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  • #61
    Apologies for being a bit of a buzzkiller...but joining/playing for the national team is fast becoming a bit of an anachronism. In case we have forgotten most if not all athletes performing at the Olympics in the "popular" sports (team or individual) are highly/very highly paid professional athletes. I am not referring to water polo or fencing of course and such there are great competing interests involved not least of which is the individual athlete concerned about his/hers ability to perform best for those who pay their salaries...or else.

    The lure of national pride still exists of course and will continue for awhile as long as it is a once in 4 yr. commitment. But its more and more becoming an effort for personal gain I believe. A gold medal winning athlete gets a better paying endorsement than not. Sticking with basketball, joining/playing for the Canada basketball team is not just an olympic year commitment but joining the team for practices and playing qualifying games during each of the intervening years. Tough call for the players especially those who have a prominent role on their NBA team.

    As an aside...following the soccer world cup, many an analyst has prognosticated that a big reason Messi did not have a particularly good tournament (at least by his standards) is that he was quite worn out...not just by the close marking by opposing teams but by the brutal schedule he had to endure in club and euro soccer prior to this tournament. Fiba of course milks its players and soccer leagues big time and then they have to play in the world cup. Refusal of course unacceptable.

    One other point...check out the number of US players declining the invitation to join their national team this year. In previous years this would have been an anathema...refusing to play "for your country"? Traitor!

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    • #62
      I really hope we can beat USA and get gold in the Olympics in the next 12 years. Lots of good Canadian prospects are coming to the NBA

      Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

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      • #63
        Bendit wrote: View Post
        Apologies for being a bit of a buzzkiller...but joining/playing for the national team is fast becoming a bit of an anachronism. In case we have forgotten most if not all athletes performing at the Olympics in the "popular" sports (team or individual) are highly/very highly paid professional athletes. I am not referring to water polo or fencing of course and such there are great competing interests involved not least of which is the individual athlete concerned about his/hers ability to perform best for those who pay their salaries...or else.

        The lure of national pride still exists of course and will continue for awhile as long as it is a once in 4 yr. commitment. But its more and more becoming an effort for personal gain I believe. A gold medal winning athlete gets a better paying endorsement than not. Sticking with basketball, joining/playing for the Canada basketball team is not just an olympic year commitment but joining the team for practices and playing qualifying games during each of the intervening years. Tough call for the players especially those who have a prominent role on their NBA team.

        As an aside...following the soccer world cup, many an analyst has prognosticated that a big reason Messi did not have a particularly good tournament (at least by his standards) is that he was quite worn out...not just by the close marking by opposing teams but by the brutal schedule he had to endure in club and euro soccer prior to this tournament. Fiba of course milks its players and soccer leagues big time and then they have to play in the world cup. Refusal of course unacceptable.

        One other point...check out the number of US players declining the invitation to join their national team this year. In previous years this would have been an anathema...refusing to play "for your country"? Traitor!
        Sorry but what are you talking about ? This thread is about Canadian ballers and discussing their sucess and failures .. Also
        don't know if you have heard about guys like Levon Kendall who every summer gives a month to National team and does it
        for free ..

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        • #64
          I wonder if any of this new Canadian NBA talent will be playing at the Pan Am Games? Anyone have an idea?

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          • #65
            Katman wrote: View Post
            I wonder if any of this new Canadian NBA talent will be playing at the Pan Am Games? Anyone have an idea?
            The fact it's in T.O I say yes ... When T.O had the worlds nobody said no to team Canada .. Heck even Fox played for Canada

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            • #66
              What's the Pan Am games? I saw a building getting built for it at Morningside and Ellesmere (Scarborough)

              Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

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              • #67
                Is that when the World Championships will happen? Like the 19 players who were just added to USA basketball

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                • #68
                  JordanMariam14 wrote: View Post
                  Is that when the World Championships will happen? Like the 19 players who were just added to USA basketball

                  Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
                  The 19 players were for the world cup. I think the pan am games are like the Olympics but for only certain countries

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                  • #69
                    Sam17 wrote: View Post
                    The 19 players were for the world cup. I think the pan am games are like the Olympics but for only certain countries
                    Where's that? Damn I thought all these players were coming to T.O

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                    • #70
                      JordanMariam14 wrote: View Post
                      Where's that? Damn I thought all these players were coming to T.O

                      Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
                      Nah the world cup this summer is in Spain

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                      • #71
                        imanshumpert wrote: View Post
                        inb4 LBJ recruits Wiggins to play for USA lol
                        They asked him about USA basketball before he got drafted, and said he could never turn his back on Canada. That's where he calls home.

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                        • #72
                          The Pan Am games are in Toronto and vicinity next summer (2015). It's competition for the Americas and Caribbean nations. I wonder if Usain Bolt will be coming to Toronto?

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                          • #73
                            The Pan-Am tournament next summer is really ideal: a home tournament against most of the FIBA Americas teams, two weeks before the FIBA Americas tournament itself.

                            (I believe the host for the FIBA Americas 2015 has not been announced yet, but Canada was one of the bidders. It would be a crazy-good setup if we won the bid and hosted both Pan-Am and then FIBA Americas. All I can find is that the women's tournament host will be announced July 21, so perhaps the men's tournament host will be announced the same day.)
                            Last edited by octothorp; Mon Jul 14, 2014, 03:21 PM.

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                            • #74
                              How could Wiggins be on USA team? & will any famous players come to Toronto for the Pan Am games?

                              Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

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                              • #75
                                Wiggins father, Mitchell Sr., is an American.

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