SMNT at FIBA Americas

That is all true and its clearly common sense but FIBA does not always operate that way!

It is my understanding that Asia has one spot and Africa has another. It is expected Europe would get the other two. Whether these are written in stone or not I'm not sure.

The analysts I have seen do not give Canada a strong chance. How accurate all of this is I have no idea! Perhaps it is all pure speculation.

one thing for sure... Nash and the board have one huge decision to make.

Cough up the 850k to apply for the wild card or invest that into the team playing elsewhere in tournaments next summer... because regardless... these guys have to get together and play real games in hostile environments... and we should make a bid to host the Olympic qualifying tournament!!!

I think it would be very difficult to justify an expenditure of that magnitude.

Would not feel right about "buying" the potential to earn a wildcard! Something does not sounds right with that.

Still have to wonder what impact Nash would have had -- if he had been on the court? Help the team to qualify and then bow out - great way to pass the torch!

Why go there in terms of Nash?

I'm not sure how much he would have helped but he didn't play so that ship has sailed.

We had guys at the point not NBA MVP's but good enough to more than do the job.

I wish we could have finished better inside. Maybe Nash could have provided another shooter - he is that!

"Why go there in terms of Nash?"

Simple - because I wanted to see them go to the World Cup and I think that he would have provided a better opportunity. After watching Canada play Jamaica in the first exhibition game, I felt that something was missing (Nash) and commented on that.

Early on in the FIBA tournament, the commentators often referred to the calming presence of Kendall, can you imagine if that would have been Nash? I was thinking about him at point, but your comment leads to an even better point - having him as a 2. I think that both Rautins and Heslip played well, but neither is Nash!

I am just disappointed that there will not be another meaningful SMNT game until 2015!

Good luck in your season(s).

Steve will be 42 at the time of the next Olympics so it's doubtful he could still play at that point in time. Tournaments like the one we just watched are really training games for the big show -- the Olympics. All of the guys on that team could conceivably play in the 2016 Olympics, given their ages and experience profiles. Some undoubtedly won't make the cut given the new wave of talent that's coming in shortly. Nash is in a different situation in his career.
 
Also not sure it would be appropriate for the General Manager of the Canadian Senior National Team to suit up for the Team when his executive role involves selection of coaches and players.
 
Steve did his service with the National Team up to 2004, playing tons of minutes and giving it all to Team Canada.  With his wonky back, he couldn't realistically keep that up.  Nor would the Lakers likely want him to, given his recent injury history.
 
I think he's transitioning into an executive/management role and he and Rowan Barrett look to be doing a pretty good job in that regard.

I hear what your saying, dak1. I too am bummed about the abrupt ending and feel that Nash's on-court presence would've ensured the squad would continue to grow in the worlds next summer. It would have helped, not stifled, the programs development, and certainly wouldnt expect Nash to play next year. Just get us there. But observer is correct about The fact that SN has certainly put his time in.  The choice was his. No big deal, but it kinda feels like one.  Like I posted before, to heck with the lakers and their millions and millions. I would love to see CB grow up and cough up the bread and aggressively pursue a wild card berth. Respect.

Excited to see that Canada Basketball is going for it and applied for a wild card to the Worlds. Fingers crossed.

WoW... surprising and exciting but what a gamble.

Apparently MLSE anted up the money. FIBA makes it own rules designed to line their pockets.

What happened to the concept of a qualifying tournament?

MIES (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - On 1 February 2014, FIBA's Central Board will announce the national teams that will be the recipients of the four wild cards to complete the field at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Fifteen national teams from across four FIBA zones submitted their applications for the wild cards. They all participated in their respective 2013 continental championships which are qualifying tournament for FIBA's flagship event in Spain next year (30 August-14 September 2014).

The 15 candidates are: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Nigeria, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Turkey and Venezuela.

In the lead-up to the decision on 1 February, we will profile all 15 applicants.

Today, we look at Canada (CAN).

Recent history in international competitions: Canada won three of their first four games to come in second in their group in the Preliminary Round at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship. After beating eventual champions Mexico to start the Second Round, they fell to Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Argentina to miss out on the Semi-Finals - and automatic qualification for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup - as they came in sixth, matching their result from 2011. The Canadians last won a FIBA Americas Championship medal in 2001 when they took bronze, but reached the Semi-Finals in 2003 and 2009. Canada went to the Quarter-Finals at the 1994 World Championship - which they hosted in Toronto. Their 12th-place finish four years later has been their best result since, as they missed out in 2006 and came in 22nd in 2010. At the 2000 Sydney Games, their only Olympic appearance since 1988, they came in seventh.

Michele O'Keefe, Canada Basketball's Executive Director, took time to state the case on her country's behalf to be given a wild card for Spain 2014.

FIBA: What are the three main reasons why your country deserves to receive a wild card to participate in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup?
O'Keefe: 1. Tremendous growth and momentum. The participation rate in basketball in Canada has increased annually by 16 percent since 2010, ahead of both soccer and hockey. The visibility in the media has also exploded, with increased coverage across all platforms. We are concerned that we won't be able to maintain this momentum if Canada is not participating in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. In terms of growth in the corporate sector, we have attracted three new major long-term partners - Maple Leaf Sports + Entertainment (MLSE), Bell Canada and BlackBerry. 2. Quality of our national team. The Canadian men's basketball players are showing potential like never before. Canada has more NBA players than any other non-U.S. nation, except France and is proud to be only one of three nations to have qualified for each age group FIBA World Championships. Our talent is undisputed and the experience of competing at the FIBA Basketball World Cup will contribute to the progress we've made with this group of athletes. In recognition of our podium potential, Own the Podium (OTP) - our government high-performance partner - has invested financial and human resources into our men's programme development. OTP only invests in podium potential sports and men and women's basketball are two of six team sports. 3. Canada is a target market both on and off the court. Canada is ranked 11th among global economies and is a member of both the G8 and G20. In June 2013, the Reputation Institute released its fourth annual list of 50 countries based upon public perceptions of trust, admiration, respect and affinity for those countries. Canada topped the list for the third time.

FIBA: If given a wild card, how competitive can we expect your country to be and how confident are you that the team will feature all its leading/best players?
O'Keefe: We are confident that Canada will be very competitive for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. In Caracas (at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship), we witnessed a dedicated group of players, who took pride in representing their country. Examples of this include videos and statements from our players who have publicly endorsed our #Can4Spain social media initiative. It's also important to note that players who were not part of the 2013 team still arrived in Toronto for the first day of training camp to show their commitment to the team (Anthony Bennett and Kelly Olynyk, absent due to injury and Andrew Wiggins, who chose to take a summer to rest before his college season). Regarding the competitive level of the team, should we be awarded a wild card, we would plan an unprecedented summer training schedule to ensure we enter the competition at our peak performance.

FIBA: How will having your national team play at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup help the growth, development and popularity of the sport in your country?
O'Keefe: The World Cup stage is the ideal opportunity to put our athletes in the limelight and inspire the entire country. Sportsnet has committed to broadcast all of the games, which will give us nationwide reach. We know from experience that being able to cheer on Team Canada will inspire current young basketball players as well as inspire other youths to be more interested in and take up our sport. On the contrary, if Canada isn't involved in the competition, the risk is high that fans will simply tune out and not pay attention to the tournament.

FIBA: What do you consider as the greatest moment in your country's basketball history?
O'Keefe: The greatest is yet to come…

Facts and figures
• 62,095 licenced players in Canada.
• James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, is Canadian.
• The first-ever NBA game was played in Toronto, Canada - Toronto Huskies versus New York Knickerbockers on 1 November 1946.
• Steve Nash, the General Manager of the Men's Programme, was the first-ever Canadian to be named the NBA's MVP (2004-05 and 2005-06) and inspired a generation of young Canadians to play basketball.

Interesting answers. I would have thought the fourth place finishes in the 76 and 84 Olympics would be our high points. Don't we also have a victory over the US mixed in there somewhere, during the Jack Donohue days?

University games in Edmonton... I think in 83... beat the US in the semi's and former Yugoslavia in the finals.

Fingers crossed. Cannot think of a group of ballers with more upside than this crew. Would really enjoy watching them take their licks and grow this summer. Nice backcourt of Ennis, CJ, and Stauskas.  Front court looks not too Shabba either...
Go Canada!

The Finns? Paska!  And I'm from Thunder Bay! Effin' Angry Birds...