No Canada

It is really disappointing to watch the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team falter after getting to the Final for the Olympic qualifier in the Philippines this morning.  They got all the way to the Final in Manila missing many of their NBA players which would have definitely given a powerful boost to end off the tournament with a trip to the Rio Olympics on the line.  The last time Canada went to the Olympics was in 2000 when Steve Nash seemingly single handedly willed the team to victory by orchestrating the team’s success at many turns.  The analysis of this last game was that not much has changed since those days in many ways because it seemed to be a very similar style of game.  Just subtract Nash add in Corey Joseph and it looked like it was a one man show.  The effort was definitely there in many of the games throughout the tournament but today there was a noticeable difference in the level of play especially once the defence picked up for France.  The defensive effort was less than impressive for Canada.  The costly turnovers and mental lapses at the end of quarters in this final game were the critical elements that ended Canada’s Olympic dreams today.  The clock wasn’t managed properly and it lead to some key momentum swings that benefitted France.      

France was a tough opponent in this morning’s game.  They got solid performances from their NBA veterans Tony Parker and Boris Diaw.  Tony Parker really put his finger prints on the game realizing this may be the last time that he will represent his country at the Olympic level.  He also is waiting for the birth of his second child any day now.  He and his wife decided together that he would be part of the qualifying tournament as well as the Olympics so it was evident in his play that there was something more he was playing for.  Very few life events trump the birth of a child. So, when that is on the line the ability to dig deep really becomes evident.   

Many of the Canadian NBA players that opted not to play in the qualifying tournament had their own reasons.  It is hard to judge them as the circumstances are different for each one of them.  In some cases injuries are to blame like Kelly Olynyk who just had shoulder surgery or a new contract in the case of Andrew Nicholson who was a big time difference maker in the Pan Am games last summer.  Jamal Murray is a rookie coming out of the draft and his contract wasn’t signed in time for him to be on the roster for Canada this year.  Other players like Andrew Wiggins, Dwight Powell, Nik Stauskas and Robert Sacre are trying to solidify their positions on the rosters of their current teams which are in flux for various reasons.  Each of these players are probably dealing in pressurized situation of competing at a very high level.  Some players such as Trey Lyles were not allowed to play due to their NBA team locking all the international players down to focus on the upcoming NBA season.  

Some excuses to the outside world might seem lame and disappointing especially when you see a player like Tony Parker coming out to represent his country when his wife is due to have a baby.  He is nearing the end of his career but clearly he finds value in not only representing his country.  He is probably focusing on sharpening his skills, learning some new things but most importantly providing leadership to new players coming up.  It isn’t always as cut and dry as to why players don’t represent their country.  It needs to be noted that the players may be dealing with political situations with their NBA organizations not being as supportive as the country may hope.  These leaders may not necessarily view international experience and success as positive. Instead it may be seen as a detractor and putting more “miles on an athlete” or increase risks they view as unnecessary.  These athlete they are investing millions of dollars into can cause the owners to get proprietary.  I have heard people criticize these players for their absence and it has to be said it must be a tough choice to make (if it is even their choice). There is a joy in representing your country but there are also inherent risks as well of injuries a lot of money is on the line and with that comes more layers of choices to navigate. USA basketball probably deals with the very same thing but because they are so deep with the number of athletes they can draw on the impact isn’t felt as much.    

Now with Steve Nash at the helm of the Men’s National Team program if he can’t reach this crop of new players to come out and play for the Canadian National team then maybe it just can’t be done.  The focus might need to be shift to build a different relationship with the players sooner and before they get to the NBA level.  Perhaps the draw is the development of other players who will benefit from the international experience.  Let’s be honest Canada has no shortage of talent at the moment we are a big time hot bed for basketball.  Maybe the draw needs to be the development and experience piece.  Melvin Ejim really showed his worth in an consistent effort throughout the qualifying tournament and in past events.  Anthony Bennett has used his Pan Am  experience and this qualifying tournament to breathe life back into his faltering career.  The Scrubb brothers had moments of promise over the course of the tournament.  It was nice to see Tyler Ennis make an appearance in this tournament.  Maybe instead of focusing on guys who are already at the NBA level and who got there without the National Team’s “help” the focus needs to be on the up and coming guys that could use the experience to get to the next level. This is happening to some degree already with the presence of some of the players that were selected on the team this time around like Shai Alexander who plays for the Florida Gators and Jamal Murray last year before he went to Kentucky.  It is also happening with the players that are coming up through the ranks of the Cadet and Junior National Teams.  

The women’s national team has been seeing some success as of late with a steady representation of athletes that keep coming back over time.  This loyalty is missing from the men’s side of the game.  It is incredibly hard to have success when there is a revolving door of different athletes coming in and out for these events.  The ability to solidify a chemistry as well as learning offensive and defensive systems in only a few weeks is incredibly challenging for any team and coaching staff.  It is yet another layer to add on to a pressure filled situation. Maybe adding in more training camps and those types of elements into the men’s program will help to keep the continuity and loyalty growing for them over the next couple of years.  The chance to learn from Jay Triano, Steve Nash and Rowan Barrett has to be a huge draw on some level for these players.  

As a side note it must be said that the loyalty and patriotism Tristan Thompson showed after winning the NBA Championship this year was incredibly inspiring.  Seeing him play in the qualifying tournament was really special and there is no doubt that he is one of the biggest difference makers in terms of doing the little things that kept the team in these games consistently.  If nothing else this tournament showed that Canada Basketball is back on the rise it is just going to take some more commitment and time to get going in the right direction still though. It was going to be a long shot to make it back to the olympics through this style of tournament as it was.  This team had a chance to qualify for Rio earlier, with many of the NBA athletes that missed this time around, they lost to Venezuela by 1 point.  It seems that perhaps participating in the Olympics isn't a goal for these athletes currently hopefully that will change over time. The truth remains if our best players aren’t in the conversation to represent our country it is going to be incredibly hard to make an impact at the International level. Consistency and chemistry can be the difference makers but the commitment to each other is something that needs to be a priority with this group.