Canada Basketball

[Primer]

Let me throw a fun question cause I am curious for response of Canada basketball fans ...

Okay Canada basketball fans and Raptor fans .. The sports gods will grant you one wish and the choice is Team Canada making RIO and making it to medal round or Raptors making Conference Finals ... Which one would you choose ?

I'd take Canada in the medal round in Rio. That would be such a game changer for Canada Basketball. The Raptors making the ECF would just be "good, you're supposed to, you've been the #2 team in the East all freaking year." If it was Raptors in the NBA Finals, then I might choose that, because that would be a game changer for the Raps.

[KeonClark]

I'd take Canada in the medal round in Rio. That would be such a game changer for Canada Basketball. The Raptors making the ECF would just be "good, you're supposed to, you've been the #2 team in the East all freaking year." If it was Raptors in the NBA Finals, then I might choose that, because that would be a game changer for the Raps.

But he didn't day LOSE in the conf finals, just that we'd get at least that far. I'll take ecf best of 7 allll day

[blackjitsu]

Oregon sophomore forward Dillon Brooks told ESPN he will declare for the NBA Draft, but will not hire an agent.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 15, 2016

[guyroch]

Oregon sophomore forward Dillon Brooks told ESPN he will declare for the NBA Draft, but will not hire an agent.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 15, 2016

Good idea .. keeping his options open

[RepTdot]

Let me throw a fun question cause I am curious for response of Canada basketball fans ...

Okay Canada basketball fans and Raptor fans .. The sports gods will grant you one wish and the choice is Team Canada making RIO and making it to medal round or Raptors making Conference Finals ... Which one would you choose ?

I've waited 20 years for the Raps to develop into a true Conference contender...I can wait another 4 years for Team Canada to develop into a true medal contender.

[guyroch]

I've waited 20 years for the Raps to develop into a true Conference contender...I can wait another 4 years for Team Canada to develop into a true medal contender.

Why couldn't they be a contender again next year ? I could say I can wait one more year for a Raptors playoff run instead of waiting 4 more years for team Canada

[Joey]

Ya, I've been rooting for, and following Team Canada and the program for a LOOONG.. seeing these guys make it to Rio would be AMAZING. Not that watching my Raps make the EFC wouldn't be .. but ya ... I gotta go Country over City.

[Joey]

Good idea .. keeping his options open

Not sure how teams will react to his TRex arms once its revealed. Lol I like the guy a lot though. Would love to see him on the Raps.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Why couldn't they be a contender again next year ? I could say I can wait one more year for a Raptors playoff run instead of waiting 4 more years for team Canada

As a fan, I have far more invested in the Raptors than team Canada. Yes, national pride is great, but for me international play isn't nearly as memorable or meaningful. No brainer for me, Raptors all the way.

[rocwell]

What's going on between FIBA and FIBA Europe? I'm not sure if this truth, but FIBA apparently thrown out 14 nations from the upcoming EuroBasket tournament & and these countries will be banned from the Olympics too. Like what the fuck? How FIBA could go to countries like Spain or Lithuania and say you're out? It's like Soccer World Cup w/o Brazil and Germany.

[DanH]

Saw a summary from a poster on TRF a few weeks back when the news first broke.

So I'll assume that you guys don't know the story behind this and give a basic recap.

The elite club competition in Europe was Euroleague for a while now. With Eurocup being 2ndary and than all the national/regional leagues.

Fiba was in charge of all the national team competitions Fiba Europe: (Eurobasket), Fiba Asia, Fiba America's etc.

But last year (I think), Fiba Europe announced that they are going to be making their own club league (champions league), which was obviously a threat to Euroleague.

Euroleague's response was a new format. They decided to lock up their elite teams ( 16 I believe) for another 10 years in return they would pay them a whole lot more money and make competition closed ( kinda like nba). Instead of bottom feeders getting kicked out every year and getting replaced with Eurocup and national league winners.

That really pissed off Fiba Europe, because they were hoping to lure elite basketball clubs to champions league. So they took a really drastic measure and threatened national federations that if they are not going to kick out Euroleague teams from their national tournaments, those countries are going to be banned from international Fiba tournaments.

That was not an option for the most countries. Just imagine ACB kicking out Barcelona and Real Madrid..

And.. Today Fiba Europe has officially banned: Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Turkey, Israel, Greece, Spain, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina national federations from Eurobasket 2017

[rocwell]

Saw a summary from a poster on TRF a few weeks back when the news first broke.

FIBA is going all in on that hard sell. Spain(!), Slovenia, Serbia(!), Croatia, Lithuania all suspended. Madness.

[Joey]

So all of those teams are out of Olympic contention as well?? Because of something with their club teams?? Geezus .. that's crazy.

[Joey]

So all of those teams are out of Olympic contention as well?? Because of something with their club teams?? Geezus .. that's crazy.

I guess there's a meeting this weekend to decide things.

http://olympics.si.com/olympics/2016...n-rio-olympics

[rocwell]

I guess there's a meeting this weekend to decide things.

http://olympics.si.com/olympics/2016...n-rio-olympics

FIBA is playing dirty. Federations don't have enough time to consider legal action against the FIBA. Those suspended nations will follow FIBA's plan, I guess. One thing's for sure now, tho... They made quite a few POWERFUL enemies with this move.