Official 2024 Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament Thread

[onechance87]

Derrick's shooting improvement since he left really makes me question our development staff.

our development staff is bad.Wesley,branham and sochan are prime examples.Even vassell development seemed to stall.
Front office needs to go if none of our first rounders the last few years dont improve this year.

[chubbs]

Funny how Embiid is shrouded in criticism, but Golden Boy, who continues to look as he has for a few years, which is as a shell of his former self, continues to struggle while being handed a glamor role and media won't say a peep about it.

Can't wait until the inevitable progression to the mean stretch where they pretend he's been doing it all along, while continuing to largely ignore the non hype machines playing well.

steph had one bad game

embiid has consistently been awful with team usa

[exstatic]

Derrick's shooting improvement since he left really makes me question our development staff.

Chip was here the whole time Derrick was, so I’m not sure it’s fair to dump on the PD staff

[KobesAchilles]

So glad Tatum started and showed out today. Really proved how valuable a player he was today. Just led our team to a dominant win.

[skin27]

it was never about who was better. the statement was LeBron is too good for international play. not sure why it has to become a comparison.
Lebron isnt that good in international play.lmao

He's always played in a stacked teams except 2004

[TD 21]

:cry:cry:cry

[widowmaker]

Lebron isnt that good in international play.lmao

He's always played in a stacked teams except 2004


But people still want to suck his cock and call him the greatest of all time.

[Neo.]

Lebron isnt that good in international play.lmao



are you retarded?

[lefty20]

1818783922567938557

[Fireball]

Looking forward to Germany kicking some French butt today. Hopefully Wemby will still have a solid game.

[heyheymymy]

https://v1.topstreams.me/match/nba/france-vs-germany/12178865

[heyheymymy]

tip off NOW

Wemby vs GER

[heyheymymy]

FRA looking energized

Wemby still struggling in the paint offensively. Letting Theis bust him

[Thomas82]

Looks like Germany is trying to pull away from France.

[CGD]

Frank Nitatina sucks ass.

But aside from that Germany kicking France in the mouth and France not reacting, at least not this half.

[CGD]

Rudy doing Rudy things (and not in a good way)

[scott]

FIBA Schroeder?

[Thomas82]

I guess it's safe to say that France will lose today.

[Fireball]

game over :lmao

[Thomas82]

That 20-point deficit might be too much for them to overcome.

[LeBowen]

Wemby is the most patient basketball player in the world.
The amount of guard incompetence he had to endure over the past year is PSTD-inducing.

France's offense is easily the worst to watch in the entire tournament, just disgusting.

[Pauleta14]

The number of times our guards chose Gobert over Wemby when both options available is mind boggling ...

[Ice009]

F#$k. France getting smashed. Victor playing poorly, but also not getting the ball. Rudy Gobert should not be a focal point on offense. No f#$%ing idea why the players keep trying to get him the ball when Victor is on the court. France are lucky to not be 1-2. If they lose today, are they still in to the quarter finals? I'm guessing they'll be in the US bracket with a loss.

[Ice009]

game over :lmao

How far do you think this German team can go? Who would you guys say are the 2nd and 3rd best teams this tournament behind Team USA? Germany and Canada? I haven't been able to watch the other teams much.

[chubbs]

:lmao wemby getting embarrassed by franz wagner and daniel theis

[CGD]

Is Wemby quiet quitting by just hanging at the 3 point line, or is that the offensive game plan?

[heyheymymy]

FRA holding GER like the Maginot Line

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Germany playing a modern 5 out offense and getting any shot they want, while France regularly have two players in the paint at any point. There can be only one winner.

[CGD]

France has the personnel LEAST equipped to play “your turn, my turn” offense. This is simply trash coaching. Sorry FranceFan friends.

[chubbs]

Is Wemby quiet quitting by just hanging at the 3 point line, or is that the offensive game plan?

he doesnt have a legit post-up game, and is too tall to put the ball on the floor consistently against defenders that are actually trying. its much easier to look good when hes playing against crap competition, when no one in the NBA has any fear of his team, or when there is nothing at stake.

[LeBowen]

he doesnt have a legit post-up game, and is too tall to put the ball on the floor consistently against defenders that are actually trying. its much easier to look good when hes playing against crap competition, when no one in the NBA has any fear of his team, or when there is nothing at stake.

He has post-up game when he can get the ball in the paint. He doesn't have enough strength to back down anyone.

This coaching is legit disgusting.
He benches Gobert only to play 6'7 Gobert in his place and still have awful spacing.

[CGD]

he doesnt have a legit post-up game, and is too tall to put the ball on the floor consistently against defenders that are actually trying. its much easier to look good when hes playing against crap competition, when no one in the NBA has any fear of his team, or when there is nothing at stake.

It’s deeper than that. It feels like there is a clear pecking order on that team and Wemby is very deferential to it. His teammate treat him like this spurs teammates did at the start of the season.

Reminds me of this moment:

https://x.com/BalaPattySZN/status/1738034060696367365

[td4mvp2k]

wembys to weak physically and mentally. far from win now player.

[Ice009]

This might be a bit of an overreaction, but Spurs maybe need to get another top 4 pick this season. Victor needs to add strength. He's getting bullied by everyone. Can't back anyone down.

[chubbs]

He has post-up game when he can get the ball in the paint. He doesn't have enough strength to back down anyone.

he has a turnaround to shoot over the top of defenders and thats it. his moves and footwork are pretty mediocre.

unless he gets considerably stronger, or develops a good medium range hook shot, he will always be limited against better defenders.

[chubbs]

wembys to weak physically and mentally. far from win now player.

facts

[CGD]

He has post-up game when he can get the ball in the paint. He doesn't have enough strength to back down anyone.

This coaching is legit disgusting.
He benches Gobert only to play 6'7 Gobert in his place and still have awful spacing.

The case in point was the play just now when they ran the offense through him in the post and got that Fournier 3 out of it.

[Fireball]

How far do you think this German team can go? Who would you guys say are the 2nd and 3rd best teams this tournament behind Team USA? Germany and Canada? I haven't been able to watch the other teams much.

I think they are the second best team. Only Team USA would win most games of a series against them. If Germany has a bad day from three, Canada can beat them as well, but I see them at #2 overall.

[Ice009]

I think they are the second best team. Only Team USA would win most games of a series against them. If Germany has a bad day from three, Canada can beat them as well, but I see them at #2 overall.

Right, cool. Looking at the records and the few games I watch (I saw Canada against Australia game, and Germany today for the first time against France), to me, those three look like the potential top 3 finishing teams. No idea where they'll all finish apart from US highly likely winning Gold, but it seems that both Germany and Canada have a shot at making the gold medal game where anything can happen. Congrats on the win btw.

[exstatic]

Right, cool. Looking at the records and the few games I watch (I saw Canada against Australia game, and Germany today for the first time against France), to me, those three look like the potential top 3 finishing teams. No idea where they'll all finish apart from US highly likely winning Gold, but it seems that both Germany and Canada have a shot at making the gold medal game where anything can happen. Congrats on the win btw.

Germany was either gold or silver at the World Cup. They’re legit.

[Chinook]

And the GNT is nowhere near as good as the average contender. Wemby isn't "some help" away from winning a ring. He's years of development away from being in a position to use help. The Spurs look to be giving him that time, and I can't imagine this summer is giving them second thoughts about that. I'd love them to get a mentor big for Victor to learn from, Markkanen shouldn't even be on their radar.

[itzsoweezee]

Bookmarking some of these hot takes. It’s like spurstalkers completely forgot about how dominant Wemby was last season. He’s experiencing the same problems with the French team as he experienced with the Spurs—he’s surrounded by a bunch of scrubs.

One thing he does need to improve on is to stop being so deferential to bad teammates. Just because they’ve been there longer than you doesn’t mean you owe them anything

[Dex]

And the GNT is nowhere near as good as the average contender. Wemby isn't "some help" away from winning a ring. He's years of development away from being in a position to use help. The Spurs look to be giving him that time, and I can't imagine this summer is giving them second thoughts about that. I'd love them to get a mentor big for Victor to learn from, Markkanen shouldn't even be on their radar.

I don't buy into the whole "Wemby wants to win now or will leave" nonsense like most folks...but if there is any truth to that, hopefully this experience has been humbling for him. France was touted as one of the top teams in this tourney and has been mediocre so far. Should be a reminder that he, alone, doesn't guarantee success and that winning is a process.

[Chinook]

Bookmarking some of these hot takes. It’s like spurstalkers completely forgot about how dominant Wemby was last season. He’s experiencing the same problems with the French team as he experienced with the Spurs—he’s surrounded by a bunch of scrubs.

One thing he does need to improve on is to stop being so deferential to bad teammates. Just because they’ve been there longer than you doesn’t mean you owe them anything

I think there's a issue mixing up folks recognizing Wemby's talent and folks not recognizing that it takes more than talent to be the centerpiece of a title team. Scapegoating his teammates rather than recognizing the reality of development taking time is just a coping mechanism.

Victor is 20 years old. Refusing to understand what that really means does not make one a bigger fan.

[Chinook]

I don't buy into the whole "Wemby wants to win now or will leave" nonsense like most folks...but if there is any truth to that, hopefully this experience has been humbling for him. France was touted as one of the top teams in this tourney and has been mediocre so far. Should be a reminder that he, alone, doesn't guarantee success and that winning is a process.

I think he WANTS to win now. Who doesn't? But I think the edge people put on it is fanficking. He doesn't hate his teammates and knows it's a process. The wildcard is his group and how they see things.

[Limguogolo]

I would have loved Embiid to play for the France team. Suspicious behavior, no racing, no involvement in team play, that was the identity of the France team. It would have helped the team be even more ridiculous.

Wemby can't be option 1. Instead of trying to compete for the low post, he'd be better off staying mobile. He has no chance of having the ball low post hoping to keep the position if the position is contested, especially when he himself is not looking at the guard who could possibly give him the ball. It's too static. Always the same impression of seeing five chess enthusiasts come in suits and ties debating in a club with pipes in their mouths to know which move to adopt while the five opposite players are playing boxing.

At one point we saw Albicy speak at a timeout where Collet was relegated behind, and as if by chance, then it was Cordinier who finally began to attack the opposing guards. Collet's tactic is to avoid all contacts in the hope that with a little Macron-style diplomacy the adversaries will begin to fall asleep. At least, we saw a guard break this soporific logic (even Victor ended up refusing contact and increasing the number of outside shots, he almost plays SF). Canadian will enjoy playing against old chess enthusiasts. (Rudy should have been ejected, I guess he was tired of being asked to play like Jokic.)

[quentin_compson]

And the GNT is nowhere near as good as the average contender. Wemby isn't "some help" away from winning a ring. He's years of development away from being in a position to use help. The Spurs look to be giving him that time, and I can't imagine this summer is giving them second thoughts about that. I'd love them to get a mentor big for Victor to learn from, Markkanen shouldn't even be on their radar.

That's a somewhat weird take for me. Has Wemby been great in the Olympics? Hell no. Has the team around him been playing any good and well coached basketball? Hell no. Your post sounds like you think it would be a good thing for Wemby's development to not surround him with better players than he currently has around him.
I don't even quite get your line of reasoning: Wemby is years away from being in a position to lead a team pushing for the playoffs but getting better players like (for example) Markannen to help his development by increasing the quality around him is bad also?

[BackHome]

This might be a bit of an overreaction, but Spurs maybe need to get another top 4 pick this season. Victor needs to add strength. He's getting bullied by everyone. Can't back anyone down.

Welcome to the Tank for Copper Flagg train :lma

[daslicer]

This might be a bit of an overreaction, but Spurs maybe need to get another top 4 pick this season. Victor needs to add strength. He's getting bullied by everyone. Can't back anyone down.

Victor is closer to David Robinson then he is to a Tim Duncan type of player. When I say this, I don't mean his style of play is exactly like David's but like David he is not ever going to be a post up big man. He's a face up scorer who also needs his jump shot to be falling for him to really dominate the game. I think over time his jump shot will get more consistent but when his shot isn't falling, he's very limited when it comes to getting easy buckets outside of lobs and putbacks.

[spurraider21]

Welcome to the Tank for Copper Flagg train :lma
Gag for Flagg

[Frenchfred]

Welcome to the Tank for Copper Flagg train :lma

I have been saying but people here really believe that the Spurs are going to be much better next season. Wemby will have his moments but he won't be able to carry the team, which has not improved that much (Barnes and that's it). The Spurs are a clear bottom 8-10 and should go for a top4 pick next season. But 2024-25 won't be much different than last season.

[MultiTroll]

France was touted as one of the top teams in this tourney
:lol By who?

All the French posters are saying this coach is Pop level retard low BBIQ.

I'll admit i thought something could be done with Gobert and Wama on the same team. Even if they alternated.
The French guards absolutely blow.

[Dex]

:lol By who?

All the French posters are saying this coach is Pop level retard low BBIQ.

I'll admit i thought something could be done with Gobert and Wama on the same team. Even if they alternated.
The French guards absolutely blow.

A team with with 7 players with NBA experience (Wemby, Gobert, Batum, Coulibaly, Fournier, De Colo, Ntilikina) and plenty of international experience....

That includes an NBA 4xDPoY, an up-and-coming RoY and future NBA star, a savvy NBA vet, and...well the others...

They are more "talented" than 80% of the teams in this tournament...AND they are playing at home basically. Thus, expectations were high...

But I do agree that their coaching and, particularly, their guard play is absolute dogshit. It makes the things the Spurs do with Wemby look like poetry.

[itzsoweezee]

I think there's a issue mixing up folks recognizing Wemby's talent and folks not recognizing that it takes more than talent to be the centerpiece of a title team. Scapegoating his teammates rather than recognizing the reality of development taking time is just a coping mechanism.

Victor is 20 years old. Refusing to understand what that really means does not make one a bigger fan.

Victor will be the centerpiece of a title. If you don’t believe that, basketball might not be the sport for you. When will he be the centerpiece is an open question. No one is claiming a victor-centric team is winning a championship this year or next year. But there is a huge gulf between a championship team and a bottom feeder team. The fact that the spurs were so horrible last year has nothing to do with Wembanyama.

Let’s not do this strawmanning nonsense. Just say you think that a Victor-centric team today cannot be a competent, competitive team if that is what you think.

[MultiTroll]

A team with with 7 players with NBA experience (Wemby, Gobert, Batum, Coulibaly, Fournier, De Colo, Ntilikina) and plenty of international experience....

That includes an NBA 4xDPoY, an up-and-coming RoY and future NBA star, a savvy NBA vet, and...well the others...
This i did not know.

So it's basically going to take this French coach a roster the equivalent of
Prime Timmy Dunker
Prime GNob
Prime Parker
Healty DRob
Bob Horry
Prime Steffi Kerr
and many more to get him a Gold.

[MultiTroll]

French coach blaming Wemby.
You who saw the game have a reaction?

France Head Coach Criticizes Victor Wembanyama After Tough Loss Against Germany (msn.com) (https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/france-head-coach-criticizes-victor-wembanyama-after-tough-loss-against-germany/ar-AA1o9tVy?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=b09b18f3035e4d3393589f3d9787f5e7&ei=71)

“He stopped the ball too much. Against that kind of aggressiveness, you can’t play that way," said Collet. "You are never 1-on-1 because they come to double team and there’s no space to operate. It’s important to move the ball.”

[Ice009]

Victor is closer to David Robinson then he is to a Tim Duncan type of player. When I say this, I don't mean his style of play is exactly like David's but like David he is not ever going to be a post up big man. He's a face up scorer who also needs his jump shot to be falling for him to really dominate the game. I think over time his jump shot will get more consistent but when his shot isn't falling, he's very limited when it comes to getting easy buckets outside of lobs and putbacks.

Yeah true. I did grow up a D-Rob fan, but I wasn't actually able to watch him play much. I suppose you're right in that he's more of a face up player. I guess I'm used to TD down low dominating. Victor's going to be different and he's going to have to learn some sort of effective go to moves. What happened to the hook shot, can't he learn one of those, or maybe a sky hook like he was talking about before his rookie season. How did Kareem used to score? What were his go-to moves?

Do you think Victor needs to add more strength? I don't think we'd want him to get super bulked due to his frame, but I think he needs more. Would Giannis have ever become the same player he is now if he stayed skinny? I don't think he would have.

Edit : What do you French fans think about Collet criticising victor?

MultiTroll you can watch the game yourself here : basketball-video.com what web browser are you using? Install an Ad Blocker (uBlock is what I recommend) from the extensions store if you're using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and you should be OK to watch the videos.

[Chinook]

Victor will be the centerpiece of a title. If you don’t believe that, basketball might not be the sport for you. When will he be the centerpiece is an open question. No one is claiming a victor-centric team is winning a championship this year or next year. But there is a huge gulf between a championship team and a bottom feeder team. The fact that the spurs were so horrible last year has nothing to do with Wembanyama.

Let’s not do this strawmanning nonsense. Just say you think that a Victor-centric team today cannot be a competent, competitive team if that is what you think.

The thing is, I've been extremely clear on my opinion about Wemby. There's no sleight of hand on my part. No one said Victor "won't" be a centerpiece. That is trying to put words in my mouth and creating a strawman. Basically everyone thinks Wemby will become a centerpiece. That's not where the debate is, and trying to force it there because it makes the other side look unreasonable is really lame.

The point I'm making -- and a point that a lot of folks do not agree with -- is that Victor isn't ready for the Spurs to take a contending posture. Yes, there are people who think that they should make moves for other stars now. That is basically the view that underpins the Markkanen fervor. There are people who think the Spurs other players are holding him back. They interpret the issues Victor has scoring on certain players or the lack of easy buckets they assume he should always be able to get as the failing of everyone else around him. And no matter what screenshots they pull out or tweets from random folks agreeing with them they pass off as evidence, it's not the reality. The reality is, he's 20 years old, and like all young superstars, he's going to be inconsistent, and good players and coaches will have answers for him. Stars need to grow in that dialectic, and that process usually takes several years.

Folks watched France destroy Turkey's B-team and took it as validation for their belief that the Spurs put a uniquely horrible lineup around Wemby, and that that explains why he didn't meet their expectations. The FNT had "guards that could throw a lob pass", a "coach that isn't senile" and all the other STisms. Then they ran into legit competition, the easy buckets went away, Victor went back to being a young inconsistent player, and now it's all about how uniquely horrible the FNT's guards are and how much of an idiot their coach is. People say it with (what I assume is) a straight face. It's bonkers.

It's not a freaking mystery why a team relying on a 20-year-old to carry them is going to struggle against high-level experienced competition. It doesn't require someone to be held responsible for it. There's no easy coaching magic that's going to make that work. There aren't supporting teammates that are going to make it work. The thing that's going to make it work is time. France should have the best player in the tournament in 2032 if not 2028. At this point, their best chance at winning gold will be to get the other young guys (Risacher, Traore, Coulibaly) to commit
to playing international ball as many summers as possible. There's no reason why they can't develop the kind of chemistry Australia has, that Argentina had, or hell like the FNT had with Parker, Diaw and Turiaf. Building that "greater than the sum of its parts" factor takes time, dedication and growth. It doesn't take just having the most talented prospect on your team.

And no, I'm not saying there aren't individual issues with coaching or teammates for either the Spurs or FNT. Those are real, and many of them are annoying. The Spurs in particular should not be married to their roster or staff given the lack of improvement by so many players. I'm saying that until Wemby's ready, those things aren't actually limiting factors. Victor is the pole at the center of the tent. There's no combination of other teammates and coaching that will push either team past where Wemby is in his development except bringing in an established superstar who can establish the foundation for the team while Wemby takes on a supporting/complimentary role for a couple of years. That's obviously more possible for the Spurs to do than the FNT, but the targets that are brought up most frequently do not fit that bill. Hence why this summer with the FNT hasn't given the Spurs cause to reconsider using the next year or two as growth years for Wemby despite many fans wanting them to bring in younger stars. I don't believe he's at the point in his development where that's the smart move, and so far the Spurs seem to be of the same mind.

[Limguogolo]

A team with with 7 players with NBA experience (Wemby, Gobert, Batum, Coulibaly, Fournier, De Colo, Ntilikina) and plenty of international experience....

That includes an NBA 4xDPoY, an up-and-coming RoY and future NBA star, a savvy NBA vet, and...well the others...

They are more "talented" than 80% of the teams in this tournament...AND they are playing at home basically. Thus, expectations were high...

But I do agree that their coaching and, particularly, their guard play is absolute dogshit. It makes the things the Spurs do with Wemby look like poetry.

Some people still have a lot of illusions about the margin that the NBA would have over other leagues. We are far from the advance that NBA players had in the 90s. The FIBA ​​game has become much more physical than the NBA game, which has become a game of shooters.

Talent is everywhere. NBA franchises draft prospects, not accomplished players, and many of these prospects do not confirm or do not find an ideal environment for their development. This is the case for many French guards, whose % of success in the league must not exceed the level of success of other guards in the league after their rookie contract. These players could have gained more experience and certainty in Europe against already accomplished players instead of playing parts of games in the NBA. The level is very tight in all leagues, between NBA and Euroleague; teams do not manage players at the same time of their development. You can find excellent veteran or already accomplished players who do not play on an NBA roster, as well as less good young players who will play more than them. And in the end, you will conclude that it is those who play who are better than the obscure player who does not have a chance.

Take Micić and Coulibaly for example. Coulibaly has probably played more this year in the NBA than the Serbian player, does that mean Micić is less good? Certainly not. Micić has been one of the best players in Europe for several years in a row, if not the best. If he doesn't play in the NBA, it's not that he's not good, it's that the coach believes he has better options. This confuses the issue as to the level of certain players. Some play little or in a bad context. Schröder is underemployed in the NBA, but he has been one of the best guards for Germany in several international competitions. Just because he plays in the NBA doesn't mean he's superior, he's superior because he's a perfect fit for a role and environment.

The same thing could be said about the success that Tony Parker or Jokic had in the NBA. They succeeded in a very specific context in the NBA, and there is nothing to say that they would have established themselves elsewhere. This is why, when you change their environment, in an international tournament for instance, their impact on their respective team is not the same.

How many times will Team USA lose in international competitions for fans who only see basketball through the eyes of the NBA to realize the facts? The gap between the NBA and the European leagues is no longer that of the 90s. And overall, talent is found everywhere on the planet. Like what we see in football, many supposedly weak national teams can worry big historical teams. Stop thinking that the NBA is the alpha and omega of basketball in the world.

For the players mentioned: Wemby has no adult international experience; Fournier hasn't played in two years; De Colo returns from injury and is no longer at his best; Ntilikina plays little and has few benchmarks in the FIBA ​​game.

The strengths and best elements of this French team are precisely in its elements which are not in the NBA. Lessort and Yabusele are two of the best interiors in a Euroleague context: this in no way predicts that they will be dominant in a FIBA ​​tournament, but they are already more certainties and benchmarks than French guards who play little in an NBA context. Cordinier also plays a role on a Euroleague team. Strazel is playing on a top four Euroleague team at 22 years old.

After yesterday's game, Batum made statements about the level and involvement of the team even though he is one of the reasons for his team's failure: in an NBA context, I would like to believe that he either an elite defender; in FIBA ​​this is not the case; in the NBA, you sometimes bring the ball up quietly after a rebound, in FIBA, you run, it's a PO game at every moment. OK, there are NBA players, but how many of these French players regularly play games with the intensity of a playoff game? A Euroleague match is once or twice a week a game with the intensity of an NBA final. This is why, for example, the absence of Hifi is detrimental. In the same context, he proved this year that he is better than De Colo or Albicy by playing in the team in Europe which probably plays the most aggressive and fastest game. Same thing for Francisco. Ntilikina will probably be much more useful in the future in the French team if he wins minutes and respect in Serbia after having played so little in the NBA.

A team is built with players in good shape, with players who play during the season, who knows playoff level, not players who are out of shape or prospects playing on one of the worst NBA teams.

[cutewizard]

The thing is, I've been extremely clear on my opinion about Wemby. There's no sleight of hand on my part. No one said Victor "won't" be a centerpiece. That is trying to put words in my mouth and creating a strawman. Basically everyone thinks Wemby will become a centerpiece. That's not where the debate is, and trying to force it there because it makes the other side look unreasonable is really lame.

Incredible analysis

Thank you good Sir

The point I'm making -- and a point that a lot of folks do not agree with -- is that Victor isn't ready for the Spurs to take a contending posture. Yes, there are people who think that they should make moves for other stars now. That is basically the view that underpins the Markkanen fervor. There are people who think the Spurs other players are holding him back. They interpret the issues Victor has scoring on certain players or the lack of easy buckets they assume he should always be able to get as the failing of everyone else around him. And no matter what screenshots they pull out or tweets from random folks agreeing with them they pass off as evidence, it's not the reality. The reality is, he's 20 years old, and like all young superstars, he's going to be inconsistent, and good players and coaches will have answers for him. Stars need to grow in that dialectic, and that process usually takes several years.

Folks watched France destroy Turkey's B-team and took it as validation for their belief that the Spurs put a uniquely horrible lineup around Wemby, and that that explains why he didn't meet their expectations. The FNT had "guards that could throw a lob pass", a "coach that isn't senile" and all the other STisms. Then they ran into legit competition, the easy buckets went away, Victor went back to being a young inconsistent player, and now it's all about how uniquely horrible the FNT's guards are and how much of an idiot their coach is. People say it with (what I assume is) a straight face. It's bonkers.

It's not a freaking mystery why a team relying on a 20-year-old to carry them is going to struggle against high-level experienced competition. It doesn't require someone to be held responsible for it. There's no easy coaching magic that's going to make that work. There aren't supporting teammates that are going to make it work. The thing that's going to make it work is time. France should have the best player in the tournament in 2032 if not 2028. At this point, their best chance at winning gold will be to get the other young guys (Risacher, Traore, Coulibaly) to commit
to playing international ball as many summers as possible. There's no reason why they can't develop the kind of chemistry Australia has, that Argentina had, or hell like the FNT had with Parker, Diaw and Turiaf. Building that "greater than the sum of its parts" factor takes time, dedication and growth. It doesn't take just having the most talented prospect on your team.

And no, I'm not saying there aren't individual issues with coaching or teammates for either the Spurs or FNT. Those are real, and many of them are annoying. The Spurs in particular should not be married to their roster or staff given the lack of improvement by so many players. I'm saying that until Wemby's ready, those things aren't actually limiting factors. Victor is the pole at the center of the tent. There's no combination of other teammates and coaching that will push either team past where Wemby is in his development except bringing in an established superstar who can establish the foundation for the team while Wemby takes on a supporting/complimentary role for a couple of years. That's obviously more possible for the Spurs to do than the FNT, but the targets that are brought up most frequently do not fit that bill. Hence why this summer with the FNT hasn't given the Spurs cause to reconsider using the next year or two as growth years for Wemby despite many fans wanting them to bring in younger stars. I don't believe he's at the point in his development where that's the smart move, and so far the Spurs seem to be of the same mind.

[cutewizard]

Some people still have a lot of illusions about the margin that the NBA would have over other leagues. We are far from the advance that NBA players had in the 90s. The FIBA ​​game has become much more physical than the NBA game, which has become a game of shooters.

Talent is everywhere. NBA franchises draft prospects, not accomplished players, and many of these prospects do not confirm or do not find an ideal environment for their development. This is the case for many French guards, whose % of success in the league must not exceed the level of success of other guards in the league after their rookie contract. These players could have gained more experience and certainty in Europe against already accomplished players instead of playing parts of games in the NBA. The level is very tight in all leagues, between NBA and Euroleague; teams do not manage players at the same time of their development. You can find excellent veteran or already accomplished players who do not play on an NBA roster, as well as less good young players who will play more than them. And in the end, you will conclude that it is those who play who are better than the obscure player who does not have a chance.

Take Micić and Coulibaly for example. Coulibaly has probably played more this year in the NBA than the Serbian player, does that mean Micić is less good? Certainly not. Micić has been one of the best players in Europe for several years in a row, if not the best. If he doesn't play in the NBA, it's not that he's not good, it's that the coach believes he has better options. This confuses the issue as to the level of certain players. Some play little or in a bad context. Schröder is underemployed in the NBA, but he has been one of the best guards for Germany in several international competitions. Just because he plays in the NBA doesn't mean he's superior, he's superior because he's a perfect fit for a role and environment.

The same thing could be said about the success that Tony Parker or Jokic had in the NBA. They succeeded in a very specific context in the NBA, and there is nothing to say that they would have established themselves elsewhere. This is why, when you change their environment, in an international tournament for instance, their impact on their respective team is not the same.

How many times will Team USA lose in international competitions for fans who only see basketball through the eyes of the NBA to realize the facts? The gap between the NBA and the European leagues is no longer that of the 90s. And overall, talent is found everywhere on the planet. Like what we see in football, many supposedly weak national teams can worry big historical teams. Stop thinking that the NBA is the alpha and omega of basketball in the world.

For the players mentioned: Wemby has no adult international experience; Fournier hasn't played in two years; De Colo returns from injury and is no longer at his best; Ntilikina plays little and has few benchmarks in the FIBA ​​game.

The strengths and best elements of this French team are precisely in its elements which are not in the NBA. Lessort and Yabusele are two of the best interiors in a Euroleague context: this in no way predicts that they will be dominant in a FIBA ​​tournament, but they are already more certainties and benchmarks than French guards who play little in an NBA context. Cordinier also plays a role on a Euroleague team. Strazel is playing on a top four Euroleague team at 22 years old.

After yesterday's game, Batum made statements about the level and involvement of the team even though he is one of the reasons for his team's failure: in an NBA context, I would like to believe that he either an elite defender; in FIBA ​​this is not the case; in the NBA, you sometimes bring the ball up quietly after a rebound, in FIBA, you run, it's a PO game at every moment. OK, there are NBA players, but how many of these French players regularly play games with the intensity of a playoff game? A Euroleague match is once or twice a week a game with the intensity of an NBA final. This is why, for example, the absence of Hifi is detrimental. In the same context, he proved this year that he is better than De Colo or Albicy by playing in the team in Europe which probably plays the most aggressive and fastest game. Same thing for Francisco. Ntilikina will probably be much more useful in the future in the French team if he wins minutes and respect in Serbia after having played so little in the NBA.

A team is built with players in good shape, with players who play during the season, who knows playoff level, not players who are out of shape or prospects playing on one of the worst NBA teams.

----------

Thanks Sir

I'm learning a lot here

[cutewizard]

There are some Spurs analysts here which are better than world columnists, like the aforementioned

I just come here to refresh my day and learn

But yes indeed, Wemby is still young , he needs time to develop

Tim should teach him some post skills.....

[cutewizard]

Wemby is like one of those young dragonriders in Game of Thrones

Passionate, but inexperienced

Winter is coming,.............

[cutewizard]

We need Cregan Stark at center

..........

[cutewizard]

Gentlemen

I think Wembys mentality is a small forward.....

Correct me if I'm wrong......

[Raven]

A team with with 7 players with NBA experience (Wemby, Gobert, Batum, Coulibaly, Fournier, De Colo, Ntilikina) and plenty of international experience....

That includes an NBA 4xDPoY, an up-and-coming RoY and future NBA star, a savvy NBA vet, and...well the others...

They are more "talented" than 80% of the teams in this tournament...AND they are playing at home basically. Thus, expectations were high...

But I do agree that their coaching and, particularly, their guard play is absolute dogshit. It makes the things the Spurs do with Wemby look like poetry.

the bigger problem is that they combine rookies with players on their last legs.. granted, the talent is there, but more likely they will start dominating when this generation gets in..

[couchman]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
Wemby is not a legit creator and playmaker at this point in his career. No reliable post up game and too many BAD turnovers on the perimeter.
He’s young and he can become a #1 option and creator for a title contenting team, but he’s not there right now.
If you want him to get there you have to suffer through the mistakes an inefficient play for a while longer, perhaps even years.
That sets up a perfect situation to soft tank another year and perhaps find a true playmaker and creator to pair with Wemby.
Because one thing he could easily become soon is an elite and efficient finisher and scorer.
Pair Wemby with someone who can break down a defense and he will feast on open threes and closeouts and lobs and scrambling defenses. He’d easily score 30ppg right now in that scenario.

[Ice009]

I like it and I hope it all plays out the way you've said and can become a number 1 option and also learn to be a decent play maker in time. I don't mind it if it takes him some time to get there. Soft tanks can help the team acquire more talent and if Victor becomes a better player due to the growing pains, even better.

One thing I will say, though, do you guys think he needs to add much more weight? And do you think he is capable of having a post up game due to high height and length, or is that not ever going to be strength for him due to his frame (not being able to back guys down)?

And those of you that watched Kareem, what was his game like? How did he play on offense and how did he do most of his scoring?

[LeBowen]

There are many aspects of playmaking. As good as Wemby's handles are for his size, can't expect him to iso on the perimeter against good defensive wings.
His passing is great when he's inside the paint, getting there is the problem.
Whether it be Wemby getting into the position with the ball or teammates getting the ball to him in the paint.
Wemby wouldn't be isoing on the perimeter unless it's against slow-footed bigs if he had competent guards.

Soft tanking won't be a thing in the next season. As in we can't have a worse record than tanking teams if Wemby is healthy, but we most likely won't be able to make the playoffs even if things go well.
We'll be stuck in that subpar team bracket alongside Hawks and maybe Raptors.

[widowmaker]

Lebron is trash

[widowmaker]

Lebron is trash

[Dex]

I know Puerto Rico is probably the worst team in the tournament, but these games go to show how all it takes is a few bad minutes for a team to go from a close game to down 20.

[Seventyniner]

How many times will Team USA lose in international competitions for fans who only see basketball through the eyes of the NBA to realize the facts? The gap between the NBA and the European leagues is no longer that of the 90s. And overall, talent is found everywhere on the planet. Like what we see in football, many supposedly weak national teams can worry big historical teams. Stop thinking that the NBA is the alpha and omega of basketball in the world.

This is mixing up international and professional competition. While Team USA is no longer light-years ahead of the competition as they were in the '90s for international games, the NBA is still by far the best professional league in the world.

[KobesAchilles]

The problem with what Chinook is saying is that it Victor wasn’t even given a fair shot from the beginning. Chinook can argue that Victor is young and isn’t ready to be a center piece but where his argument comes up short is with the teammates and organization. It’s a fact that Pop said he didn’t know how to coach Victor and didn’t have any plays for him to start off the season. Some people argued that it was experimental and Pop was taking a let’s see what we have approach. I think it was just straight lazy. You can still experiment with Wemby AND run set plays for him. But we didn’t and that didn’t exactly help Wemby at all to start the season.

Then we started a PF to bring up the ball, run the offense, and feed Wemby when the PF couldn’t throw any entry pass to the post, a lob pass, a pocket pass in pick n roll, and a traffic pass (as I call it) when the lane collapses and you feed your big man. All of this didn’t help Wemby at all. Chinook for some reason thinks that Wemby isn’t ready for a centerpiece of a title contender bc he is flawed but doesn’t acknowledge the fact that nobody on the team is ready for them to be a contender. Let’s say that Wemby was the 5th best player in the world and fixed his turnover flaws, he improved his defense understanding, became a decent playmaker, and his jumper has improved significantly, would the Spurs be title contenders? No they would not. And that’s bc his teammates suck. The organization needs to get their shit together bc we have no idea if Wemby can be a “title contender” player of his team is so garbage.

The Spurs did about the worst they could to help Victor last year. From top of the organization down to the players they shit the bed for him. A trade for Lauri might not make us title contenders but it would get us to the playoffs. It would get him experience. It would help with spacing so he isn’t triple teamed by Sochans man and Castles man. Hell I would double off CP3 too. Keep one man on Vassell and just double Wemby and what exactly would the Spurs do offensively? Not much. Victor needs talent around him and it’s bullshit to say that Victor isn’t a centerpiece to a contender when A) we’ve given him zero pieces, and B) we just saw Jason Tatum win a championship and he is just as flawed as Wemby. But Boston surrounded him with talent and they won.

[Dex]

we just saw Jason Tatum win a championship and he is just as flawed as Wemby. But Boston surrounded him with talent and they won.

Yeah, and that only took 7 years to work :rolleyes

Calm down and give Wemby AND the team time to develop.

[LeBowen]

USA will have an easy time against Brazil.
Germany is a way better team than Greece, I doubt Giannis can carry by himself.
Canada wouldn't have issues against France if it was played anywhere else, but I expect a lot of home cooking from the refs.
Serbia should take care of business against Australia.

Semi-finals matchups will be drawn later.

[ace3g]

https://x.com/FIBA/status/1819852190128955624

https://x.com/FIBA/status/1819852388125335822

https://x.com/FIBA/status/1819852582359081027

https://x.com/FIBA/status/1819852693370016090

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GUFqjxMXwAAxfej?format=jpg&name=medium

[KobesAchilles]

Yeah, and that only took 7 years to work :rolleyes

Calm down and give Wemby AND the team time to develop.
He made the ECF as a sophomore. Made the nba finals his 5th year and has played in 5 ECFs overall. It’s like you guys don’t even watch nba basketball

[Limguogolo]

This is mixing up international and professional competition. While Team USA is no longer light-years ahead of the competition as they were in the '90s for international games, the NBA is still by far the best professional league in the world.
There is a difference between saying that the NBA remains the best league in the world, by far (and I share this opinion), and thinking that any role player, bench player or prospect has the same value as the elite players in the best clubs in Europe.

Behind the top twenty teams in the NBA, there is nothing on the entire country. We certainly find the best players there, but there is a large concentration of the best talents on the planet in very few clubs. The benches are very composite (prospects, very good players, old players, role players). Elsewhere on the planet, however, you find many more leagues that are worse than the NBA, but they are competitive with very often players or teams that are better than non-star NBA players.

And I'm not talking about the ten worst teams in the NBA which would undoubtedly fare poorly against the ten best Euroleague clubs or against some national champions.

The worst NBA franchises are built through draft rounds, and therefore prospects. You mold these prospects for years according to playing principles and an environment specific to the NBA, and you establish objectives over three or four years. Playing in a FIBA ​​or even Euroleague context requires completely different work. So again, okay, the NBA is the best league, but then you could hardly argue that an average NBA player (Fournier, Batum), a prospect (Coulibaly), a defensive role player (Gobert) or a former NBA player (De Colo), is at Euroleague level (actually De Colo played very poorly in the worst Euroleague team when not injured).

Even more so once the environments are always specific. We see it clearly with Tatum or with Duncan at the time, who are and were struggling to adapt to the FIBA ​​game. Does this mean they are worse than direct opponents in FIBA? Not necessarily. They are less good in this specific environment. Some good Euroleague players could, for example, adapt quickly to an NBA game, there are never certainties.

This is why we must be wary of certain easy or clichés suggesting mentionning NBA fans known French players that a bench player in the "best league in the world" will necessarily have more talent, for example, than a... "world champion" not playing in the NBA, a real one: a player on the German team.

[CGD]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GUFqjxMXwAAxfej?format=jpg&name=medium

That Canada-France game will be exciting. On paper, Canada should have it, but the emotion of being host should boost France.

US, Serbia, Germany, and Canada feel like the final four, with US-Germany being the final.

[daslicer]

Yeah true. I did grow up a D-Rob fan, but I wasn't actually able to watch him play much. I suppose you're right in that he's more of a face up player. I guess I'm used to TD down low dominating. Victor's going to be different and he's going to have to learn some sort of effective go to moves. What happened to the hook shot, can't he learn one of those, or maybe a sky hook like he was talking about before his rookie season. How did Kareem used to score? What were his go-to moves?

Do you think Victor needs to add more strength? I don't think we'd want him to get super bulked due to his frame, but I think he needs more. Would Giannis have ever become the same player he is now if he stayed skinny? I don't think he would have.

Edit : What do you French fans think about Collet criticising victor?

MultiTroll you can watch the game yourself here : basketball-video.com what web browser are you using? Install an Ad Blocker (uBlock is what I recommend) from the extensions store if you're using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and you should be OK to watch the videos.

I personally have always liked bigmen historically that played back to basket ala Duncan, Olaujuwon, Shaq, Jokic. Those types of bigs are the easiest to win with because when the offense falls apart, they can get easy buckets in crucial game time situations. It's a lot harder to win titles with bigmen who are like Dirk, David Robinson, etc since they don't have any go to moves when their jump shot isn't falling.

[Pauleta14]

The problem with what Chinook is saying is that it Victor wasn’t even given a fair shot from the beginning. Chinook can argue that Victor is young and isn’t ready to be a center piece but where his argument comes up short is with the teammates and organization. It’s a fact that Pop said he didn’t know how to coach Victor and didn’t have any plays for him to start off the season. Some people argued that it was experimental and Pop was taking a let’s see what we have approach. I think it was just straight lazy. You can still experiment with Wemby AND run set plays for him. But we didn’t and that didn’t exactly help Wemby at all to start the season.

Then we started a PF to bring up the ball, run the offense, and feed Wemby when the PF couldn’t throw any entry pass to the post, a lob pass, a pocket pass in pick n roll, and a traffic pass (as I call it) when the lane collapses and you feed your big man. All of this didn’t help Wemby at all. Chinook for some reason thinks that Wemby isn’t ready for a centerpiece of a title contender bc he is flawed but doesn’t acknowledge the fact that nobody on the team is ready for them to be a contender. Let’s say that Wemby was the 5th best player in the world and fixed his turnover flaws, he improved his defense understanding, became a decent playmaker, and his jumper has improved significantly, would the Spurs be title contenders? No they would not. And that’s bc his teammates suck. The organization needs to get their shit together bc we have no idea if Wemby can be a “title contender” player of his team is so garbage.

The Spurs did about the worst they could to help Victor last year. From top of the organization down to the players they shit the bed for him. A trade for Lauri might not make us title contenders but it would get us to the playoffs. It would get him experience. It would help with spacing so he isn’t triple teamed by Sochans man and Castles man. Hell I would double off CP3 too. Keep one man on Vassell and just double Wemby and what exactly would the Spurs do offensively? Not much. Victor needs talent around him and it’s bullshit to say that Victor isn’t a centerpiece to a contender when A) we’ve given him zero pieces, and B) we just saw Jason Tatum win a championship and he is just as flawed as Wemby. But Boston surrounded him with talent and they won.

If we applied Chinook's logic, Gobert should be playing in the gleague

His "theory" doesn't make any sense, he conveniently avoids many obvious handicaps Wemby shouldn't have to deal with

[Pauleta14]

USA will have an easy time against Brazil.
Germany is a way better team than Greece, I doubt Giannis can carry by himself.
Canada wouldn't have issues against France if it was played anywhere else, but I expect a lot of home cooking from the refs.
Serbia should take care of business against Australia.

Semi-finals matchups will be drawn later.

You probably have the end of the Japan game in mind, I get it, but the refs haven't protected the french players at all, far from it.

They're allowing A LOT of contact from their opponents

Only a monstruous game from Wemby can make it a close game tbh France is just too weak on the perimeter.

[Manu&Duncan fan]

For those of you who questions Wemby's readiness, imagine replacing Gobert with Lauri Markkanen, then add Barnes and Chris Paul. France will suddenly become a medal contender.

Gobert is their main problem. He is in the way of the offense. France needs shooters and a point guard.

With Lauri, Spurs will be a playoff team and possibly get into top 4. After this coming playoff run, Spurs will be fully ready to compete for title in 2026.

[rascal]

Setting up a France- USA final

[rankingtear]

For those of you who questions Wemby's readiness, imagine replacing Gobert with Lauri Markkanen, then add Barnes and Chris Paul. France will suddenly become a medal contender.

Gobert is their main problem. He is in the way of the offense. France needs shooters and a point guard.

With Lauri, Spurs will be a playoff team and possibly get into top 4. After this coming playoff run, Spurs will be fully ready to compete for title in 2026.

He still can't create his shot against the Dillon Brooks of the world. One step at a time.

[lebomb]

Setting up a France- USA final


I believe it will be Canada-USA final. Canada is loaded with NBA talent. Many of there players are starters in the NBA.

[spurraider21]

France probably loses to Canada tbh. France has feasted on terrible teams and barely survived against Japan who had their best player get tossed out

brooks will bother wemby and not sure where else France goes to for scoring

[BackHome]

If Manu can win a medal for Argentina then Wemby should easily be able to win one for France?

[Pauleta14]

If Manu can win a medal for Argentina then Wemby should easily be able to win one for France?

Manu had an amazing cast/generation next to him.

Maybe in 4years France will look more like a contender for the LA Olympics

[MultiTroll]

Manu had an amazing cast/generation next to him.
Does the French sport media pamper that asshat coach as much as San Antios media pusses out re Pop?

Any comments back from Wemby after asshat went off on him after their last game?

[CGD]

Does the French sport media pamper that asshat coach as much as San Antios media pusses out re Pop?

Any comments back from Wemby after asshat went off on him after their last game?

I did see that Fournier had critiques of the coaching:

“I think we lack fundamentals,” Fournier told Yann Ohnona of L’Equipe. “We have to move on. At times, I think we get it wrong in the way we want to play. And we pay the price for that. These days, the best defense is offense. It’s no longer the game of the 1990s or 2000s where you could defend half-court. Offense is essential. Balance on the court, transition game. Especially when you play a team as strong in transition as Germany is.”

[heyheymymy]

Those Manu teams were stacked

I always wanted Spurs to get Nocioni

[Pauleta14]

Does the French sport media pamper that asshat coach as much as San Antios media pusses out re Pop?

Any comments back from Wemby after asshat went off on him after their last game?

Not really, it's all very diplomatic at best.

Not only France doesn't have a lot of sports medias but the few journalists wants to keep good relationahip with everyone. At best the critics will come once eliminated (not even sure smh)

Fournier made some (light tbh) critics on the style of play and especially the fact that nowasday a team can't realy solely on defense like the past decades but need an efficient offense.

Collet got offended and almost talked about Fournier as if he was a treator!!

Not even sure Fournier will play the next game

Not much from Wemby aside the fact that he says the team needs to focus on having a good start, that the end of game's focus and strategy comes by itself

[TheChillFactor]

I did see that Fournier had critiques of the coaching:

“I think we lack fundamentals,” Fournier told Yann Ohnona of L’Equipe. “We have to move on. At times, I think we get it wrong in the way we want to play. And we pay the price for that. These days, the best defense is offense. It’s no longer the game of the 1990s or 2000s where you could defend half-court. Offense is essential. Balance on the court, transition game. Especially when you play a team as strong in transition as Germany is.”

Honestly this is accurate from what I've seen watching the three games. They are staggering Wemby and Gobert more now, but at first they were sharing a fair amount of court time.

If Collette wants Wemby to play down low he has to create space and Gobert is in the way when he's out there. Even without Wemby, Gobert has been bad in these games, fumbling easy passes. Go France Go lol

[MultiTroll]

Honestly this is accurate from what I've seen watching the three games. They are staggering Wemby and Gobert more now, but at first they were sharing a fair amount of court time.

If Collette wants Wemby to play down low he has to create space and Gobert is in the way when he's out there. Even without Wemby, Gobert has been bad in these games, fumbling easy passes. Go France Go lol


Collet got offended and almost talked about Fournier as if he was a treator!!

Not even sure Fournier will play the next game

Not much from Wemby aside the fact that he says the team needs to focus on having a good start, that the end of game's focus and strategy comes by itself
What a sad start coaching wise to Wembys 1st full year.
Hopefully Duncan, DRob and others around the Spurs have strategy conversations with Wemby on a regular basis.

.jpg of praying dog that Wemby gets some star level teammates sooner rather then later.
Rathern then not at all.

I fear Gramps is gonna do all 5 years of his contract. In fact an extension, moronic as it sounds would not completely surprise me.

[Pauleta14]

Honestly this is accurate from what I've seen watching the three games. They are staggering Wemby and Gobert more now, but at first they were sharing a fair amount of court time.

If Collette wants Wemby to play down low he has to create space and Gobert is in the way when he's out there. Even without Wemby, Gobert has been bad in these games, fumbling easy passes. Go France Go lol

That where you see the importance of coaching.

For all the shit Pop gets, he wouldn't hesitate to bench Gobert. Thing that neither Wolves's coach nor "Collette" had the balls to do (or possibly BBIQ for the latter)

[Jordan Jackson]

If Manu can win a medal for Argentina then Wemby should easily be able to win one for France?

He’s surrounded by a team full of Sochan’s. Ain’t gonna happen.

On a serious note, there is no movement or motion in France’s offense. It is too stagnant. Wemby needs to get that ball on the move. He moves well without the ball so he is capable.

The Spurs guards are total dogs but even our crazy coach was able to figure that out and come up with clever ways to get Wemby the ball.

[Manu&Duncan fan]

He’s surrounded by a team full of Sochan’s. Ain’t gonna happen.

On a serious note, there is no movement or motion in France’s offense. It is too stagnant. Wemby needs to get that ball on the move. He moves well without the ball so he is capable.

The Spurs guards are total dogs but even our crazy coach was able to figure that out and come up with clever ways to get Wemby the ball.

You got it. Wemby is way better than he appeared in these Olympic games.

[Fireball]

Well, Germany had lots of issues with Greece in the 1st quarter, but in the end it was a comfortable win. Ugly, but whatever. I think the playing time was a bit too early for my guys.

[JPB]

Victor will be a top 10 NBA player and DPOTY next season. Saying he's not ready to lead a contending team and spurs should wait another few years so he "develop" is pure nonsense. Not only can he keep on developing in a competitive, contending spurs team but that would be better for him.

OKC was contending last year in Chet rookie year, who gained and will keep on gaining precious and early PO experience (as a team too), and Vic was better than Chet last year. Put Wemby in OKC next year and they're among title favorites. They wouldn't have to wait another 3 years before he "develop".

Zero point waiting to give Wemby help now, and depraving him from competitive/PO experience, playing both with and against the best, giving the guy bad habbits, having to force stuff and do it all in a dysfunctional environment. Paul hopefully will bring a bit of order but won't make move the neddle that much nor make team that much more competitive.

You're just losing time.

[LeBowen]

FIBA Patty alert, Australia up 20 early on.

[heyheymymy]

Unbelievable

serbia came back down only 4 pts 3Q

Patty has 24 lol FIBA mode activated

[heyheymymy]

Bogdanovitch 30 pts 6-9 from three lol wow

[heyheymymy]

Jokic looks like he lost maybe 10-15lbs?

[Dex]

Australia on the ropes after being up 24. Still an even game right now, but it's hard to forget choking a lead like that

[LeBowen]

FIBA Patty for OT, never in doubt.

[ace3g]

FIBA PATTY!!!

[heyheymymy]

Wow FIBA Patty just forced OT with a tying shot with 1.4 remaining

That Micic missed FT comes back to haunt Serbia

[Dex]

FIBA Patty stills exists, but Jokic was too much in OT

[Pauleta14]

Collet found his balls!!!

Gobert starts on the bench in favour of Yabusele

Wemby at the 5

https://x.com/FirstTeam101/status/1820783657226772721

[Manu&Duncan fan]

Victor will be a top 10 NBA player and DPOTY next season. Saying he's not ready to lead a contending team and spurs should wait another few years so he "develop" is pure nonsense. Not only can he keep on developing in a competitive, contending spurs team but that would be better for him.

OKC was contending last year in Chet rookie year, who gained and will keep on gaining precious and early PO experience (as a team too), and Vic was better than Chet last year. Put Wemby in OKC next year and they're among title favorites. They wouldn't have to wait another 3 years before he "develop".

You got it! We don't need a prime Wemby to start competing. A top-10 Wemby is enough if surrounded by quality teammates.
Zero point waiting to give Wemby help now, and depraving him from competitive/PO experience, playing both with and against the best, giving the guy bad habbits, having to force stuff and do it all in a dysfunctional environment. Paul hopefully will bring a bit of order but won't make move the neddle that much nor make team that much more competitive.

You're just losing time.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Collet with the correct lineup finally. Should have played them more in preparation.

[ace3g]

Great start for France.

[ace3g]

Coach Pop is there per Wade.

[ace3g]

France up 23-10 after 1.

[DAF86]

Collet found his balls!!!

Gobert starts on the bench in favour of Yabusele

Wemby at the 5

https://x.com/FirstTeam101/status/1820783657226772721

Well, I hope this puts to bed the whole "Wemby can play alongside another center" talk that people still liked to bring up, tbh.

[MultiTroll]

Well, I hope this puts to bed the whole "Wemby can play alongside another center" talk that people still liked to bring up, tbh.
Not at all for me.
Only sample sizes so far are with coach Popped and French MoRon.
Would like to see what would come down with an excellent strategist.

[MultiTroll]

Is Wemby making a concerted effort to pass and not take shots?
Only 3 fga 1st half.

Still kicking ass with assists and blocks. :clap

[Frenchfred]

Hopefully, Wemby will have a better second half

[emanueldavidginobili]

Somehow Wemby looks more confident in the NBA than these Olympics

[Degoat]

Teams solely focus on wemby if these Fiba games. It’s smart to use him as a decoy

[DAF86]

Not at all for me.
Only sample sizes so far are with coach Popped and French MoRon.
Would like to see what would come down with an excellent strategist.

Wemby's best version will never come anywhere else than at center. Just deal with it, tbh.

[MultiTroll]

Somehow Wemby looks more confident in the NBA than these Olympics
https://www.basketsession.com/statics/uploads/2019/09/Vincent-Collet-640x332.jpg

[MultiTroll]

Wemby's best version will never come anywhere else than at center. Just deal with it, tbh.
That's not the issue.
It's can he play with another C type big at the same time.
Timmy Dunker and DRob.
Game, set, match.

[Brazil]

Great first half for France now we need to keep pushing and weather the storm that is coming tbh...

[LeBowen]

Players who are useless on offense are as unplayable as traffic cones on defense in modern basketball.
It's not even just about Gobert's lack of range, but he can't do anything on offense. Lessort is an elite post threat compared to him and he's an undersized scrub.

[emanueldavidginobili]

https://www.basketsession.com/statics/uploads/2019/09/Vincent-Collet-640x332.jpg
Yeah the schemes are terrible but it seems like Wemby wants nothing to do with the ball. Gets a rebound and is so quick to pass it to literally anyone. But yeah the coach is terrible give this guy some pin downs. I just feel like he was much more aggressive in the NBA than the Olympics maybe because he’s playing with much older guys rather than guys a couple years older then him. He needs to work on getting position close to the basket and not catching the ball in the post damn near the 3 point line.

[Dex]

Yeah the schemes are terrible but it seems like Wemby wants nothing to do with the ball. Gets a rebound and is so quick to pass it to literally anyone. But yeah the coach is terrible give this guy some pin downs. I just feel like he was much more aggressive in the NBA than the Olympics maybe because he’s playing with much older guys rather than guys a couple years older then him. He needs to work on getting position close to the basket and not catching the ball in the post damn near the 3 point line.

Collett literally called him out for "stopping the ball" after their last game, dude is probably scared to call his own number at this point

[MultiTroll]

Lets be encouraged by the fact Timmy Dunker had a very negative experience with FIBArefs in his Oly.

Didn't let it stop him from continuing on his Player of Generation and bring home Chips 2 of the next 3 NBA seasons.

At this point i just want to see Wemby returned healthy.

Phuck this French coach.

[heyheymymy]

CAN doing a good job so far of denying wemby in the paint offensively

[spurraider21]

CAN doing a good job so far of denying wemby in the paint offensively
he's getting a ton of attention without touching the ball, giving france plenty of open looks without them really having to work for them. they've been hitting their shots today

[spurraider21]

:lmao what an awful pass on the roll, jesus

[emanueldavidginobili]

Collett literally called him out for "stopping the ball" after their last game, dude is probably scared to call his own number at this point
Oh wow didn’t know that

[Dex]

Brooks holds Wemby's arm on the drive, then knocks the ball out of bounds...Canada ball :lol ok then

[emanueldavidginobili]

No chance France wins this game imo.

[Dex]

How do you have Gobert and Wemby and not have one in the game at all times?

Suddenly Canada is making a comeback and it's all coming in the paint

[Mal]

Spurs legend - Khem Birch in the game

[Pauleta14]

Well, I hope this puts to bed the whole "Wemby can play alongside another center" talk that people still liked to bring up, tbh.

Of course he can play alongside another big. Just not Gobert

He needs a guy like Mamu who has a feel for the game and decent technique

Gobert is just horrible in those areas

I still prefer him as lone big tho

[heyheymymy]

Holy shit

Khem Birch does exist

[Frenchfred]

Finally a FG from Wemby. Let's hope that gets him going.

[spurraider21]

i guess his passport situation got resolved

[Brazil]

France has to weather the run and Wemby starts to take over for France in the 4th...

[Neo.]

loooooooooooooool wemby being carried by bums

[emanueldavidginobili]

How Wemby scored last time needs to happen again and again. Get position and turn around and do a baby/jump hook shot. He needs to try to perfect that.

[John B]

Mathias Lessort really playing big with Canada focused on Wemby

[Mal]

Refs will help France, when needed

[Pauleta14]

Victor doesn't know what he's supposed to do

Bad decisions after another one... WTF are they working at pactice?

He just sets up picks and shoots 3s smh

[spurraider21]

wemby's been really bad in 2nd half. didnt get a chance to watch much of the first. at best his impact is passive, as a deterrent

[widowmaker]

Why don’t the spurs sign the dancing bear?

[Brazil]

Victor is fine, he is opening the floor for his teammates but he will need to carry us in the final minutes

[Brazil]

Fournier is back.. fuck

[Guru of Nothing]

I'm not too familar with FIBA rules. Is Wemby not allowed to touch the ball in the paint on the offensive end of the foor.

[Pauleta14]

Fournier is back.. fuck

Ntilikina and Albicy have been awful

At least Fournier has some big shots in him

[R. DeMurre]

Wemby being guarded by the 6'6" Brooks in the paint and not touching the ball is crazy.

[Mal]

refs got it

[spurraider21]

france's offense is so bad. its a lot of aimless dribbling passing and then tossing somebody a hand grenade with 2 seconds on the shot clock. fournier had to chuck than one from half court but it went in :lol

[Guru of Nothing]

Wemby being guarded by the 6'6" Brooks in the paint and not touching the ball is crazy.

My X's and O's chops are about a 2 on a scale of 10, and even I know these are some shit design sets. The worst part is Wemby looks like he is losing interest.

[Brazil]

Fournier sorry to have been a doubter

[Dex]

DOWN GOES CANADIA

[Brazil]

here we go

[Mal]

france's offense is so bad. its a lot of aimless dribbling passing and then tossing somebody a hand grenade with 2 seconds on the shot clock. fournier had to chuck than one from half court but it went in :lol

Canada is no better. SGA or Murray dribbling and taking heavy contested mid range jumpers or drives. When it goes it, they look good. When Wemby is in the paint, no driving.

[lebomb]

Welp, this shows ya that decent United States NBA talent (Canada) has a difficult time winning the Olympics now. It also shows ya that France and a few other countries will be big time contenders against the United States teams in the future. Basketball is truly global.

[spurraider21]

a lot i didnt see coming here

- france deciding to bench gobert and play wemby at the 5

- despite that, france STILL not making sure that one of wemby/gobert was on the court at all times

- wemby going 2-10 from the field and 0-6 from 3, but france still holding a relatively safe lead for most of the game

[Frenchfred]

a lot i didnt see coming here

- france deciding to bench gobert and play wemby at the 5

- despite that, france STILL not making sure that one of wemby/gobert was on the court at all times

- wemby going 2-10 from the field and 0-6 from 3, but france still holding a relatively safe lead for most of the game

A game to forget for Wemby, I'm really surprised that he is not more efficient.

[rjv]

Lol at Brooks.

[R. DeMurre]

For France to win despite Wemby going 0-6 from three and 2-10 from the field just shows how historically great his defense can be.

[John B]

Murray played terrible without Jokic

[montgod]

Lol at Brooks.

Never fails... whenever he opens up his mouth smh lol

[spurraider21]

A game to forget for Wemby, I'm really surprised that he is not more efficient.
he wasnt exactly efficient for the spurs last year either. his game needs to mature. he should be able to feast in the post the way Porzingis does, but he doesnt seem really interested in that yet

[Frenchfred]

he wasnt exactly efficient for the spurs last year either. his game needs to mature. he should be able to feast in the post the way Porzingis does, but he doesnt seem really interested in that yet

lack of strength?

[spurraider21]

lack of strength?
i mean a little bit, but i dont think wemby needs to bully his opponent into the restricted area to be able to get off clean looks. can take short jumpers over the top, jump hooks, etc. but he doesnt really have the footwork rn. he seems more interested in the face up game than anything else

[Brazil]

France held Canada below 80 pts and a lot of that has been Victor... in offense Victor has been bad but even in a day off he showed elite defense tbh

[Chinook]

a lot i didnt see coming here

- france deciding to bench gobert and play wemby at the 5

- despite that, france STILL not making sure that one of wemby/gobert was on the court at all times

- wemby going 2-10 from the field and 0-6 from 3, but france still holding a relatively safe lead for most of the game

That's strange because everyone else on the team is awful besides Wemby and Batum and they have an awful coach.

[scott]

Wasn't able to watch, because the game was at 6a here - but how much of Wemby's performance was due to Brooks? That just just has Vic's number it seems.

[LeBowen]

Wasn't able to watch, because the game was at 6a here - but how much of Wemby's performance was due to Brooks? That just just has Vic's number it seems.

Not much.
Canada was focused on shutting Wemby down and he barely got the ball inside. When he did get it, he had to pass it back out right away, did well in that department.
Brooks stopped him from isoing on the perimeter a couple of times, but that's it.
Actually amazing that France won with Wemby having just 4 2pt FGA. The only issue was that he couldn't make any of his 3pts, other than that he had a good game.


Btw, watching Jokic and then Murray...he should be giving half of his paycheck to Jokic for the rest of their careers.
I'd say noone profited from a teammate more since Capela making a fortune thanks to Harden.

[spurraider21]

That's strange because everyone else on the team is awful besides Wemby and Batum and they have an awful coach.
i do think their coach is pretty bad tbh. their offense was pretty aimless in the second half, which is most of what i watched. a lot of dribbling around and just passing the ball around the perimeter with no obvious plan or purpose to create openings. a lot of end of shot clock grenades. the failure to play gobert when wemby was on the bench, particularly in a game where they werent sharing the floor was also baffling.

[Pauleta14]

Fournier sorry to have been a doubter

He pisses me off as well but the rest is sooo bad

At least there's always hope him his hero ball

[JPB]

Canada game planning against Wemby and daring his teammates to win, which they did with Yabusele, Cordinier and Fournier stepping up. That's FIBA BB for you, can't do that kind of things You're always a couple role players getting hot on 3 away to get ousted.

Wemby not shooting well but best rebounder/passer/stealer of the team and anchoring a defense that hold Canada an its NBA scorers to 73 points. They're not favorites but if Vic can get going offensively, France may have a chance vs. Germany.

[onechance87]

Wasn't able to watch, because the game was at 6a here - but how much of Wemby's performance was due to Brooks? That just just has Vic's number it seems.

wemby needs to put on weight period.No way a 6,7 guard should effect his game this much.There was another guy on france team who weighs
more but took it the rim and canada couldnt stop that guy.

[Pauleta14]

A game to forget for Wemby, I'm really surprised that he is not more efficient.

He seems to have lost a lot of confidense and doesn't know what he's supposed to do

He ends up trying to be useful setting screens but it keeps him too far away from the basket without a PG capable of playing P&R

He was only served a cple times in the paint smh

They clearly aren't been working on ANY plays for him and it's mind boggling

[couchman]

This game blows up the narratives of... everyone around Wemby is trash, and the only reason Wemby ever fails is because of his coach or his teammates, yada yada.
We've heard it with the Spurs and also the French team and also his club team last year.
Reality: Wemby's offensive game is inefficient and immature at this point, and that's ok! He's still a teenager.
He's got a shot to be the GOAT but he's nowhere near there yet.

[TrueSpursFan]

wemby needs to put on weight period.No way a 6,7 guard should effect his game this much.There was another guy on france team who weighs
more but took it the rim and canada couldnt stop that guy.

height plays a big role in that. Lower center of mass as opposed to guards boxing out wembys legs

[exstatic]

wemby needs to put on weight period.No way a 6,7 guard should effect his game this much.There was another guy on france team who weighs
more but took it the rim and canada couldnt stop that guy.

His coach all but called him a ball hog, so he went into Kobe I’ll Pass It All The Time And Not Shoot mode. Brooks didn’t shut him down, Collet did.

[onechance87]

height plays a big role in that. Lower center of mass as opposed to guards boxing out wembys legs

Nah no way brook can guard yao ming like the way he guards wemby.Victor gonna have to sacrifice some speed
but gain some power.Cause trying to play like durant just aint it.

[exstatic]

Nah no way brook can guard yao ming like the way he guards wemby.Victor gonna have to sacrifice some speed
but gain some power.Cause trying to play like durant just aint it.

It absolutely IS it. The reason guys over 7’3” flame out is that they can’t carry standard big man weight for long. They break down. He’s 20 fucking years old. Let him learn and develop before you turn him into a body builder.

[Pauleta14]

This game blows up the narratives of... everyone around Wemby is trash, and the only reason Wemby ever fails is because of his coach or his teammates, yada yada.
We've heard it with the Spurs and also the French team and also his club team last year.
Reality: Wemby's offensive game is inefficient and immature at this point, and that's ok! He's still a teenager.
He's got a shot to be the GOAT but he's nowhere near there yet.

2 truths can coexist

No game itself blows any narrative

Nuance is so overrated nowadays smh

[onechance87]

It absolutely IS it. The reason guys over 7’3” flame out is that they can’t carry standard big man weight for long. They break down. He’s 20 fucking years old. Let him learn and develop before you turn him into a body builder.

im not asking him to gain 100 pounds.But there is no way our guards in castle,vassell weigh
as much or more as our starting center.

[Pauleta14]

It absolutely IS it. The reason guys over 7’3” flame out is that they can’t carry standard big man weight for long. They break down. He’s 20 fucking years old. Let him learn and develop before you turn him into a body builder.

Exactly

He needs to use (change of) speed, mobility, faking, learning to spin etc Not bulk up to play the traditional big game

He's unique and will have a unique game.

[Limguogolo]

FIBA rules: the Euroleague beat the NBA.

Yabusele, Lessort and Cordinier are not role players, stop with this. And obviously Lessort and yabusele can play together: Canada had no big men. In the Euroleague, there are few role players, you have to be good on both ends of the pitch, and be aggressive. This is precisely what these three Euroleague players are doing. In Fiba games, everyone should contribute, no star system.

Aside from Shai, every NBA player was below. Victor doesn't play hard enough, he persists in wanting to fight in the paint instead of playing on his movements to achieve movement in the paint; very clumsy with ball in hand despite some nice steals. He still doesn't care much about rebounds. Good defensive game from Fournier, which shows that defense also involves a lot of aggression. And congratulations to Collet who finally understood that he was wrong to persist in his tactics and his rotations. We found sterile patterns in attack based on fifty screens, but seeing Cordinier and Lessort driving ferociously towards the basket from the 3 line changes everything.

I'd rather see Strazel again against Germany. Albicy is not an offensive threat and therefore does not free up any space for his teammates. What stupidity not to have taken Hifi…

[exstatic]

im not asking him to gain 100 pounds.But there is no way our guards in castle,vassell weigh
as much or more as our starting center.

Why not? It’s a different game than it was ten years ago. It’s a different game than it was five years ago. Short of getting an ass as big as Shaq, he’s not moving Dylan Brooks off his spot. He’ll HAVE to play like Durant, and reverse pivot and spin away from him. He’s taller and quicker. That’s what he should be utilizing.

[itzsoweezee]

France runs an NCAA-level offense. Just putrid to watch.

[Frenchfred]

This game blows up the narratives of... everyone around Wemby is trash, and the only reason Wemby ever fails is because of his coach or his teammates, yada yada.
We've heard it with the Spurs and also the French team and also his club team last year.
Reality: Wemby's offensive game is inefficient and immature at this point, and that's ok! He's still a teenager.
He's got a shot to be the GOAT but he's nowhere near there yet.

I don't know if it blows that narrative but I'd say that it shows that Wemby is not at the level yet where it can take over night in and night out like Duncan did, which is normal, as you said he is only 20. For me that's why, next year is still part of the rebuilding with a pretty strong draft class and I have no problem for the Spurs tanking again if they are at 30% win by mid season.

[Barfunk]

Glad France won, just don't particularly like such a huge free throw advantage and attempts. Hopefully everything was legit and it was simply Canada fouling like crazy.

[Frenchfred]

Why not? It’s a different game than it was ten years ago. It’s a different game than it was five years ago. Short of getting an ass as big as Shaq, he’s not moving Dylan Brooks off his spot. He’ll HAVE to play like Durant, and reverse pivot and spin away from him. He’s taller and quicker. That’s what he should be utilizing.

I'm not sure that he is quicker than Brooks and that's part of the problem, he is not strong enough to get position and not quick enough (although quick for a player his size) to take defenders off the dribble. For a guy his size, he should be able to shoot like if he wasn't defended though, he should work on his jumper and 3 pointer and be over 50% at 2 point and close to 40% at the 3-point line.

I agree with onechance that another 10-15 pounds, especially in his lower body, won't kill him and should help him a lot.

[KDKSpurs24]

Lebron’s passing has been incredible to watch In these olympics.

[DAF86]

Of course he can play alongside another big. Just not Gobert

He needs a guy like Mamu who has a feel for the game and decent technique

Gobert is just horrible in those areas

I still prefer him as lone big tho

Mamu isn't a center.

[spurraider21]

France/Canada/Germany were the 3 toughest matchups and all are on the opposite side of the bracket for the US

[TD 21]

:lmao Craptors fan boy media is predictably playing the officiating card online (they remain the only team in history to never legitimately be beaten, only losing when the refs screwed them and/or they "missed shots they normally make"), but the real story was France playing a more functional rotation and punishing Canada's lack of size.

It'll be interesting to see who emerges as the presumptive foremost threat to the U.S.A. in the future. France has Risacher, Sarr, Salaun, Dadiet, Traore in the pipeline, while Canada has Mathurin, Sharpe, Miller, Edey.



Mamu isn't a center.

:lmao I don't know how this is still a debate. Two C lineups haven't cut it offensively in eons and won't going forward. Not even when they're a laser like Towns (Timberwolves finished 16th offensively) or as skilled/versatile as Wembanyama.

The real questions are, can a face up big man be the hub of a championship offense and if not, then can they still be the best player in the world? As unprecedented as he is, there's no track record of one doing so.

[scott]

Curious the way the brackets shaped up with both Semifinals featuring face offs of teams who already played in the group stage.

Would have loved to have seen Wemby v Jokic, but it looks like a bronze medal game might be the only way (which I'm rooting against, because I want Wemby to make the final).

[Pauleta14]

Mamu isn't a center.

I meant another big :)

[Pauleta14]

Glad France won, just don't particularly like such a huge free throw advantage and attempts. Hopefully everything was legit and it was simply Canada fouling like crazy.

Canada has no big and lack athleticism

Yabusele and Lessort bullied them + Canada over the foul limit with 6min to play which France took advantage of.

Almost an obvious game plan

[ismael-robert]

Victor will be a top 10 NBA player and DPOTY next season. Saying he's not ready to lead a contending team and spurs should wait another few years so he "develop" is pure nonsense. Not only can he keep on developing in a competitive, contending spurs team but that would be better for him.

OKC was contending last year in Chet rookie year, who gained and will keep on gaining precious and early PO experience (as a team too), and Vic was better than Chet last year. Put Wemby in OKC next year and they're among title favorites. They wouldn't have to wait another 3 years before he "develop".

Zero point waiting to give Wemby help now, and depraving him from competitive/PO experience, playing both with and against the best, giving the guy bad habbits, having to force stuff and do it all in a dysfunctional environment. Paul hopefully will bring a bit of order but won't make move the neddle that much nor make team that much more competitive.

You're just losing time.

Poor context, okc has built a solid core n chet was probably the third wheel. Wemby needs help

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GUVB-59XIAEDgNj?format=jpg&name=medium

[KingKev]

Patriotism aside; holy Canada flamed out. As a Canadian there are parts of Manifest Destiny I wish were executed on.

[CGD]

Patriotism aside; holy Canada flamed out. As a Canadian there are parts of Manifest Destiny I wish were executed on.

Did Jamal Murray play these Olympics? I know they were down Wiggins and Eddy

[Barfunk]

Canada has no big and lack athleticism

Yabusele and Lessort bullied them + Canada over the foul limit with 6min to play which France took advantage of.

Almost an obvious game plan

That's a relief. I didn't get to watch the game, but yeah, the mainstream fans on social media are really letting France have it about the 42 free-throws. Naturally, France will get even more hate for this since Wemby is a Spur and mainstream fans don't like the Spurs because the whole media brainwashing i.e. "Spurs not cool/boring" etc. when they were winning chips.

With that said, I don't care if you're the Los Angeles Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs, a foul is a foul and it should be called regardless. If Canada was fouling much more than France, then that should reflect on the stat-sheet.

[KingKev]

Did Jamal Murray play these Olympics? I know they were down Wiggins and Eddy

He looked like what we can expect from Keldon/Vassell/Sochan as a 6th man when it matters but with actual talent.

[ambchang]

Canada lacking size and France taking advantage was certainly a reason, but let’s not act like France got 42 FTs because Canada was fouling more. The reffing was absolutely terrible especially in the second and third quarters. Shooting 33/42 on fts in an 82 point game is insane however you put it.

[baseline bum]

Patriotism aside; holy Canada flamed out. As a Canadian there are parts of Manifest Destiny I wish were executed on.

I'll trade our olympic bball team for the much cheaper and better universal healthcare you guys have any day.

[Barfunk]

Canada lacking size and France taking advantage was certainly a reason, but let’s not act like France got 42 FTs because Canada was fouling more. The reffing was absolutely terrible especially in the second and third quarters. Shooting 33/42 on fts in an 82 point game is insane however you put it.

Yeah, that sux.

[Limguogolo]

Canada lacking size and France taking advantage was certainly a reason, but let’s not act like France got 42 FTs because Canada was fouling more. The reffing was absolutely terrible especially in the second and third quarters. Shooting 33/42 on fts in an 82 point game is insane however you put it.
Stop looking only at stats. The referees are FIBA ​​referees, they have always been lousy. Bad whistles went to both sides.

To understand why there are so many mistakes, you just have to watch the game again. The French game plan was clear and inevitable. Their unique strength is their interiors, while this is precisely the weak sector among Canadians. Cordinier, Yabusele and Lessort (not Victor, not Batum) harassed the Canadians with the Canadian forwards placed inside. They were caught at their own game.

The Canadians with Dort and Brooks traditionally have a physical advantage over their opponents. Against Yabusele and Lessort, they were simply no match. On both sides, there were a lot of fouls not called, you have to adapt, this is sometimes part of the FIBA ​​game with very permissive referees. How have Canadians adapted? By shooting from afar. Only Shai caused fouls, as he knows how to do.

If the Victor Rudy pair made people fantasize, we saw that they lacked hardness. The FIBA ​​game is not the NBA game. And Collet finally understood that the two interiors who were fighting in the paint, both sides, were the two major Euroleague players: Yabusele and Lessort. Frank came out for 5 fouls, further proof that France was also sanctioned.

Those who suggest the games are rigged are on the same level as those who claimed Victor's draft was rigged. For some, it is simply impossible that France can win. We have heard it in every home competition since the football victory in 1998. “Home advantage”, “fair play”, it's always for the Anglo-Saxons --- Latins are always dirt, corrupted, thieves, and fakers. We know the music.

[Pauleta14]

That's a relief. I didn't get to watch the game, but yeah, the mainstream fans on social media are really letting France have it about the 42 free-throws. Naturally, France will get even more hate for this since Wemby is a Spur and mainstream fans don't like the Spurs because the whole media brainwashing i.e. "Spurs not cool/boring" etc. when they were winning chips.

With that said, I don't care if you're the Los Angeles Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs, a foul is a foul and it should be called regardless. If Canada was fouling much more than France, then that should reflect on the stat-sheet.

The refs have been fair, France also had some mis calls and Wemby has been buillied inside the whole competition. (especially against Germany)

The huge disparity in FT is mainly due to France being the agressor and Canada being over the limit and Yabusele or Lessort forcing their way and drawing (legit) calls.

tbf I recall one generous call on a 3pt foul towards the end of the 4th but the uk commentators confirmed it was a good call

[Pauleta14]

Canada lacking size and France taking advantage was certainly a reason, but let’s not act like France got 42 FTs because Canada was fouling more. The reffing was absolutely terrible especially in the second and third quarters. Shooting 33/42 on fts in an 82 point game is insane however you put it.

That's just not true, the gap happened in the 1st half, not the 2nd

France had 23 FT to Canada's 4FT in 1st half

France had 19 FT to Canada 21FT in the 2nd half

Murray 3/13 and Brooks 1/9 have more to do with Canada's loss as well as their lack of passing (their coach's quote)

[Pauleta14]

Those who suggest the games are rigged are on the same level as those who claimed Victor's draft was rigged. For some, it is simply impossible that France can win. We have heard it in every home competition since the football victory in 1998. “Home advantage”, “fair play”, it's always for the Anglo-Saxons --- Latins are always dirt, corrupted, thieves, and fakers. We know the music.

I've been reverse jynxing for weeks tbh ^^

France always has a shot when everybody (fans included) think they'll lose. The country's sports History is full of that type of events

I'm never less confident in my country than when they are favorite :lol

[Ice009]

The French big men played with aggression. Lessort and Yabusele played physical. End of story. They got them in foul trouble and in the bonus. There may have been a couple of bad calls, but that happens almost every game.

More interestingly, do you guys who watched the game think some of these guys could play in the NBA? I think both Lessort and Yabusele could be solid role players in the NBA. Yabusele deserves another shot IMO as he's probably matured a lot since he last played in the NBA when he was younger.

[Pauleta14]

The French big men played with aggression. Lessort and Yabusele played physical. End of story. They got them in foul trouble and in the bonus. There may have been a couple of bad calls, but that happens almost every game.

More interestingly, do you guys who watched the game think some of these guys could play in the NBA? I think both Lessort and Yabusele could be solid role players in the NBA. Yabusele deserves another shot IMO as he's probably matured a lot since he last played in the NBA when he was younger.


Lessort might be a bit too undersized but I'd take Yabusele any day with the Spurs!

Can't find any info on his current salary but his deal with Real Madrid ends in 25'

[exstatic]

The French big men played with aggression. Lessort and Yabusele played physical. End of story. They got them in foul trouble and in the bonus. There may have been a couple of bad calls, but that happens almost every game.

More interestingly, do you guys who watched the game think some of these guys could play in the NBA? I think both Lessort and Yabusele could be solid role players in the NBA. Yabusele deserves another shot IMO as he's probably matured a lot since he last played in the NBA when he was younger.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/yabusgu01.html

Former FRP, didn’t even make it to year 3 option.

[Limguogolo]

To be frank, there are plenty of players, not just interiors (and not just French, including Americans), who would have their place in the NBA.

It's never a question of level, but of opportunity, contract (Yabusele and Lessort are probably among the best European salaries) and desire. Most of these experienced players will refuse to go to the NBA to only be role players. It seems to me that it was Poirier who said that there was no question of returning to the NBA when he is in the best club in Europe (the same as Yabusele).

And recent history proves them right: all the good confirmed European players who moved to the NBA after their 23rd years old were bench players (Micic, Vezenkov). The NBA can only attract young prospect and real role players --- for stars (like Ginobili in the past), it will undoubtedly be more and more complicated.

If the NBA wants to make its market, it is in the French league (excluding Monaco) that you must look, where the salaries are ridiculous. Not in the best clubs in Europe. You have Hifi available for instance, in one or two years, his salary will probably be impossible to match. And his status in Europe will convince him to stay in Europe instead of accepting a lower salary in the NBA without certainty of having playing time.

I can see Zacharie Perrin being in the same situation in a few years: it's one of the best European youth interiors for years (far ahead of Sarr) and he will probably not be drafted. During the Los Angeles Olympics, we will have comments asking us why he is not in the NBA for being a 12th guy in the rotation of a bad team. Small and ugly, the NBA wouldn't want to make him a star.

[JPB]

Poor context, okc has built a solid core n chet was probably the third wheel. Wemby needs help

Well, yeah that's the whole point, building a solid core around Wemby. And no need to wait for that, as it shows in OKC who is competitive with a young Chet, just like spurs could with a young Vic. Waiting another 2 years for Wemby to develop in a bottom team with guys who won't be there in 2 years before building that core doesn't make sense.

[exstatic]

Well, yeah that's the whole point, building a solid core around Wemby. And no need to wait for that, as it shows in OKC who is competitive with a young Chet, just like spurs could with a young Vic. Waiting another 2 years for Wemby to develop in a bottom team with guys who won't be there in 2 years before building that core doesn't make sense.

Chet is a piece. Wemby is THE piece. You can’t compare the two builds, because they are two years ahead. Before Chet set foot on an NBA court, he had a teammate that was an All Star and All NBA player. We don’t have that guy,yet. No one will trade us that guy. We’ll have to draft that guy, and develop him.

[ambchang]

Stop looking only at stats. The referees are FIBA ​​referees, they have always been lousy. Bad whistles went to both sides.

To understand why there are so many mistakes, you just have to watch the game again. The French game plan was clear and inevitable. Their unique strength is their interiors, while this is precisely the weak sector among Canadians. Cordinier, Yabusele and Lessort (not Victor, not Batum) harassed the Canadians with the Canadian forwards placed inside. They were caught at their own game.

The Canadians with Dort and Brooks traditionally have a physical advantage over their opponents. Against Yabusele and Lessort, they were simply no match. On both sides, there were a lot of fouls not called, you have to adapt, this is sometimes part of the FIBA ​​game with very permissive referees. How have Canadians adapted? By shooting from afar. Only Shai caused fouls, as he knows how to do.

If the Victor Rudy pair made people fantasize, we saw that they lacked hardness. The FIBA ​​game is not the NBA game. And Collet finally understood that the two interiors who were fighting in the paint, both sides, were the two major Euroleague players: Yabusele and Lessort. Frank came out for 5 fouls, further proof that France was also sanctioned.

Those who suggest the games are rigged are on the same level as those who claimed Victor's draft was rigged. For some, it is simply impossible that France can win. We have heard it in every home competition since the football victory in 1998. “Home advantage”, “fair play”, it's always for the Anglo-Saxons --- Latins are always dirt, corrupted, thieves, and fakers. We know the music.

I watched the entire thing. It wasn’t because the French team found some magic potion, the reffing was terrible anyway you put it. The entire 2nd quarter was a parade to the ft line. I watched it right there and then and France made 8 straight FTs over a four minute span with no acts, then another 5 straight in the same quarter. Canada didn’t have any single b2b ft possessions. In fact, Canada got to the line once during thr 8 ft streak by France when Barrett drove and got clotheslined in the paint. During that period the ball also clearly went off of France when the refs, standing right there, gave possession to France. The level of reffing was so bad that it was just unexplainable, it’s like watching the lakers in the playoffs and just a giant joke.

Ntioikina scored 5 pts all on FTs, why was he even fouled on a three when he shot like shit the entire game? Oh maybe he wasn’t at all. Yabusle shot as many Cats as he did FGs. Fournier, hardly posting anyone up, got 4.

On canadas side, other than shai, nobody shot more than 4 Fts, France has 4 players who did that, while the team jacked up 28 threes.
And no, didn’t say it was rigged, although your Freudian slip probably gave it away if what you are really thinking about yourself

[ambchang]

That's just not true, the gap happened in the 1st half, not the 2nd

France had 23 FT to Canada's 4FT in 1st half

France had 19 FT to Canada 21FT in the 2nd half

Murray 3/13 and Brooks 1/9 have more to do with Canada's loss as well as their lack of passing (their coach's quote)

The 2nd quarter belongs to the 1st half. Also, funny how funny how the quarter where France has a giant FT advantage were the only quarters they outscored Canada. The. France just decide to not take it to the paint because, you know, why keep doing what works?

[Manu&Duncan fan]

It absolutely IS it. The reason guys over 7’3” flame out is that they can’t carry standard big man weight for long. They break down. He’s 20 fucking years old. Let him learn and develop before you turn him into a body builder.

You're so correct!

[spurraider21]

for those keeping track, US margin of victories in games that actually count

beat Serbia by 26
beat South Sudan by 17
beat Puerto Rico by 41
beat Brazil by 35

next game against Serbia, and then in all likelihood, the winner of France/Germany

[KingKev]

I'll trade our olympic bball team for the much cheaper and better universal healthcare you guys have any day.

It’ll cost you near 50% of your income on 125k or more for that healthcare. We are California without the weather and beaches. Comparable overall cost of living though. I paid 98k last year in taxes just to line up for a million dollar starter home here.

[baseline bum]

It’ll cost you near 50% of your income on 125k or more for that healthcare. We are California without the weather and beaches. Comparable overall cost of living though. I paid 98k last year in taxes just to line up for a million dollar starter home here.

You actually get useful things like healthcare with your tax dollars. We get field trips to go murder brown people overseas. When you factor in what Americans pay for healthcare and education and getting worse outcomes from both you guys likely come out significantly ahead.

[Pauleta14]

The 2nd quarter belongs to the 1st half. Also, funny how funny how the quarter where France has a giant FT advantage were the only quarters they outscored Canada. The. France just decide to not take it to the paint because, you know, why keep doing what works?

You might be onto something there...

What's your theory? Just the refs have been bought or Murray and Brooks as well?

[ambchang]

It’ll cost you near 50% of your income on 125k or more for that healthcare. We are California without the weather and beaches. Comparable overall cost of living though. I paid 98k last year in taxes just to line up for a million dollar starter home here.

I thought it’s only the amount over the $$125k or so threshold. I would imagine a vast majority of people paying 30 to 35% in taxes?

[KingKev]

I thought it’s only the amount over the $$125k or so threshold. I would imagine a vast majority of people paying 30 to 35% in taxes?

My marginal tax rate is north of 50% and my all in rate as a renter who works a banking job, with no dependents is at the higher end of your scale. After sales tax, carbon tax, and every other hidden tax I easily give away half of my income.

Vancouver is beautiful and worth paying the taxes but Toronto and the GTA are mostly pissholes and I’d live down South in a heartbeat if I found a decent role down there.

[ambchang]

You might be onto something there...

What's your theory? Just the refs have been bought or Murray and Brooks as well?

No theory. Just bad calls.

[Dex]

Did Jamal Murray play these Olympics? I know they were down Wiggins and Eddy

Surprised this comment didn't get more attention, but Murray played and was absolute doo-doo for Canada:


He finished a brief tour at the Summer Games averaging 6.0 points per game on 29 percent shooting from the field, leading Canada only in turnovers, often the result of his nasty habit of aimless, over-dribbling that we’ve seen him develop in Denver.

Often appearing lost when playing off the ball alongside lead guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he found it far more difficult to find an open jumper without the gift of those otherworldly assists from Nikola Jokic that bless Murray in Denver.

Among the six players that logged the most minutes of court time for Canada, Murray was the only one that finished on the negative side of the ledger in plus/minus rating, at -5.8.

https://denvergazette.com/sports/olympics/mark-kiszla-after-jamal-murray-proves-to-be-total-zero-at-olympics-no-way-nuggets/article_e7ce9650-5440-11ef-a6b7-0335b9acbee5.html

Between that and his lackluster playoff run, Denver gonna have to seriously reconsider giving him the bag

[KingKev]

Surprised this comment didn't get more attention, but Murray played and was absolute doo-doo for Canada:



https://denvergazette.com/sports/olympics/mark-kiszla-after-jamal-murray-proves-to-be-total-zero-at-olympics-no-way-nuggets/article_e7ce9650-5440-11ef-a6b7-0335b9acbee5.html

Between that and his lackluster playoff run, Denver gonna have to seriously reconsider giving him the bag

In many ways I see Vassell’s ceiling as a Murray type when he is on.

[heyheymymy]

France Germany in 30min

at 10:30AM CST

[itzsoweezee]

My marginal tax rate is north of 50% and my all in rate as a renter who works a banking job, with no dependents is at the higher end of your scale. After sales tax, carbon tax, and every other hidden tax I easily give away half of my income.

Vancouver is beautiful and worth paying the taxes but Toronto and the GTA are mostly pissholes and I’d live down South in a heartbeat if I found a decent role down there.

Americans pay state and local taxes, including property taxes and sales taxes. And then there’s employment taxes. Overall, Americans pay close to what Canadians pay in tax, with much fewer benefits.

Only the very wealthy get the benefit of a low tax burden in the United States. If the vast majority of your income is wages, you’re going to be paying a lot of taxes here.

[itzsoweezee]

Germany not making the mistake Canada did — they’re pressuring these French guards the full length of the court

[Death In June]

Wemby playing really poorly

[Pauleta14]

It's a miracle the gap isn't wider tbh

[Pauleta14]

Jeremy Sochan would be the uncontested starting PG is he was French

That's how bad our guards are

[onechance87]

Idc what about anybody says.He needs to put on weight.He is easy to counter cause he weighs as much as a guard.Small players
can guard him easily cause they weigh as much as him or even more.

[ace3g]

Gobert should not be playing against Germany, they have too many perimeter floating bigs.

[itzsoweezee]

Finally ran a pick and roll with Wemby, with 6 minutes left in the first half. What is this French offense?

[Fireball]

Wemby finally had some tangible plays in the second quarter ... but it still looks rough

[Arcadian]

Why is everyone so bad at passing to Wemby? First he got pelted in the face by his own teammate, and then they keep throwing it in awkward and unfavorable positions.

[skin27]

Wemby turnover after turnover lmao

[skin27]

Wemby with a poster

[Brazil]

well lucky to get a tie in at the end of the first but I will take it

[mudyez]

Is it to early or late to google #8s contract status of team France?

[Pauleta14]

Impressive defense to finish the half

Let's see if we can sustain it