Sunday June 22 2008 - 1:00am Eastern
It is expected that following Sunday’s workout at the ACC, Head Coach Leo Rautins will make his first cuts to the Canadian Men’s National Basketball Team.
With 20+ players in camp - and only 12 roster spots available - Rautins and his staff have an extremely difficult task ahead of them. Plus, Rautins told me on Friday that - realistically - there are probably only 3 roster spots up for grabs … if that.
So who makes the list?
Joel Anthony, of the Miami Heat, was not able to play for Canada last summer due to injury. But it’s almost certain that he’ll make the squad this year.
Veteran Rowan Barrett was brought back into the mix for his experience and leadership. There’s no chance he’d be on the chopping block. He’s here to stay.
That’s two new players already - and Rautins said there’d be 3 or less. Thus, the better question may be: Who won’t make this year’s team?
The 2007 Canadian Men’s National Team looked like this:
Jermaine Anderson
Ryan Bell
Denham Brown
Sam Dalembert
Carl English
Ola Famutimi
Levon Kendall
Vlad Kuljanin
Juan Mendez
Andy Rautins
David Thomas
Jesse Young
As the FAN first reported on Friday, Denham Brown was a no-show at camp on Friday. He still wasn’t in attendance on Saturday and his days with the Canadian team are certainly numbered. There’s no doubt that he’ll be first on the chopping block.
So if Anthony or Barrett take Brown’s spot on the team, at least one more player from last year’s squad will have to be sent packing to accommodate both of these “newcomers”.
My gut would tell me that these 9 players are virtual LOCKS to make the roster: Anderson, Dalembert, English, Kendall, Young, Thomas, Kuljanin, Mendez, and Famutimi.
Add Barrett and Anthony to the mix … and suddenly your 12-man roster already sits at 11. Remember, in International ball, teams can only carry 12 players (unlike the 15 allowed in the NBA).
That means the race for the final roster spot could come down to Bell and Andy Rautins. Andy, Leo’s son, is playing his first competitive basketball - in this camp - since tearing is ACL with the Canadian team last summer. He has spent the entire Winter and Spring rehabbing and strengthening his knee and he says he’s in top form. But this is the first time he’s had a chance to truly test his knee.
Leo told me on Friday that - hypothetically - if he had to cut his son … if it was the best move for the team … he wouldn’t think twice about doing so.
If healthy though … Andy’s potency on the perimeter could be a huge asset for the Canadians.
No matter how it all shakes down, Coach Rautins has stated that he’ll carry 15 players on his team right up until the squad leaves for exhibition games in Germany on July 9 and July 11. So the FINAL cut(s) are still a few weeks away.
And Steve Nash could complicate matters even further if he ultimately does decide to make one last appearance for his country. But that, no doubt, would be a welcomed “problem” for Rautins.
The Olympic Qualifier goes July 15-20 in Athens, Greece. Canada needs to finish in the top-3 of this 12-team tournament in order to earn a spot in Beijing.
E. Smith
- Don’t forget to purchase your tickets to the Jack Donohue International Classic. You can get all of the details here:
http://www.basketball.ca/en/hm/inside.php?sid=225&id=2003
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