Opinion | Canada getting better with age at the FIBA World Cup. A bit on that and Ye Olde Mailbag

The FIBA World Cup is a grind, game after game after game, day after day after day, and the hope of any legitimate contender is consistent improvement.

It seems Canada is right on track in Australia these days.

A 70-56 win over Japan this morning was Canada’s best outing of the three it’s had and sets them up well as the 12-country event rolls on.

Now 3-0, having beaten Serbia, France and Japan on successive days, Canada has clinched a quarter-final berth, are looking very good in a quest to avoid the United States – the overwhelming favourites – early in medal round play.

The most important point is that Canada is getting better with every outing, a key component to a successful run in something like a World Cup.

“Every single game, every team plays so differently, so (it’s) being able to adjust, trusting the coaching staff and what our scouting is on the defensive end, on the offensive end, it changes every single game but we wholeheartedly believe in Victor and the coaching staff and what they want us to do,” said Bridget Carleton, who had her best game with 19 points to lead Canada.

“If we trust that, we trust each other and we’re able to come out on top. But yeah, I think it’s exciting to see the improvement. We’re getting used to playing with each other, how Victor wants to play, and I think it will just continue to get better.”

We’ll get into more of what this team is, and what it can be, after the Australia game tomorrow – that’ll be a stern test, Mali on Tuesday not so much – but Canada is on pace to get to the semifinals and have two games for a World Cup medal for the first time since 1986.

For now, we’ll get the mail out of the way and get ready for tomorrow’s Raptors media day.

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First, thought, this is kind of hard to believe but it was pointed out that 22 years ago today I was in the exact same arena where Canada-Japan played in Sydney this morning and I saw this.

Of everything I saw Vince do – and it was an awful lot over a lot of years – that might have been the most memorable.

I remember a split second of silence in the dome because it took a breath for everyone to comprehend what they had seen, it was that jaw-dropping.

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And now, the mail:

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Q: An impressive start for the women in Sydney.

Do you notice any difference in approach or tactics with Victor Lapena compared to Lisa?

James A., Victoria

A: Anecdotally, they seem to run a bit more dribble-handoff stuff on offence but that might have to do with personnel and there might be a bit more wing isolation but there’s not a stark difference. And it seems they play a bit more zone defence but, again, not a hugely noticeable amount.

That also has to do with personnel and I think the one big thing is that Victor seems to have a healthier group, top to bottom, and that always helps.

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Q: Doug

JD Power released its 2022 North American Airport Satisfaction survey. For mega-airports, the top 5 (i.e. best) were Minneapolis-Saint Paul International; San Francisco International Airport; Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport; John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York) and Harry Reid International Airport (Las Vegas). The bottom five (i.e. worst) were Toronto Pearson International Airport; Boston Logan International Airport; Los Angeles International Airport; Chicago O’Hare International Airport; and Newark Liberty International Airport.

As someone who probably has flown to or through most of those airports, would you concur with these rankings? Your frequent negative comments about Pearson seem to be borne out by the survey! Is there an airport that you would have had in the top 5 or bottom 5 that isn’t listed?

David H

A: I don’t have any legit first-hand knowledge of Vegas or JFK but I have been to all the others frequently over the years and I could not agree more with the assessment.

Pearson is terrible and I lay blame solely at the feet of the airport administrators, not the airlines or employees. Terrible wastes of space, changes to protocols far too frequently, sparse services or amenities on either side of security. Frankly, it’s an embarrassment at many levels.

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Q: Thanks for keeping the pot simmering.

I’m curious about the short career of P. J. Tucker as a Raptor.

I recall that he seemed out of place, a power forward with the physique of a 3 or 2, yet wasn’t overwhelmed. Was not a star at college, yet he’s one of the oldest players in the league. How would you rate his play as a Raptor, and why was his stay here so short”

Thanks in advance,

Frank B.

A: In his first run in Toronto, Tucker was a tough under-sized forward who was a tenacious defender but so limited offensively, it was next to impossible for Sam Mitchell to play him. That’s basically the gist of it.

But to P.J.’s everlasting credit, he went to Europe, polished his offensive game and worked diligently on his shot to become a prototypical “3 and D” NBA talent. That’s what got him back in the league and once he proved that he was not a one-dimensional talent, his career took off.

It wasn’t that the Raptors “missed” on anything, it’s that Tucker realized his limitations, worked on them and got past them.

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Q: Hi Doug,

Hope you’re all warmed up and ready for postseason baseball and pre-season basketball (and hockey) in our sleepy little town! 

A few questions, if you don’t mind:

1)   I’ve always wondered, do team representatives ever tell you to avoid certain topics or do they say before a press conference, ” we will not discuss/please don’t bring up this topic”? If so, how often does this happen? I also realize that part of the penalty for violating such a request would be some version of “The Silent Treatment” and that would limit you as a journalist.

2) Read the great article by John Wall discussing his darkest moments and realizing that there was nothing shameful about seeking help. What do you think will be the impact of this revelation on the players and individual teams? (Team therapists? Mental health PSAs?)

3) Vladdy, Kirk, and Kyle Lowry (to some degree) all at one time or another have been questioned about their degree of conditioning/fitness as pro athletes. Is it ever a fair question and when does it cross the line into body shaming? Can anyone outside the team ever legitimately call out an athlete (James Harden last season)?

4) There may not be room enough for your reply, but what do you think of the NBA lowering its’ age restriction for players? 

Thanks for giving women’s basketball the spotlight it deserves.

Bernie M

A: It sure is a busy time of year, isn’t it? Just wondering how we’ll balance the end of the World Cup and the last few days of training camp. Oh well, we’ll figure it out, I guess.

I don’t think we’ve ever been told we couldn’t ask about anything but a couple of points: I’m not one for “gotcha” interviews, I’d rather have a subject prepared to answer rather than flustered. And the Raptors media relations staff, all good media relations staffs actually, are well aware of what’s in the news and give a player or a coach a heads up of what’s coming.

I’ll give you a couple of examples: A year or so ago when the story first broke and again in the last 10 days when it was resolved, we asked if Earl Watson would speak to us about the goings-on in Phoenix and were told no. The same with Svi Mykhailiuk when his homeland Ukraine was invaded by Russia and it the same response.

Sure, we run the danger of getting shunned if we press something someone doesn’t want to talk about or jump them out of the blue but that’s an occupational hazard and rarely worth it.

The Wall story was quite something but it only reinforced the need for good mental wellness practices in place that surfaced with DeMar and Kevin Love years ago. The NBA and its teams and the players’ association are well aware of making sure those services are available to everyone.

Conditioning – and the dedication it takes to remain in top shape – is a fair discussion to have about an athlete, body shape is not. It’s a bit of fine line but I hope I never cross it and having seen all kinds of different body shapes and sizes be both effective and ineffective, I can tell the difference.

I’ll have to see what other “conditions” are attached to the lowering of the age limit, if it happens, before forming a full opinion but I am generally not in favour of teenagers going from high school to the NBA. I think there are life lessons they have to learn and experiences they have to live before being thrown into the meat-grinder of the NBA.

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Q: Hi Doug

Now that fall has arrived, I believe that this is one of the great times for sports.

Notice I’ve only talked about hometown teams, aren’t we fortunate to have so many of our city’s heroes in the discussion at this time.

Doug, stay healthy, we need your intelligent comments on a regular basis as the year progresses. You and McCown are the best!

Michael K

A: Yes, this indeed a great time of year but I, having little or no interest in the football, prefer the spring when the basketball and hockey seasons are heading to the playoffs and the baseball season is just starting up.

To the question I see in there, I suspect I’m going to get a whole lot of “how do you think the East shapes up” questions in the next little while and there is only one answer:

I have no idea, no one does, it will depend on how teams coalesce, who stays the most healthy for the longest and none of those things are knowable right now.

The East is deeper and better than its been in the nearly 30 years I’ve been closely covering it; there are probably a dozen or 13 “playoff” teams and it’ll be fascinating to watch it unfold.

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One quick scheduling note: I may not be here quite as often as the season draws closer – at least not in this format and timing – because there’s probably a more logical use of my time, like getting some rest.

So tomorrow’s an off-day, we’ll check in sometime midweek and, for sure, there’ll be some kind of mail next weekend from Edmonton.

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