt. He didn't look like he was in too much pain but still it was concerning seeing him being carried off.

We can't afford to lose his size.

[frumble]

Easy win over Tunisia this morning. Brooks and Jackson were rested.

Big game against Italy on Tuesday. Winner finishes first in Group C and for playoffs will be on opposite side of draw as US. Loser finishes second, has a tougher round of 16 game (likely Dominican instead of Korea), and then would have to face US in quarters.

[frumble]

Some summer league info starting to come out.

Seems that Heslip will be playing for Minnesota and Pangos for Dallas.

I guess Wiggins will be practicing with Minnesota, but won't play.

From this Flip Saunders interview it seems Bennett will not be in summer league, as he "will be playing for Canada."

http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/video/teams/timberwolves/2015/06/26/150626FlipMediaAvailabilitymp4-3631051

And from this Ames Tribune article, seems Ejim will be playing for Canada this summer.

http://amestrib.com/sports/men-s-basketball-ejim-returns-after-successful-first-pro-season-abroad

In the case of Bennett and Ejim, it is not clear if will be PanAms, FIBAs, or both.

[TheFutureMM]

Some summer league info starting to come out.

Seems that Heslip will be playing for Minnesota and Pangos for Dallas.

I guess Wiggins will be practicing with Minnesota, but won't play.

From this Flip Saunders interview it seems Bennett will not be in summer league, as he "will be playing for Canada."

http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/video/teams/timberwolves/2015/06/26/150626FlipMediaAvailabilitymp4-3631051

And from this Ames Tribune article, seems Ejim will be playing for Canada this summer.

http://amestrib.com/sports/men-s-basketball-ejim-returns-after-successful-first-pro-season-abroad

In the case of Bennett and Ejim, it is not clear if will be PanAms, FIBAs, or both.

When do you think we're going to get the roster for the Pan AMs? Has to be soon as the the first game is on the 21st.