So long, Izmir, it's been nice knowing you

 

Okay, well, that’ll be it for Izmir, I guess.

By the time a lot of you get around to reading this – which is the first thing you do every morning, right? – I should be solidly sitting in Istanbul, getting ready for a couple of days of what I hope is good playoff-round basketball.

Izmir? Nice city, really nice along the water, really cool with little alleys and small streets up away from the sea. Would I come back? I don’t know. I don’t imagine so, there are so many other things to do and I don’t imagine there’d be a work thing that would cause a return so this probably it.

Lots of stuff in here about the city; suffice to say for now that it’s pretty cool.

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I am only spending two days in Istanbul – I had the option to stay longer if Canada had made some noise in this tournament – but I think I got the good two days of four of round-of-16 playoff action, or as FIBA calls it, the eighth-finals.

Spain-Greece on Saturday is by far the best of the first round playoff games and for a guy who picked them both to be in legitimate medal contention, seeing one go home will be crushing. I know there will be a large number of “great” games over the next week but that one’s going to be special.

We’ll have more on each of the games somewhere on this site today or in the paper tomorrow (it’s what I’ve got to write when I land in Istanbul) but I don’t think it gets much better a Saturday double-header of Serbia-Croatia and the Spain-Greece.

Toss in Turkey-France on Sunday and this should be a doozy of a couple of days.

Now, the only reason those games worked out is because of the zany Kiwis, right? That same team that so many of you thought should be easy pickings for Canada went out and beat France in the final preliminary round pool game, throwing all of Group D into disarray.

And if that doesn’t underscore the fact that there are good teams out there representing countries you don’t think should have good programs, I don’t know what will.

Anyway, enough basketball, let’s get to some stuff.

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One of the things I was warned about heading over by people who know was that it was probably a good idea not to eat the food being sold by street vendors.

Not to say that it’s all bad, but why take the chance, right?

Well, as Gumby (he’d be the lone Toronto grunt on the trip) and I were walking to the fair last night, there was a cart guy selling the most sickly looking hot dogs I’ve ever seen.

Sayeth Mike: “Wanna try?”

Replyeth me: “Not if it was the last food on earth.”

And if that was bad, not 100 metres up the street, there were a gaggle of dudes selling – get this – bags of what looked awfully like raw, close mussels. Off a table. With no ice. In about 25 C heat.

Yeah, right. Funnily enough, didn’t see anyone rushing to buy ‘em up.

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You did notice, of course, that only three teams out of 24 are leaving here without a win.

That’d be Jordan, Tunisia and …

Can’t remember the other.

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Speaking of food …

If you’re ever in these parts, I think you’d do well to order the following:

Iskender kabab, which is grilled meat served over grilled bread with a nice tomato sauce, yogurt, rice and the omnipresent flatbread.

Either of the sandwiches that would seem to be staples of the diet, a grilled meat with a nice salty cheese served hot on a bun with pickles and the same meat, I think, served cold with tomato and a thin, kind of hot pepper.

Oh, and if you’re at 100 Per Cent restaurant on the Konak Peir, the fish carpaccio is to die for.

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So, at the Halkapinar Arena, the media work room is this cavernous joint about 20 metres from the court that’s rather, um, spartan. Rows of tables, about four TVs showing games from other cities mainly, and a rest area that comprised about four couches around a low table you’d see in my living room.

And the, er, hospitality, area was one corner of the big room with a small fridge that was usually out of bottles of water and a table with a couple of vats of hot water and some instant coffee.

But I did hear the oddest thing in there yesterday.

Piercing the relative quiet – it was before Canada-Spain, which was the first game of the day – all of a sudden the familiar sound of the theme song of the Andy Griffith Show (you remember, Gomer and Andy, Aunt Bea and the gang) starts up. Seems they have goofy ringtones on cell phones over here, too.

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Got some mail?

Please.

You know the drill … write, click, send.

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Okay, one last kick at the Canadian team and then I think we need to put it to rest until they get around to making a decision on the coaching situation, and I don’t see that coming until October.

This is the fourth worlds I’ve been at and never once has Canada gotten past its preliminary round group.

There was a loss in a huge game to Greece in Toronto in 1994, the team that went to Athens in 1988 was a dysfunctional a group of mainly self-absorbed kids looking for jobs the next year rather than wins that I can think of, and the one in Indy in 2002 was the first one that Canada played without Steve Nash and they finished 13th of 16 teams.

So it’s not like this trip undid all kinds of great history.

But, and this is an honestly held opinion, there is a greater feeling of optimism about where the program is going than was ever felt after either of those other tournaments.

It’s not going to be easy, no question about it. The kids who are the future of the program – the high schoolers who’ve yet to do anything except build reputations – have to develop and they have to want to play for their country, which is the single most important part of this equation.

It’s all well and good to talk about their talent and the fact they are on lists of potentially good players drawn up in the United States but unless they can see this national team program as something worthwhile, something that will be a good experience with a professionally-run organization, it won’t mean squat.

That’s why the relationships that are being built now by Wayne Parrish and Maurizio and Leo are as important – if not more important – than anything else they do.

The sense I have right now, and this is from casual conversation with a lot of people around the game, is that people are thinking that playing for the national team is something they want to do.

The profile of being at the worlds can’t hurt and, the five losses notwithstanding, there does seem to be more promise at the end of Canada’s run in this tournament than there was at the end of any of the other three I’ve had first-hand experience with.

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Comments

[Petek Coskun]

Dear Doug,
Those mussels you saw were not raw, they were stuffed with spicy rice and cooked, and although it does matter who you are buying them from, they are almost always best at street sellers, and a good one is to die for. If you would have time in Istanbul I think national pride would require us to offer you some decent Turkish meal, cheers!

[sportschick]

I hope you'll get a bit of time to explore in between those games. There's actually a lot to see in Istanbul. Superwife and Superson might appreciate it if you manage to get to the Grand Bazaar, at least.

Going back to yesterday's article and the coaching of the Canadian team, I think sometimes people tend to think a team has better players available than they actually do, so the coach gets blamed. Not to say it's never the coach.

[Mark L]

Looks like this Rogers issue is hurting baseball fans as well. They might as well just get rid of all sports not named hockey in Canada...

[arun]

On a percent scale, what would you say the current roster is what we should expect going in to the training camp?

Blogger's note: More than 90

[Lazaros O.]

Doug, I wouldn't make too much of the Kiwis' win over France. France was trying to tank the game to avoid Greece whom they apparently can never beat. But foolishly enough they lost by 12 points, so they ended up 4th in the point differential and now they play... Turkey. I'm sure they're not happy with this. Greece-Russia was a very weird game as well with both teams trying to tank so that they avoid Spain (and then the USA), provided France would beat New Zealand, as was widely expected. Now the Russians seem to have the upper hand since they play New Zealand and Greece plays Spain, but given the fact that USA awaits Russia, it seems like Greece has a better chance to go to the final four since they play the winner of Serbia-Croatia, if they beat Spain. You also failed to mention Ivory Coast's shocking victory over Puerto Rico which would have put them in the next round had they scored one more point (I think). Puerto Rico got eliminated and China completely unexpectedly is in the final 16.

[rob hopkins]

I remember when the words "to die for" rolled off my tongue when describing food to a colleague, I immediately felt a little less manly, instantly, I wished I could take those words back I therefore made myself promise, that I would never utter those words again, at least not with food. A country I could die for, my house my family, but a culinary choice?

Why did these words cause such discomfort, I am not squeamish about these things, so why the sudden chest hair count? Why does that sequence feel so pretentious, stuck up and self serving? I don't know, but I shrill at the memory and had a good laugh when I saw you use it.

There are some phrases that man should just leave for the fairer sex.

As for team Canada, I remember those teams, but still have the feeling that the current players are smaller than the program, and the program is nothing to rave about. The team just seems impersonal, and I do not know who is to blame for that.

[Tree]

RE: Leo ...

Sports at it's simplest really boils down to 2 things: effort and execuation (I don't include skill b/c I'm referring to sports played at a high level, and no one lacking in skill makes it that far). With this edition of Team Canada, there can be zero doubt that the effort was there. The execution, however, was not. I didn't expect them to be contenders, but I certainly didn't expect them to be the worst team there, either.

Given this, I'd say it's obvious the players liked playing for Leo - but something was also obviously lacking. Take that how you will ... but I still don't understand why they canned Triano in the first place (a coach that seems to excel most in the role of teacher .... which finally makes him a good fit for this year's version of the Raps).

Also, it's worth noting that the basketball media in Canada has circled the wagons in support of Leo in a way I can't recall seeing in any other sport in any other situation. Could thte fact that Leo is first and foremost a member of the media have something to do with it?

[petro]

Doug,

To ease you of your "loss" yesterday, I thought I'd tell you I'm already back reading today.

petro

[Lorie]

Hi Doug,

So what means of transport did you use to get from Izmir to Istanbul? I'm thinking it might have been kind of cool to drive and explore a bit more of Turkey. And regarding that divine dish: do you know what type of fish was used in the carpaccio? Tuna? Snapper? Seabass? Didn't ask?) :)

Blogger's note: Saw some tuna, a white-fish I wasn't sure about and some others of undetermined origin. And we flew over

[pain777pas]

Our team just wasn't strong enough and if Nash Magloire Dalembert and Bonner don't dress were pretty much at a loss to compete against the top teams which are stacked with NBA talent. Serbia, Spain, Greece, France and the US are all in contention. I'm not convinced that the US will win this thing. I can't put my finger on it however, Durant and Rose as expected have come up big and ex-factor Curry can go shot for shot with anyone in the world today if left unattended. I have no favorite but Greece or Spain will be in the finals. That game will be a dogfight. So many games decided at the buzzer this World's. Doug you should have a great time with the games coming up. Close games and with some serious talent on their rosters.

[chris]

I think Leo's an awesome guy, and probably a great rep for the organization. My big question --- is this his first real coaching experience? Is he cutting his teeth in the few games that our national team plays?

If so, it would be silly to bring him back (in the coaching capacity) and was even sillier to hire him in the first place.

From watching the (and admittedly i'm watching the tube and not in the huddle) it seemed like the players like to play *for* him, but that they didn't have an ounce of actual management during the game. He may just not know what he's doing, and how could he?

Blogger's note: He's been coaching international games for five years now

[Baester]

Doug, the best food in Istanbul is the food from the street vendors! Please don't listen to people who've ruinously whispered sweet nothings into your ear about street food - they're probably the same ones who take yearly vacations to a fenced-in Cancun resort. Also, make sure to head up to Taksim - great restaurants to try after you've gorged yourself on street kebabs.

[coachd]

Hi Doug,
I've been following the national program since 1976 when I first saw them on TV during the Montreal Olympics and I have to say that I'm liking the direction the national program is heading in. Anyone who has been paying attention since 2005 will realize the significant strides that have been made. Were the results at this year's WC disappointing? Of course, who wants to lose five games in a row. But, the future is much brighter today than it was in 2005. Canada Basketball has a vision for this program and while the results may not be what anyone would have hoped for this time. I can see that success is just around the corner for the program.

[chris]

Doug - his 5 yrs of international games......you're referring to team canada, right? As in, the first (and only?) coaching experience this guy has had is as coach of team canada?

I don't blame him......really like the guy. Just don't get what basketball canada was thinking with that decision. Involve him for sure....but as coach he LOOKS like a guy who hasn't had much coaching experience.

Blogger's note: It was a previous regime that made the initial hire but it's not like these five games were the first big ones he's ever coached.

[joeu]

I see posters here and elsewhere trying to argue that Leo should be dropped, but they only provide unsupported, invalid, non-specific reasons for saying that.

It is so annoying, let's just "Triano" Leo. Continuity and dedication mean nothing to the program. Coaches can't grow and improve within the program. Why did we turn down Phil Jackson's request to coach our team ? Hasn't the bungling, politically motivated disaster created by the previous management of our program in years past been forgotten by the A-list of coaching candidates begging to get in the door ? The fuzzy thinking is incredible.

The bottom line question is: What, specifically, did Leo do wrong, to lose 4 straight games at the worlds ? Answer: Nothing.

[Jacques]

Would Jay ever consider taking the job if Leo isn't re-hired?

[David]

You hit the nail on the head: The biggest challenge for the National Team will be getting the young guys to play for Canada. That begs the followup: Since the best players coming up are overwhelmingly from inner city neighbourhoods do we need a coach who appeals more than Leo to that demographic. Either someone with solid links to the AAU programs, or a foreign coach (like David Blatt is doing for Russia) who commands such solid respect that players cannot use the coach as an excuse for avoiding the senior men's team.

Considering the national team's performance at Izmir, we may need a coach whose appointment is a game changer in that respect so that a "who wants to play for Canada" mentality doesn't take root with our potential future senior team members.

[robbie]

Canada doesn't have the basketball infrustructure to be a basketball power house. Canada doesn't have enough players in the pipe-line or enough coaches. Basketball just isn't important enough. Open up the school gyms, get more kids playing and develop a scholarship program at the university and college levels just for starters.

[ANM]

Question: Did Phil Jackson really offer to coach our team?
I don't ever remember hearing that.
I thought he turned that offer down himself?
Anyways.........Enjoy Istanbul Doug!
P.S. don't forget to pick up a Blue Eye for your home. And if you like expresso, try the Turkish coffee. (taste like dirt to me, but I can't stand coffee)

ANM

[bob]

What did Leo do wrong? Well He has not won with the Canadian Mens team? and this is sports and Winning is what he has been hired to do.

[samizdat]

I recall during his brief sojourn as a team Canada player, Leo was quick to bad mouth the program and the coaches.
He threatened to leave the team and go to play for Lithuania. ( He was delusional enough to believe he would have made the Lithuanian team).
The man is abrasive arrogant and cannot coach situational basketball. He was completely lost without Mike Malone and Dave Smart doing the X's and O's.
Wherever their stories differ I accept the versions of events given by both Sam Dalambert and Juan n Mendes as gto their folling out with King Leo.
Similarly Wayne Yearwood took the Johnny Cochrane route and played the race card when unhappy with his PT.
Parrish- Fire Leo and Yearwood, and fire them now. Get down on your knees and beg JT to come back.

[doug]

to me the hiring and firing off a national team coach is a different kettle of fish (a saying used never understood) then in the NBA...in the NBA a coach has the players for what 7,8,9 months...in international ball a coach has his players for a few weeks at most and then games begin...so a system and familiarity with that system is paramount, so continuity is a major factor...yes Leo has his shortcomings, if he drones on and on as he does sometimes on tv in this analytical mode he has I can see players tuning him out, some of his "strategy" decisions were questionable especially that sub-pattern in the 3rd against Lithuania, really mind-boggling....but he needs to learn or at least be given the chance to do so...as the program is what it is...it's been easy for the media to slag the program when it is down especially media such as Jeff Blair( who on the connected show this week sitting in for McGowan said what a waste of tax-dollars the team was, that guy should never go on that show, he just proves what a duffus he is as he wouldn't know a double-dribble from a travel)... , but is it down??..we qualified, yes were winless but people need to keep it in perspective and give Leo a chance to grow along with the young nucleus....as to do different would be a mistake, continuity is the key...

[Jerry]

Firing Triano and hiring a coach with no experience surely takes the top prize for the dumbest move by a national basketball program. As to whether Leo is a good coach now I am not qualified to comment on that but I expect someone will take the fall for these results.

[Mike]

Oooo.. Iskender Kebab. And you know, in the past they would bring the plate to you table and a couple of seconds later a guy would come to your table and ladle sizzling hot melted butter over the top. I guessed after they clogged all my arteries they decided to skip that tradition.
Glad to know you enjoyed Izmir, lovely city.