Team Canada Basketball Thread

[Calinks]

I feel Zika is playing a role in this. Also, with Wiggins I am guessing Thibs and the new regime want their hands on him and don't want to take any chances. There is a big culture change going on and Wiggins probably has a lot of homework given to him. Yes he will be playing against some great players if he played in these games but he would be missing out on the specific training and molding the staff wants to work with him on. I'm sure it was not an easy decision, and as a fan who was really looking forward to seeing the rise of Team Canada its pretty disappointing but I can see where it makes sense. Especially looking at the depleted roster, I could see Wiggins being run into the ground in these games. This just may not be Canada's time unfortunately.

[Syd-TK3]

If only these guys actually showed up last year and didn't lose that match to Venezuela
This is embarrassing

[aminiaturebuddha]

So what kind of a possible lineup will we see out of that roster? I'm guessing something like:

C - Joel Anthony
F - Melvin Ejim
F - Dillon Brooks
G - Cory Joseph
G - Tyler Ennis
C - Sim Bhullar
F - Levon Kendall
F - Dyshawn Pierre
G - Brady Heslip
G - Philip Scrubb
C/F - Chris Boucher
G - Jason Calliste

That's pretty weak sauce compared to what it could have been. It has some potential, but we are definitely going to be serious underdogs now against France and Turkey.

[akakalakin]

Wiggins is soft as a 3 minute egg, better off

[mojo13]

I am speechless. This is so much worse that I possibly imagined. I am so disappointed in our players as well as Nash and Triano.

They cant even get the borderline guys there like Birch, Pangos and Bachynski who would have helped greatly.
Lyles, Wiggins Stuaskas are who I am most disappointed in. Nash and Triano as well.

We won't win a game at the qualifiers. I guarantee you the Philippines will roll us.

[frumble]

So what kind of a possible lineup will we see out of that roster? I'm guessing something like:

C - Joel Anthony
F - Melvin Ejim
F - Dillon Brooks
G - Cory Joseph
G - Tyler Ennis
C - Sim Bhullar
F - Levon Kendall
F - Dyshawn Pierre
G - Brady Heslip
G - Philip Scrubb
C/F - Chris Boucher
G - Jason Calliste

That's pretty weak sauce compared to what it could have been. It has some potential, but we are definitely going to be serious underdogs now against France and Turkey.

Yup, that was my guess as well.
I suppose T. Scrubb has an outside chance of ousting Brooks or Pierre, and Klassen a shot at beating out Boucher or Bhullar, but they shouldn't.

[hsb]

So many players are not playing this summer and not just team Canada; with CP3, Curry, Griffin, Westbrook, Aldridge, Anthony Davis, Gobert, Batum, Fournier, Marc and Pau (iirc). Who knows about others. But most of team Canada is young and only CoJo and TT represented teams that went on actual deep playoff runs. I don't see how far Minnesota, in particular, can conceivably go next year too lol.

Shout out to CoJo. He had a much longer season and still representing. Going to see how Ennis holds his own too, I checked up on Milwuakee games because of him.

The women's team was awesome to watch during the Pan Am's, so cant wait to see them suit up this summer too.

[right between the eyes]

I've completely lost respect for Wiggins.. Can't play because he now has a bigger role for a loser franchise ??thats his excuse???.. Meanwhile cojo had the longest season of all and committed at our end of season presser.. That's a real Canadian

[right between the eyes]

Thought Nash was supposed to help with recruiting .. I guess he's told busy playing soccer .. Wiggins is the new Magloire

[bozothepope]

Wiggins probably declined so he can shoot a new BioSteel commercial.

[frumble]

The media already making excuses. Yes, it is a personal decision, but if NHL players skipped out on playing for Team Canada at a similarly important tournament, the reaction would be a lot different.

Recruitment has not improved under Nash.

But as hsb notes above, non participation is an issue for a lot of countries. And its not just Zika. Participation at last year's FIBA Americas was awful.

Will be interesting to see how things develop under the new system. Will European and other NBA-leagues allow players to miss league games for FIBA qualification games in November 2017 and February 2018? If so, will participation be higher than it has been recently?


Any speculation re reasons for Bachynski, Birch, Doornekamp, and Hanlan taking a pass?

(not that I am bemoaning Doornekamp's absence - I would rather see Pierre and Brooks get the playing time).

[wolfv]

Nothing new. Our best players can't be bothered

[Undefeated]

The women's team was awesome to watch during the Pan Am's, so cant wait to see them suit up this summer too.

They were also great in Edmonton during FIBA Americas. I don't think they'll dethrone the US, but they'll be a heavy favourite to medal. We've also got some great talent on the DWNT that will eventually play for the SWNT. I've said this last summer but I think that's where the two programs differ because with the Women's NT a lot of D1 players will play for the DWNT to develop their understanding of the system and the "Gold Medal Model" that the WNT has built. Basically, a lot of these players once they move up to the SWNT they've already got an understanding of the system and can seamlessly transition without any hiccups. On the Men's side they seem to lack that continuity because it seems as if they can just put together the best talent available and hope the talent will play itself out. I think the Men's National Team would be better if they crafted their program similar to the way the WNT did.

[Drop Shot]

[raptor jesus]

Not surprised, nor am I disappointed by Wiggins' decision. They had a golden opportunity last summer, and they blew it.

[frumble]

The women's team was awesome to watch during the Pan Am's, so cant wait to see them suit up this summer too.

They were also great in Edmonton during FIBA Americas. I don't think they'll dethrone the US, but they'll be a heavy favourite to medal. We've also got some great talent on the DWNT that will eventually play for the SWNT. I've said this last summer but I think that's where the two programs differ because with the Women's NT a lot of D1 players will play for the DWNT to develop their understanding of the system and the "Gold Medal Model" that the WNT has built. Basically, a lot of these players once they move up to the SWNT they've already got an understanding of the system and can seamlessly transition without any hiccups. On the Men's side they seem to lack that continuity because it seems as if they can just put together the best talent available and hope the talent will play itself out. I think the Men's National Team would be better if they crafted their program similar to the way the WNT did.

I think all of our elite men's players have played for Canada at the cadet or junior level. Participation is particularly good at the cadet level, but tends to taper off around ages 18-20, as players (understandably) become completely focused on optimizing their limited NCAA time, and then the draft and summer league. On the men's side the timeline is more compressed, and the monetary stakes are much higher, than it is on the women's side.

We are getting decent cadet/junior participation from our elite guys - Joseph, Thompson, Wiggins, Bennett, Murray and now Barrett and Shi-ttu - but it is not realistic for them to play for the DMNT b/c they are only in NCAA for one year, and the summer before that year many college teams want them on campus, and the summer after they are busy with draft and then summer league. There is no way any of our one and done guys could have played DMNT.

Most of our top 4-year college guys did play for the DMNT in 2013. E.g., Scrubb, Powell, Heslip, Ejim, Bachynski, Pangos, Mullings, and Wiltjer.

I guess any understanding of the system that they picked up is somewhat useful, but if our best players show up for the Senior team, then these guys are back-ups, at best. Moreover, even these guys largely aren't showing up. Of the eight I listed from 2013, five are MIA this summer, with only Powell (FA) seemingly having a good reason. Where are Pangos, Mullings, Bachynski, and Wiltjer?

Anyway, our problem is participation, and that is always going to be lower on the men's side than the women's because the professional stakes are higher.

That being said, I wish our DMNT was always like it was in 13, rather than being just CIS guys like it was in 11 and 15.

This will be even more important going forward, as NBA player participation in qualifying games will be impossible, meaning it is our top foreign league guys who will form our qualifying teams. These tend to be multi-year NCAA guys, rather than one and dones, so it would be good if they got time with the DMNT.

[GooniesNeverDie]

wiggins is wack

[Charlie Sollers]

Can't believe that a loss to Venezuela will set back this program.

[Jeremy Lin 7]

Wiggins is a disgrace to Canadian Basketball. Go back to America where you belong

[Calinks]

That loss really is the dagger. Canada needed to get it done last summer. I was looking forward to seeing them in the Olympics, I thought they were going to qualify last summer when they had the best shot. Beating France is a tall freaking order.