Canada Wins In Hamilton

Before I get to the game I wanted to share with you all a few things. First off some of you may recall that I wanted to cover this event for the blog and attempted to do so through the proper way one would go about doing that. It was not successful and to be honest about things I did not even get an email to confirm that I was not going to get access. I won’t lie I found it very annoying as it is the least that they ( Canada Basketball) could have done. The last contact I had was only that they would consider it over a month ago and had zero contact since.

I had no plans to go to this game tonight or the one tomorrow afternoon at 4pm @ McMaster. Thanks to the encouragement of my mother I decided to change my mind and go. I am glad that I did. After all I have in this blog said that Steve Nash needs to look past any issues he may have with Canada Basketball and come play for Canada. So, if I paid this event no or little attention based on their lack of respect for this blog would I be doing basically the same thing? That is what I think I would have been doing. So I rushed off to McMaster and made it just in time for the tip of the basketball game.

I had a great time and enjoyed the game. I was also able to chat with a good friend to this blog in Eric Smith. He was there as was Doug Smith from the Toronto Star. I was happy to have the chance to thank Eric for all his help and support of the Dino Nation Blog. It was great to see him covering this event for the FAN 590. Eric and Doug both have used their blogs to make people aware of these games and they made trip down the highway to my hometown of Hamilton to cover it.  I had never met Doug Smith prior to this evening so the conversation was more it is nice to met you and enjoy your work but still it was nice to do that as well.

Now getting to the game after all of that on how I came to be there. Just one last thing. I paid to go no freebie for me to go. I put my own 12 dollars down and will put another 12 tomorrow. That is a pretty good value to sit one row behind the media. Eric Smith had said to me no reason you can’t cover the game also as I was one row behind him. Which was true. I will admit that it was last minute thing so I didn’t have a note book, laptop or any of that. So basically I was just a fan for most part on this night. It was the first time I had got to see both Sam Dalembert and Joel Anthony up close.( Sixers and Heat players in NBA). Sam looked a little bit rusty as this was first game for him since the Sixers were put out of playoffs at hands of the Pistons. Still he had a double double of 10 and 11 rebounds. Not a bad performance he will have a stiffer test tomorrow against New Zealand. Tonight Lebanon was the match-up to face. Canada at times looked very dominant and Joel Anthony is a guy that has some serious talent on a team in the Heat that had very little of that. I made sure with Eric Smith and sorry Raptor fans he is still under contract to the Heat but I would suggest that he has a chance to be someone that Raptors may want to look at in future. Beyond the obvious attraction of the fact he is from Canada he is also very good. I was impressed.

The supporting cast beyond the NBA talent was also impressive. Juan Mendez the Niagara product in the NCAA that was the program once coached by Jack Armstrong Raptor broacaster.  Andy Rautins of the Syracuse Orange currently coming off a medical redshirt year based on his injury verus Brazil last summer playing for team Canada. Good news for fans of the Orange and Canada is that the son of Coach Leo Rautins looked good in this game and was playing with a knee brace but seemed to move well and made his open looks when they came his way. Carl English sporting a blonde mohawk of sorts was playing much better than his new hairstyle choice. In short many of the players from last year’s team in Las Vegas are back. With one that is not and one key addition. The Addition is Barrett who is a veteran of the national program and despite being in his late thirties did not seem out of place. The player not in the mix is former UCONN star Denham Brown. I mentioned his no show after reading about it in Eric Smith’s blog. Eric in his blog today mentioned that since the no show their has yet to be an explanation of any knid on behalf of Brown to Canada Basketball Head Coach Leo Rautins. It is too bad cause I liked Brown a lot in his time at UCONN and thought he might have had chance to make NBA. But he was unable to catch on with the Seattle Sonics when they drafted him in the second round. He was also a key contributor to the team that was able to get Canada into this last chance tournament to get to China.

Like I said this was a last minute choice of mine to go. So I didn’t take any notes or anything. But in general Canada showed that they were the better team in this one and any time Lebanon would make a push, Canada would push back stronger. They would control this game from the opening tip and did a solid job getting everyone on their roster a chance to get some time on the floor and most took advantage of it. The one thing that was disappointing to me was in the stands. It has I would say about 3/4 full and of that there was a large group of folks cheering for Lebanon and not Canada. I am not against those folks at all. What was unfortunate was the fact that they were louder and more vocal. This gym should have been full and loud of people cheering for Canada and making some noise. Everyone needs to come out and support our country for more then just Hockey. Had this been any kind of hockey event there is no way that any country would have supporters that were louder than a group of Canada supporters.

That is why I am putting in extra work and burning the midnight oil to make you all aware of this. I take it as something I have a lot of pride in. Basketball is a sport that was created by a person that was a native of this country and I think in part it is why I am such a supporter of the sport. Despite what I said in the begining of this blog. I am still a supporter of Canada Basketball and will always be regardless of any dealings I have with the program good or bad. I respect a guy like Sam Dalembert that became a member of this country just about a year ago. He came back to the place where that happened playing for his new country. He wasn’t off playing in a charity soccer event. He was hear working up a sweat and wearing a team Canada Jersey. I will not change my mind on the fact Steve Nash should have been there too. If he had been that gym would have been full and loud. I have heard all the excuses as to why he is not and I am sorry but to me that is not good enough. If he can play in a charity soccer game he can play for his country. He could have just as easily tweaked an ankle or been at risk playing soccer as he would on a court for Canada. Nash will go down as the greatest basketball player this country has ever produced. But I think that is why he needed to be part of this. Canada Basketball owes him a lot and may not want to rub him the wrong way. But myself I do not have those concerns. I am hurt by the fact that Nash has chosen the Suns over Canada. Yes it is the right thing to do for the Suns. But is Chris Bosh saying no thanks to team U.S.A for the Raptors? When he was injured he did. But at 100% healthy he did not. Which is fine with me. I understand what a thrill it is for him as it is for Jose Calderon to do the same for Spain and many other players of many countries.  Yao Ming will play in China and nothing on the planet earth will stop him. I respect that and look at what Steve Nash is doing and just feel frustrated.

So if you can make it to McMaster you can buy tickets at the door and see some great basketball. 4pm is the scheduled tip time and the New Zealand team should provide a bit better challenge for Canada. The Dino Nation Blogger will be their on his own dime again and I encourage all of you that are able to do the same. It is a great chance to see basketball at a reasonable price and a high level in a very small venue that allows you to be very close to the action.

A Recap Of Tonight’s Game an 89-67 win For Canada

Tomorrow I will be a bit more prepared to recap the game myself. It is unfortunate I will not be able to talk with players and be able to get more out of this for you folks but as stated in the start of this blog the effort was made. Hopefully the time will come that Dino Nation Blog can be able to get more access to events like this. I will never stop trying to represent you fine folks that make the Dino Nation Blog what it is. Thankfully people like Eric Smith take the Dino Nation Blogger seriously and it was great to get a chance to thank him for all of his help. He has done a lot for this blog and me over the years and I will always be greatful. I look forward to having a chance to see Eric again tomorrow as well as some more basketball.

NBA NOTE: While I am writing I should mention that Antwane Jamison re-signed with Washington Wizards for a 4 year deal. So he is off the market before it gets started tonight at midnight. Over the next 8 days you will hear about guys making deals in free agentcy but much like the Ford trade for O’Neal these will not be made legal till July 9th at the earliest. The reason is the NBA will not release the Salary Cap number for the upcoming season on July 8th.

Tags: Andy Rautins, Canada Basketball, Chris Bosh, Doug Smith, Eric Smith, Heat, Jamison, Joel Anthony, Jose Calderon, Leo Rautins, Olympic Basketball, Sam Dalembert, Sixers, Steve Nash, Syracuse, Wizards