Well you're going to want to bring out your big guns when facing the might of Mongolia, South Korea and Chinese Taipei lol.

I think you look at development for this tournament but you take just enough veterans that you don't get accidentally embarrassed by a team that should never beat you.

Norton/McDowell-White/Gliddon or McCarron
Goulding/Sobey
Newley/Creek
Nick Kay/Majok Majok/ Johnson
Maric/Humphries/

Maric lol

Sorry everyone, that was me who started the thread above. Taking this further:

Thinking about overlooked players, I think Xavier Cooks has intrigue, as like Landale and Acuil, will probably not bolt for the NBA this year. Conversely, McDowell-White would be exactly the kind of prospect we need. Sadly, he will no doubt be in workouts before the 2017 NBA draft and given he's playing in an actual league and has decent enough fundamentals, from the little I know, I consider him more NBA ready at the same stage than Exum (although Exum a better long term prospect). So it's likely he'll be in NBA camps after the NBA draft, even if not drafted.

I'd want as many first choice players available as possible, provided they have some chance of helping us in 2019 and 2020. Maric clearly does not fit that bill.

From an actual competition viewpoint, much depends on what the regional heavyweights can trot out- NZ, Iran, the Philippines, China and possibly Japan, because these teams could surprise. However, it is highly likely that they too will field developmental teams.

Sorry everyone, that was me who started the thread above. Taking this further:

Thinking about overlooked players, I think Xavier Cooks has intrigue, as like Landale and Acuil, will probably not bolt for the NBA this year. Conversely, McDowell-White would be exactly the kind of prospect we need. Sadly, he will no doubt be in workouts before the 2017 NBA draft and given he's playing in an actual league and has decent enough fundamentals, from the little I know, I consider him more NBA ready at the same stage than Exum (although Exum a better long term prospect). So it's likely he'll be in NBA camps after the NBA draft, even if not drafted.

I'd want as many first choice players available as possible, provided they have some chance of helping us in 2019 and 2020. Maric clearly does not fit that bill.

From an actual competition viewpoint, much depends on what the regional heavyweights can trot out- NZ, Iran, the Philippines, China and possibly Japan, because these teams could surprise. However, it is highly likely that they too will field developmental teams.

Asian Cup/World Cup/Olympic's are not development tournaments, they are all serious and we should put out the best team we can put together.
I can't believe a few posts have said they'd rather develop and lose, than win with experienced guys who may not make it to 2019 or 2020.
Things like the Sino-Cup and the SEABL/NBL is where you develop! Far out some of your attitudes, wow.

"Asian Cup/World Cup/Olympic's are not development tournaments, they are all serious and we should put out the best team we can put together.
I can't believe a few posts have said they'd rather develop and lose, than win with experienced guys who may not make it to 2019 or 2020.
Things like the Sino-Cup and the SEABL/NBL is where you develop! Far out some of your attitudes, wow."

The Asian cup shouldn't even be said in the same sentence as the world cup or Olympics. The standard is so low that you could probably send out a middle-of-the-pack SEABL team and beat half of the competition. There is no gain from winning everything. The only real possibility is that you injure a star or main rotation Boomer and end up having them less likely to play when things get real. We could reasonably win the entire tournament with a development team that is peppered with just a few veteran players for stability and I think that is the way we should go.

I might change my line up after some thought

Lisch/Norton/McDowell-White
Goulding/Sobey
Newley/Creek
Nick Kay/Majok Majok
Humphries/Hodgson

And I am torn between Daniel Johnson and Nate Jawai for 12th man.

Daniel would give the team a pick and pop option, but Jawai would be unstoppable inside against basically any Asian national team.

Either way, I think that team has what it takes to go undefeated in the tournament plus develop players such as Nick Kay, Creek, Humphries, Hodgson, and McDowell-White who may have a hand in the next decade of the Boomers program.

Thanks for your reply ME. In terms of this tournament and thinking of future needs (thinking of the much more challenging 2019 FIBA World Cup and 2020 Olympics), I feel we require:
1.A combination guard with size, length and athleticism, who can relieve Mills and Dellavedova. Better yet, start and have Mills come off the bench. Talking about McDowell-White and knowing a little about his game, current production and potential, he seems like a similar player to Frank Ntilikina, who plays at a similar level to Will and produces similar statistics at Strasbourg (France), in terms of shooting, assists etc, although Ntilikina is more exposed and possibly a little better. Long story short, I'd be very surprised if NBA scouts/GMs weren't interested in McDowell-White in this coming draft and he was available for national selection. For this reason I like Emmett Naar (although smallish) or possibly McCarron (can he also play point?).

2. We also need a genuine 5 who can protect the ring and provide real physical presence since I can't see Andrew Bogut playing at the same level as he was in Rio (although would be glad to be proven wrong). I like Acuil Jr. the best for protection, I feel Landale and Humphries are similar tradiitonal style players. In relation to Landale v Humphries, obviously there is the pro and con of better production v tougher competition both in games and practices. However, I understand Humphries is suffering from knee tendonitis, so that might restrict him in the off season.

Regarding Jawai, he has proven that he can certainly impact the game in short bursts against high level competition. I think some people here may be underselling the ability of teams at the pointy end of this tournament, because if opponents show up with a full roster, Jawai would bang bodies against (fairly) similar size foes in Pledger (who we know), Hamad Haddadi and Ashgar Kardoust (Iran), Fajardo (Philippines) and some Chinese centres and will actually be at a disadvantage against mobile 4/5 types including Yi Jianlian and Blatche (Philippines). Whoever they choose, I would hope that the bigs are not 'like for like' but provide variety for opponents to deal with.

I think we can assume that the FIBA Asia team will not be our A team. I doubt NBA teams will release their players for that. The entire tournament is a dead rubber.

I think I should make an adjustment to my above team, though, and go with:

Lisch/Norton/McDowell-White
Goulding/Sobey
Newley/Creek
Nick Kay/Majok Majok
Bairstow/Humphries/Hodgson

I think Hodgson will give the kind of rim protection we'd need in this tournament at least, and Bairstow is pretty crafty despite his ineffective NBL stint thus far. I expect Thon Maker to continue to improve and I think in 2020 it's going to be between Baynes, Bogut, Maker, and Humphries for those inside spots - not a bad problem to have.

As for grooming point guards to take over for Mills, well you've got Delly who will be around for at least another Olympics or two. Exum will be around the mark, or he may also fall completely out of contention I guess. And I already have McDowell-White, so that is basically the future of Australia's point guards settled. Lisch will fill a role, and so will Norton on this particular team but Norton doesn't have a real Boomers future and Lisch will probably be too old by the next Olympics.

Guys like Jawai, Johnson, McCarron and Gliddon are dark horses for me. They might get a spot if the team I mention has some glaring weakness when push comes to shove. You mention that Jawai isn't mobile, but Bairstow is, Majok is, and Nick Kay is a fairly mobile power forward. We would have a very quick, long and athletic team for the FIBA Asia cup if it resembles the one I mention, so I don't think mobile or big players from Asia will present too much of a problem. At best most Asian teams are one-man shows.

Fine. Are you saying McDowell-White isn't a legit NBA prospect at age 18 going on 19? I'd be gobsmacked (in a positive way) if he were available for this and maybe the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Fwiw, yank analysts like Fraschilla have him rated fairly highly, just hasn't had much exposure since being ruled ineligible by the NCAA>

Obviously it isn't the Olympics or World Cup, but so what? Australia has never won an Olympic medal in the mens, so something like an Asian Cup IS a real opportunity to earn some prestige. Accepting that NBA based players probably won't be available, we need still need to send our best available team. Every team will always have some balance, of veterans and developing rookies. No need to do anything different here. Suggesting we should view it purely as a development tournament is wrong IMHO.
Development for what?
So we can all delude ourselves again at the next Olympics?
Besides, the absence of NBA players will open up more opportunities anyway.

How did we delude ourselves at the last Olympics? We beat some of the best teams and we were within a point of not only winning Bronze, but beating Spain. That is not 'deluding ourselves'. Australia was right there with the best in the world. We weren't exactly doing what the Philippines do - sucking but thinking they're great. We very well could have medaled. And our talent is only getting better. To think Australia could win a medal in 2019 and 2020 is far from deluding ourselves. In fact a lot of the top analysts expect us to be in the hunt.

And when you say absence of NBA players, you mean only for the FIBA Asia tour, right? They will be available for World Cup and Olympics. And even if they were available for Asia Cup I think they should be given a breather.

The line up I listed is probably the best possible line up to get the job done anyway.

A surprise in the recent West Asian championship played as a qualifying round for the 2017 Asian Championship. Teams included Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. Lebanon featured a naturalised player in none other than......... Ater Majok. Obviously they are paying him well.

Lebanon is the new Guam!

How did we delude ourselves at the last Olympics?

The opinion that Australia was a lock for a medal, that we could actually beat the USA, etc.

All other things being equal, aiming to WIN the Asian championship would not be unreasonable. If our NBA players are not available, that may alter the balance if we lose proportionately more quality than say China.
But I still think that done right, we could field a winning team.

And our talent is only getting better. To think Australia could win a medal in 2019 and 2020 is far from deluding ourselves

Australia has featured regularly in the finals for something like the last 40 years. And every time we point to some kids, claim we're improving, and will do better "next time."
A bronze medal is not beyond the realms of possibility, we've come close often enough, and its a worthy goal. But proclaiming we're in the hunt, 3~4 years out is nonsense.

Anyway, that's really beside the point.
All I was saying is that treating the Asian 'ship as simply a development tourney was wrong, and probably wouldn't work anyway.

Dazz, as ME and I have pointed out, we think it unlikely that a full strength team will play in this tournament for three key reasons.
1. It's in Lebanon, meaning the real or perceived threat of political instability.
2. The free agent and/or development situations featuring all our NBA players bar Dellavedova.
3. Tournament is in fact a dead rubber which does not affect World Cup qualification (now in football/soccer windows).

I will state that I would prefer that we send a full strength team, just won't happen, but we need to play as many of these tournaments as possible (there is also 2018 Commonwealth Games) to blood players because Euros do this every year.