It doesn't do one any favours to bag out another player when he is an established star in the NBA and you are trying to get in.

There's about 25 established NBA players who will be in the Olympics - 10-15 of which are not as good as Ben Simmons. If they genuinely thought that skipping the Olympics and doing personal training was going to make them better basketball players then why don't the likes of Wiggins, Bogdanovic and Sabonis pull the pin?

I dont think it helps the Boomers to keep talking about it. Ben's gone. Talk about the team you actually have not the one you could've.

Yep don't waste anymore time on him.

More than that Curtley

Ppl forgetting Canada is reasonably stacked and they're missing a lot of players in SGA, Olynyck, Brooks, Murray...

Canada is stacked and look tough but they have the misfortune of being grouped with Team USA, meaning their only avenue of progressing to the top four is to be the best performing second placed team of the tournament.

Now, that is going to made harder again if you've maybe taken a 20+ point L to team USA, yet the second placed team of other groups lost the game they lost by 2 or 3 points, or maybe took a bigger win.

For that reason, Canada and France probably drew the shortest straw when it comes to tournament dynamics and any realistic medal shot. It's going to be tough for them in that group.

If Australia comes second in their group they probably have a 50/50 chance of progressing against whoever comes second in the group of Spain, Argentina and most likely Lithuania.

If anything, Australia finds themselves in the best possible group for advancement.

Good analysis there on the pool dynamics.

So for once we didn't draw the short straw which is nice for a change.

I think it's worth mentioning here that the Philippines took Serbia to the wire, only to go down by 6 points 77-83. It was a very close and tense game in the last few minutes. It brings to question just how good Serbia will be at the Olympics. These are important qualifying games, not warm ups. And they were brought to the wire by a team our NBL Boomers smash by 25 points. Bogdanovich obviously may be available when the actual games start but this kind of performance definitely brings Serbia back down to the pack a bit.

Ok I didn't realize that.

Philippines are only in the qualifiers after replacing New Zealand who pulled out due to COVID.

Why are the Philippines using college players - don't they want to qualify for the Olympics? Strange choice from a minnow handed a second chance.

But the olympics have quarter finals do they not?

So it is the two best placed third placed teams that make it, hence it is likely that france and canada will make it to the quarters, especially with iran as an easy beat

Some footage of Sotto up against Boban:

New @Adelaide36ers #NBL22 recruit Kai Sotto (@kzsottolive) went head to head with Boban overnight at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Sotto finished with 10 points and 5 boards after getting the start but his squad fell 83-76 against Serbia via @FIBA pic.twitter.com/lh2Z19NS8r

— The NBL (@NBL) July 1, 2021

I'll be watching qualifies soon. It’s on Fox Sports More.

#547 and #548 thanks. No, I haven't been watching (yet) so that's why I asked.

The Tab Baldwin hiring is a solid appointment and it makes sense to try something new before hosting a major tournament.

Gee Spain, Argentina, Lithuania sound like a bye for the Boomers in the quarters. Give us medals now

It seems we rate no-one but ourselves and yet we've NEVER won an international game that counts for silverware

With the arrogance and lack of respect we carry for anyone but the Americans, no wonder we (will) remain medalless.

I hope for once I’m wrong.

"But the olympics have quarter finals do they not?

So it is the two best placed third placed teams that make it, hence it is likely that france and canada will make it to the quarters, especially with iran as an easy beats"



No, this year there is no quarter finals just semis.


"Gee Spain, Argentina, Lithuania sound like a bye for the Boomers in the quarters. Give us medals now
"

You clearly didn't read what I said. THERE ARE NO QUARTER FINALS!

Let me outline it for you, lest you make another incredibly arrogant comment:

There are three groups. Each group is comprised of four teams. The top team of each group automatically qualifies for the SEMI FINALS along with the best performing second placed team of the cup/.

So no, no one is assuming those guys are a bye for us in the quarters. There is no quarters! If we beat Serbia, (likely Brazil or Croatia) and Nigeria, we walk into the top four. That's the way it is.

Nostraballmus. We get your schtick man. "Oh, we didnt get a foreign coach therefore we wont medal and I can make asinine comments about it non-stop."

It's getting old man. It's even getting the point where you're jumping to assumptions about what other people are saying before even trying to digest what you're reading.

I mean, on what planet would anyone consider Spain, Lithuania, Argentina a "bye" for the Boomers? Clearly I was getting at something else. Clearly when I mentioned the format you should have read it for what it was rather than making a stupid half baked reply.

Shall I repeat? The best four teams of the tournament go straight to the semi finals. If Australia wins the group with likely Serbia, Brazil and Nigeria, or is the best performing second team, that is where they go.

Teams in USA's group will find it much harder to do so because they're more likely to cop large scale beltings to that team. So that goes beyond USA being "the only team anyone respects"

But please, continue on with your negativity and garbage, and replying to comments not as they are, but as you misconstrue them.

Yeah, turns out you're right. I had someone who should know inform me otherwise. Either way... no one was assuming that those games would be a "bye" for the Boomers.

Cheers ME. My sincere apologies. It seems I have offended.

I do hope you are right and we win a medal.