Canada vs. Turkey FIBA OQT (Photo : FIBA)
Everybody thought Canada would go all the way to the gold-medal match at last year's FIBA Americas. Instead, a stunning loss to eventual champion Venezuela in the semi-final relegated the Canadians to the final Olympic Qualifier tournament in Manila.
Preview:
On Tuesday, Canada will kick off their campaign to return to the Olympic Games for the first time since 2000 against Turkey. Canada won't have the service of former Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, Boston Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk and scoring spitfire Jamal Murray, but enlisted Tristan Thompson, who is coming off a championship run with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the just concluded 2015-16 NBA season.
Thompson, who skipped last year's FIBA Americas Championship because of his free-agency situation, will join former top pick Anthony Bennett and Cory Joseph in that young but talented Canadian squad.
Turkey, on the other hand, will be represented by a mix of NBA and Euroleague veterans like Omer Asik, Sameh Erden, Cedi Osman and naturalized playmaker Ali Muhammed. The Turkish team has been doing pretty well during their building, salvaging a couple of wins against the Philippine team.
Projected Starting Lineup & Prediction:
Canada: C- Joel Anthony, PF - Tristan Thompson, SF - Anthony Bennett SG - Brady Heslip, PG - Cory Joseph
Turkey: C- Omer Asik, PF - Samet Geyik, SF - Cedi Osman, SG - Sinan Guller, PG - Ali Muhammed
It's going to be a battle of the titans down low with both team boasting beefed up frontline. Asik, the New Orleans Pelicans center, will be the Turkey's main weapon in the interior, but Canada can counter their opponents' high advantage with athleticism and speed.
Moreover, Canada can deploy the 7-foot-5, 360-pound Sim Bhullar to the court for some presence in the shaded lane. Bhullar, who had a stint with the Sacramento Kings, could be a big difference in a slow-paced ball game.
Turkey, on the other hand, will be banking on their low-post and kick-out style of play. With Asik expected to draw multiple defenders down low, Turkey's three-point shooting will be critical to their campaign, particularly in this match.
Cedi Osman, the talented 21-year old winger, needs to be aggressive offensively to give Turkey a fighting chance against this very good Canada team.
In the end, I can see the Turkish coming through with an upset over Canada in this one. In the game against the Philippines, Turkey just showed how deadly they are beyond the three-point line with sharp-shooters Muhammad and Guler. It's going to be tight match with lots of changed leads, but Turkey simply has the weapons to pull it off.
Broadcast Details:
Canada vs. Turkey will start at 6:30 a.m US ET / 6:30 p.m Phil Time live on TV 5, Basketball TV, Live Stream FIBA OQT, Sports Stream and Sports5.ph. Boxscores and stats will be posted on FIBA Olympic Qualifier - Manila Leg.
