TrueNorth31 wrote:I'm glad you mentioned the Czech's . In many ways given their success at the World Cup they should not be ignored. Adding a solid player in Vesely , a three time Euro League all star and a former NBA lottery pick can only help. They are sort of the antithesis of Canada. They only have 2 guys who play in either the NBA or the Euro League , but what they lack in talent they make up in team chemistry and solid play. I believe 5 guys on the 2019 team all played on the same team in the Czech league. They don't have huge turnover and are well prepared.
At the World Cup they had one big post Balvin surrounded by a bunch of 6' 5" - 6' 7" inch veteran, thick strong, tough guys who could all defend and shoot to a certain degree ( as a team they lead the tournament in three point % ) . Satoransky is quite good and really moves the ball on offence. When your putting together a Canadian roster you need to have the flexibility to play 4 out and match up against such a team by having a lot of big switchable wings.
Czech Republic is well-coached and they have a lot of chemistry from playing together for awhile. Even though there is an untrue myth in US sports media that "all other teams besides USA play together for years" (in fact, many have less continuity than USA does), it's at least fairly true with the Czech team.
It's a versatile team, with length, physicality, good 3 point shooting, good ball handling, and athleticism. I don't think they have enough depth or offensive firepower though. Not to get through a short tournament with quick turnaround single elimination games, with some of these other teams. Especially since no one will be surprised by them, or taking them lightly, after the last World Cup.
They are dangerous for a single game upset though.