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

kidr1211 · Post #741 » by **kidr1211** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:21 am

[tweet]https://twitter.com/sheilamikailli/status/623674638464237568[/tweet]

This man will lead us to gold tbh

WhatYaWant · Post #742 » by **WhatYaWant** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:23 am

that was a fun game to watch

NBACommissioner · Post #743 » by **NBACommissioner** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:28 am

I hope Murray starts tomorrow and they run lots of pick and roll for Bennett. Pretty sure Steve Nash would have made AB an Allstar with the P & R he could run.

curryking3 · Post #744 » by **curryking3** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:29 am

Jay_Hawk wrote:I know the chances of this are slim, but does anyone know if the CBC or anyone is replaying the game later? I know it's not likely--I've had it on CBC since 8pm and they haven't even mentioned the damn game…

It's a real shame the game wasn't televised. I know as Raps fans, it's what we expect when it comes to basketball in this country, but honestly, I don't care WHAT sport it is, or what age group it is--if our flag is being represented in a sport, that sport should be televised. I think it was Churchill who said there are three ways you can represent your country: As a politician, as a member of the military, or as an athlete. Our broadcasters act like that last one only applies to Hockey players…

Apologize for the vent. I had to work late and I really wanted to watch the game…can anyone tell me how Murray played? I've got high hopes for that kid.

You can rewatch the whole game here..... and the whole game was broadcast LIVE online on CBC..... as will every basketball game in PanAm... just like almost every event is....... lol.

http://panam.cbc.ca/videos/live/video/mens-basketball-1800.html

You must have missed the World Cup 2014 on CBC.... every game was shown online and was immediately available after the game for rewatching.

In World Cup on CBC sports streaming you could even use multi-view features to see the game from multiple angles at the same time... lol.

Remember it's Rogers/Bell/Sportsnet/TSN/MLSE managing Raptors stuff.... international games from CBC are a different story now.

This is what we had for CBC streaming online for World Cup 2014 (re: it was frigging amazing, you could even have realtime stats and lineups in the sidebars).

Even in CBC streaming for PanAm games we get video and audio in the player/coach scrums between quarters sometimes which is awesome.

NBACommissioner · Post #745 » by **NBACommissioner** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:31 am

kidr1211 wrote:[tweet]https://twitter.com/sheilamikailli/status/623674638464237568[/tweet]

This man will lead us to gold tbh

Call me crazy but I still think Wiggins has a lot to prove. It's easy to score when you are one of the only options on a bad team and your coach allows you to make mistake after mistake. Having said that, He did seem to impress me in his Lebron matchups last year (although Kobe kiled him).

MEDIC · Post #746 » by **MEDIC** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:32 am

Funny that they have Fran "2 years away from 2 years away" Frischella doing commentary.

Dr Positivity · Post #747 » by **Dr Positivity** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 4:12 am

Man I really love this team. Gonna try to watch them all

JPHolling · Post #748 » by **JPHolling** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 5:01 am

Going to tomorrows game!!!
pretty pumped. been watching Canada basketball for about 10 years now

OhMyBosh · Post #749 » by **OhMyBosh** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 6:00 am

Very impressed with Murray's composure. He's playing with so much confidence despite being basically a high schooler.

SharoneWright · Post #750 » by **SharoneWright** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 6:38 am

7 Footer wrote:
dagger wrote:
NBACommissioner wrote:
He was at the Canada scrimmage too...Raptors not letting him participate pretty sad.

Joseph, Wiggins, Powell and maybe Thompson - if Lebron allows him - will play in the FIBA Americas tournament later this summer. That's the Olympic qualifier. A lot of NBA teams told their players they could play in Pan Ams, or FIBA Americas, but not both.

lmao, is he his dad or something?

Yes.

Pooh_Jeter · Post #751 » by **Pooh_Jeter** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 7:05 am

I'm assuming most were able to catch the game live or on demand, but I'll post my thoughts anyways...

Bennett: Looks to be in good shape, played the most minutes on the team I believe and never looked winded. Showed off his athleticism on numerous occasions. Hope to see more consistency on his jumper going forward, but overall great showing for him. The rebounding and hustle he was showing on defense was maybe the most encouraging sign. Didn't show much in the post and when he was doubled he coughed up a couple turnovers. He has some tools offensively, but I hope it isn't a Derrick Williams situation where he doesn't really do anything good enough to be a consistent scorer at the NBA level. Against this kind of competition he should be fine though.

Nicholson: Always been a crafty scorer for the SMNT and showcased some extended range on his jump shot. Defensively he can be an adventure at times and will foul, but he was rebounding pretty well. No concerns from this game though, he should be one of our better players going forward.

Doornekamp: I was hoping I would never see him again, let alone in the starting 5 for the SMNT. This is essentially a meaningless competition so can't complain too much. Everyone hails him as a "glue guy," but it's basically code for an unathletic white guy who plays hard. Of the old SMNT players I thought guys like Joel Anthony, Levon Kendall and Andy Rautins were far more useful, but I don't know what their situations are.

English: Seems like a swan song for him on the SMNT. A lot of years of service, but unfortunately with the depth of talent Canada has there really isn't a place for him. Heslip has proven himself to be a more prolific scorer at this point.

Cadougan: I wasn't impressed with his play in 2013 for the SMNT and this game didn't exactly raise my opinion of him. It makes sense in a competition like this to give a guy like Murray playing time to gain international experience at the Senior Level and that decision is made even easier when he outplays the "vet." I think all of the guards outplayed Cadougan in this game.

Bhullar: I can't see him having much of any NBA career, but he was actually a pleasant surprise for me in this game. The FIBA game plays more to his strengths than the NBA game. Defensively he can camp in the paint and use his size. Offensively he actually does have some passing ability and with his sheer size he can provide a nice target around the rim. Looks to be in the best shape of his career too.

Ejim: Prototypical role player that every team needs. He is basically Doornekamp if he could play/had some athleticism.

Heslip: We already knew he could shoot, but it was encouraging to see him do some stuff when he was run off the 3 point line. At this point can't see his off the dribble stuff being effective against NBA athletes/defenders, but against this type of competition it should definitely open things up even more for him.

Mullings: To be honest I haven't seen much of him before this game, but I was pleasantly surprised. Showed a lot of energy defensively and while he didn't do much offensively he generally made the right play when he had the ball. Look forward to seeing more of him.

Brooks: Whereas Murray played pretty conservatively and let the game come to him, Brooks played out of control. Similar to how he played at the U-19s, but he was the alpha dog on that team and he wasn't playing against men. He should still get minutes at the Pan-Am's, but can't see him getting any playing time with the SMNT in the near future when they are at anything close to full strength. This isn't to say he doesn't have some intriguing skills, but can use some refinement and maturity to his game.

Murray: Not the most showy performance of his life, but clearly wasn't playing with his usual aggression. Makes sense given this is his debut with the SMNT. A few bad turnovers when he was trapped, but overall you have to like what you see from such a young kid. Got a lot of minutes and certainly looks capable of playing useful minutes for this team.

Wiltjer: Still unsure of why he got no playing time. I get he is limited defensively and athletically, but he is very skilled. You probably don't want him and Nicholson out there together, but he should be fine with Bennett or playing small ball with Ejim.

MEDIC · Post #752 » by **MEDIC** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 1:40 pm

Pooh_Jeter wrote:I'm assuming most were able to catch the game live or on demand, but I'll post my thoughts anyways...

Bennett: Looks to be in good shape, played the most minutes on the team I believe and never looked winded. Showed off his athleticism on numerous occasions. Hope to see more consistency on his jumper going forward, but overall great showing for him. The rebounding and hustle he was showing on defense was maybe the most encouraging sign. Didn't show much in the post and when he was doubled he coughed up a couple turnovers. He has some tools offensively, but I hope it isn't a Derrick Williams situation where he doesn't really do anything good enough to be a consistent scorer at the NBA level. Against this kind of competition he should be fine though.

Nicholson: Always been a crafty scorer for the SMNT and showcased some extended range on his jump shot. Defensively he can be an adventure at times and will foul, but he was rebounding pretty well. No concerns from this game though, he should be one of our better players going forward.

Doornekamp: I was hoping I would never see him again, let alone in the starting 5 for the SMNT. This is essentially a meaningless competition so can't complain too much. Everyone hails him as a "glue guy," but it's basically code for an unathletic white guy who plays hard. Of the old SMNT players I thought guys like Joel Anthony, Levon Kendall and Andy Rautins were far more useful, but I don't know what their situations are.

English: Seems like a swan song for him on the SMNT. A lot of years of service, but unfortunately with the depth of talent Canada has there really isn't a place for him. Heslip has proven himself to be a more prolific scorer at this point.

Cadougan: I wasn't impressed with his play in 2013 for the SMNT and this game didn't exactly raise my opinion of him. It makes sense in a competition like this to give a guy like Murray playing time to gain international experience at the Senior Level and that decision is made even easier when he outplays the "vet." I think all of the guards outplayed Cadougan in this game.

Bhullar: I can't see him having much of any NBA career, but he was actually a pleasant surprise for me in this game. The FIBA game plays more to his strengths than the NBA game. Defensively he can camp in the paint and use his size. Offensively he actually does have some passing ability and with his sheer size he can provide a nice target around the rim. Looks to be in the best shape of his career too.

Ejim: Prototypical role player that every team needs. He is basically Doornekamp if he could play/had some athleticism.

Heslip: We already knew he could shoot, but it was encouraging to see him do some stuff when he was run off the 3 point line. At this point can't see his off the dribble stuff being effective against NBA athletes/defenders, but against this type of competition it should definitely open things up even more for him.

Mullings: To be honest I haven't seen much of him before this game, but I was pleasantly surprised. Showed a lot of energy defensively and while he didn't do much offensively he generally made the right play when he had the ball. Look forward to seeing more of him.

Brooks: Whereas Murray played pretty conservatively and let the game come to him, Brooks played out of control. Similar to how he played at the U-19s, but he was the alpha dog on that team and he wasn't playing against men. He should still get minutes at the Pan-Am's, but can't see him getting any playing time with the SMNT in the near future when they are at anything close to full strength. This isn't to say he doesn't have some intriguing skills, but can use some refinement and maturity to his game.

Murray: Not the most showy performance of his life, but clearly wasn't playing with his usual aggression. Makes sense given this is his debut with the SMNT. A few bad turnovers when he was trapped, but overall you have to like what you see from such a young kid. Got a lot of minutes and certainly looks capable of playing useful minutes for this team.

Wiltjer: Still unsure of why he got no playing time. I get he is limited defensively and athletically, but he is very skilled. You probably don't want him and Nicholson out there together, but he should be fine with Bennett or playing small ball with Ejim.

Agree with most of your assessment (although I didn't really notice Mullings). Murray was definitely holding back. There is a lot more to his game. He is the most overall skilled player on the roster by far.

Everytime I see Benett play, I understand why he isn't making it in the NBA. He just isn't assertive enough. He lacks aggression for a guy with his bulk & athleticism. I watch him moving on the court sometimes & he just kind of prances around. Doesn't move with purpose or aggression. A guy like him should be able to dominate in a game like this, but he just has no motor. I give the guy a 2/10 on the motor scale.

The good news is that he has the right people around him right now. People that care about his success as a basketball player. In Triano's interview with Tim & Sid he said that Benett is probably the player that could benefit most from playing on the National Team & I couldn't agree more. The guy has a ton of talent, but he needs to find his game, gain some confidence & find his inner beast.

frumble · Post #753 » by **frumble** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 1:58 pm

Pooh_Jeter wrote:Doornekamp: I was hoping I would never see him again, let alone in the starting 5 for the SMNT. This is essentially a meaningless competition so can't complain too much. Everyone hails him as a "glue guy," but it's basically code for an unathletic white guy who plays hard. Of the old SMNT players I thought guys like Joel Anthony, Levon Kendall and Andy Rautins were far more useful, but I don't know what their situations are.

English: Seems like a swan song for him on the SMNT. A lot of years of service, but unfortunately with the depth of talent Canada has there really isn't a place for him. Heslip has proven himself to be a more prolific scorer at this point.

Cadougan: I wasn't impressed with his play in 2013 for the SMNT and this game didn't exactly raise my opinion of him. It makes sense in a competition like this to give a guy like Murray playing time to gain international experience at the Senior Level and that decision is made even easier when he outplays the "vet." I think all of the guards outplayed Cadougan in this game.

I think there is a decent chance that we see all of these guys on the FIBA qualifying team in Mexico.

The problem is lack of alternatives. Even assuming that we have Joseph, Stauskas, and Wiggins as our starters at guard/wing, we still need backups. Most likely four backups at these positions.

Re Cadougan, who else is there for backup PG? Ennis is injured; Murray will be in school (as much as eligibility for one-and-done's is a farce, especially at a basketball factory like UK, I just can't see a guy missing the first 3+ weeks of school); Pangos may still be looking for a contract; Hanlan may still be looking for a contract and isn't a pure PG; we have no idea why Anderson was cut, and whether he is still in the fold; Mullings is not a PG; and Kabongo doesn't appear to be on the radar anymore.

So, maybe Pangos and/or Anderson comes on board, but I think there is a non-trivial chance that Cadougan is the backup in Mexico.

Re Doornekamp, the problem is again lack of alternatives. Who else is there? Kris Joseph has been off the radar since walking out on the team a couple summers ago. Brooks will be in school (and, in any case, isn't yet good enough). I like Ejim, but it seems the staff sees him as a 4, competing with Nicholson and Bennett for a spot, not a 3. So, unless that changes, it will likely come down to Doornekamp and Shepherd, and I think Doornekamp is the favorite.

Re English, we have four viable SG options - Stauskas, Heslip, English, and Rautins - for three spots. Heslip looked better than English yesterday, but it was one game. Both can be hot and cold in terms of their shooting, and English does have a height and experience advantage. That being said, I think both will make the qualifying team, with Stauskas, and that Rautins will be the odd man out (if all four are healthy and in camp).

MEDIC · Post #754 » by **MEDIC** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:10 pm

Milt Palacio has been living in Ottawa for a while now. Get on the phone Nash.

MEDIC · Post #755 » by **MEDIC** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:26 pm

Not a great article (Metro News), but I figured I would post anyhow:

http://metronews.ca/sports/1434207/18-year-old-point-guard-makes-a-winning-pan-am-debut/

Cory Joseph of the Raptors will undoubtedly be Canada’s starting point guard when the FIBA Americas qualification tournament for the 2016 Rio Olympics begins in late August. But with Tyler Ennis down for the summer after shoulder surgery, there is a backup spot available.

Could it be Murray?

“I wouldn’t say it’s out of the question, it all depends how it shakes out,” said Nash. “I think Cory has been our point guard but there are a lot of guys with an opportunity to take the backup spot.

“It’s going to be probably one of the most interesting positions at the end of the summer to see who wins that spot.”
Murray took no time suggesting he has a shot at a Mexico trip.

“I don’t see why not,” he said.

frumble · Post #756 » by **frumble** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:54 pm

MEDIC wrote:Not a great article (Metro News), but I figured I would post anyhow:

http://metronews.ca/sports/1434207/18-year-old-point-guard-makes-a-winning-pan-am-debut/

I think that's Doug Smith's column from the Star, picked up by Metro News.

In any case, does no one else see the problem with a college guy missing the first couple weeks of classes to play FIBA in Mexico? Is there any precedent for this? Has an NCAA player ever missed a significant portion of the calendar year to play FIBA?

TheFutureMM · Post #757 » by **TheFutureMM** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 3:07 pm

frumble wrote:
MEDIC wrote:Not a great article (Metro News), but I figured I would post anyhow:

http://metronews.ca/sports/1434207/18-year-old-point-guard-makes-a-winning-pan-am-debut/

I think that's Doug Smith's column from the Star, picked up by Metro News.

In any case, does no one else see the problem with a college guy missing the first couple weeks of classes to play FIBA in Mexico? Is there any precedent for this? Has an NCAA player ever missed a significant portion of the calendar year to play FIBA?

Do we even want him missing school?

In a perfect world - yeah sure, I would love for Murray to be on the FIBA team if he earns his spot. However, ultimately what I want is for Murray to have a great year at Kentucky, get drafted top 10 next year to a rebuilding team that has time for him to develop, and have a long 10+ year career in the NBA.

If he messes around with step 1 by playing back-up point guard for a FIBA America's tourney is it worth it? I know people on here will disagree with me and say that three weeks is nothing but think about it from the perspective of an 18 year old kid. Let him acclimatize to being in America, at a whole new school, in a whole new program will really high standards and expectations. If I were him I'd be there two weeks early getting everything set up and laid out - not arriving three weeks late.

Also, is he really going to be the difference in Mexico? Personally I don't think our first or second place finish is dependant on him showing up.

OakleyDokely · Post #758 » by **OakleyDokely** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 3:53 pm

If Bennett attacked the basket like he attacks the buffet table, he'd be a hell of a player.

mojo13 · Post #759 » by **mojo13** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 4:06 pm

OakleyDokely wrote:If Bennett attacked the basket like he attacks the buffet table, he'd be a hell of a player.

That there is a cliche from a cliche. Well done.

On to more serious topics - I have a strong suspicion Jermaine Anderson was pushed up (not out), to give some PT to Murray and Anderson will be the back up PG in the FIBA Americas.

Doornekamp starting doesn't not bode well for our back up SF spot on the FIBA team. I tend to believe you when it likely means the role is his to lose. It is just a shame that we have no one yet that would be a better SF. I was hoping Ejim would snag it.

wow09 · Post #760 » by **wow09** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 4:36 pm

Cadougan is brutal. No way I see him making the FIBA tournament. He coughs up the ball with any amount of pressure and has terrible vision. He also has no lateral movement. To me him and English represent the old guard of basketball in this country. Players we actually use to think were good until this young group started to come up and now you can see we were mistaken.