Canada basketball reveals 23-player pool for World Cup qualifiers. Why no Jamal Murray or Andrew Wiggins?

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:03] Speaker B: Welcome to the Canadian Basketball show, your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis on Canadian basketball. I'm your host, Lee Ban Osmond. Canada Basketball just announced a 23 player athlete pool for the senior men's national team ahead of the FIBO World cup qualifiers this summer. GM Rowan Barrett revealed the list on Monday after at the OVO athletic center in front of media and he also formally introduced senior men's national team head coach Gody Herbert, who spoke for the first time. And the message from both was clear. You're either in or you're out. To discuss the 23 player pool, I'm joined by my guys, William Liu, the hosting creator of hello and welcome, the number one raptor show in Canada, and my guy, Orin Weisfeld, writer at large and the author of the Golden Generation How Canada became a Basketball Powerhouse. How are you guys doing, man? [00:00:59] Speaker C: What's up, man? [00:01:00] Speaker A: Happy to be here. Thrilled to be here. [00:01:03] Speaker B: When was the last time we were all together? [00:01:04] Speaker A: It's been too long, man. I don't think. I haven't even done a podcast in. In too long, so I'm gonna be rusty. But I'm happy to see you guys. [00:01:12] Speaker B: Well, you do this for a living, [00:01:14] Speaker C: you know, or, you know, orange. Actively trying to avoid the surveillance state so you're not trying to be around microphones anymore. So we. [00:01:21] Speaker B: We won't get into that. We won't get into that. [00:01:23] Speaker A: But yeah, you guys tape your. You guys tape the camera shot at night, right? You have to. [00:01:28] Speaker C: That's exactly what I do. [00:01:30] Speaker B: But like I said, Canada announced a 23 player athlete pool. I'll go through all the names right now. Nikhil Alexander Walker, RJ Barrett, Charles Bediako, Aaron Best, Cam Birch, Dylan Brooks, Marcus Carr, Nate Darling, Lou Dort, Shay Gilgis, Alexander Keyshawn, George, Korean, Kic Mufondu Kemigelli, Thomas Kennedy, Benedict Matherin, Leonard Miller, Andrew Nemhard, Ryan Nemhard, Kelly Olenek, Will Riley, Cassius Robinson, Jackson Rowe and Kyle Wilcher. Twelve of the 23, I believe, are NBA players currently in the league. For you both, let's start off with Oren. What was your first reaction when you heard ron reveal the 23 players that are in this athlete pool? [00:02:13] Speaker A: Yeah, honestly, I think for me, as someone who like, follows the team really closely, it was about what I expected. You know, I think for casual fans, they'll probably be like, I'm not exactly sure. I haven't talked to people yet, but I think they'll be happy with this. Right. Like you have Shay Gilgis, Alexander committed for the next three years. Obviously that's the most important thing. And then you have 12 NBA players, you have a really good roster. I mean, each time we do this, we say this, but each time it is their best, most talented roster. And I think that's true now. But you know, at the same time, I expected all these guys, almost all these names. Like I've seen how committed Shai and Andrew Nemhardt and Nik and rjr. So I was more curious about kind of the other names on the periphery. And it is unfortunate, like, I don't mean to go right into a negative because this is a great pool, but it is unfortunate that none of Jamal Murray, Shannon Sharp and Andrew Wiggins are going to be there because I just think those are three really talented guys who, you know, if everything goes right in the next three years, you could really use at a, at an Olympics. But with that said, this is about what I expected. There's enough talent here to, to win medals and like, I'm sure we'll get into this, but I think they've taken the right approach with like the idea that if you're not in this year, then you're not in the coming years. I think that's the right thing to do. [00:03:38] Speaker B: Well, what are your thoughts? [00:03:41] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, like the top end talent is there. Obviously you have Shea, one of the top at war three players in the NBA. [00:03:52] Speaker A: He's the best still. He's the best. He's the best still. [00:03:54] Speaker C: He's the best. I mean, even we saw game seven, we just saw game seven between OKC and San Antonio. When you're talking about a guy who can go one on one against Wemby and actually get a shot off, that's absurd, man. So we have that. So first and foremost, I think that's, that's the strong part. And you know, there is overall strong attendance. For me though, I gotta say, when I look at the list of bigs, man, I start to get worried because I'm like, yo, this might be looking ahead and jumping ahead many years, but we're going to have similar issues in terms of how is Canada going to be able to contend with other team 7 footers in a half court game? Rebounding, foul trouble. These are the issues that have hurt team Canada performance wise in previous tournaments. And yeah, man, I mean, you know Kelly. How old is Kelly going to be in 20, 28? [00:04:46] Speaker B: That's a good question. I'll look it up. Shout out to Kelly. [00:04:48] Speaker C: Kelly's already in his. Like all due respect to Kelly, you know, but like he's already in the Garrett Temple phase, man. You know, Raptors ain't signing Garrett temple to a four year deal. [00:04:59] Speaker A: Yeah, he'll be 38 and 28. [00:05:01] Speaker B: 38. Okay. I'll make the declaration he's probably not going to play or maybe he's the last roster, like Gordy Herbert said at the podium, like kind of he visions like the 9 to 12 kind of spots not being like this is who you expect to play on a given night type of thing. So that last roster spot in the last Olympic cycle, Melvin Edgem had, you know, so. And he didn't play a lick, let's be real. So it's kind of, you got, you kind of got to think about it like that. But yeah, I'll be honest, the, the big man problem concerns me. I think Gordy and Rowan said it straight up too. It concerns them or they've talked about it at least. And I even heard to this point, which is kind of crazy. We'll talk about Zach, you know, that kind of stuff. But in, they released a 23 player pool, but in that 50 pool, I heard there's players that are in the age group, that are bigs, that are in that pool because they're literally potentially looking at those guys when they enter college or they're in the league that they could potentially help, that are committed. So younger players that are coming up, maybe they're not ready right now. Maybe in a few years they could be ready and they might have to rely on them. So that could be an option for them. But let's just rip off the band aid. No Jamal Murray, I think that was the biggest reaction. There was a lot of discussion about whether he's going to play, whether he's not going to play. And last week I heard he was in. To be honest with you guys, I heard he was in. And if you looked at any of the marketing Canada basketball did around some of the games leading up to this, he was on the posters. So from my understanding, Canada basketball got indication that he was all in. But what are your thoughts on Jamal Murray kind of backing out at what they're saying is at the last minute? [00:06:51] Speaker C: So hold on. Since you're the expert here, bro, why do you, why do you think he, why do you think he had a last second change of heart at this point? [00:06:58] Speaker B: I don't know. I'll be honest with you. I don't know the real reasoning. If I had to guess If I had to guess, he's coming off arguably the best season as a player regular season wise. And he had a full summer healthy, where he was off. He got to travel, went to Jamaica, did his thing, didn't have prior commitments, and got to work on his body. I'm guessing he's probably like, hey, I want to get back to doing that again. I enjoyed my summer and I don't know if I could commit exactly to three years. And then you probably, like, there's probably some fresh runes still. Like, you, like, I know time has kind of passed, but, like, the Olympics wasn't the greatest experience for him. Let's be real, right? So it wasn't a great experience for Canada basketball either. And for him, he probably was like, hey, like, this is something that I can't see myself committing to every summer. And. And I wonder if the Denver Nuggets probably were like, hey, you want to do this again? We just paid you a bag. [00:07:59] Speaker A: Yeah. I also, like, I won't speculate on why he chose not to, but I would definitely add that this is the first time in his career where he is in the trade, like, the trade mill. And I'm not saying he's going to get traded. I wouldn't trade him if I was the Denver Nuggets, but, like, they flamed out of the playoffs and his name is going to be there all summer. And when you're, like you said, you're coming off your best season after a full off season where you didn't play Team Canada, maybe he just wants to repeat that process to make sure that, like, his NBA career is as stable as it can possibly be. The other thing I would say about Jamal Murray is, again, this is not why he's not playing. I don't know why he's not playing, but there's more incentive to play if you're a guy like Jamal Murray, if you know the team's gonna revolve around you, you're gonna have the ball in your hands, you're the starting point guard, yada, yada, yada. And, you know, by Gordy Herbert's own admission, he was brutally honest with these guys and he told them, I imagine, even like, what their role was going to be, what he envisioned their role to be. So maybe, you know, you're not as driven to play when we all know this is Shay's team at this point. You know, Shai has earned it over the last few years that he's going to be the starting point guard. He's going to have the ball in his hand. So that could also factor into it, but who knows? Exactly. [00:09:33] Speaker C: I'm a zag a little bit. Because all due respect to what Jamal Murray has done in the NBA, the NBA champion made the all star team this last year. We've seen him come up with how many game winners, half of them over Anthony Davis, it seems. But low key. Him not coming is kind of solves a headache for team Canada because if it's anything close to what happened in 2024 with, with Jamal coming not looking fully up to speed, definitely was an NBA Denver Nuggets Jamal Murray in that run. And then ultimately it became awkward a conversation of why isn't he playing better? Should we bring off the bench? Is he involved? Do we have too many guards? Look, Canada is so blessed at the guard position that not only do you have the best guard in the world and shake else's Alexander, you also have like a ton of other great guards in that position and guys who might be a little more comfortable playing off ball not being as featured as much. And you know, look, I think with Jamal, we're always nostalgic about like, you know, the performances he had coming up, the Pan Am games, all that kind of stuff. But that's like a decade ago, man. I'm talking about like, what can you do for us in the next three years? And I'm not going to lie to you, I'm much more concerned about who steps up in the front court for Canada versus, like how many good guards we have. I know we got good guards. You know, all due respect, but Andrew Nembard's a great guard. Nikhil Alexander is a great guard. You know, what R.J. barrett just did in the playoffs for the Raptors. I'll take any of that. And maybe it's not the same quality of player as Jamal Murray is at his peak, but we haven't seen peak Jamal Murray for Canada. And this does solve a bit of a headache. So, yeah, I mean, I mean, Wiggins is not there either. That's the other player that I'm like, I always wish he was there, but [00:11:21] Speaker B: I don't know how significant. We'll talk about Wiggins in a bit, but how significant is Jamal not being part of this? Like, do you think this lessens Canada's chance or. They won bronze right at the the World cup three years ago. Is this limit or do you feel like Canada could re it's reach its absolute peak without Jamal still as a nation? [00:11:45] Speaker A: No, I. I don't think so. Which to me is the reason it, it is like a bit more disappointing than how Will's describing it. Just because, yeah, you need all of your top talent to fully reach that peak. And Jamal, when healthy, is such an explosive player that, you know, I think just simply as, as a shooter, one of the best shooters we have in the country. So that would have been nice. But at the same time I understand what you're saying in terms of solving a headache because he comes with such a stature that you can't just use him as a shooter. You can't just use Jamal Murray as an eighth man coming off the bench to run some off ball screens. That's not what he's going to be happy doing. So I totally get like the role definition will be a lot more simple with the current team in place. And to your point, like Wiggins to me is just as big of an omission here he is getting older, but when you look at the like big wings this team has, it's a lot of guys lacking experience, like, you know, Aaron Best, who's not an NBA player or a Leonard Miller, like those type of guys aren't Andrew Wiggins. And so to me that's bigger, a bigger roster hole. [00:13:00] Speaker B: Yeah. In terms of Wiggins, I, I just don't know what the relationship is like anymore. I don't know if they even reached out to him at this point to be like, hey, like, I don't know if that for my opinion and like understanding. I think that bridge is burned, to be honest. And I don't think it's going to be solved. And I don't think Wiggins wants to play for the national program just from my like thinking and just chatting with people. But I would say this in terms of Jamal and Shay. Do you think that partnership could have ever worked in a way that these two could lead you? Because I, I also look back at some of the media availabilities that they had when they talked about those two and it was just so vague. Like I just never saw a backcourt duo that, you know. Yeah, and like, I'm not saying these guys gotta hang out, they gotta be best friends or whatever it is. And I do think they have somewhat of relationship. I, I don't want to speculate into that, but I, I just don't think those two together as a pairing could have worked after what I saw in the Olympics. But what are your thoughts on that? [00:14:09] Speaker C: Yeah, and the thing is hard because Shay's so good that anytime Shay doesn't have the ball, you're on A downgrade. You know, this isn't like a collaborative talent. Like, there's an actual opportunity cost when you give someone else the ball ahead of Shay. Now, of course, I think you look ahead. Could teams double team Shay and make other guys make plays off the dribble? Sure. Like, we see that all the time with okc, but that's where I do respect. Like, what, Nikhil? What? What, Andrew? What? Rj? Even Dylan Brooks has shown it in certain contexts. Like, a lot of these guys, it's about how they play together, first and foremost. I. It's not as big of a what if for me because I've never actually seen it happen, you know? And in fact, the last time I did see it happen, it became an awkward situation to manage. And plus, like, look, we can always find a reason as to, like, okay, there's a circumstance here. There's. There's. There's always reasons to not play if you can play. And I'm not demonizing anyone for not playing. Whatever. Like, it's. It's actually can this to the point where we're so blessed that it's like, we missed an All Star. We missed an All Star. Like, we have other All Stars on this team, but, yeah, like, it's the one position where we can actually afford to have an absence. So it's. It is great. On paper, it's great. Hypothetically, but even in OKC with Shea, like, you don't see him next to another super ball, dominant guard. All the other guards are 3 and D. Or they play really quickly off the catch. And that wasn't necessarily what Jamal was going to be. [00:15:35] Speaker A: Yeah, I could see it working to some extent better than. Definitely better than it did. I really do think it was Mo. See, the thing is, it would have had to be from this summer until now until the Olympics. Like, that's why I'm very happy they're not saying, yeah, Jamal's out this summer, but he might play next summer, because that's what happened in the last squad. And I know for a fact the coaching staff was like, we need to find more opportunities to play Shay and Jamal together. Like, this is becoming a thing where they just don't have any chemistry together. And then despite them knowing that they played Jamal in the game against France a lot and he was really bad. So at least we're not going to get a situation like that where you're. You're hurting the team as a result of that. I do think. I do think Jamal is the second best Canadian and the. Yeah, the second best Canadian basketball player. If he had committed for the next three years, I think he could have built chemistry with Shai and played together in spots for sure. But we're not going to see it. [00:16:41] Speaker B: Yeah. I want to ask you both, how much do you guys personally care about continuity? Like this three year commitment that Canada is laying out, like, how much do you care about it personally and do you agree that this needs to happen for them to win and medal at the World cup and the Olympics? [00:17:03] Speaker C: I mean, look, I think everyone, for being honest with themselves, all everyone cares about is results. Like if you told me that last second, it's coming up on LA 2028 and Andrew Wiggins and Jamal Murray put their hands up and say, we would love to be there. We'll be role players, we'll be six men for you, whatever you need, we're there. We're sacrificing everything. We're gonna play through whatever injuries we have and just be there. Like, I think I'm not gonna say no to them at the last second. This is why it's always because like, we did this thing with Nick like a couple years ago as well, and you know, he had this whole thing. It's like everyone's got to commit it. The thing is, continuity wise, the core of the team is there. Like the backbone of. When I think about a Canada basketball roster, what makes them successful? They're there like, you know, Shea Dylan, rj, Lou Dort, these guys have been like the four that have always consistently over the last five, six years, been that core grouping. And like that to me is the continuity that I'm looking for. Everyone else has to figure out how to play around that. They always got to figure out how they can figure out who's going to play the four, who's going to play the five. Get a little undersized all the time, but that's the continuity I see. And that's the thing is like, look, you know, we're in a really privileged position now where, because we have so many good players, but it's like a kid waking up on Christmas and opening a PS5 and an opening like a Xbox and then crying to mom and dad about not having the switch. It's like, dog, come on, man, go play your games. Like, don't, you know, I mean, we got it, we got it. We got a PS10 and shit. Like, I'm not as concerned that like some other guys aren't there. You know, like, we have to have perspective a little bit. [00:18:37] Speaker A: For sure. Yeah, I Mean, if you told any of us five, 10 years ago that this was these roster, players were going to be committed not this year, but for three years, all of us would be jumping for joy. So we're definitely maybe bearing the lead a bit. But I. I take a bit of a different approach. I really. I like the Gordy Herbert higher and I like the Gordy Herbert philosophy that, yeah, like, he is going to turn those guys down if they show up the Olympic year. And we know that because he turned down Daniel Tice and the other German guys who weren't show up the first [00:19:15] Speaker B: year when they had Isaiah Harenstein. [00:19:17] Speaker A: Yeah, sorry. Isaiah Heirenstein, not Tice. When they had much less NBA talent, he turned down those guys. So I'm very confident that's what's going to happen here. And I personally like that because I think sometimes I think talent's overrated. And I think, like, you really need a group of 12 players who love each other in some ways. And like, we just watched the spurs win the Western Conference finals. Like, the way they embraced and the way that, like, you could tell that was like a real team. And I think you need that kind of intangible stuff. And it's hard to just drop two, three guys in, even if there's a core group to just drop two, three guys in, because what ends up happening, I know, because it's exactly what happened in 2024, is guys get minutes based on stature rather than continuity and experience. All of a sudden you have Nikhil Alexander Walker and Andrew Nemhardt sitting on the bench, not playing, and they're not going to love it because they've just committed the last few years to playing. And that's what happens when you. When you add guys in at the last minute. It screws up, I think, the chemistry. So that's why I am in favor of this kind of thing. And. And definitely when you have as much talent committing as they do, that, that, to me, I think it's a smart way to go about it. [00:20:32] Speaker B: I'll say this, though, on the topic of Jamal Murray, to kind of put it to a close, let's stop with the hating on a guy because he's in play for a national team. I'll say this, too. There's names on this list that I don't think are fully committed, to be honest with you, that I've heard. So people getting at Jamal for this. I think it's best that he just said, I'm out completely, you know? But one thing I want to ask you guys to no Shaden. Sharp too. I think another name that people have brought up, a young prospect coming up and he's been dealing with some injuries, ended off the season coming back. But what are your thoughts on no Shaden? And when I talk about too like certain guys not committing and like the expectation of stars not being there. We'll get into Zacky in a bit, but I just like if that guy tells me he does not want to show up to the Olympics, what can you say to that? What can you really say to that? That's my question. But on the topic of Shane Sharp, what are your thoughts on no Shaden? [00:21:27] Speaker C: I think it's a bit of missed opportunity for him. Like, you know, I think for Shaden, I think like hard horror NBA fans really understand who he is and you know, but like not everyone's watching Portland. Sometimes he starts, sometimes he comes off the bench. Yeah, he's an electric athlete. So talented. But I think that this could have been a good opportunity for him if he committed to the team Canada program to, to shine and build more of a profile locally. And I don't know if that's like the biggest deal in terms of building your profile when you make millions of dollars in the NBA. But yeah, I would have loved to see him take on this challenge. I think that he's such a dynamic athlete, you know, very dynamic score. I could see even a context where if he really, really panned out, where he's like your second option at certain moments or even given certain rosters. So I, I look at it as a bit of a disappointing outcome. But at the same time, like, I think this opens up opportunities for some of the next wave of players. I think Keyshawn George, someone you know really well, first ever, you know, guest on the show, shout out to Keisha. I want to see what he looks like in this context and I think we got a little bit of him in the America and everything, but I don't think he's like a lead guy and I think he's like 19 at that time. Maybe. I want to see what he looks like at that time because Keon has really missed that sort of like six, eight swing man who can, you know, play on the ball, play off the ball, play defense, rebound. And Shaden could have been like a great six man, but I guess you have Benedict Matheran for that as well. Hopefully he's actually one of the guys who's fully committed to. But yeah, I mean, I, I think Keyshawn George could have actually soaked up a lot of the minutes and could potentially be a better player overall than Shane despite not being as like, you know, visibly talented. [00:23:12] Speaker B: Yeah, for Shaden I want to know how much there was interest actually from the national team, from Ron and those guys to actually bring him on board because I think of when I see Shane I'm like I see kind of redundance and talent in terms of. Not to say he's, he's a good, great talent, great young player coming up but so many cards like we talked about on this, on this roster. So like if you, if you want a side and you want Benedict Matherin, it's like why bring Shaden into the fold, right? It's like where do, where do those guys fit? It seems like to me they would be fighting for the same minutes type of or type of role and it's somewhat a similar context. You know what they can bring for you off the bench. And you mentioned Keshawn George. I'll just say this. From what I know he's going to be playing in the July window. There's certain guys that I think are in this that are going to be playing in certain windows. From what I heard Keshan's going to be playing July 3 and 6 but certain guys team obligations likely won't play in August or whatever it is. Certain guys like Ben Math, I don't expect him to play in July because of contract situation. He's a restricted free agent. Same thing with Lou Dort. The August game is set for them likely to return back to Quebec in August. So that's kind of what I expect. But yeah, just to keep in mind like Keyshawn George, those guys and certain guys will be playing in July, certain guys will be playing August. So don't expect the entire 12 NBA guys to be suited up for July. It's going to be a mix. So Oren, thoughts on no Shade and Sharp? [00:24:44] Speaker A: Oh, I don't have many thoughts. I mean we talked about this on like when we projected the roster either one of the Ben Mathurin or Shaden Sharpe was going to make it. Like they don't really have room for both and so to me it doesn't really matter that much which one. Unless Shaden all of a sudden becomes an elite three point shooter. Then maybe it's a different conversation. But no, I don't see it as a huge deal. [00:25:09] Speaker B: So what are your thoughts then? There's certain NBA players that put their hand up. Rowan said this, they put their hand up and Canada basketball said ah, we'll pass on you Guys, this time AJ Lawson was one. Delano Banson was another. Omax Prosper was another. Some people are like, why are you saying no to NBA guys? And they don't get the context of like, how does this kind of fit? How does this kind of. The gel. Omax is one where I think, why not maybe send him an invite if he was committed? But what are your thoughts on them saying, hey, we appreciate you putting your hand out, but we're going to take it back. No aj, no Delano, no Omax. [00:25:48] Speaker C: Yeah, that's the part that I mean, aj. Poor aj, bro. I feel like he got overlooked a little bit by the Raps. Finally earned his chance, got to play in the playoffs. Look really happy for A.J. you know, he got that huge pressure play on Dennis Scher before cmb knocked it off of Evan Mobley, and then RJ hit the three. So, like, I, I think Art, you know, personally, I'm really rooting for him, but there are a lot of guards, so I understand from that perspective. And then even with Omax, like, I guess he hasn't really fully established, like, where he's gonna be in the NBA just yet. And I think that they really like Leonard Miller. I remember, like watching Summer League 1, I think maybe last year, and it was like, not a lot of people there. It was like, you know, in the small gym, but like one of the people sitting, like in the second row watching every single minute that Leonard Miller was playing was. Was Rowan Barrett. So I was like, okay, all right. So, like, they're keeping an eye on him even at this point then. He had a really nice finish of the season with Chicago as well. So. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I think they're kind of the same style of like. I mean, I think Miller probably going to be more of a ball handler and stuff like that, but bigger swingman. I think you need a little bit of depth on those positions. But. And then Delano, I don't know, I don't really see his game as like a FIBA of basketball type of game. You know, like, that's also a lot of half court and you need your guards to like, really be able to shoot. I just. He doesn't really strike me as like that style of player, so I'm okay. [00:27:17] Speaker A: Yeah, I. Yeah, I think A.J. lawson and Omax were the two that stood out a little bit to me in terms of a little surprise that they're not involved. But I will say, as a bit of like a Canada basketball nerd media member, I really Appreciated the transparency of this press conference. We have never got a situation where they are saying names of people who were invited, who declined and names of people who were not invited because they weren't good enough. Essentially. Like, in the past, it was always so murky, and it was left up to people like me and Li Bem to, like, chase people down and figure out what was going on. I really appreciated that today. They laid out very clearly like, hey, look, sometimes players can't play for reasons that you have no idea about. And also, here are the guys that are committed, here is the guys that aren't, and so on and so forth. I just thought it was much more transparent than we've gotten in the past. And that's only a good thing for fans. So, yeah, those guys, it has to hurt to be publicly called out and said, you they didn't make this team. Like, but these are grown men who play in the NBA. It's not like that's like the most hurtful thing they hear. Like, if anything, it'll give them motivation for the next squad to be involved. [00:28:45] Speaker B: I agree. The transparency was amazing. I liked. People are not going to notice, but media availability ends. Gordy Rowan. They're talking shop, they're talking to media, they're talking, like, even more details about certain stuff that, you know about the. The ongoings and, like, decision makings, that kind of stuff. So I think we really appreciate that. But I personally, I don't think they need to tell us that A.J. lawson, Delano and Omax were put their hands up and they. And you guys said no, because that's just, you know, it's like you're making them look kind of like, hey, maybe another lifetime type of thing. [00:29:17] Speaker A: You know, the flip side is, if they weren't in it, we would have been like, oh, so A.J. i'd rather that play. [00:29:23] Speaker B: I'd rather that. [00:29:24] Speaker A: I'd rather that if I'm aj I don't know which one. I rather. They both kind of suck. [00:29:29] Speaker B: Gordy Herbert was introduced today, formerly as head coach, and he talked about kind of like his philosophy and what the next kind of weeks, months, and in the lead up to him coaching will look like. What was your thoughts on Gordy's presser and him being introduced for the first time and talking to the media. [00:29:52] Speaker C: So I think we've sat through a lot of press conferences where they've announced a new head coach, right? Even with Canada basketball, when they announced Nick, when they announced Jordy here in Toronto, when they announced Nick, when they announced Darko here. I always find, like, that introductory press conference for a head coach to be, like, a little too much. Like, it feels like they're not being honest in a way. You're almost like, trying to present too much and come across as too charismatic. I remember Messiah coming out, introducing Darko and being like, you know, I want to be Messiah Eugeriakovic because all the Serbians are running sports now, and I'm just like, brother, who is this for, man? Like, what's your vision for the team? What are your principles? What's it going to take to play for you? And let's go from there. And I actually found it really refreshing how, and I say this as a compliment, how straightforward and boring it was hearing Gordy just, like, lay out what he wants from his team and what he expects. He's very. Matter of fact, I. I do wonder because especially now you're watching the NBA, there's so many young coaches, and every coach wants to, like, get along with the players and all that kind of stuff. I think Gordy's a little bit more from the old school. He's got the experience from fiba, but he's also got experience coaching NBA guys. This is what it's going to take to play for me. Are you guys serious about it or not? I think he's a great basketball mind, and we have yet to see him actually do it for Team Canada in that context as the. The lead head coach. But, like, yeah, I mean, his resume speaks for itself. He just led Germany to unprecedented success. And Germany have. They have some nice players for sure, but, man, they got a really cohesive effort from the groups. And I'm one of the enduring, you know, moments when I think about Gordy is like, him slumping after wearing the. Winning the World cup in the back room and how exhausted and spent he is. Like, this is the definition of a basketball lifer. And I know Canada basketball sometimes plays for clout or tries to get the biggest names in there for whatever. This wasn't any of that. You know what I mean? This is like, we think he's the right man for the job because we have one mission, and that's to go get the gold medal at the World cup and go get the gold medal at the Olympics. [00:31:58] Speaker A: Yeah, I. I totally agree. Like, to me, it was. He was the. One of the more straightforward coaches we've seen with Canada basketball in some time. I just think he gave really good, clear answers. To me, I think what stands out is that he. This might sound obvious, but, like, he's very in tune with the program and he hasn't been around for many years, so that's not necessarily a given. But just everything he said resonated with me in terms of like, he knows exactly what they need to. To get to the next level. For example, he talked about the big man problem, which I'm sure we'll get to it. And he said like, and I quote, rebounding is a concern which will. You never get those kind of honest quotes honestly anymore. He said like, the first thing he's going to do is go through offensive principles. And you know, when Canada lost to France, it was their offense that imploded. It wasn't the defense as much as the fouling trouble was bad. Like they could not score on that team. And Wemby. And so he knows that offense is going to be the thing to drill in these guys for the next few years. And then also what he said about like the coaching staff, like for someone who's been in Europe for so many years, not plugged in. He rewarded Nathaniel Mitchell for being the most committed coach, essentially by giving him these window games. And Nathaniel went 4 0. He talked about Jama's kind of charismatic personality and needing an NBA guy on the coach and then. And then Mitola, the guy he brought over from Europe, he talked about needing a big man coach and running a big man camp and all this stuff. It was just like very refreshing because like that's exactly what they need. Like, they do need a big man coach. Yeah, if he's European, even better. They do need a big man camp. They need to accelerate the development of these guys like Kerr and Charles Bidiaco. So I just think he hit a lot of good notes. [00:33:58] Speaker B: Yeah, he like what's maybe his biggest obstacle as a head coach? Because I asked him point blank what's. What's been the conversations like with him with players and he said it's still in the early phases. He hasn't really chatted with much players. What are your thoughts on like the obstacles? Because I would think the biggest thing for him as a guy that's in. That's revered as an exos type of coach that gets praised in that aspect, is known for the FIBA experience. You'd think that potentially his relationships with some of these NBA stars that might have a different background, you know, come from different backgrounds and that they might. There might be some aspect where can they really gel with him on that level. But then I also think of like that is probably Nathaniel Mitchell, who has a lot of these relationships, is going to be able to bridge that gap. But what are your thoughts on maybe some of his biggest obstacles as a head coach? [00:34:55] Speaker C: I think if you're going to be realistic about coaching, there is the Xs and O portion and then there's the personal management, man management portion. Biggest obstacle for any coach is to get in lockstep, buy in from your number one guy and then your number two guy and then probably not just number one and two, but whoever the emotional leader of the team is. So in that sense I'm probably thinking about like Shay. I don't actually know who the number two is on the Raptor on this, on this squad. Probably rj. Honestly, maybe maybe Dylan. His experience could be Dylan. Dylan definitely is the emotional leader of the group. Maybe Lou Dort as well. Can you actually bond with those guys? And I think that, look, he's coached long enough. He's, he's, you know, been around players of all contexts. So I'm not necessarily worried about, you know, how he's going to gel with an NBA guy at that point. It's about person to person, you know, how do you build trust? Can you actually get a player to play differently? You know, maybe it's because I just watched a YouTube clip of like Yusuf Nurkic saying that Mike Boone Holzer was a drunk for, for telling Kevin Durant how to score. Which, you know, sometimes like coaches can get to that point and like if someone told Shay a different way to play basketball, you might say that person is crazy too. But if you can get that buy in from these guys and that's where I don't really know because I don't really know much about the man management portion of Gordy. I think on the, on the surface he is older, which sometimes can make it a little bit harder to resonate with the younger group. But I also look at this group as like really committed, solid players. I mean if you're in your playing for Canada basketball or your country, it's not the same as playing for, you know, your club team. Like, it's just, it's very different. You have to already be bought in. You're already willing to sacrifice. You're not in this for some sort of financial burden or for some financial gain. You're in this because you want to be in this and because you like the group. And I think that this is not the first time that a lot of these players have played together. So there's going to be some built in level of leadership as well. But I do think ultimately, yeah, once I mean, I'm sure he didn't have a chance to talk to Shay because Shea was in the middle of a season and they're trying to defend the championship and it just ended. He'll give it a little bit of time, but I'm sure he'll connect with Shay and, and move down from there. And like, yeah, Shay is like a model citizen dog. You know, he's not exactly going to be like torpedoing his coach, you know, rj the same way. So, like all the way down. I think if he's able to build those relationships then, then we're good, you know? [00:37:14] Speaker A: Yeah. I also don't worry about that that much. He is older, he is more old school. But I would say from what I've gotten to know about Gordy, he's definitely like always in the process of changing and he knows that like clip of Dennis Schroeder went viral and that you can't talk to people like that in this day and age. And I think he's very, like very much come to terms with that and is always like growing and willing to learn from his mistakes. And, and what you said is true. This is a group of guys who I don't think are afraid to be coached hard. So that's why I don't worry about this. Like, if he yells at them a couple times when they're playing bad, I don't think these guys are going to tune him out because I think like, they appreciate that. If I had to answer your question, the only thing that comes to mind is like, at the end of the day, making this roster in 27 and 28 is going to be a no win situation. If you don't win gold, people are going to come and say, how come this NBA player was cut? How come this NBA player gets cut? Because just they can't all make it. I mean, I don't know who it's going to be, you know, but some of these NBA players are not going to be on the roster. And he said in this press conference there's probably going to. There could be three or four Euro guys on a roster. So he'll take a lot of heat for that if he puts a bunch of Euro guys on a roster and they don't win. So I just think balancing that NBA FIBA style is going to be a challenge for him. Yeah. [00:38:41] Speaker B: And yeah, I think that's the big thing. I think people should not expect a full NBA roster. People are still going to be shocked when it's not a 12 NBA player roster. But yeah, he's a guy that, just seeing the way he talks, it seems like, and watching interviews he's done in the past, even though he's a bit older, seems like he's always learning, learning, looking to adapt as a coach, so. And we'll see how he does. Also wanted to ask, he also just recently accepted a job with the New Zealand breakers in the nbl. Do you care at all about that? I. I think I kind of view the national team as a part time job. And he also said he kind of accepted that job because it's going to give him out of all the options probably that he had that that gave him the leeway to, to take some time off, do some national team stuff. And he also did confirm he will be coaching in the winter windows. [00:39:34] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean actually I think all things considered, this is going to be the most present and available head coach of the Canada men's program that we had in a while. It's going to be more available than both Jordy and Nick were. So I'm fine with that. [00:39:48] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. For context for the fans, the Australian league pauses for, for winter windows and it's a shorter season than the European league. So it's definitely the best case scenario if you're going to coach on the side. And so yeah, I mean, I've always said I'd rather have a full time head coach, but fine. I don't really have a problem with it because he did at least make a kind of sacrifice to be more available for the national team. [00:40:14] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:14] Speaker C: Plus you look at, you look at Gordy, man, you know, he's one of those guys where if he's not coaching, he's not doing basketball and in the gym every single day. He got nothing else going, you know. So I think for his own sanity it's good that he has like a part time job coaching in addition to coaching deep count. [00:40:30] Speaker B: I waited long enough. Let's talk about it. The big man issue. Oh man, it's an issue. [00:40:36] Speaker A: Got to get well in there. [00:40:37] Speaker B: Ah, well, we need to stretch big. What's your, what's your availability? I see you jack up some threes at, at tmu. [00:40:44] Speaker A: But Alex, is Alex around? [00:40:46] Speaker B: No, no, Alex is short king. [00:40:48] Speaker C: He a short king man. [00:40:49] Speaker B: Alex. [00:40:50] Speaker A: But he's, he's an inside player. [00:40:52] Speaker C: I thought he is. But you know, inside at 56 is or 58 is difficult. [00:41:01] Speaker B: My question, does this team have a chance? See Zach, he's not available at the Olympics and you have to stare down a Nikola Jokic. You got to stare down probably at this time, he might be the best player in the world of Victor Wembanyama in France. [00:41:20] Speaker C: Are. [00:41:21] Speaker B: How concerned are you with the lack of depth at the big man position? [00:41:27] Speaker C: Very concerned, bro. I mean, you look at the names on this list that they put out, the fifth name on the list is Ken Birch. [00:41:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:33] Speaker C: All due respect, Kim was great last Olympics. [00:41:37] Speaker A: Don't do that. It's alphabetical. I'll say that. [00:41:40] Speaker C: Okay, well, alphabetically, he's. He's fifth on the list. Okay. I mean, this is a. This is always gonna be Canada's problem, at least in this current window. I wish nations could do trades. You know me. It's like, yo, if Germany doesn't want Isaiah Hardenstein, I want Isaiah. [00:41:57] Speaker A: But here's the thing they do. A lot of nations do, just neutralize players at a position of weakness. We just don't. [00:42:03] Speaker C: Well, we've never done that, though, because if we nationalize a player, we're taking a job away from a Canadian, bro. [00:42:07] Speaker A: Come on. [00:42:08] Speaker C: Canadian economy is bad enough. You saw that. We just officially hit a recession. You know what I mean? Come on. You want to take another job away? [00:42:14] Speaker B: I'll say this. There's a big man that's going to Houston, that's a five star that spent time in Montreal that they can tap in our friend Dion. So I don't, like. Do you care about naturalization? Like, is this. Is that the only solve to this issue? [00:42:30] Speaker A: Well, I. I was gonna say, like, in all seriousness, they. It's a concern for sure. I do still think they can win with this roster, but it's probably going to take one or two of the bigs, you know, and I'm. I'm talking about Charles Bidiako, Fundo Cavangeli, Ker, John Yonkic. [00:42:57] Speaker C: We need the scouting report on Curry. Yonkic, man, come on, dog. [00:43:02] Speaker B: He wants a temple. [00:43:03] Speaker A: Out of those three guys, one of them would have to take elite for me because, yes, you are gonna play all these other things. You're gonna double the post, you're gonna front Wemby, you're gonna do all of these other things to kind of speed up the game and rely on your guards more. So. But you still need bigs like you over the course of a tournament like this, you need several bigs to step up for you. And, you know, Fundo Cavangeli has been really improving since he got cut from that Olympic team, and he's playing great in the Euroleague. So you need maybe one more of those guys to take that kind of leap so that by the time you get there you have a few guys you can really rely on because yeah, I think Kelly Olenek and Dwight Powell, I think their days of leading the Nashville team are probably behind us. And if we are in a situation where in 28 it's Kemb Burch, Kelly Olenek and Dwight Powell, like I love those players but. But I don't think Canada is going to have a chance if with the athleticism of today's game you. You can't rely on like that kind of. Those kind of legs. [00:44:15] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:15] Speaker C: Also by the way, it's worth noting I didn't even see Dwight Powell in this. In this list. Right. [00:44:19] Speaker A: He's injured. [00:44:20] Speaker B: He's injured. He'll be around. [00:44:22] Speaker C: He'll be there. Okay. [00:44:23] Speaker B: He'll be around. It seems like from what I was told, I think the players that are selected like they have a select amount they can actually bring to camp. So it's like some guys are left out but they're not. You know, money costs whatever it is, you know that kind of stuff. But sure when I talk I think cabin Gilly's a lock to be honest to me. He like if he's not at the Olympics I'll be shocked or at the World Cup. Charles Beniako, I think he's. They're priming him up to be also in that mix in case like a Zach eating or whatever it is. But I also think he'll probably be highly considered for. For that roster. [00:45:00] Speaker A: Kennedy I didn't even mention who probably won't make that ultimate roster. He is not doesn't have really the size but he'll be in the window guy that that could take a leap in the next few years and and I think is he's a really smart big and. And I like what he does but how. [00:45:15] Speaker B: How concerned are you guys with. With Zach Ed another very season kind of like missed. He played 11 games this season. [00:45:23] Speaker A: I would be shocked if he plays in any of these big tournaments. I mean pleasantly surprised. But let's be realistic. Like I would be very surprised if he plays in the next two big tournaments. [00:45:33] Speaker B: He averaged what 13.6 11.11 rebounds and played they had a 74 record when he was in. When he was in the lineup but obviously left ankle injury has kept him out. If you're the Memphis Grizzlies, do you want Zach E. D at all involved with the national team in the next three years? [00:45:54] Speaker A: No. [00:45:55] Speaker C: I mean no, I. I don't but at the same Time, man. A lot of Canada's hopes rides on if Zach's foot is okay. And we're talking about a large human being who has actually put a ton of work into his body too. If you watch like what he was like year one, year two at Purdue versus what he is now, like you could tell he's put in so much work. But you're always worried about bigs at that age, like can they stay healthy, especially in their lower body coming back from such strong foot injuries, it'd be pretty rare. But that's the position that we need. That's the guy that we need. You know what I mean? Like, I think that I, I don't know, like what's the level of sway that Canada basketball has over something like that? Because before guy gets his like actual big time contract and has like financial security for pretty much life after you get that first deal coming off your rookie scale. Like I think Memphis actually holds a lot of power over Zach in that position. So no matter how much Zach may want to play, maybe no matter how much can the basketball might incentivize him to play, he's got A, prove that he's healthy and B, got that contract. I think best case scenario he's like fully healthy for Memphis next year, plays like 70 plus games, earns his contract. And then after that maybe we're talking about like he has the security to come play. But that's a lot of steps forward. But, but otherwise, yeah, we don't, we don't have a lot of bigs. And that's where the naturalization thing could be an interesting conversation because it's like, look, I think Canada basketball has done everything possible to try to win except for one thing, which is the thing that a lot of nations end up doing, even really proud nations like Spain end up naturalizing players. You know, like, how do you think they won Eurobas? They like freaking took Lorenzo Brown and just like made them their point guard because they were injured that year. Sometimes you, you have injuries and it's not quite the same as like, you know, club, you know, sports. But this, this is a common thing. If this were a team in the NBA, you'd be trading for a big immediately, you'd be trading a guard for a big. And you know, I don't know who's can, you know, Canadian enough to sort of go through that process. And I don't really know if the government is that in support of handing out, you know, extra citizenships, but it's Canada. We're a nation of immigrants. If you told me a guy isn't born in Canada, place for Canada, I'm like, yeah, so that's normal. I wasn't born in Canada. You know, it doesn't bother me as much. It doesn't. [00:48:16] Speaker B: Would you take Jakob? [00:48:19] Speaker C: I mean, was Jakob the first guy on the list? [00:48:21] Speaker B: Like I'm asking you? [00:48:24] Speaker C: Yes, I would take Jakob, actually. 100% will take Jakob with this team. [00:48:27] Speaker B: No. [00:48:27] Speaker A: No questions asked. I actually used to think about Jakob a lot, but he recently played Austria for the first time in, like, a very long time, so. So I don't think that's happening. [00:48:38] Speaker B: No chance. [00:48:38] Speaker A: I used to think Pascal Siakam, when he was a raptor, would be, like, the perfect kind of Canadian. Probably doesn't work any longer. Real. I'll say real quick on Ed, because they were. Gordy was talking about it today. Like, Thomas Isolo, the coach of Memphis. He knows him from European stuff. Like, Gordy was in Finland for a long time when he started coaching. So they've been in touch and even this summer, like, to your point, Edie's only allowed to leave for a bit because he has this ankle injury that he's rehabbing in Memphis. So he'll probably only be in Canada for one of the windows for that reason. And then it's like, yeah, even if he gets healthy and he plays, like, an NBA season, that's why I'm so kind of skeptical. It's like, even if next season he plays a fully healthy NBA season, the Grizzlies wouldn't want him to continue playing that summer. Right. So the only world where maybe this happens is if he plays next season, stays healthy, has off season, is in camp, and then has another healthy NBA season and then plays the Olympics in 28. That's, like, the only world I could see Edie playing. And I feel like too many things need to go right for that to happen. But it would definitely change their ceiling completely. I mean, wembanyama is the future of basketball. I'm more scared of France and Serbia than I am Team USA in the 28 Olympics. So I think the Wemby problem has already ousted Canada in a Olympics where the rest of their players weren't even good and Wemby wasn't that good. But I'm saying. [00:50:22] Speaker C: I was gonna say it was a Matthias La sort problem, and that's a different sort of problem. Okay, Come on now. He was a proper daughter. [00:50:30] Speaker A: Role players beat us, and now they're going to have, like, Alex Sar, Wemby Risa, Shea, all these new French guys who are coming into the NBA and whatnot, they're going to have a much better team. [00:50:43] Speaker B: And what I'll say about this, I think Gordy said this. I don't know if he said the presser or he was talking to media afterwards. He said if you looked at the, the. I don't know if you said the Olympics or the World cup, but we guarded Germany, guarded Wimby the best. So hey, he might have something up, [00:50:57] Speaker A: you know, first seven footers. Yeah, they had two seven footers who they started. [00:51:02] Speaker C: So I'll even take a. Who is. What's his name? Tmon. I'll even take team on. On this team, man. [00:51:08] Speaker B: So my question then is on this team, if, if Zach Edie can't commit for this year and the World cup, will you take on Zachity for the Olympics? If you're can of basketball, especially since you're saying all this three year commitment, does he have to play or does he just have to be around? [00:51:27] Speaker C: Well, I'm taking. [00:51:30] Speaker A: Yeah, I would take him too. But none of them have to play. They just have to be in camp. That's the rule for all of them if they're injured. So if he's in camp and he's injured and then he's all of a sudden healthy for the Olympics, I would definitely take him too. [00:51:42] Speaker B: But does, but does that like really help them? Not like knowing how he fits, getting to see him gel with these guys. [00:51:49] Speaker A: Yeah, I see your point. It's definitely not ideal, but yes, he is the one exception I would make. [00:51:54] Speaker B: I agree with that. Max Myers, get to know him. He's an up and coming big FIBA U18. I think he just had what, 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, four steals, one block against Venezuela. Can I Juan by 50 in the first game of the FIBA U18. If you're worried about Biggs, get ready to learn this guy's name. He's committed to Duke, so we just also had him on the podcast. So go listen to the last episode from F18 training camp. So go listen to the last podcast and the Canadian basketball show Bump Max. No, he's actually from Toronto. His mom though. [00:52:27] Speaker A: My bad. [00:52:27] Speaker B: His mom played at Lavelle so she and family's tall. I think she. I think pops is like 610. I don't know if you said mom was 66, but she's also tall. But I'll go to the last podcast, learn about Max Myers heading to Duke next year. Is there a player on this roster that you saw on this 24 player athlete pool that you were like wow, I'm pleasantly surprised that this person's here. [00:52:52] Speaker C: Yeah, it's got to be Kurt Jonich. I'm looking forward to learning who this man is. I've never heard of this. I'm up right now. [00:53:00] Speaker B: I'mma send you some temple film. [00:53:02] Speaker A: Don't worry, that one's not so surprising. Just cuz he's a big but yeah he's hasn't, he hasn't been around. But Will Riley, your boy, that was the surprise for me because there's so many guards on the roster and when you talk about like the secondary creation and you guys said like who's the second option? There could be games where like a Rielly or a Ben Matheran comes off the bench and helps them score. So yeah, I'm a big fan of Will Riley's game as well and I really hope he can kind of play his way onto this team. [00:53:34] Speaker B: I'll say this about Will Riley. I think he has all star potential. I think this was a smart move by Canada basketball adding him to this athlete pool. From what I've heard, they're very high on him and you just watch. Even though there's games in Washington didn't mean much, obviously they're chasing agent advance at Darren Peterson, those guys. But if you watched him play in Washington to end the season, man, the be able, the ability to create and just he, he's a guy to watch out for and I think he's going to be a stud in the next few years. I just wonder if he plays though in, in July, whatever. Because my guess is he'll likely be playing summer league. So um, it'll be interesting to see if he plays in any of these upcoming windows. So any, anybody for you? Will that kind of shock you outside of Kerr Yankic hopefully. [00:54:22] Speaker C: I'm saying I just, I just looked up his highlights, man. There's a lot of alley. He's very athletic, I'll say that much. First and foremost, very fluid. [00:54:29] Speaker B: A bit undersized. [00:54:30] Speaker C: 6 9. Yeah, a little undersized. But if you're that athletic you can, you can make up for it a little bit, you know? Yeah, I mean I, I, it's, I'm not too surprised. I mean like even names like Ryan Nemhardt, Marcus Carr, there's a lot of guard. There's just so many cards on this in this list, you know. I don't know if Ryan will ultimately make the final like 12 eventually but he did have a nice rookie Season. And yeah, I mean, I, I just think that, like, you know, it's going to be really hard to play that traditional point because if you can't get size at center because you don't have real centers, then you probably ideally like to play big guards across the board. In Canada, basketball can largely do that. Like, if you're talking about like Nikhil Shea, Andrew, you know, even Will Riley if he cracks that rotation, like, everybody's there, six, four and above, you know, so, like, I'm actually okay with it. But yeah, there's just a couple extra guards on here that I'm, I'm really curious about. But nah, man. Also, big salute to Kyle Wilcher, bro. I don't know if he, I don't know if he'll be like how old he was going to be by the time or if he makes the final roster, but I've always enjoyed Kyle when he plays Canada basketball. Man, that guy just comes in six, ten, pick and pop. Jack's like three threes. He's wet every time. And then, you know, I don't mind having a three point specialist. You know, I'm envisioning like, oh, man, Canada is in tough against Greece and they need a three point shot to like force overtime. He'd be one of the five guys I'd want on the floor to run a play, you know, and it's crazy to say that because he's not that overall talented, but I've always enjoyed Kyle for Kim Kanda. [00:56:00] Speaker B: Yeah, I could see him just coming out of nowhere in a World cup or whatever, hitting five threes that, that helps them, like that comes out of nowhere type of thing, you know? Yeah, I'll be interesting. Before I let you guys go, I got some last few questions for you. Where do you rank Canada heading into this cycle? You guys talked about France, you talked about Serbia. Where do you rank Canada amongst these groups against these heavyweights in this next cycle? Obviously the goal was the Olympics. [00:56:30] Speaker A: I'll, I'll just, I'll say third to piss people off about. I got America four. [00:56:37] Speaker C: America four. [00:56:39] Speaker B: Yeah, we gotta hear this. Why four? [00:56:44] Speaker A: America's washed up. Are you serious? [00:56:47] Speaker B: Interesting. [00:56:48] Speaker A: No, I mean, I see America in all seriousness as like they're going through a transition period, right, where like LeBron, KD, Steph probably aren't going to be there in 28. And I think the young guys still will be talented, but it'll be all of their first Olympics. And I just don't, I don't know if they're gonna get I don't think they'll have enough talent and continuity to. To pull off. We're talking about six straight gold medals. I just don't think they're gonna do it this year. They barely did it with Stefan, KD and all those guys. Well, I don't understand why. Why they would be like, yeah, anyways, I'll say, I'll say. I'll say Canada 3, Serbia 2 and France 1. [00:57:33] Speaker B: Okay, well, how about you? [00:57:35] Speaker C: Ah, I mean, look, man, I gotta put some respect to the U.S. they're number one until proven otherwise. Man. Come on, like, this U.S. team's gonna be so stacked every single time. It's also gonna be in la, of all places. This isn't gonna be like, oh, man, they might not want to come to Brazil because of Zika and they got to stay on a boat. They're literally in la. You know, like every shoe company, all their endorsements are me, like, forcing the top guys to play. I don't even count out LeBron like, not playing hoop for two years. It might come. He might come back just to do this, you know, if Katie becomes like Olympic mellow, which is kind of his, like, Kitty's not gonna stop hooping. He's like, Gordy Herbert, you got nothing else going on in life. You gotta go. So, like, I'm not worried about the us US is definitely number one still. I. I give France number two just based on Wemby's trajectory. France does have, like a strange thing where, you know, again, if this were like an NBA team, France and Canada would be doing a trade where we trade them a guard and they trade us a big, you know, because France is over indexed on bigs and Canada's got too many good guards. But. And I will put Canada third. I actually don't think that, all due respect to Serbia, you know, way more tradition and history than what Canada's played with. And obviously Jokic is amazing, but I, I don't know when I. If I. If you were to draft all the players, you put all 24 players, 12 from Canada, 12 from Serbia. Yeah, you might take. There's a big debate between jokic and Shay. One, two, whatever you want to say, but freaking two through 10 might also be Canadian before you get to other players. So. And that's not me trying to be disrespectful, but yeah, I put Canada third and I put Serbia fourth. [00:59:09] Speaker B: I'm disappointed in you guys, man. This is the Canadian basketball show. I might revoke your guys citizenship for me. [00:59:15] Speaker C: I'll put Them on is number one. [00:59:17] Speaker B: We have the best player in the world. Shape the continuity. These guys love each other. Like when out the brotherhood. [00:59:25] Speaker C: Sure. [00:59:26] Speaker B: Like eight guys here, they could go hang out. They could go to a bar on like Greta, you know, on King Street West. I could see them. I can see them all there, you know. [00:59:35] Speaker C: Don't reveal what they do, okay. Don't reveal what. [00:59:38] Speaker B: I'll shout at Greta cuz you know, sh. Shout to Drake, shout out to Jake. [00:59:40] Speaker A: Might be at a House of Lancaster one night. [00:59:42] Speaker C: I might. [00:59:43] Speaker B: It might be as Soho. You know, it might be paradise. It might be, you know, it might be somewhere. Somewhere in Yorkville, who knows? But I put Canada number one. I'll be honest. [00:59:53] Speaker C: Okay. [00:59:53] Speaker B: France, to me, like, I think this Wemby, Wemby's going to be great. He's. I think he has goat potential. But I do think we're over exaggerating because he's right now playing with elite guards with them. I don't look at France and be like there's elite guards on that roster that can help Wemby that much. I'd put us number two. I'll probably put France number three and then Serbia four. [01:00:19] Speaker C: You have to say, man, this is me. But you just put Canada number one because it's the show. [01:00:23] Speaker B: No, no, no, no. [01:00:24] Speaker C: I, I believe I said I'm putting Canada off. The power of friendship. [01:00:28] Speaker B: Mark Michael Bartlett, Ron Barrett. I believe these guys don't believe in the vision. [01:00:33] Speaker A: All right. I believe. [01:00:35] Speaker C: I'm sorry about Global Jam once again. [01:00:37] Speaker A: Okay, I'll switch Serbia and Canada because I think Serbia is getting old. That's. That, that would be the concern. But man, I, I mostly just respect them for the way they played us in the semi final game. [01:00:50] Speaker C: They did. They should have won that. [01:00:52] Speaker A: I like Canada's chances, man. They can't let France beat them in three straight Olympics. That would be three straight. [01:00:58] Speaker B: No, they dominate France. I just feel like the atmosphere and, and the Olympics was too crazy. It's, you know, it happens at times one game and like Gordy said, like you got to win like three game sevens. That's what he said. The presser, that's kind of the vibe and I do think they have the talent. Dylan Brooks has risen and I think he's going to take another leap next year. Nikhil is on another level. I love the addition of Ryan Nemhard also. I think if he could get into the mix. Just a guy that is so unselfish, gets guys in the right spots. Playmate, like he's he's that guy. I'm really happy with this roster. Keyshawn George, I think he'll take another leap as a player. The big man situation, man, I'll give Zach eat my ankles. Don't worry. We'll be good. All right? We'll be good when the Olympics hit. But for you guys, before I let you go, give me your starting lineup at this athlete pool. If this was set, let's put. I don't know. Let's put Zach Kitty in this. Okay? [01:01:52] Speaker C: Yeah, okay. [01:01:53] Speaker B: All right. Give me your starting five for the Olympics. 2028. I know I've asked Oren this before, but I don't know if it's changed or if it's Adapted. What's your 2028 starting lineup in LA for Canada? [01:02:08] Speaker A: Or you go, I guess mine. I'll say that I changed, so I'll go. Shea, Andrew Nemhard, rj, Dylan Brooks, and Zach Edie. I think I had Lou. I had keyshawn George in RJ's spot. And RJ has, like, a six, man, the last time we did this, but I do feel like, yeah, that bounce. That bounce. You all saw the bounce. [01:02:32] Speaker B: You're biased. [01:02:33] Speaker A: You all saw the bounce. [01:02:34] Speaker B: So they can't trade him now. Who knows? [01:02:37] Speaker C: Actually, we'll. We'll see about all that. But no, I mean, listen, man. I mean, come on, dude. It's RJ's dad's the GM. RJ's starting or. What are you even talking about? He's not so six, man. No, I think, honestly, I'd even go even bigger, actually. I'd actually go with Shea. I think by the time, you know, 2028 rolls around, I think Keyshawn's gonna be, like, starting caliber. No problem. I'd start Dylan at the 2 or RJ at the 2. Those two guys. I put Keyshawn in there, and then I put Zach Edie in there. That at least I have a little bit more size, and I do that. And of course, that does make Nikhil and Andrew come off the bench, but I'm fine with that. I think that both those guys can both play the two or even the three in these instances. And, you know, there's always gonna be guys in foul trouble. I think, you know, those guys, even Nikhil had a lot of experience playing off the bench. That's fine with me. That's actually, I think, a pretty strong starting five because, like, again, like, a lot of hinges on Zach. If Zach's actually able to play. This team looks great, man. [01:03:38] Speaker B: Yeah, I Think I have the same five. I think it's Shay for me. Rj. Either Keyshawn or Dylan at the three or the four, and then Zach Eddie. But if no Zach Eddie, who's your five? [01:03:49] Speaker A: Fundu, Gavin Dillon. [01:03:52] Speaker C: Hey, man, who's going to be our version of Joel Embiid to step up? If. If Team USA is going out there and getting Joel Embiid, then, then what's Team Canada gonna do? [01:04:02] Speaker A: Team USA is washed. [01:04:05] Speaker C: I mean, they signed Joe Levine, so that's pretty washed. But I'm opening the door, okay? Seven footers with elite touch and rebounding ability worldwide. Whether that's Isaiah Hardenstein, who Germany will not let him play for, or whoever, man, but we're accepting applications, that's all. Canada is a nation of immigrants. People have rewritten their entire life histories here. Do that here for us. Be that five for us that carries us over the top. [01:04:33] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say Kevin Gilly, Cabin G's. [01:04:36] Speaker A: My. [01:04:36] Speaker B: My five. If Zach's not going to. I'm keeping it boring because I just think he's going to be a guy that they. They really like. Or, or maybe Charles Beaco. Man, maybe. Maybe they love the. The athleticism to be able to catch lobs and that kind of stuff, but we'll see. My guys, I can't appreciate you guys coming on and taking the time to jump on this podcast and. And chat can of basketball. What do you guys got going on? [01:04:55] Speaker C: Or. [01:04:56] Speaker B: I know you went to. You're in New Zealand. All right. [01:04:59] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:05:00] Speaker B: You're where Gordy's about to be. Tell me, tell me what, what is Gordy expected when he gets there? [01:05:05] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, a really good sports culture. I'll say that. They love their basketball over there, they love their rugby and they love their cricket. You go into a bar on like a random ass rugby game. Not even playoffs. It's full. So that was. That was cool. They have a good sports culture. It's really beautiful. I was there for the last couple months, but I'm back in Toronto for the summer. Gonna be seeing more you guys. Try to do some tempo stuff. Try to do some. Definitely some Canada basketball stuff. Yeah. Writing for the Globe right now and might even. Might even start. Start a little side side hustle in these next little while. If, if, if God wishes it upon me. [01:05:54] Speaker C: Wow. [01:05:54] Speaker B: Will we know you Raptor show who the raptor's picking at at number 19. What you up to? [01:06:01] Speaker C: You know what's disappointing? Researching this whole thing. Where are the Canadians in this draft class, man? What's going on. [01:06:07] Speaker B: It's tough. It's tough. I'll be honest, there won't be a Canadian that likely gets drafted. Elijah Mahi probably signs a two way. Xavier Lee, probably the same thing in that scenario. It's tough summer, Lydia. [01:06:18] Speaker A: I'm excited next year, though. Hey, Lee, man. [01:06:21] Speaker B: Ah, I don't know about next year too, to be honest. It's not like a guy that's jumping out to me. We'll see, man. I'll be honest. This is the wave of talent that I've talked about it before. Kind of like Kovid impacted them. So like these are the COVID kids. But after that, there's some talent coming up. FIBA U17 World Cup. There's like five players on that roster that I think have NBA potential. Even more. Maybe like, get ready. This is gonna be the next wave of talents coming. And it's coming fast. So excited for that. But Will, where can we find you? [01:06:55] Speaker C: No, man, you know. Hello and welcome. We're gonna be doing lots of shows around everything. Raptors. We've been doing tempo as well. Shouts to. Shouts to Chelsea for popping on with us. Jerome's gonna take on a lot of that as well. But also, you know, I think I'm just looking forward to seeing you guys, whether that's at summer league. I don't know if you guys will come to summer league this time around, but it's always fun to see the off strip boys offshore. They're not even. Not even off strip. Off. The off strip boys then. Might not even be there, but I'll see you guys in Hamilton. Okay. What you guys know about TD Coliseum? Go get your tickets. Okay. Marco Bartlett. We're even now. Okay? Go get your tickets. Okay, let's. Let's fill the stands, right? What did Rowan say? We don't want no Dominican jerseys in there. No, we don't want no Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico. Oh, my bad, my bad. I'm not that bunny, bro. [01:07:40] Speaker A: Don't look at me like they're crazy for not doing this game in Toronto. In my opinion, man, I should have put that. [01:07:47] Speaker B: Should have put that in Scarborough, man. [01:07:48] Speaker C: We should look into whether Shay was one of the investors at TD Coliseum. I feel like. Well, there you go. It doesn't take Pablo Tor to figure [01:07:56] Speaker A: this into any FIFA games. [01:07:59] Speaker B: I'm covering the World cup, actually, so I'm excited for that. So we'll be doing some stuff, have a project coming out soon. [01:08:05] Speaker C: Everything you see, I'm not kidding. Anything that has a FIFA logo, any. Like, anything, man. Just Keep it all, bro. Keep trash that has people on it, you know. [01:08:13] Speaker B: Stay tuned to my Instagram stories@lee bandstar1. [01:08:16] Speaker A: This guy's a footballer. [01:08:17] Speaker B: I'll be honest. I don't watch soccer like that, but I'm about to get on my Messi, you know, so we'll be tapped in. [01:08:23] Speaker C: You're not even gonna see Messy, bro. You're about to see Ireland versus, like, you know, Ivory Coast. [01:08:27] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, he's not coming. You know what game? I'm excited for Germany, if I'll be coming as Germany. [01:08:33] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm doing, like. [01:08:35] Speaker B: I'm doing general stuff, so it's not. I don't know if I'll be at the games exactly, but I'll be covering the World cup. So. Excited for that. Excited for Canada basketball, July 3, July 6 against Puerto Rico and Jamaica at the TD Coliseum in Hamilton. I'm excited for that drive over. I'm joking. I'm not really excited for that drive. And then they'll have a game in Quebec City, I believe, on August 31st. But like I said, expect some guys to be in the July window, some guys to be in the August window. That's kind of what it is. And. And I got a text recently. I think training camp begins on June 29th. I think that's the first practice. Players arriving in, I think the day before. But June 29th, I think that's the. The scheduled date for training camp. So they have a few practices before they get started. And yeah, can't thank you guys enough for joining us. [01:09:25] Speaker C: Appreciate you, man. [01:09:27] Speaker B: Thanks for tuning in, guys. Listen to the podcast the K Basketball show your go to spot for the latest news stories and analysis at on Canadian basketball. Stay tapped in. And we out.