Canada’s roster may be led by Andrew Wiggins, the swingman who is well on his way to becoming Canada’s first-ever NBA rookie of the year.Mark Blinch/The Globe and Mail
Canada will rely on a deep roster of basketball talent as the men's team aims to qualify for the Summer Olympics for the first time in 16 years, according to head coach Jay Triano.
The draw for the key FIBA Americas qualifying tournament in Mexico was held on Wednesday for the Aug. 25-Sept. 6 contest. Canada will be in a first-round group with Argentina, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Cuba.
Four teams will advance to play a second round against the top four teams from the other group – names likely led by Mexico and Brazil. The top four of the eight then play in semi-finals. Those two games will be the crucial matches, as the two tournament finalists clinch berths for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Canada's roster may be led by Andrew Wiggins, the swingman who is well on his way to becoming Canada's first-ever NBA rookie of the year, but Triano emphasized a deep roster as an important advantage for his team. While the ideal, on-paper, starting roster looks like guards Cory Joseph and Nik Stauskas, small forward Andrew Wiggins, and big men Kelly Olynyk and Tristan Thompson – all NBA players – a longer list of talent that includes guard Tyler Ennis, forwards Andrew Nicholson and Anthony Bennett, and big man Robert Sacre – also all NBA players – could be essential.
A run to the final would involve nine games in 11 or 12 days.
The aim is to "wear teams down," said Triano, former Toronto Raptors head coach and currently an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers. The roster should have "a lot of players with a lot of ability."
Lack of international experience and lack of experience as a team are challenges, but if Canada qualifies for Rio, team general manager Steve Nash said in early March there's an "outside shot" at a medal.
First, however, there will be roster juggling, work undertaken by assistant GM Rowan Barrett, Triano and Nash. There is a pool of about 30 players and the lineup for the Pan Am Games in Toronto in July likely will be different than the final roster for Mexico, when the best names should all be available.
There is diplomacy, too. Players are free to play internationally, but by convention it's done with the blessing of pro teams. In Minnesota, where Wiggins and Bennett play, general manager Milt Newton is a supporter of international play in summers. Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio of Spain benefited at the FIBA World Cup in 2014. But official talks with Minnesota coach and president Flip Saunders won't happen until the Timberwolves' season is over.
"We still have a lot of work to do," Triano said.
Wiggins in his first NBA season has surged in ability – "fantastic growth," said Triano, with strong play on both sides of the court – offence and defence. Even at age 20, Wiggins could be the man for Canada. "He can definitely be the leader," Triano said.
Other countries have the same roster issues. One question is whether a player such as Luis Scola suits up for Argentina, the winner of Olympic gold in 2004 and of which its golden generation has grown old. Scola, a power forward who led the 2013 FIBA Americas tournament in scoring, turns 35 in April. He has started only 15 games for the Indiana Pacers this season.
Canada was fourth at the FIBA Americas in 2003 (when Nash was tournament MVP) and 2009. It was in 1999, when Canada, with Nash and Barrett, previously reached the top two to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Games.
If Canada fails to reach the finals in Mexico, there is one last chance, as long as the team ranks third, fourth or fifth in Mexico. Those three teams go on to a tournament in the summer of 2016, a month ahead of the Rio Olympics in August. There will be 12 countries and three will secure the final spots on the 12-team Rio roster.
In Mexico, while the most attention will be on Wiggins, Canada could be especially effective from the three-point line, which on the international floor is closer to the hoop than in the NBA.
Olynyk, Nicholson and Bennett are big inside players with solid shooting, and could easily open the floor with their ability to hit treys, which would be a boon for Wiggins to drive to the hoop and Stauskas at guard to also find open shots from beyond the arc.
David Ebner