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Canada forced to move forward without NBA stars for Olympic qualifying

Devin Gray

TORONTO – Andrew Wiggins is not walking through that door.

Canada Basketball’s deep but mostly starless roster shot around at the Air Canada Centre practice court Monday, receiving less fanfare than last summer’s Pan Am and FIBA Americas teams.

Part of that has to do with the long-shot process of qualiying for the Olympics that awaits the men’s team in Manila, part of it is lingering disappointment over last year’s failed bid at an automatic berth, and the other part is the number of NBA players committed to the cause going from nine to three.

Whatever the reason, this team is sure to exceed the low expectations set out for them, whoever ends up comprising the roster in red and white.

Tristan Thompson is still playing in the NBA Finals with Cleveland, Dwight Powell and Andrew Nicholson are uninsurable NBA free agents seeking new contracts, Kelly Olynyk is recovering from shoulder surgery, and Pan Am star Jamal Murray is preparing for the NBA draft.

Reasons for players like Nik Stauskas, Anthony Bennett, and Andrew Wiggins not committing to playing for their country are still unclear but not unexpected.

“No surprises,” according to Canada head coach Jay Triano of the availability, or lack thereof, of many of the NBA players. “We’ve been communicating most of the year.”

The lone returning NBA player to Team Canada from last summer’s bronze effort at the FIBA Americas tournament, after infamously falling to Venezuela 79-78 in the semis, is point guard Cory Joseph who will be counted on even more as a leader this time around.

“I’m not a guy to put too much pressure on myself,” said Joseph. “Last year is last year. We’ve got another opportunity this summer to qualify and that’s something we’ve got to be thankful for.”

Joseph’s role with the Raptors this past season has made him into somewhat of a homegrown hero. Now joined in Canada’s backcourt by the Milwaukee Bucks’ Tyler Ennis, makes point guard a position of strength for Canada.

And for all the talk of who isn’t suiting up for Canada, other countries face the same dilemma. USA Basketball will be missing names like Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, John Wall, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and Anthony Davis. Same goes for teams like Spain, France, and Brazil.

The Americans will still field an impressive roster in Rio from their pool of talent but if Canada wants to see them there they have to qualify at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, Philippines, one of three last-chance tournaments for the remaining berths.

It’s not unprecedented for Canada Basketball to sneak into the Olympics at the last moment – a feat completed by the women’s national team less than two weeks ahead of the 2012 Games in London.

Tamara Tatham, sitting in on the men’s team practice, was a member of that team that went from last-moment qualifiers to a program-best eighth-place Olympic finish all in a whirlwind couple weeks.

“It has to be an all-or-nothing mentality,” said Tatham. “It’s really a test of your adversity and how well you can come out and work for it and know we can do this.”

The men’s team is in the midst of training camp in Toronto before they head to Italy to play a five-game exhibition tournament starting June 17 before their qualifying tournament tips on July 5.

In Group A, Canada will play Turkey and Senegal in the first round. France, New Zealand and host Philippines comprise Group B, and Canada will have to come out on top to head to Rio 2016.

It won’t be easy but don’t count out the Canadians just yet.

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