Canada’s roster surprisingly bereft of NBA talent
Loading a team with NBA players wasn’t enough to get the Canadian men’s team to the 2016 Rio Olympics the first time around so officials are using an old-school method.
With a handful of NBAers unable to play in next month’s qualifying tournament because of contract issues, injury or an overall apathy to a program they vowed to always support — Andrew Wiggins said he needs June and July to a chase a championship with the Minnesota Timberwolves — Canada Basketball has put together a preliminary roster of 19 that is decidedly short on NBA experience.
Only three players — the Raptors’ Cory Joseph, Tyler Ennis of the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit’s Joel Anthony — have solid NBA experience.
The rest of the camp roster that begins work Saturday morning at the Air Canada Centre is dotted with longtime program stalwarts Brady Heslip and Levon Kendall along with
“My increased role with the Timberwolves and dedication to the upcoming season must have my total focus.” ANDREW WIGGINS
teenagers like prep school sensation RJ Barrett and NCAA stars Dillon Brooks and Chris Boucher.
A number of reasons have robbed Canada of some of its most recognizable names. Boston’s Kelly Olynyk is recovering from shoulder surgery, Dallas’s Dwight Powell and Orlando’s Andrew Nicholson are NBA free agents without insurable contracts and presumptive top-5 pick in this month’s draft Jamal Murray likewise won’t be signed.
There was no word on why the likes of Wiggins, Nik Stauskas and Anthony Bennett — who have professed in the past great support for the senior national team — have bailed so far on this season. Wiggins issued a statement through his agency on Friday officially pulling out.
“I understand my increased role with the Timberwolves and dedication to the upcoming season must have my total focus,” the statement said. “We are building a championship contending team, which has always been my goal.”
Tristan Thompson, who is immersed the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers, has been non-committal about joining the team whenever the championship series is over.
Canada general manager Steve Nash, in town for the opening of camp and for a promotional appearance before heading to Oakland to join his employers at the Golden State Warriors for Game 5 on Monday, lauded players who accepted invitations. “No matter who comes and who we have on the court, we know we’re going to have guys who’ll fight and dig in and that are honoured to represent their country and will fight for a chance to play in the Olympic Games,” Nash said in a telephone interview.
“It means a lot to the guys that will be here competing and representing our country. We feel good about a group of guys that has that much heart.”
Still, there must be a level of disappointment in the high-profile Canadian NBA players who have, for the moment, blown off the national team program after professing so much support for it last summer after failing to qualify for Rio the first chance they had.
While qualifying this summer won’t be easy — Canada has to win a six-team tournament July 4-10 in Manila that includes France, Turkey and New Zealand — the players who haven’t shown up just didn’t stay to true to their word.
Whether the job is deemed too hard, whether people are in their ears about potential troubles in Rio if they get there, players who had said they were committed to the program obviously aren’t.