Team Canada Basketball Thread

[SeeJayAre]

I've been saying that about Nash for years, he could have elevated this program for years but did nothing... To be honest, Carl English is the real "Captain Canada" he has always been there for this country.

Nobody should be surprised by this.

Steve Nash "Kid Canada" (Ya Right) wanted nothing to do with this team as soon as he became relevant.

Wiggins is just following Nash's playbook to a T. I don't expect him to ever suit up for Canada again.

[Drakeem]

Man I don't get it. Isn't enough reward to be able to put your national pride, to represent everything your family and friends living in that country have given to you? To help expand the game you love to the people you lived with day in and day out?

Isn't it a honour to be able to be a potential icon in the eyes of kids and teens across the country? To be able to play on the highest stage for the place you know and love?

Germany hasn't been a great team, but that never stopped Dirk from playing. Argentina knew they wouldn't be able to beat America, but that didn't stop them from playing any chance they get to this day.

Maybe I'm the backwards thinking one, I don't know. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this should be a big deal to anyone who gets the chance.

[Mohanad]

LOL at all the Minny fans coming to our board and insulting our fanbase.

I'm surprised they even have fans

[Mohanad]

I'm so tired of hearing how much national pride these Canadian players have and they don't answer the call to play when we need them most

I'm glad our hockey players will give anything to wear the red and white on the big stage. That's why they're champions. Connor McDavid broke his collarbone earlier this season, plays a more physical game, is in his rookie year and still played for Canada at the IIHF World Champion after the season. Wiggins is a soft bitch.

I have so much respect for Corey Jo for answering the call. Win/lose/draw we're proud of Cojo

[tout court]

Saw Wiggins' commercial earlier this evening for that crappy 'sports' drink.

Interesting how the uniform he wears in it is red and white.

So, it's fine to wear the red-and-white if he can directly make money off of it. Less fine if it can't be directly monetized. Except that if he were to play he might even get more endorsement deals, be more beloved, etc.

No doubt his handlers, marketers, ad execs will try to appeal patriotic imagery to sell their commodities in which he serves as an endorser. But not playing should turn his authenticity quotient to a sub-zero figure.

I hope he hears the boos at the ACC next year and that reporters from all media outlets hold him accountable and make him answer a question(s) about this fiasco.

[Drakeem]

I'm so tired of hearing how much national pride these Canadian players have and they don't answer the call to play when we need them most

I'm glad our hockey players will give anything to wear the red and white on the big stage. That's why they're champions. Connor McDavid broke his collarbone earlier this season, plays a more physical game, is in his rookie year and still played for Canada at the IIHF World Champion after the season. Wiggins is a soft bitch.

I have so much respect for Corey Jo for answering the call. Win/lose/draw we're proud of Cojo

This, this, this and this.

[VinBaker6]

It will be funny if everyone holds off on reporting the obvious trolling and baiting taking place from these Twolves folks on a different team's board and then as the draft gets near report them so that they get suspended right on draft night for clearly baiting and trolling on another team's board.

Also, our non-superstar team went further than MVP KG's team's ever went and probably further than this new Timberwolves core will go before all the players leave as UFAs and bolt to better markets and to get away from Thibideau after he burns them all out like he did the Bulls stars.

Last thing. We the North isn't just for Toronto. It's for all of Canada and the rest of it is further North than Minnesota.

The 04 Wolves lost in 6 to the Lakers in the WCF with their starting PG injured, kinda similar to the Raptors except they actually had a shot in that series. Also beat a really good Kings team to get there.

[Mattya]

Canada...... hahaha.... hahahaha... hahahhaaa....

Minnesota.

America.

Trump.

How soon they forget their troubled officials.

[Freeway]

Dont worry guys. Team canada is going to Jamal Murray team come 2020 .

[urinesane]

You guys know that outside of Canada people generally have very positive opinions on Canada/Canadians, right?

There's nothing to prove. You have athletes succeeding at the highest levels, clearly Canadian athletes are just as capable as non-Canadian athletes.

Wiggins seems like a good guy and is being loyal to the team that is paying him millions of dollars to live out his dream in the NBA. Is that really a negative?

How many things have you guys flown to other countries and potentially put your health/career on the line for "national pride"?

I'm guessing zero...

A lot of people throwing stones in glass houses around here me thinks...

[Dennis 37]

Man I don't get it. Isn't enough reward to be able to put your national pride, to represent everything your family and friends living in that country have given to you? To help expand the game you love to the people you lived with day in and day out?

Isn't it a honour to be able to be a potential icon in the eyes of kids and teens across the country? To be able to play on the highest stage for the place you know and love?

Germany hasn't been a great team, but that never stopped Dirk from playing. Argentina knew they wouldn't be able to beat America, but that didn't stop them from playing any chance they get to this day.

Maybe I'm the backwards thinking one, I don't know. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this should be a big deal to anyone who gets the chance.

You're not.

[Dennis 37]

Saw Wiggins' commercial earlier this evening for that crappy 'sports' drink.

Interesting how the uniform he wears in it is red and white.

So, it's fine to wear the red-and-white if he can directly make money off of it. Less fine if it can't be directly monetized. Except that if he were to play he might even get more endorsement deals, be more beloved, etc.

No doubt his handlers, marketers, ad execs will try to appeal patriotic imagery to sell their commodities in which he serves as an endorser. But not playing should turn his authenticity quotient to a sub-zero figure.

I hope he hears the boos at the ACC next year and that reporters from all media outlets hold him accountable and make him answer a question(s) about this fiasco.

It's not just me. To me he has just thrown away a major portion of his potential endorsements. I'm now not likely to buy the item advertised by Wiggins, unless it us something I already use. Switch brands, or try something new because of him, don't think so.

[Double Helix]

This tournament was never going to be the one guys. Not sure why so many are shocked about that. Nash has been very clear that his approach was the next Olympics after this and the tournaments leading up to that.

[Dennis 37]

You guys know that outside of Canada people generally have very positive opinions on Canada/Canadians, right?

There's nothing to prove. You have athletes succeeding at the highest levels, clearly Canadian athletes are just as capable as non-Canadian athletes.

Wiggins seems like a good guy and is being loyal to the team that is paying him millions of dollars to live out his dream in the NBA. Is that really a negative?

How many things have you guys flown to other countries and potentially put your health/career on the line for "national pride"?

I'm guessing zero...

A lot of people throwing stones in glass houses around here me thinks...

While we do have a spattering in of elite level athletes in individual summer sports, it is team sports that attracts the attention of the entire nation. The women's soccer team showing in the London Olympics is all I remember from that games. We were over the moon in pride of our women even though they had to settle for bronze after some NBA caliber reffing calls. That experience is what Canadian basketball fans yearn for. To Americans, who could field 20 different lineups and still be considered the favourites, you simply don't understand.

Wiggins has had six weeks of rest. He us not rehabbing any injury, He is not yet 37. How exactly is he risking injury?

Now, if he has Zika virus concerns, I would respect that, but what he communicated was some lame excuse about staying on a path toward a TWolves championship. That is simply insulting. All the years Dirk Nowitzki played for Germany, when he had no shot at gold, was he not working toward a Dallas Mavericks championship?

[Dennis 37]

This tournament was never going to be the one guys. Not sure why so many are shocked about that. Nash has been very clear that his approach was the next Olympics after this and the tournaments leading up to that.

Link please, I am not finding this directive. It is not clear in these articles that Nash has communicated that Canada is not going to go full out to get a spot in these Olympics. In fact, if he is not, what are we paying him for?

http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/raptors-cory-joseph-headlines-canada-basketball-prelim-roster/
http://www.cbc.ca/m/sports/olympics/rio2016/basketball/wiggins-canada-basketball-roster-1.3629585

In this one Triano states,"Our talent is not where we thought it would be." Does this not suggest that Triano expected Wiggins to be there?
http://www.cbc.ca/m/sports/basketball/cory-joseph-canada-olympics-1.3631277

[WaltFrazier]

So much for the resurgence in Canada Basketball. Wiggins is just another Magliore.

[Mattd97]

This tournament was never going to be the one guys. Not sure why so many are shocked about that. Nash has been very clear that his approach was the next Olympics after this and the tournaments leading up to that.

except that the problem is this group of players wont have a chance to participate in those qualifiers because they are changing how they carried out and it wont be our NBA guys doing it and so there might not be another olympics. and i would think that nash knows that - but honestly with this groups failures surpassing the failures of leo i cant guarentee it

[mojo13]

Just to be devil's advocate here (trust me I am still livid)...

We have to keep in mind that the vast majority of our top players are fairly young and at critical points in their careers. Everyone except Thompson and CoJo have no contract, a rookie contract or a very short term contract. Their singular goal (I assume) is to maximize their chances for the stability and big payday of a long term contract whether in the NBA or abroad. One can make an argument for almost every guy not to participate just on finances alone.

Powell & Nicholson are obvious examples that we pretty much knew were not going to participate and we don't blame them for it. They are both at turning points in their careers financially. Bennett and Sacre are in a similar, but less enviable situation. Neither has a contract and is fighting to stay in the NBA. One could argue whether Bennett is better off playing for Team Canada or chasing every single date he can to go to NBA FA Camps with any team that will talk to him at any time. The Knicks and Nets had him tryout last week and reports are that he performed well.
Pangos, Hanlan, Scrubb, Birch, Bachynski do not have long term contracts and are fighting to either get a shot at the NBA or are trying to lock up some stability in Europe. Birch has four or five EuroLeague teams literally chasing him and he is also going to NBA FA camps (Clippers last week). Pangos is in negotiations for a solid payday from a EL team and the main negotiating sticking point is the EL team wants to prevent Pangos from NBA summer leagues nor allow him an NBA opt out clause. Bachynski has a shot at the NBA and is obviously going to prioritize summer leagues and FA camps (Jazz last week). Big shout out for Melvin Ejim who could choose to do the same.
Stuaskas's is on his first contract and his NBA career is hanging by a thread. If he doesn't make dramatic improvements to his strength and conditioning this summer, he is not long for the league. Neither of the guys in the draft should be with the SMNT (Murray, Wiltjer) as their full attention before the draft is working out for teams (and not getting hurt) and then after with the team that drafts them (and summer league).

Tyler Ennis is there because he needs game experience more than anything - it probably furthers his career to participate.

Wiggins is a little tougher case, but as we all know he is no superstar yet he still has tremendous potential. He is on his first contract and although he chances for a max contract seem strong, this is a pivotal summer for his development. He is so young and so many improvements can be made to his game and the off season is the time to do it. He may have simply surveyed the landscape and saw that so many of our top players were going to be absent and realized he is better off focusing on working on his game this summer. Thibs and Twolves management likely put pressure on him as well, or maybe he decided from the get go. Those saying he can make money by increasing his exposure in Canada - really the SMNT is going to do that? And do any of you think a domestic endorsement (BioSteel endorsement) really is that valuable? It is peanuts compared to being the poster boy for Nike/Underarmor/Adidas. If he gets himself to the level of the top 5-10 players in the league the endorsement opportunities become global and enormous in value. Can anyone really argue it is better for him personally to focus on an offseason dedicated to training rather than play for the SMNT?

Those pointing to Dirk, Manu, Parker -you don't know the decision making process they went through. Maybe the national teams paid them? Maybe they needed the NT exposure for meaningful domestic/global endorsement deals, maybe they only played when they had their NBA contracts locked up. None of them played every time the NTs called. They all skipped many international events.

If I was in anyone one of our NBA players shoes I would be primarily concerned with maximizing my chances to make money first and then my patriotism and nationalism come into play second (is there anyone here how can honestly say they would act differently?). Really the only guys that have their primary concerns taken care of for the mid/long term are Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson. Joel Anthony of course is almost done with his career. For most of the guys who did show up, the national team is a chance to further their development, increase their exposure and thus improve their chances for more money.

I suspect, for the guys who didn't show this was mostly a financial decision and it is rationally very difficult to criticize them.

But we can all see how emotionally easy it is!

[northernpuppy]

Canada Basketball is run by people that dont even know much about the sport.

Maybe on the Men's side but that's far from the truth on the Women's NT.

Im talking about Canada Basketball president and the people under her.

Yeah, I'm going to have to disagree with you there. I've met O'Keefe and she's a shrewd businesswoman who went into the Red to host the FIBA WNT qualifiers in Edmonton and have it put on TSN, just to drum up national attention to the women's program. CB takes risks and has done a admirable job in the past decade raising the level of grassroots basketball in this country.

To say they "don't even know much about the sport" is factually incorrect.

[slothrop8]

Okay, I've worked my way through denial, anger, bargaining, and depression - and I'm on to acceptance. I kind of assume we'll get 1 or 2 more players who sign their NBA or Europe deals with enough time before the tournament starts to be added to the roster. It'll be tight - but Nash's comments leave the door open for that scenario and I doubt he makes those comments unless he had a few individuals in mind who he expects to have sooner or later. But anyway, assuming nobody else is added and the roster we have now is what we have to choose from:

a) What's the rotation look like for this team
b) What style of basketball do we play? What should our gameplan/approach be given the new realities of our personnel.
c) Who will be leading scorers and key contributors for this team.

This is not the roster I would have hoped - but Corey Joseph is a legit NBA rotation guard. I watched lots of Canada international basketball teams that didn't have anyone at close to the level Joseph is now. Ennis is a legit NBA player, Anthony is technically an NBA player, Brooks probably will be an NBA player. There is some talent to work with here - nowhere near what their could be - but let's switch the discussion to basketball for a bit if we can. How does this team compete?

I think we ride Joseph as far as he can take us. He could have a monster tournament. He'll be the unquestioned leader of this group and I expect him to be in attack mode. He's going to have to be like Westbrook when Durant was out for us - attacking relentlessly. I know that's not exactly the kind of player Joseph is - but that's what I think we'll need him to become to have any hope.

I'd expect Heslip and maybe Brooks to be our other 2 go to scorers. We're going to have to live with Heslip on D as we're going to need a barrage of 3s from him on the other end. I expect to see lots of Ennis as well - but more as a facilitator and less a scorer - though he made need to score more than he's accustomed to just out of necessity.

Let's hear it - this is the hand you've been dealt - how do you win with it?