Basketball in Canada

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Nice easy win for the Raptors after slumping the last week. Apropos of nothing while idly browsing basketball-reference.com, I suddenly thought I'd count how many players in the NBA are from the GTA.

There are 12. This is amazing to me. My thirteen-year-old self would never have believed such a thing were possible back before Toronto had a team. Okay, Jamaal Murray is actually from Kitchener, but that's within the GTA orbit more or less, so he counts at a pinch. Jamaal Murray, Tristan Thompson and Andrew Wiggins are standout players, too.

By comparison, Chicago has 27 active NBA players (not to mention several all-time legends of the game). New York has 31 (also a bunch of legends). Los Angeles has 40 or more, I lost count.

I think Toronto has arrived as a serious hoops town.

I'd agree that that really seems to be the case.

That's saying something when you consider Toronto is rubbing shoulders with American cities that have much more of a traditional/stereotypical basketball culture, history and demographics.

[rousseau]

These last two days have been like a dream. Toronto absolutely plastered the 2nd and 4th-placed teams in the Western Conference in back-to-back games on the road. Without Kawhi Leonard playing due to a (hopefully) minor injury.

It doesn't get any sweeter than this. Actually, gulp, knock on wood, I hope it does get sweeter than this.

[suburbanite]

Losing to the Bucks twice has me concerned, but beating GS at home for the first time since 2004 (many years of which they were a perennial bottom-feeder) definitely helps.

Not sure I would call TT a standout player anymore. He's been coasting on his accomplishments from the playoffs four years ago and nowadays is more well-known for knocking up one of the Kardashians.

Wiggins has also been monumentally disappointing as possibly the most hyped high school player since Lebron. Seems to have a sever lack of motivation and has long, multiple game slumps that appear more effort-based than anything.

Jamal Murray is a killer though. I see him and R.J. Barrett spear-heading team Canada in the near future.

[Acajack]

So Canada has more players than any other country (except the U.S.) in the NBA, the best league in the world.

But Canada doesn't even crack the top 20 ranking when it comes to national teams.

Any explanation for this?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

So Canada has more players than any other country (except the U.S.) in the NBA, the best league in the world.

But Canada doesn't even crack the top 20 ranking when it comes to national teams.

Any explanation for this?

Because Canada's best players don't always play for Canada.

Because FIBA's tournaments are occasionally during the NBA season.

Because some European leagues aren't half bad and the NBA isn't the end-all, be-all that some make it out to be. It's obviously the best league in the world but to pretend that European countries don't have half decent leagues would be insincere.

[suburbanite]

Good European players who are just on the fringe are more likely to play in Europe than take a long shot at becoming anything more than a bench player in the NBA. Young Canadians' only development option post high school is through the NCAA, where obviously you are trying to set yourself up to be drafted.

A lot of European national teams also play with each other a lot more regularly and can kind of build a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In comparison, I'm not sure that Jamal Murray, Tristan Thompson, Wiggins, Olynyk, etc. have ever stepped on the court together.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

Good European players who are just on the fringe are more likely to play in Europe than take a long shot at becoming anything more than a bench player in the NBA. Young Canadians' only development option post high school is through the NCAA, where obviously you are trying to set yourself up to be drafted.
.

So does the lack of a true national pro league in Canada handicap the development of the national team? As in you get a handful of superstar NBA-calibre guys but below that it's really weak?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Because FIBA's tournaments are occasionally during the NBA season.
.

You get that in hockey too, don't you? But the national team rankings aren't only or even primarily based on performances at IIHF competitions.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

You get that in hockey too, don't you? But the national team rankings aren't only or even primarily based on performances at IIHF competitions.

Not really. FIBA has quaifying for the World Cup (hockey doesn't have one) and for the Olympics (top teams auto-qualify in hockey) during the NBA season.

And yes, IIHF rankings are based purely on IIHF events. The only thing that crosses over into the NHL season is the World Championships which is scheduled so that, surprise, the only league it runs against is the NHL. By the time it starts half the teams are out of the playoffs/finished playing anyway.

[suburbanite]

Originally Posted by Acajack

So does the lack of a true national pro league in Canada handicap the development of the national team? As in you get a handful of superstar NBA-calibre guys but below that it's really weak?

I'm not sure. My point was't really that Canada lacks development. More that The number of Europeans in the NBA is skewed lower by high-quality leagues in their home countries.

[Acajack]

Where do Canadian players that aren't quite NBA calibre end up playing?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Where do Canadian players that aren't quite NBA calibre end up playing?

Just perusing through the NT roster...Serbia, Russia, Turkey, Holland, Spain, Greece, Italy, Finland, Germany...

It would be great to have a decent Canadian league but NBL not taking off doesn't bode especially well. CEBL is trying so we'll see how that pans out.

[TorontoDrew]

Fun watching the Raptors destroy Golden State last night. I think the Raptors have been in first place in the entire league since day one of this years season. Not to shabby for a little'ol Canadian team.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Fun watching the Raptors destroy Golden State last night. I think the Raptors have been in first place in the entire league since day one of this years season. Not to shabby for a little'ol Canadian team.

Huge. No one will take them seriously still because of their previous losses to LeBron in the playoffs, but it just feels different this year.

[suburbanite]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

Huge. No one will take them seriously still because of their previous losses to LeBron in the playoffs, but it just feels different this year.

Unfortunately people said last year was different because we revamped our offensive playbook and had the deepest bench in the league.

This year is different because for the first time since Vince Carter, they have someone you can hand the ball to in the last 30 seconds of the game and be confident that they are going to make that winning play. I think I'm in love with Kawhi...

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

Unfortunately people said last year was different because we revamped our offensive playbook and had the deepest bench in the league.

This year is different because for the first time since Vince Carter, they have someone you can hand the ball to in the last 30 seconds of the game and be confident that they are going to make that winning play. I think I'm in love with Kawhi...

This year is different because Lebron is in the West and somebody else will beat him before the Raptors have to play him in the Finals.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

Unfortunately people said last year was different because we revamped our offensive playbook and had the deepest bench in the league.

This year is different because for the first time since Vince Carter, they have someone you can hand the ball to in the last 30 seconds of the game and be confident that they are going to make that winning play. I think I'm in love with Kawhi...

To be fair, if one or two plays go different in the Cleveland series it could've ended differently. The first two losses were so demoralizing it was basically over at that point.

But yes, that's basically what I meant; Kawhi changes the game. Even if LeBron had stayed with Cleveland, I think this is the year they finally would've beat them.

Or maybe I'm overexcited over a wicked win over the Warriors where Curry and Thompson both couldn't make a shot! Who knows.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Yeah, I doubt a Canadian basketball league would ever work.

Have any GTAers even been to a G-League game? Why isn't that more of a thing?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

Have any GTAers even been to a G-League game? Why isn't that more of a thing?

Because they play out of Mississauga.

Arena is average but it's in the absolute middle of nowhere.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Fun watching the Raptors destroy Golden State last night. I think the Raptors have been in first place in the entire league since day one of this years season. Not to shabby for a little'ol Canadian team.

I would not describe the Raptors as a l'il ol Canadian team...