Team Canada Basketball Thread V3.0

[EH15]

Ugh. Looked like an ACL injury. Hopefully only an hyperextension/sprain.

[Kenter16]

Hoping Murray is okay

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Looked brutal. He was in a ton of pain. Doesn't look good. His season is in serious jeopardy.

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[alan_156]

Mcl+ meniscus

[Kenter16]

Mcl+ meniscus

Not sure where you saw this, but that's good news. It looked much worse. I hope this is true.
MCL tears and meniscus injuries both have a 6-8 week timeline. An ACL tear is 6-8 months.
In terms of this forum, this would be good news. It's likely he won't play in the playoffs because Denver won't go far without him. And he is likely to be available if we make the Olympics. We were not expecting him to be available for the OQT, so nothing changes there.

[Kenter16]

Mcl+ meniscus

Not sure where you saw this, but that's good news. It looked much worse. I hope this is true.
MCL tears and meniscus injuries both have a 6-8 week timeline. An ACL tear is 6-8 months.
In terms of this forum, this would be good news. It's likely he won't play in the playoffs because Denver won't go far without him. And he is likely to be available if we make the Olympics. We were not expecting him to be available for the OQT, so nothing changes there.

It's a torn ACL. Poor guy. He may miss part of next season. Brutal blow to the Nuggets and Team Canada's Olympic hopes.
We really have to hope that OKC is sitting Shai 'out of an abundance of caution'. Which I think is a possibility, they just want a higher draft pick. We can't afford to not have both of these guys this summer.

[mojo13]

Mcl+ meniscus

Not sure where you saw this, but that's good news. It looked much worse. I hope this is true.
MCL tears and meniscus injuries both have a 6-8 week timeline. An ACL tear is 6-8 months.
In terms of this forum, this would be good news. It's likely he won't play in the playoffs because Denver won't go far without him. And he is likely to be available if we make the Olympics. We were not expecting him to be available for the OQT, so nothing changes there.

It's a torn ACL. Poor guy. He may miss part of next season. Brutal blow to the Nuggets and Team Canada's Olympic hopes.
We really have to hope that OKC is sitting Shai 'out of an abundance of caution'. Which I think is a possibility, they just want a higher draft pick. We can't afford to not have both of these guys this summer.

Yeah this sucks. Looks like 9-12 month recovery. But at least treatment and recovery has gotten much better in recent years. Sure hope he gets back to 100% no matter the timeline.

I pretty much had Murray written off for the Qualifier but was hopeful if we happened to make the Olympics (despite his history of injuries).

This will obviously dampen any medal hopes for the Olympics - but hopefully we can still Qualify and make a push. We really need a semi-full turnout of the rest of our best players to make that happen - SGA, Barrett, Olynyk, Boucher, Dort, Brooks, Wiggins, Birch, CoJo would still make a damn good team.

One month left - no more injuries please!!!

[TrueNorth31]

Grange as expected has an excellent story up about the Murray injury.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/poised-take-flight-murrays-injury-hurts-time/

I have some experience with ACL injuries as my son who played college basketball suffered one. The best case scenario is to be back in about 9 months, but really most people take 11-12 months before they can begin playing again. Even then my son was only at 80-90 percent for the first while. Eventually though he got back to 100% . The good news is almost everybody totally recovers if they put in the requisite rehab, Murray is a hard worker so I'm optimistic. In many ways he was the alpha dog of the program in terms of trying to get guys involved so that's a real loss.

Remember the NBA will be moving to it's old schedule next year. The Playoffs will be starting mid April of 2022 so it's going to be hard for Murray to make much of an impact next season. As Grange says just a real shame - being a fan of Canada Basketball is not for the meek and mild.

[TrueNorth31]

Khem Birch about playing in the Olympics.

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It's a tough call for these free agents to make, especially for Birch. Even if the Raptors indicate they may sign him that won't occur until after the Olympics are over in August. Birch is probably looking at a little less than what Tristan Thompson got from Boston ( 2 years - $ 19 million ) , so something in the range of 2 years at 12-16 million. If he got hurt playing for Canada his Fiba insurance covers what he made this year, $ 3 million and that's only if he misses the entire season, as well the Raptors would probably walk away from their verbal assurances.

So if he plays, he's putting at risk potentially $ 9 million and this for a guy who's made about $8 in his NBA career ( with half going to his agent and taxes ). I can see why he's hedging and not making any promises, bucket list or not, it could become an expensive experience. I imagine for many Canadian pro's after the Murray injury their decision to play this summer becomes even harder. Looming over all of this is a sense ( not totally supported by the data though ) that the condensed NBA season and the short time frame between the bubble and the start of this season has caused an increase in player injuries. I would expect this to have a negative impact on Team Canada's participation rates.

[mojo13]

Who needs Jamal Murray when we have Lu the Beast.

42 PTS (career-high)
16/31 FG
7/11 3PT
7 REB
4 STL


All from one of the best young defensive players in the league.

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I see Dillon Brooks sneaking in there too.

[BilboBanginz]

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?s=20

Down to 16 Canadians in the NBA (excluding 10-days). I believe we peaked at 23 last season. France is tight our heels with 11!

[aminiaturebuddha]

Who needs Jamal Murray when we have Lu the Beast.

42 PTS (career-high)
16/31 FG
7/11 3PT
7 REB
4 STL


All from one of the best young defensive players in the league.

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?s=20


I see Dillon Brooks sneaking in there too.

Wiggins appears pretty high on that chart as well. Dort, Brooks, Wiggins...add potentially SGA, Birch, CoJo, and TT, and Canada should be able to throw out some pretty good defensive lineups.

I really hope all of these "I want to play for Canada" statements start being backed up by commitments.

[TrueNorth31]

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?s=20

Down to 16 Canadians in the NBA (excluding 10-days). I believe we peaked at 23 last season. France is tight our heels with 11!

I'm a little worried that Mane is going to go the way of former Magic Canadian draft choice Justin Jackson who languished in the G League last year playing only 11 minutes/game. I'm not sure Mane has done enough to get another shot with another NBA team ( he shot 10 % on 3's this past season in the G ). I think in retrospect maybe he should have gone D1 and built his game and reputation up a bit. Euro teams prefer results over athletic upside , so if he went over there he'd need to start at a fairly low level I'd imagine.

The G League certainly has worked out for Brissett though, another 10 day contract so he's up to about $ 250,000 K this season with his G league salary included.

[TrueNorth31]

Kelly Olynyk sounds like he's in despite being a free agent ( this from a Houston Chronicle article behind a pseudo -paywall - I had to try several different browsers before I got it without making me buy a subscription )

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/rockets/article/Free-agent-Kelly-Olynyk-Team-Canada-Olympics-16100918.php

"If Rockets center Kelly Olynyk were in any way inclined to pass on a chance to compete in for Canada basketball, this would be the summer. He is not.

Olynyk will be a free agent, 30 years old and with major career decisions to make. With the revised NBA schedule, the final qualifying tournament for Canada will be June 29 to July 4 in Victoria, B.C. If all goes well, a spot in the Tokyo Olympics July 23 to Aug. 8 will come before free agency.

Players often choose to be cautious about any chance to sustain an injury when they are not under contract, but Olynyk said Wednesday he still hopes to compete.

“That’s obviously my goal,” Olynyk said. “Obviously, I played for Canada for more years than I played in the NBA. It’s always been a goal of mine to play in the Olympics and represent Canada on the highest stage. Hopefully, we can this summer. Hopefully, I get that opportunity.”

A knee injury in August 2019 kept Olynyk from competing in the FIBA World Cup in China. Last summer’s qualifying tournament was postponed because of the pandemic.

The rescheduled qualifying tournament will conflict with the NBA post-season for many players, with others having to move quickly from the playoffs to another training camp for the qualifying tournament. With Olynyk moving from the Miami Heat to the Rockets last month, his season will end May 16, freeing his schedule in June.

Olynyk, however, had said last season when the Heat played in Toronto, his hometown, that free agency often keeps players from competing in international events.

"Often the reason why guys can’t play is because they don’t have a contract," he said then. "It’s not easy to walk into one of those things and put your career on the line. And as much as you want to, and as much as you know you’d love to do it, it’s tough. It’s really tough to do."

At the time, the NBA was on its normal schedule, allowing players to complete their free agency decisions before the usual Olympics schedule. The revised schedule, however, would give him something to consider, if not necessarily enough to change his plans.

“It definitely does change that,” Olynyk said. “Usually, your free agency is done July 1 and the Olympics are the beginning of August and you’re good to go. Now, the Olympics are the end of July and free agency is the beginning of August, so it’s kind of flip-flopped. Obviously, that plays a role and you have to think about it, whether it’s insurance or what the best route to go is.

“We’ll cross those bridges when they come but my goal is to go out there and play and represent my country.”

Canada has not qualified for the Olympics since the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia. Before last summer’s qualifying tournament was rescheduled, Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dillon Brooks, Dwight Powell, R.J. Barrett and Khem Birch had committed to compete. Murray was hurt last week and will be out with some of the others hoping to still be playing in the NBA post-season.

Brazil, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Uruguay will be competing with Canada for the final Americas spot in Tokyo."

[Kenter16]

“We’ll cross those bridges when they come but my goal is to go out there and play and represent my country.”

"Right now I want to play." - Khem Birch on playing for Team Canada in the Olympics. He adds that he can't make any promises (probably because of his impending free agency), but the desire is definitely there. "The Olympics are on my bucket list."



Very similar quotes from Birch and Olynyk. I am not sold they will be there. These quotes, IMO, say that they want to play, but...

[TrueNorth31]

Here's the twitter link.

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Sounds to me like an extension with the Rockets may be close or that some sort of insurance has been discussed. It seems like he really wants to be an Olympian . His father was a former long time Junior National Team coach and as a player his dad Ken was close to making several of Jack Donahue's teams. Kelly has certainly been brought up to respect and be interested in the program. One obvious difference that may help Olynyk in playing over Birch is that he's made $58 million in his career to date and his 1 year fall back Fiba insurance , based on his last year of his current contract is considerably higher.

[Hair Canada]

Speaking of Canadian bigs, a couple of them had good games yesterday:

* Olynyk with 25, 10, 3 steals, and 2 assists, with excellent shooting. He's now up to 18, 8, and 3 assists in his 11 games with the Rockets, shooting really well. Boy, it would be great if he can suit up for Team Canada.

* Birch with 14, 6, and 2 blocks. Seems like the move to Canada benefited everyone involved.

* Boucher with 12 and 12.

* Powell with 12 and 8 in just 15 minutes. Hopefully, he's starting to get back to his old form. Doubt he'll risk things in the summer after such an injury though.

* Brissett with 10 in only 10 minutes. Speaking of 10, he's just signed his second 10-day contract with the Pacers. Games like this one might help to extend it for the rest of the season.

* Clarke with 6 and 6 continues to be solid but not spectacular. Would still be great if he commits to the team.

[Raptorfan2012]

Here's the twitter link.

Read on Twitter

Sounds to me like an extension with the Rockets may be close or that some sort of insurance has been discussed. It seems like he really wants to be an Olympian . His father was a former long time Junior National Team coach and as a player his dad Ken was close to making several of Jack Donahue's teams. Kelly has certainly been brought up to respect and be interested in the program. One obvious difference that may help Olynyk in playing over Birch is that he's made $58 million in his career to date and his 1 year fall back Fiba insurance , based on his last year of his current contract is considerably higher.

Not sure he fits Houston’s plans, but he and his agent probably knows who is going to offer him an acceptable deal.

[Kenter16]

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Somebody finnaly asked him! I am glad he will be there for the tryouts.

I'm all seriousness. This is great news. This guy is a huge asset to any team. Pure energy, in your face defense, can get to the basket and now has refined his 3pt shot to an above average level. He is not 'the guy' but he is definitely valuable.

Saw Shai walking around after the game on the court. No noticeable limp or anything. Still really hoping OKC is just holding him out because they want a high pick. OKC's last game is on May 16, just under a month. IMO, we need to see Shai play before the end of the season or OKC won't let him play. Honestly, they have no reason too. Shai will have to be 100% in order to get back on the court. A nervous four weeks for us ahead.

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[Hair Canada]

I very much doubt Shai plays anymore this season. OKC really has no reason to let him play. They are well in contention for anywhere between a bottom 5 and a bottom 3 record, which would give them a 50%-70% chance of getting a top-5 pick in a year where there's a big gap between top-5 and the 6th draft pick. If they finish with the 6th worst record or better (worse if you think about it from their point of view), their chances to get a top-5 pick begin to drop rapidly to around 20% with the 8th worse record.

Now, they won about 50% of the games where Shai played this season. But since he's been sitting out, their record is 1-13. So even if he's feeling well, it's really in their best interest to sit him. You can always claim that you just want to make sure he's fully recovered.

Hard to say what this all means for playing this summer. You can imagine that they don't want him to play in any case. He's their future pillar. So this might be the excuse everyone uses for why he's staying out. But I think he's in a position to push for it if he really wants to. They want to make him happy...

[Kenter16]

I very much doubt Shai plays anymore this season. OKC really has no reason to let him play. They are well in contention for anywhere between a bottom 5 and a bottom 3 record, which would give them a 50%-70% chance of getting a top-5 pick in a year where there's a big gap between top-5 and the 6th draft pick. If they finish with the 6th worst record or better (worse if you think about it from their point of view), their chances to get a top-5 pick begin to drop rapidly to around 20% with the 8th worse record.

Now, they won about 50% of the games where Shai played this season. But since he's been sitting out, their record is 1-13. So even if he's feeling well, it's really in their best interest to sit him. You can always claim that you just want to make sure he's fully recovered.

Hard to say what this all means for playing this summer. You can imagine that they don't want him to play in any case. He's their future pillar. So this might be the excuse everyone uses for why he's staying out. But I think he's in a position to push for it if he really wants to. They want to make him happy...

Agree 100% with all of this.

With Olynyk and Birch coming out and saying they want to play even with contract issues and his teammate Lu Dort saying he wants to play yesterday, I hope that convinces Shai that everyone is in and there is a real chance to do something. It will most likely come down if SGA really wants to play or not. OKC and maybe even his agent will be telling him not to.