General Discussion on CMNT

[SoccMan]

4 minutes ago, Obinna said:

On second thought, maybe that doesn't even matter as there are no shortage of things unrelated to Sport that would be competing with Canada soccer or basketball...

Yes very true so I think it is a bit of a barometer of the popularity of both our men’s and women’s national team in big events compared to some of the so called big four sports in Canada .

[InglewoodJack]

6 hours ago, SoccMan said:

So just watching Canada play France in the quarterfinal of the Olympic men’s tournament. Basketball a very popular sport in Canada, however, looking at Twitter as a barometer of popularity, don’t know if it means anything, but whenever, Canada men’s or even women playing in big games in soccer you always see their games trending on Twitter usually number one , however, looking at where this men’s Olympic quarterfinal is trending it’s not even in the top 10 right now last time I looked . Something to think about when you wonder the popularity of soccer in Canada compared to other sports .

Game was on at noon on a Tuesday whereas Copa games were on at prime time. Also, international games are a way bigger deal in soccer than they are in basketball. Regardless, what a bad loss by Canada today. Something is up with Jamal Murray.

[Ivan]

1 hour ago, InglewoodJack said:

Game was on at noon on a Tuesday whereas Copa games were on at prime time. Also, international games are a way bigger deal in soccer than they are in basketball. Regardless, what a bad loss by Canada today. Something is up with Jamal Murray.

Agreed, Murray noticeably struggled all tourney.

[Metro]

19 hours ago, SoccMan said:

I can see that but I was just talking about what’s trending in Canada on Twitter . In big games be it the woman or men Canada men’s and women always seem to trend on top during their big games . Like I was just surprised that Canada in a big basketball game at the Olympics at the time I looked was not trending at the top in Canada . I don’t know what it really means in the end but just an observation and curiosity for me I guess , but something to think about when one compares the popularity of soccer in Canada compared to the so called big four sports in Canada .

I find that interesting too.  In fact, I don't think the basketball team even has their own twitter hashtag; I see a few posts during the games with the soccer's team's hashtag, "#canmnt".

My guess is that basketball in these neck of the woods is too NBA oriented, while celebrating the international game is somewhat of a requirement for being soccer fans and few soccer fans follow only one league.

The Raptors definitely have a presence on twitter as do accounts such as NBA Canada.  We just don't appreciate basketball from other sources.  I, who does follow basketball in Europe and Euroleague can't stand to listen to Shulman calling the games as you can tell he is completely clueless regarding basketball outside of the US.

Keep in mind following the national basketball team that is very good is still relatively a new thing.  Hopefully their continued success and the establishment of the CEBL changes things.

[InglewoodJack]

12 hours ago, Ivan said:

Agreed, Murray noticeably struggled all tourney.

Funny who shows up for Canada vs. how they play for their team. RJ Barrett is Canada Basketball’s Jacob Shaffelburg, for example. 
 

Think Jamal may have a lingering injury. Wasn’t looking too great in the playoffs either. 

[Ivan]

46 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

Funny who shows up for Canada vs. how they play for their team. RJ Barrett is Canada Basketball’s Jacob Shaffelburg, for example. 
 

Think Jamal may have a lingering injury. Wasn’t looking too great in the playoffs either. 

SGA, Nembhart, Brooks, Dort and RJ were good for us.  Problem was we have no size/physicality up front.  Can't expect Brooks and Dort to cover 7 footers all tournament.  Birch and Powell were okay, Olynyk and Lyles struggled. 

Gotta hope Edey is for real.

[InglewoodJack]

4 minutes ago, Ivan said:

SGA, Nembhart, Brooks, Dort and RJ were good for us.  Problem was we have no size/physicality up front.  Can't expect Brooks and Dort to cover 7 footers all tournament.  Birch and Powell were okay, Olynyk and Lyles struggled. 

Gotta hope Edey is for real.

Always loved Birch as a Montreal guy, but he’s definitely limited. Olynyk isn’t really a big you can count on to guard these burly “big fundamentals only” 5s you face in FIBA tourneys either. Powell, Lyles, guys of that calibre are what they are. Good pieces, won’t win you medals.

We were also missing some valuable guys. Edey is at least a big body who can guard those 7 footers, and could actually be pretty good, Wiggins does look good in the limited time he’s played for us, I’m also very high on Mathurin too. Boucher would’ve helped too. I think there was also a spot for Brandon Clarke. Tough to look at 2028 and think it’s finally our time because who knows where our guys will be at in 4 years, but our depth is incredible, if only we had size up front. If we played a similar international schedule as the CANMNT, I’d be really excited to see what we can do over the next couple years.

[CanadaFan123]

What was with players missing for Canada? Would this not be the equivalent of the World Cup? I suppose if these guys are opting out then that may subconsciously spill over into the public’s perception of the tournament’s importance. You would never see a player opting out of the World Cup or hockey Olympics.  I followed this tournament more than anyone I know personally and I’m not even a basketball fan. 

I’m no basketball expert but I couldn’t believe the amount of loose play/turnovers from a team with so many high level players. I’ve seen mention of nerves but you’re having a laugh - these guys play in the NBA and that crowd wasn’t anything special. 

 

[Ivan]

1 hour ago, CanadaFan123 said:

What was with players missing for Canada? Would this not be the equivalent of the World Cup? I suppose if these guys are opting out then that may subconsciously spill over into the public’s perception of the tournament’s importance. You would never see a player opting out of the World Cup or hockey Olympics.  I followed this tournament more than anyone I know personally and I’m not even a basketball fan. 

I’m no basketball expert but I couldn’t believe the amount of loose play/turnovers from a team with so many high level players. I’ve seen mention of nerves but you’re having a laugh - these guys play in the NBA and that crowd wasn’t anything special. 

 

Memphis wanted Edey to play Summer League, where he ended up getting hurt and missed most of it.  Wiggins was not allowed to play by Golden state who want to trade him and didn't want to risk injury.  Clarke missed the entire year injured, while Matherin missed the last half of the year.  I don't think either were ready to play.  I think Boucher said no too many times and Rowan gave him the ole FU.

@InglewoodJack is right, they all would have helped!  As maybe would have Shaedon Sharpe, but he's still pretty young.  Next time, he'll be one of our best players! 

[Corazon]

5 hours ago, Ivan said:

Memphis wanted Edey to play Summer League, where he ended up getting hurt and missed most of it.  Wiggins was not allowed to play by Golden state who want to trade him and didn't want to risk injury.  Clarke missed the entire year injured, while Matherin missed the last half of the year.  I don't think either were ready to play.  I think Boucher said no too many times and Rowan gave him the ole FU.

@InglewoodJack is right, they all would have helped!  As maybe would have Shaedon Sharpe, but he's still pretty young.  Next time, he'll be one of our best players! 

Yes, both Mathurin and Sharpe missed extended periods this past season but I found it quite odd that both were brought in to camp in June to train with the 20 other players trying to make the final roster.  They must have been there for light training because even though, I understand international basketball is a different game and sometimes choosing players based on roles rather than skills can be a strategy.  I find it hard to believe that two budding NBA stars that already average 15-20 ppg in their 2nd years are not better than the 7 or 8 international players that could barely carve out a career in the NBA.

Here are the 20 players vying for spots on Team Canada’s Olympic roster, which will be coached by new Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez:

• Kyle Alexander (Hapoel Tel Aviv)
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Timberwolves)
• RJ Barrett (Raptors)
• Trae Bell-Haynes (Zaragoza)
• Khem Birch (Girona)
• Oshae Brissett (Celtics)
• Dillon Brooks (Rockets)
• Luguentz Dort (Thunder)
• Zach Edey (Purdue)
• Melvin Ejim (Unicaja)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
• Mfiondu Kabengele (Venezia)
• Trey Lyles (Kings)
• Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
• Andrew Nembhard (Pacers)
• Kelly Olynyk (Raptors)
• Dwight Powell (Mavericks)
• Phil Scrubb (Bahcesehir Koleji)
• Thomas Scrubb (Obradoiro)
• Andrew Wiggins (Warriors)

 

Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe and Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, whose seasons ended earlier due to injuries, will also attend training camp with Team Canada, but won’t be in the mix for roster spots this summer, according to today’s announcement.

Losing Wiggins was massive, even with him on the latter part of his career would have been huge.  What he did just over a couple years ago with Warriors in the NBA finals was incredible.  Not sure what to expect from Edey in the NBA but his size was absolutely needed at the Olympics.  
I’m okay with the Boucher decision but Clarke plays much bigger than his 6’8 frame and would be by far our most talented “big” had he been there.  But he has struggled with some serious issues in recent years.  He also left Canada to USA, very young (similar to Tomori) so he may not feel a strong connection with Canada.

Overall with additions of Edey, Wiggins, Sharpe, Mathurin, Clarke and possibly Boucher, this team becomes much better in my opinion.

Edited August 7 by Corazon

[Ivan]

In hindsight, yes maybe, but which 6 guys were you cutting to put those guys on prior to the games?

[Mihairokov]

9 hours ago, Ivan said:

Gotta hope Edey is for real.

Edey should help us a ton in LA28. Maybe Rioux might be around by then, too. 😛

[Aird25]

1 hour ago, Corazon said:

Yes, both Mathurin and Sharpe missed extended periods this past season but I found it quite odd that both were brought in to camp in June to train with the 20 other players trying to make the final roster.  They must have been there for light training because even though, I understand international basketball is a different game and sometimes choosing players based on roles rather than skills can be a strategy.  I find it hard to believe that two budding NBA stars that already average 15-20 ppg in their 2nd years are not better than the 7 or 8 international players that could barely carve out a career in the NBA.

Here are the 20 players vying for spots on Team Canada’s Olympic roster, which will be coached by new Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez:

• Kyle Alexander (Hapoel Tel Aviv)
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Timberwolves)
• RJ Barrett (Raptors)
• Trae Bell-Haynes (Zaragoza)
• Khem Birch (Girona)
• Oshae Brissett (Celtics)
• Dillon Brooks (Rockets)
• Luguentz Dort (Thunder)
• Zach Edey (Purdue)
• Melvin Ejim (Unicaja)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
• Mfiondu Kabengele (Venezia)
• Trey Lyles (Kings)
• Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
• Andrew Nembhard (Pacers)
• Kelly Olynyk (Raptors)
• Dwight Powell (Mavericks)
• Phil Scrubb (Bahcesehir Koleji)
• Thomas Scrubb (Obradoiro)
• Andrew Wiggins (Warriors)

 

Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe and Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, whose seasons ended earlier due to injuries, will also attend training camp with Team Canada, but won’t be in the mix for roster spots this summer, according to today’s announcement.

Losing Wiggins was massive, even with him on the latter part of his career would have been huge.  What he did just over a couple years ago with Warriors in the NBA finals was incredible.  Not sure what to expect from Edey in the NBA but his size was absolutely needed at the Olympics.  
I’m okay with the Boucher decision but Clarke plays much bigger than his 6’8 frame and would be by far our most talented “big” had he been there.  But he has struggled with some serious issues in recent years.  He also left Canada to USA, very young (similar to Tomori) so he may not feel a strong connection with Canada.

Overall with additions of Edey, Wiggins, Sharpe, Mathurin, Clarke and possibly Boucher, this team becomes much better in my opinion.

These are basketball players? What are we talking about and why is it here?

[Unnamed Trialist]

6 hours ago, Aird25 said:

These are basketball players? What are we talking about and why is it here?

The guys from Ontario think Canada is an unarguable basketball powerhouse, mostly based on vulgarly correlating NBA talent, despite extremely thin evidence to support the claim in terms of results.

I was also bothered by the result too, but not to the point of thinking it was aberrant in any way. 

Edited August 8 by Unnamed Trialist

[SoccMan]

3 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

The guys from Ontario think Canada is an unarguable basketball powerhouse, mostly based on vulgarly correlating NBA talent, despite extremely thin evidence to support the claim in terms of results.

I was also bothered by the result too, but not to the point of thinking it was aberrant in any way. 

I get it and agree , but it’s the same in soccer  it seems where the more players a country has in the top say 5 leagues in Europe the stronger we equate the national team is . Moreover, the expectations of the fan base rise based on how many players we have playing in the top leagues. In this case in basketball Canada has an abundance of players playing in the world’s top league the NBA,  I think second only to the US. 

Edited August 8 by SoccMan

[Ivan]

3 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

The guys from Ontario think Canada is an unarguable basketball powerhouse, mostly based on vulgarly correlating NBA talent, despite extremely thin evidence to support the claim in terms of results.

I was also bothered by the result too, but not to the point of thinking it was aberrant in any way. 

Who said the result was aberrant?

My main points were: a) our frontcourt was overmatched physically - certainly not a surprise, and b) Jamal Murray played poorly, that was a surprise.

Did I think we would medal? Yes, I certainly hoped so.  Was I surprised we lost to France? Not at all.

[Corazon]

6 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

The guys from Ontario think Canada is an unarguable basketball powerhouse, mostly based on vulgarly correlating NBA talent, despite extremely thin evidence to support the claim in terms of results.

I was also bothered by the result too, but not to the point of thinking it was aberrant in any way. 

What a weird twist.  I’m a big fan of European basketball and not once said anything of the sort.  I wasn’t even expecting Canada to beat Germany.  It was a conversation entirely about how I felt Team Canada could be improved.

All I said was that I felt Canada could have been better if they had a few more of their NBA players over some of the European based players they brought.  I stand by my statement that Canada would have been more competitive against European countries with NBA players like Edey, Wiggins, Sharpe, Mathurin, etc. over players like Ejim and Birch.  Spin it however you want.

Edited August 8 by Corazon

[SpursFlu]

I also find it very annoying that analyst and media go on as if all 300 NBA player are the best 300 basketball players in the world. I think they could have used Edey to draw fouls and give fouls down low. With the international rules his size would have been helpful. Wiggins also of course. Canada had an off game, especially Murray but I do agree that more respect should be given to Euroleague. Would love to see a crossover competition under international rules because NBA basketball is tough to watch nowadays 

Edited August 8 by SpursFlu

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

My regular basketball watching days ended with Allen Iverson so this is all very interesting to me.

[Mattd97]

7 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

The guys from Ontario think Canada is an unarguable basketball powerhouse, mostly based on vulgarly correlating NBA talent, despite extremely thin evidence to support the claim in terms of results.

I was also bothered by the result too, but not to the point of thinking it was aberrant in any way. 

Canada is a basketball powerhouse but I don't really feel like winning this argument against another arrogant European another time.  There is an inarguable best league in the world, it's not like soccer, and canada sends way more players there than anyone but the US. It doesn't necessarily mean their national team will beat another nations national team.

[BearcatSA]

I can't believe that we are not that far away from the September friendles.  I am curious to see how Marsch goes with personnel selection.  Any newbies from MLS or elsewhere making a case for a place in the squad?

 

[Obinna]

10 minutes ago, BearcatSA said:

I can't believe that we are not that far away from the September friendles.  I am curious to see how Marsch goes with personnel selection.  Any newbies from MLS or elsewhere making a case for a place in the squad?

 

Yeah it's soon time we start talking about this and speculating.

Assuming we call our best side, who could potentially come in?

For starters, I think we have to think a hot start for Jebbison at Bournemouth would earn him a call. It may also convince him to wait just a little longer for England, but such is the double-edged sword with him. A hot start on loan elsewhere may do it too...

Koleosho would be silly to discuss without some indication he's leaning Canada, but if he were a strong start at Burnley down in the Championship would open the door with Buchanan still out injured.

Ugbo is now moving permanently to Sheffield Wednesday. I think a hot start coupled with a lack of scoring from Tani would see him called back up. Tani has just 1 goal since Copa America and Minnesota got grouped from Leagues Cup, so he'll be out of action for a while, although MLS resumes before these friendlies.

I think Hoilett may come back in so long as he is fit and playing for Hibs. Marsch didn't really get the chance to see how he'd fit in during the summer, but he was picked so obviously that interest from the coach is there.

The tri-national striker eligible for Bosnia and Croatia, who recently moved to the Eredivisie, could potentially get called, but he'd probably need to make an instant impact to do so, which may be too big an ask. He just joined a side that was just promoted.

Aside from that, I don't know who else would possibly come in. Kennedy is still an unknown, Cavallini despite the recent goals is probably not going to be called, and the likes of Nelson and Corbeanu have been left out too many times now for me to believe now, all of a sudden, they will find their way back in.

Shout out to Patrick Metcalfe here. Still playing 90 every week in Norway, and his side is still high up the table (5th?). Could he sneak in here?

Oh I almost forgot, Adekugbe may be recalled....would be nice to see him back.

[VinceA]

59 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Yeah it's soon time we start talking about this and speculating.

Assuming we call our best side, who could potentially come in?

For starters, I think we have to think a hot start for Jebbison at Bournemouth would earn him a call. It may also convince him to wait just a little longer for England, but such is the double-edged sword with him. A hot start on loan elsewhere may do it too...

Koleosho would be silly to discuss without some indication he's leaning Canada, but if he were a strong start at Burnley down in the Championship would open the door with Buchanan still out injured.

Ugbo is now moving permanently to Sheffield Wednesday. I think a hot start coupled with a lack of scoring from Tani would see him called back up. Tani has just 1 goal since Copa America and Minnesota got grouped from Leagues Cup, so he'll be out of action for a while, although MLS resumes before these friendlies.

I think Hoilett may come back in so long as he is fit and playing for Hibs. Marsch didn't really get the chance to see how he'd fit in during the summer, but he was picked so obviously that interest from the coach is there.

The tri-national striker eligible for Bosnia and Croatia, who recently moved to the Eredivisie, could potentially get called, but he'd probably need to make an instant impact to do so, which may be too big an ask. He just joined a side that was just promoted.

Aside from that, I don't know who else would possibly come in. Kennedy is still an unknown, Cavallini despite the recent goals is probably not going to be called, and the likes of Nelson and Corbeanu have been left out too many times now for me to believe now, all of a sudden, they will find their way back in.

Shout out to Patrick Metcalfe here. Still playing 90 every week in Norway, and his side is still high up the table (5th?). Could he sneak in here?

Oh I almost forgot, Adekugbe may be recalled....would be nice to see him back.

I'm not 100% sure but I think Lukenovic is hurt atm. He's listed with an injury on Fotmob.

[Joe MacCarthy]

 

[Joe MacCarthy]