Team Canada Basketball Thread V2.0

[Pooh_Jeter]

I think in the past they have been too cute with Ejim especially considering he is consistently one of our best players. I don't disagree that he is best suited as a 4, but he can absolutely play the 3 and in a case like this where you have a really nice 3 man big rotation and you have a glaring hole at the 3 it would just be complete idiocy not to just throw out your best 5 man unit.

To me it's pretty clear that CoJo, Pangos, Ejim, Olynyk and TT is the best lineup you could put out there. Ejim is a perfectly capable shooter in international play and that frontcourt should absolutely pound the glass.

If you start 3 guards you are going to have to play Ejim or Pierre at the 3 anyways (unless you plan on using Pierre as a bit player). From there you can essentially use whichever guards you need depending on the situation. Whether that is a shooter (Heslip), defender (Best) or ball handler (Keane).

I'm interested in Justin Jackson though. I honestly haven't seen much of him since his injury, but I imagine he has to be completely healthy if he is not only with Canada, but on the roster. His skill set and athletic profile is something that could be very intriguing for us. It's a bit like Chris Boucher. A dude with that length and athleticism can make a lot of things happen on the court.

[frumble]

We have had other tournaments where we were very weak at the 3, and Ejim still barely played there. I expect we will see a 3-guard lineup for good chunks of the game, maybe even more than half the game.

If Heslip and Pangos on the floor at the same time is too much of a liability, maybe it goes something like this:
Joseph 30 minutes
Keane 10 minutes
Pangos 25 minutes
Heslip 15 minutes
Best 20 minutes

That's 100 minutes, meaning 20 minutes with a 3-guard lineup, and 20 minutes with Pierre, Jackson, or Ejim at the 3.

I agree that that does not leave Ejim with much playing time.

[TrueNorth31]

I think you need to look at who your opponent is playing and match up accordingly. As well all this talk about positions is not how modern coaches look at the game - you have a primary ball handler, wings and post players.

Brazil is strong in the post;

Anderson Varejao ( former NBA player )
Augusto Lima ( Euro pro- former Euroleaguer )

I doubt they'll play them together - no spacing - we match up well with Thomson and Birch.

The primary ball handler is Hueretas an older, former NBA guy with the Lakers ( now plays Euro League Baskonia) a very smooth pass first , 6' 2" pick and roll guard. I think we can take advantage of him defensively.


They have smaller wings. Victor Benite - 6'3" 200 lb shooter - their Brady Heslip ( Euro pro) a real bomber and Leanardo Barbosa , the Brazilian Blur who at age 36 may have lost a step. Ricardo Fisher plays in the ACB - 6'1" 14 minute/game guy. Probably their best bigger wing is Meindl a 6'7" athlete who's not a great shooter and hasn't played in Europe. They have a host of other athletes who play in their own domestic league.

Brazil is well coached , Alexander Petrovic ( the legendary Drazen Petrovic's older brother ) a long time European coach ( formerly head coach of Croatia and Bosnia) and run a typical European P/R game. They have opted not to bring in NBA guys ( this may have been forced upon them ) , instead relying on continuity and experience.

Reading up a bit on them, they really don't know what to do with Olynyk ( especially if he gets some shifts at the 5 ) . I think our smaller guards/wings match up well. They don't have a lot of depth in their bigger wings, so hopefully Jackson, Pierre and Ejim have an advantage.

It's talent verses system and we'll see who wins.

[frumble]

I think you need to look at who your opponent is playing and match up accordingly.

Yeah, maybe to some extent. But instead of always trying to match up with other team, it may be advantageous to play your best possible lineup and let opponent worry about matching up with you.

As well all this talk about positions is not how modern coaches look at the game - you have a primary ball handler, wings and post players.

Yes, of course. But regardless of whether you distinguish between SG and SF or simply call them both wings, or distinguish b/w PF and C or simply call them both posts, the fact remains that Canada has rarely used Ejim as a wing. When he has been in it has almost always been at the same time as three guards/wings and one other post, not at the same time as two guards/wings and two posts.

So, while it would maximize the playing time of our top players to see sets with KO, Ejim, and one of Birch and TT in the game at the same time, I don't think we will see this much.

[BilboBanginz]

Read on Twitter

[DaFroMan]

Anyone know where to watch?

[TrueNorth31]

I wouldn't worry too much about Ejim - I think he'll play quite a bit. I also think a healthy Justin Jackson is pretty good.

For me the key to the game is Olynyk. If they are willing to sit Thompson/Birch for extended periods ( as Frumble points out ) and play Kelly and four smaller guys I don't think Brazil matches up very well at all.

[Pooh_Jeter]

Anyone know where to watch?

DAZN.

There will likely be other methods if you are so inclined.

[TrueNorth31]

I'm going to give DAZN a try ( you can sign up free for a month then cancel).

In the June Window - Dazn actually brought in Canadian announcers ( Rautins/Paul Jones ?) so that's an advantage.

I find the stream somewhat labored today. I'm not sure if this is an ongoing problem?

Also Fiba Live TV can be had for about $ 10 bucks for the month and then cancel. The announcers are foreign however ( although in English) and not all that insightful.

[TrueNorth31]

Just watched France at 6-0 lose to Bulgaria on the road.

The Dazn feed ( tape delay) was quite good - so maybe I'll just stick with them.

France had only 1 NBA player (Batum), but had lots of other talent ( DeColo ). To my point earlier about getting too locked into worrying about a players position when you need to be aware of the match-ups, Batum ended up playing as France's big at the end of the match.

[Mirotic12]

I do think some of you fail to appreciate the individual situations certain players are dealing with. Without knowing the relationship between player/club/agent/contract I find it hard to rip on guys like Wiggins too relentlessly. What if CoJo, TT, KO negotiated clauses in their contract to allow to play like Pangos supposed did? What if Wiggins, Murray, Stauskas didnt? Each plays for a different team which may approach FIBA participation differently (and for different players). Some clubs could view FIBA games a terrible risk (we know Mark Cuban is very vocal about it) - where other may not be too bothered by it (the vast minority, if any). Some clubs may not want certain players playing (max contracts, rookie scale high potential guys - like Murray or Wiggins) whereas they may be ok with rotation guys or even think it is good for their development. Certain guys may have agents highly encouraging them not to play. I've seen Giannis for years say he wants to play for Greece and publicly commit to playing, only to eventually buckle under pressure from the Bucks. This all comically plays out in the Greek media and on other international message boards. Same scenario is playing out with Jokic and the Nuggets recently (many other examples). The difference with them and Wiggins is that they publicly state their desire to play for their country where Wiggins doesn't - but they have basketball mad media hounding them for that type of message (Canada doesn't).
What's the explanation for Powell not playing this window? Clearly he is committed to the program and is secure in his contract. Occam's razor say the Mav's just put too much pressure on him and he or the Mavs cant say that. For those unaware the FIBA & NBA have a written agreement where the NBA can not ban players from playing FIBA events. But in practice if your team doesn't want you to play - you are not playing. But no one can say that publicly so we hear BS excuses like someone has the "flu" (I think the Grizz pulled the plug on Brooks playing last minute).

I just think we need to consider the individual circumstance of these guys before we completely write them off or label Joel Anthony a national hero because he was never good enough for any NBA team to bother asking him not to play.

It's actually an untrue myth that is espoused by NBA marketing. For obvious reasons, the NBA would not want people to think they can block players from playing with their national teams. So we get claims through media that they have an agreement with FIBA that they can't do so. But it's actually not true. NBA teams absolutely can block players from their national teams. It's just an understood thing that no NBA team will block any American players from Team USA.

If it's a player from any team other than USA, then absolutely NBA can legally block any player from playing. Really, this myth should have stopped a couple years ago. Because both Serbian and Greek federations were said to have formally requested info over this so-called agreement with NBA, and it turns out no such binding agreement exists. NBA teams simply have to say that their team doctor thinks the player needs rest, or time off. The team doctor of the NBA team can simply write a note, saying the player is injured, or even simply tired (and supposedly that does not have to be provably true), and the NBA team can then block the player from playing, and even forbid them from doing so. The team supposedly does not have to provide any physical or medical proof of any kind of injury, and there supposedly does not even have to be an injury, as tiredness or fatigue (which apparently does not even have to be proven either) is enough. The federation or national team doctor, or the player, cannot override whatever the NBA team doctor says either, nor can independent doctor.

And this absolutely happens, because several federations in Europe have said NBA teams have done this. There is no such agreement that NBA teams can't block players, outside of Team USA. If it's an American player, then they can't block them. Not true for all non Team USA players.

[Mirotic12]

I think you need to look at who your opponent is playing and match up accordingly. As well all this talk about positions is not how modern coaches look at the game - you have a primary ball handler, wings and post players.

Brazil is strong in the post;

Anderson Varejao ( former NBA player )
Augusto Lima ( Euro pro- former Euroleaguer )

I doubt they'll play them together - no spacing - we match up well with Thomson and Birch.

The primary ball handler is Hueretas an older, former NBA guy with the Lakers ( now plays Euro League Baskonia) a very smooth pass first , 6' 2" pick and roll guard. I think we can take advantage of him defensively.


They have smaller wings. Victor Benite - 6'3" 200 lb shooter - their Brady Heslip ( Euro pro) a real bomber and Leanardo Barbosa , the Brazilian Blur who at age 36 may have lost a step. Ricardo Fisher plays in the ACB - 6'1" 14 minute/game guy. Probably their best bigger wing is Meindl a 6'7" athlete who's not a great shooter and hasn't played in Europe. They have a host of other athletes who play in their own domestic league.

Brazil is well coached , Alexander Petrovic ( the legendary Drazen Petrovic's older brother ) a long time European coach ( formerly head coach of Croatia and Bosnia) and run a typical European P/R game. They have opted not to bring in NBA guys ( this may have been forced upon them ) , instead relying on continuity and experience.

Reading up a bit on them, they really don't know what to do with Olynyk ( especially if he gets some shifts at the 5 ) . I think our smaller guards/wings match up well. They don't have a lot of depth in their bigger wings, so hopefully Jackson, Pierre and Ejim have an advantage.

It's talent verses system and we'll see who wins.

Keep in mind that European and Latin American teams usually list players by barefoot height. I think it's in fact the standard in Latin America.

[aminiaturebuddha]

Good to see FIBA refs haven't changed. The guy is windmilling his arms on the way to the basket, smacks Birch in the face, and somehow the foul is on Birch.

22-19 Canada after 1Q.

[NirvanaFC]

Anyone got a good stream for the game?

[aminiaturebuddha]

Good win for Canada 85-77, and Canada led almost the whole game.

Olynyk was by far the best player on the court. Joseph was steady as always. Best hit a bunch of key open shots. Pangos' shot was off, but played really well aside from that. And Ejim played a fantastic all around game, especially on defence, where he was everywhere and made it tough for Brazil.

On to Chile now.

[Mattd97]

yeah no complaints, i only caught the second half but everyone played well on both sides. a little jordan from TT sometimes, but also was keeping the ball moving. rana seemed to make the good decisions and helped us hold a lead rather than crumbling under pressure. good good win.

[Bobby Plump]

I swear that FIBA refs use a dart board or rock paper scissors to determine calls. I can't perceive a bias, just that the calls are absurdly inconsistent.

[thunderforce]

I can't believe that the game is in Canada but not on tv .

[Mattd97]

I can't believe that the game is in Canada but not on tv .

DAZN bought the rights. they have the money to, they bought all out of town nfl games last year, outbiding rogers. theyve put together a solid broadcast too.

[TheFutureMM]

Didn't catch the game but really happy that we won. Can anyone let me know why Birch only played 3 mins? Did he get hurt?