Started thinking about Canada hoops...

.. after Pangos, a Canadien lad, hit some key shots in Gonzaga's rd1 win over Southern U. and wonder which Tragically Hip line  or song title would be the aptest headline.


I'll opt for On the verge  to describe Gonzaga's predicament in the final minutes yesterday

 Song The Luxury:

"Why are you partial to that Playboy con?
When you can see me naked anytime you want?"

Song  Poets 

"Don't tell me what the poets are doing
on the street and the epitome of vague"

Song Looking for a place to happen

"Hey man you've got a real bum's eye for clothes"

Song Yawning or Snarling

"Walk past damaged goods and ugly trends"

Ok, THip fans add your faves. 

5/13/13

for sportsgirl  Pigeon Camera (live)

7/4/13:  back to to the initial theme : The Cleveland Cavaliers made Anthony Bennett, a native of Brampton ON,  the first 

Canadien drafted # overall in the NBA. The UNLV freshman forward  starred for Canada's junior national teams and was the Mountain West Conference freshman of the year

7/21/13

 Kyle Wiltjer (born October 20, 1992 in Portland, Oregon) , a Canadian-American college basketball player transferred from Kentucky to Gonzaga. I'm guessing he has dual citizenship.

10/14/13

Anthony Bennett seems to be finding his way in Cavs camp

10/15/13

Here's one mixed review on Bennet preseason . It may be awhile for the Canadien cracks the starting lineup

11/9/13

Cavs forward Bennett left the Philly game with 8:37 remaining in the second quarter and didn't return because of a sprained right shoulder. Bennett, the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft, was scoreless in six minutes and remains 1 for 20 from the field through six games.

11/29/13

Bennett still struggling. He's only getting about 11 minutes agame with a .214 FG% and 2.0 PPG. Horrible numbers for the #1 overall pick. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Canada.

12/25/13

Bennett is only getting 8 minutes agame and is averaging about two points and two rebounds a game for the season.

1/3/14

Decent night for Pangos  15 points/ 4 assists in  conference win over St Mary's

1/13/14

Did Bennett leave his heart in Vegas or Canada?

1/17/14

Pangosscored 14  in a Zags W over Pepperdine.

1/21/14

another DNP for Bennett

1/30/14

Watch out: Bennett scored 15 points  also had 8 rebounds, a block and an assist in a loss to the Pelicans Tuesday. Maybe it was garbage time or maybe a turning point?

2/8/14

Steve Nash, perhaps the most famous Canadian hoopster, is 40, that's ancient for the NBA

3/11/14

Bennett out three weeks with a strained knee. Cavs blew this pick

Steve Nash needs to retire. He's played in 10 games for the Lakers this season

Kevin Pangos scored nine points as Gonzaga  advanced in the WCC

3/22/14

Nice line  in the Zags win: Gonzaga: K. Pangos 26 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl

3/23/14

Dyshawn Pierre, a nativy of Whitby ON, hit clutch free throws in Dayton's 

upset of Cuse yesterday.

3/28/14

DP  had aso-so game but Dayton beat Stanford to advance

6/19/14

Andrew Wiggins (Kansas), Tyler Ennis’s (Syracuse), &  Nik Stauskas (Michigan ) are  the three leading Canadiens in the 2014 NBA draft. Cavs were burned on Bennet in the  last draft. Do they go with Wiggins with Embiid hurt?

7/1/14

Wiggins #1 overall to Cavs- back to back years drafing a Canadien
Stauskas # 8 overall to Sacramento
Ennis  #18 overall to Phoenix

7/18/14

Wiggins may be getting closer to Canada. Minnesota may trade Love to the Cavs for Wiggins.

7/19/14

Cavs are tossing Bennett into the deal- not so sure that helps.

7/22/14

Heard Jason Whitlock expressing a sentiment of  some NBA scouts that Canadiens are too laid back. Just think of Steve Nash in nhis prime and you'll answer NO. Generalizations are too easy too make and to dismiss.

10/09/14

Stauskas doesn't back down from his comments about "white stereotypes " in the NBA. Generalizing is always dangerous, but it's good to see someone not apologizing. Of course, he raised the ante by making those comments.  Stauskas

10/25/14

Nash is out for the season with a bad back. He's 40 and  probably will retire before the 2015/16 season
.

10/31/14

K-Love is off to a good start for the Cavs. Wiggins and Bennett are coming off the bench in Minn
Stauskas got 26 minutes for the Jazz

12/3/14

How about Tristan Thompson-POB-Toronto, College- Texas. he's doing a solid job as Love's backup at PF. He was a Cavs rd1 pick in 2011.

12/4/14

A friend reminded me that some of these Canadien players, Bennett, Thompson, and Cory Joseph,  went to Findlay Prep, a Las Vegas Nevada basketball high school factory.

1/18/15

Wiltjer 16.6 ppg, Pangos  5 APG  for #3 Gonzaga(18-1, 7-0 WCC)

1/27/15

Wiggins  15.2 PPG,  4.3 rbg. Twolves aren't good but he seems to be progressiing. Probably wind up

 a good deal. Bennett appears to a career  third or fourth guy off the bench.

2/10/15

Wiggins stats are about the same and I'm sure the Twolves would like see more rebounds. Bennett remains to be one of the worst overall#1 picks in along time, Stauskas isn't getting much time with the broken Kings.  Tristan T is solid off the bench.

3/1/15

Rough night for the Zaga Canadiens,  Wiltjer (4 pts) and Pangos (8 pts),   in  a WCC loss to BYU, that definitely ends their chance at a 1 Dance seeding.

3/10/15

Thinking Zags as a 3 seed

Tristan T 's is becoming a solid bench player for Cleveland

3/12/15

Nice night for Gonzaga: K. Wiltjer 18 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast as they won the WCC title. Still a three seed and a tem with quick guards could give them he!!

3/20/15

Tevon Walker, a Montreal native and Valpraiso guard,  plays my Terps today. More  at  link

3/22/15

Steve Nash announed his retirement. He crossed my hoops radar when he led Santa Clara past the Terps in rd1 of the 1996 Dance.

3/29/15

Przemek Karnowski, a 7' 1" center from Poland, was strong  under the basket but his was passing ability that surprised me in Zaga's win over UCLA Friday night. He'll need to be stellar if the Zags are going to beat Duke and make the F4.

4/18/15

Maybe Corey Joseph (Spurs) gets his minutes increased in rd1 against the Clips.

Tristan T will be be a key reserve in the Cavs rd1 series against  the Celtics.

Will Rick Barnes  bring a few Canadiens to  Tennessee?

5/2/15

Wiggins wins Rookie of the Year award.  I'm going to call the trade a draw for now. KLove did play a solid  role in the Cavs  season.

5/7/15

Tristan Thompson  added 12 rebounds for Cleveland in a rare  start at power forward that allowed Lebron James to move back to small forward. CLE 106  CHI 91. He'll probably start the rest of the series.

5/15/15

Tristan T (17pts , 13 reb) as the Cavs close out the Bulls

5/27/15

Tristan T (16pts , 11 reb) as the Cavs sweep Hawks

6/4/15

Can Tristan T keep playing this well? I think Golden St has a plan to keep TT off the boards.

6/10/15

Tristan T( 10 points,13 reb) yep, I was wrong GSW can't keep him off the boards. Cavs lead series 2-1.

6/15/15

Tristan T (Points: 19 Rebounds: 10) provided more O than usual but Cavs lost.

6/22/15

Here's a name I haven't discussed. He averaged about 19ppg and four assists a game for Boston College. Maybe he goes in rd2 of the 2015 NBA draft.

• Olivier Hanlan
• #21
• Guard
• Boston College Eagles

• Class: Junior JR
• Height: 6-4
• Weight: 190
• 
  
• Hometown: Aylmer, PQ

                                                                            6/26/15

Hanlan went to the Jazz in rd2. Utah also took selected Canadian Trey Lyles with the No. 12 pick 

7/14/15

Cory Joseph, a Canadien and a solid backup with the Spurs, signs with the Toronto Raptors. Pops knew how to use Josephso it will be worth watching how Dwane Casey uses him in the lineup.

PTS	REB	AST
6.8	2.4	2.4

7/25/15

Canada beat the USA in Pan Am game hoops and will face Brazil for the title.  Anthony Bennett has had solid series, but  Jamal Murray, a Toronto kid headed to Kentucky, stole the show last night.

9/19/15

Could be a great move: Steve Nash as player development  consultant for GSW. Nash

Kerr, assistant Bruce Fraser and Warriors president Rick Welts all were with Nash with the Phoenix Suns

9/22/15

Anthony Bennett ,the #1 overall pick in the 2013 NBAdraft, is being bought out by the TWolves.

9/29/15

No way Cavs will pay Tristan T, 3yr 53M. He 's a 6th or 7th man.

10/23/15

Tristan T: 5yr,80M. Pays to be tight with Lebron cuz the dude isn't a scorer. Cavs will regret this deal in a year or two unless TT develops a shot.

11/1/15

Catching up with Cory Joseph's return home to the Raptors. Solid D but sluggish O off the bench.

11/13/15

16M for  8points 10 reb a game-TT is overpaid.
Wiggins 20 points , 3 reb a game. At this point the KLove trade appears to have worked out for both teams

12/18/15

Bennett only gets trash time.Tristan T: 18M a year for 7ppg ,9rbg????????

1/12/16

Still calling the Wiggins /Love trade a toss-up

1/28/16

Two Canadian  ,Wiggins (Minnesota) and  Dwight Powell(Dallas) will play in the NBA Rising stars game.. Powell was born in Toronto and played at Stanford.

3/9/16

Gonzaga is dancing and  Wiltjer(17 points, 4 reb) was a big contributor in the their big win over St Mary's in the WCC final

3/14/16

Wiltjer's Zags face Seton Hall- tough matchup.

3/18/16

I didn't pick the Zags in rd1. Wiltjer had a shaky shooting night but Sabonis carried them to a win over Seton Hall. BTW,  Domantas Sabonis is the son of Arvydas Sabonis , who had some solid seasons  in the 1990's for the Portland TrailBlazers

3/20/16

Wiltjer had a good first half and the Zags never looked back in their win over Utah. Sabonis & McLellan were stellar

4/15/16

Will Tristan Thompson perk up in the playoffs again?

4/28/16

TT and the Cavs advanced. Olynk and the Celts are fading . Cory J and the Raps are up 3-2 in their series with the Pacers.

5/9/16

DWade should've stopped shoooting  during  the singing of O Canada

5/24/16

Tristan Thompson hasn't been earning all the money "king" James helped him obtain.

6/4/16

Thompson has average 8.5 reb and 6.2 points in the post-season- not exactly what the Cavs paid him the big $$$ for . He did grab 12 rebounds in gm 1 against GSW.

6/9/16

Game 3 and Thompson showed up finally: 14 points 13 rebounds

6/14/16

Game 5: Decent night for Tristan T 15 rebs, 2 blocks , 1 steal

6/17/16

I've been rough on TT, but he was a beast in the first half. 15 points , 16 rebs for the native of Toronto in the Cavs Game 6 win.

6/24/16

Jamal Murray, a freshman from U of Kentucky and native of Kitchener, Ont., was selected seventh overall by the Denver Nuggets. UK Coach Calipari has recruited well in Canada.

6/26/16

Kyle Wiltjer Gonzaga signed as a FA by the Houston Rockets.

8/7/16

Wiggins is not on the 2016 Canadien Olympic basketball team, but these other NBA players are: Cory Joseph, Joel Anthony, Anthony Bennett, Tyler Ennis, and Tristan Thompson.
The roster includes Shai Alexander, a PG from Hamilton Ontario who has one more year of at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy  in Chattanooga, TN and is a 2017 verbal commit to the Florida Gators

10/6/16

NBA season approaches . How will #jamal murray, who grew up in #Kitchener, Ontario, do? He hasn't played a regular season game for the Denver Nuggets but isn't short on confidence.

"I know I'm one of the best scorers in the league. I'm one of the best rookies here, but other than that, no pressure."

12/1/16

#jamalmurray took five games to make a shot for the Denver Nuggets, but he's averaging nearly 20ppg in the last two weeks.

1/10/17

Catching up on #Canadiens in the NBA. #anthonybennett, #1 overall pick by the Cavs in 2013, was waived by the Nets. The Cavs have recovered, but Bennett may be done in the  NBA. #jamalmurray is averaging 8ppg , which doesn't make him one of the top scorers in  the league.

2/4/17

#tristanthompson make 16M a season, partiallycuz he's tight with Lebron , but  does 7.5ppg  and 9.7rbg in 15 mpg  merit that kind of pay.
Wiltjer and Ennis aren't playing muchfor the Houston Rockets.

3/25/17

Wiggins is averaging 23 PPG  but only 4 RBG. Corey Joseph remains a solid backup for the Raptors.

3/27/17

#jamalmurray has been ok ( 9.5ppg)for Denver but he still hasn't come anywhere near being what he proclaimed at the start of the season.

5/2/17

#kylewiltjer (3 points) sighting  for the Rockets in their blowout of the Spurs last night.

6/2/17

It took #tristan thompson three games to wake up in the 2016 #nbafinals. He opened game 1 in the 2017 finals with zero points and four rebounds.

6/5/17

#Cavs tried to get #tristanthompson is gear but it didn't work. 8pts 4reb  1block

6/18/17

It appears that #dillonbrooks, a forward from #oregonU , will be be highest selected-probably late

second round Canadian in the 2017 NBA draft

6/24/17

#DillonBrooks to #grizzlies . I'm stoked.

6/29/17

#kylewiltjer was one of seven players the Rockets traded to Clips in the CP3 deal. Wonder if the Clips
keep him

7/23/17

#dillonbrooks signs with the Griz.Hope the kid makes it. A lot of second rounders wind up in the NBDL these days.

9/23/17

#anthonybennett signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Suns and it could be his last chance.

10/14/17

#Wiggins signs five year extension  with #timberwolves. #tristanthompson brings #Kardishians to #Cavs practice.

10/18/17

#DillonBrooks added 19 in his debut as the Griz won their season opener.

11/7/17

Didn't know #steveNash  spends  few days a month with the Warriors in his role as a player development consultant

11/28/17

Will Brooks (Grizzlies) get more time with a new coach. I wonder what happened between Gasol and Fitzdale.It has to be more than Marc not playing in the 4th quarter the other night.
#jamalmurray is now averaging 14 PPg for the Nuggets.
Are the Cavs trading Tristan Thompson?

1/6/17

#wiggins is a solid player but I thought he'd be averaging more than 4 rebounds a game
#jamalmurray is averaging 16 PPg and living up to his own hype
#stauskas is averaging 7.7 ppg for the Nets
#dillonbrooks mis averaging 7.8 for the Griz

2/17/18

#jamalmurray, the kid from Kitchener, Ontario, is coming into his own this season in Denver. He's averaging  16.5 PPG and about three assists and three rebounds a game.

4/4/18

#Wiggins and  the Twolves still haven't clinch a playoff spot, while #murray and the Nuggets have a slim chance

4/14/18

Catching up on Canadiens in the NBA: #wiggins hit some clutch shots against Denver in the Twolves OT win that earned them the 8th slot in the West.#jamalmurray  has become a solid scorer for the Nuggets. Dillon Brooks has exceeeded expectations in Memphis. And the annual question: will Tristan Thompson show up for the Cavs in the playoffs?

5/24/18

Singing the same old song about #tristanthompson , the overpaid Canadien, had one points , six rebounds, and one assist in the Cavs game five loss to the Celtics

6/17/18

SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER (Hamilton, Ontario) , a 6'6 PG for Kentucky last season, is ranked in the top 15 on most NBA mock draft boards.

6/22/18

#GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER goes to #charlotte as the 11th pick in rd1 and then was traded to the Clippers in exchange for the 12th pick (Miles Bridges) and two second-round picks. Clips will likely pair him with #louwilliams in the backcourt.

10/13/18

Opening night on Oct 16. I'm looking for an uptick in #dillonbrook 's contributions to the Grizzlies. Wonder if  #wiggins has improved his shooting?  I've been remiss about chris boucher who played high school hoops in Quebec and now plays for the Raptors, and Justin Jackson (Magic) from  Toronto who played college hoops for my Terps.
10/27/18: #andrewwiggins tells Team Canada pay me !
12/16/18: updates on #canadian NBAers: SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER has had an erratic season. Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace insisted that #DillonBrooks was never part of the three teams’ trade discussions and blamed news media leaks from the Wizards or the Suns for a situation he described as “unfathomable.”  It was #MarShonBrooks .

2/10/18

It's been awhile since I checked in on the Canadiens in the NBA . #andrewwiigins 17.9 for Minnesota
SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER 10.1 ppg, 3.1 ast. for LAC. chris boucher 3.1 ppg , 1.9 rbg  rAPTORS.  Kings traded Justin Jackson to the Mavs.

4/6/18

S G Alexander  scored 20 points and added eight assist in the Clips 122-117 loss to LAL.
Wiggins scored 18 and was 7 of 12 from the field in Twolves win over Miami which has lost three in a row, and is one GB Detroit in and Brooklyn for the final playoff slot in the East with two games left in the season.

4/10/18

  Nickell Alexander-Walker (Toronto) ,Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's cousin, averaged 16 PPG for Virginia Tech.

4/13/19

I got curious about some Canadian born NBA players from the past. How about #BobHoubregs, who was born in Vancouver, CA, led to UW to a final four appearance in the early 1950s, and had some decent NBA seasons with the Baltimore Bullets, Milwaukee Hawks, and Fort Wayne Pistons.

4/17/19

 Gonzaga has had a few Canadian born players and now  #RuiHachimura, is likely to be the first Japanese born drafted in the NBA.  He averaged 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Zags last season and is a possible lottery pick.
April 22: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Clippers with a career-high 25 points in agame four loss to GSW. The kid is playing well.
may 6 2019: "I know I'm one of the best scorers in the league. I'm one of the best rookies here, but other than that, no pressure." A quote  saved from #Jamalmurray during pre-season 2016. The Canadian kid has come through big time in the playoff series against the Blazers.

May 25

 #steveNash thinks his godson #RJBarrett of Toronto would be a good fit for the #Knicks. Barrett played at Duke. Nash and RJ's dad were teammates on the Canadian National Team.

june 2

  The #Grizzlies will likely select Murray State’s Ja Morant with the No. 2 overall pick, and #rjBarrett declined its request for a private workout. 

June 9, 2019

  Other Canadians that were invited to to the NBA draft combine:Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Va Tech), Brandon Clarke (Gonzaga), Ignas Brazdeikis (Michigan), Lugentz Dort (Arizona State), Mifondu Kabengele (Florida State) and Simi Shittu (Vandy) .

july 4

 Six Canadians  selected in the 2019 NBA draft:
RJ Barrett (Knicks), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Nets), Brandon Clarke(Thunder), Mfiondu Kabengele(Nets), Ignas Brazdeikis(Kings) and Marial Shayok(76ers)
july 6:  SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER (Hamilton, Ontario) goes to OKC as part of the huge trade that sends Paul George to the LA Clippers.
aug 24: Enjoying SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER's candor: I'm not Westbrook! and he's glad Steven Adams is a teammate:  "Honestly, he was very annoying," ---- "His screens are rock -- very annoying to get over."
Nov 23: Big night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OKC - SG 24 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST in a 140-137 loss to the Lakers.
feb 1 2020  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OKC is an averaging 19.5 points a game and is having a solid career. He'll turn 22 in July

March 5,2020

RJ Barrett is having a solid rookie year for the Knicks. His numbers have been higher than his season average lately. 14 ppg, 5 rbg, 2 apg

March 14,2020

 Nickeil Alexander-Walker  had a tough first season. He was drafted by the Nets and traded  to Atlanta than New Orleans. He averaged 5 points and two assists a game for NOP before fracturing his wrist last week..

april 28, 2020

 Bulls make #MarcEversley, a native of Brampton, Ontario,first Canadian GM in NBA history. His last gig was in the Sixers front office.

may 30 , 2020

Ernie Vandeweghe, father of Kiki ,former NBA player and executive, was born in Montreal, played college hoops at Colgate, and pro hoops for the Knicks from 1949-56.

aug 16, 2020

#dillonbrooks (Mississauga, ON, Canada) finished his  third season with a solid play -in game effort of 20 points for Memphis in a loss to the scorching Blazers.. He  was the Grizzlies rd2 pick in 2017.

aug 31, 2020

Jamal Murray's(Kitchener, Ontatio) stats last night, 50 points, five rebounds and six assists in a Nuggets win over Utah. It was his third straight game with at least 40 points. I found this quote from his 2016 rookie camp: "I know I'm one of the best scorers in the league. I'm one of the best rookies here, but other than that, no pressure."

sept 3, 2020

 Nash, a Canadian, gets 4 yr deal to coach the Nets. Lu Dort from Montreal via Arizona St had a solid first round series for OKC.

Aug 8, 2021

It's been awhile, and I'm a bit late in noting that #JoshuaPrimo, a native of Toronto who played one year at Bama, was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in rd1 of 2021 draft.

Oct 23, 2021

Dalano Banton's selection with the 46th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Raptors made him the first Canadian player to be drafted by the Toronto franchise.  He played college hoops for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers and is becoming a fan favorite after hitting a half court shot in his first game.

Nov 13, 2021

Primo was recalled from the G-League a few days ago and Pops is giving him about three minutes a game. 

Oct 13, 2022

Lindell Wigginton from Halifax may make the Milwaukee Bucks squad. He played college hoops for Iowa State. 

June 12, 2023

Wow, Wiggins has come a long way. He!!! of a finals.

Dec 31, 2023

Raptors trade Anunoby to Knicks for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley etc. I guess Raps were looking to change the chemistry.

April 22, 2024

S. Gilgeous-Alexander, kid from Canada, had a big game(28pts, 4asts) for OKC who survived the Pelicans last night.

June 29, 2024

Wiggins won't play  for Team Canada. Mutual medical decision or GSW decision. He struggled with a weak ankle at the end of the season.Some say he's on the trade market.

His mom, Marita Payne-Wiggins, won silver medals for Canada in the 4×100-meter relay and the 4×400-meter relay at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) and Jamal Murray(DEN) are the big names on the team.Toronto Raptors teammates ,Kelly Olynyk and RJ Barrett, are also likely headed to France.