2023 World Cup Rumors | Hoops Rumors

World Cup Notes: Edwards, Italy, Australia, Bertans

September 5th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards has been the team’s top scorer for most of the World Cup but he was silent in the quarterfinals, as he produced just three points and three assists in the rout of Italy. He wasn’t upset about it afterward, The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reports.

“Ant could get 30 whatever he wants, like easily,” said Mikal Bridges, who led the team with 24 points. “We talked to him and tried to help him out just to find guys, and that’s what he did. And he’s probably the happiest dude in the locker room right now.”

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Italy’s coach wasn’t happy his club had to play Team USA in the quarterfinals after winning its group, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. USA finished second in its group due to the upset loss to Lithuania. “My players didn’t deserve it to play against America because we were first in our group,” Gianmarco Pozzecco said. “You need to be a little bit lucky. I think we did everything we could do in our group. … We deserve maybe a little bit better, we deserve to overcome quarterfinals.”
Following Australia’s disappointing performance in the World Cup, CEO Matt Scriven gave head coach Brian Goorjian a vote of confidence via a press release, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc tweets. “Brian is one of the country’s most respected and qualified coaches, he is contracted until Paris and our support of him is unwavering… he will be at the helm of the Boomers,” Scriven wrote. However, there will be some other changes made prior to the Olympics. “There is no doubt we’ll have to make some tough decisions around selections but when the time is right, we’ll commence discussions with players around their availability and willingness to represent the green and gold,” Scriven wrote.
Davis Bertans, currently on the Thunder‘s roster, has been in the NBA since 2016. Nothing he’s done in his career compares to Latvia’s success in the World Cup. Latvia advanced to the quarterfinals and will face Germany on Wednesday. “Every game playing for the national team is already up there,” he told Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net. “And this tournament, making history for our country… I’m pretty sure that every single person [in Latvia] was at the TV screens or watching big screens somewhere in the cities watching us. We felt that energy from almost two million people.”

USA, Serbia Advance To World Cup Semifinals

September 5th, 2023 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

After their first loss of the summer against Lithuania on Sunday, Team USA bounced back in convincing fashion on Tuesday, blowing out Italy in a quarterfinal matchup that was never close. The U.S. won by a final score of 100-63, led by Nets forward Mikal Bridges (24 points, seven rebounds) and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (18 points, five assists).

The victory lines up Team USA for a semifinal showdown on Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between Germany and Latvia. The German team – which includes NBAers like Dennis Schröder, Daniel Theis, and Moritz Wagner – is undefeated in the World Cup and will be the favorite to win Wednesday’s game, though Latvia has exceeded expectations and is a legitimate threat to make it to the final four.

Meanwhile, the Lithuanian squad that defeated the U.S. on Sunday had a disappointing follow-up contest vs. Serbia on Tuesday, losing by a score of 87-68 in another one-sided quarterfinal.

Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic was Serbia’s best player, pouring in 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Sixers big man Filip Petrusev had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting in just 17 minutes of action. Heat forward Nikola Jovic also chipped in with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting.

Serbia will face the winner of Wednesday’s Canada/Slovenia game in Friday’s semifinal, while Lithuania and Italy move into the consolation games to determine the fifth-through-eighth place finishers.

Lithuania and Italy will now have to win qualifying tournaments next summer in order to earn one of the final four spots in the 2024 Olympics, while Serbia remains in the running to claim one of the two FIBA Europe Olympic berths up for grabs in the World Cup.

The winner of Germany/Latvia on Wednesday would join Serbia as the two European Olympic qualifiers if Slovenia falls to Canada; if Slovenia wins, three European teams would still be alive for two Olympic berths heading into the semifinals.

World Cup Notes: Fontecchio, Jackson Jr., Zagars, Canada

September 4th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Simone Fontecchio won’t be prominent on many NBA game plans but he’s certainly a major focus for Team USA coach Steve Kerr and his staff in preparations for the quarterfinal match with Italy on Tuesday.

The second-year Jazz forward leads Italy in the tournament at 18.4 points per game. He’s also Italy’s second-leading rebounder at 6.6 per game. He had a 30-point outing against Serbia.

“I’m really happy when I can help my team. I can help my team in a lot of ways – even if I score 0 points,” he said in a story posted on FIBA’s website. “I can play defense, I can get rebounds, I can pass the ball. This team doesn’t need me to score 30, but when I do it of course I am really happy. It’s just the cherry on top. It’s certainly one of the best nights I’ve had in the national team.”

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Team USA center Jaren Jackson Jr. has gotten into early foul trouble in three of the team’s five games. He knows he must be smarter, given the club’s lack of options at the position, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer. “Different rules, different hand positions at different times they call,” Jackson said. “You can be more physical, but you can’t at certain times. You just gotta be super, super careful. You have to understand you’re very, very valuable.”
The best non-NBA player in the tournament is Latvia’s point man, Arturs Zagars, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. The 23-year-old has been set back during his career by multiple injuries. He has displayed superior distribution skills in the World Cup and has been comfortable shooting FIBA threes off the dribble. He played in the Lithuanian domestic league last season. Spain point guard Juan Nunez is the top draft prospect in the tournament, Hollinger adds.
Canada’s win over Spain on Sunday was validation for a national team that has often come up short on the world stage, Michael Grange of Sportsnet notes. Canada’s win clinched an Olympic berth and set up a quarterfinal match against Luka Doncic and Slovenia on Wednesday.

World Cup Notes: Brooks, Motiejunas, F. Wagner, Naturalized Players

September 4th, 2023 at 10:41am CST by Arthur Hill

After a difficult season with the Grizzlies, Dillon Brooks feels rejuvenated by his World Cup experience, writes Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops. Brooks has moved past the acrimonious ending of his time in Memphis and is enjoying a summer that has included an $86MM contract with the Rockets and a chance to lead Canada to new heights in international competition.

Brooks had 22 points and five rebounds while playing his usual disruptive defense in Sunday’s win over Spain, moving Canada into the quarterfinal round and wrapping up a spot in the Olympics. The Canadians trailed by 12 points entering the fourth quarter, but Brooks hit three three-pointers during a rally in the must-win game.

“Coming off a tough year with my old squad, it was great having a refresh with Canadian blood,” Brooks said. “Guys who believe in me. Guys who trust in me.”

Reaching the Olympics is a life-long dream for Canadian teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose mother, Charmaine Gilgeous, competed for Antigua and Barbuda in the 400 meters during the 1992 games, Stroggylakis adds.

“In my whole life I knew what’s like going to the Olympics because of that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And I know the best athletes are there.”

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Former NBA big man Donatas Motiejunas tells Aris Barkis of Eurohoops that beating Team USA on Sunday compares to Lithuania’s last victory over the Americans in the 2004 Olympics. “I was a kid at that time, I was 14 years old so I remember watching the game and it was something spectacular,” he said. “Like I said from the first day we are here to bring joy to our people, to our basketball and I know how crazy it’s right now in Lithuania. And I really loved that we, as a team, can bring this joy to our people.”
Germany reached the quarterfinals without Magic forward Franz Wagner, who suffered a sprained ankle in the opening game, and it appears his status for Wednesday’s contest against Latvia won’t be decided until shortly before game time, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. Wagner is considered day to day, but he hasn’t been active since the injury. “He had no team practice yet. We’re gonna have to see what his situation is tomorrow, and the medical staff will make a decision on Wednesday,” Germany head coach Gordon Herbert told reporters. “We go day by day; we have to see how his ankle feels in the morning, see if he’s able tomorrow or not, and we go from there. It’s a process. He wants to play, but he’s pretty frustrated and disappointed he can’t play.”
Along with Mavericks star Luka Doncic, one of Slovenia’s most important players has been center Mike Tobey, who obtained a passport in advance of the 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament, Milanti adds in another piece. Tobey believes naturalized players will have an increased impact in international basketball. “I understand both sides of the rule,” he said. “For me, I think it helps make teams competitive. I’m sure in the future the national teams will do it more because sometimes teams are really just a piece away. Slovenia shows it’s just adding one person in the position they don’t have as many big guys in this generation. I think it can make a big difference, and help small countries compete.”

Heat Notes: Herro, Adebayo, Butler, Haslem

September 4th, 2023 at 9:20am CST by Arthur Hill

If the Heat can’t trade for Damian Lillard before the season begins, Tyler Herro may be the best option as the starting point guard, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Herro has been a shooting guard throughout his career, but he could be the most effective choice to replace Gabe Vincent, who signed with the Lakers this summer.

Giving point guard duties to Herro would allow Miami to keep Kyle Lowry in a reserve role, where he thrived at the end of last season and in the playoffs. At age 37, Lowry may be best suited for limited minutes rather than being counted on to handle the starting job again.

Winderman points out that Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo can help facilitate the offense, so Herro wouldn’t need to become a traditional point guard. He adds that if the experiment doesn’t work, the Heat could look for another option during the season, such as free agent Goran Dragic.

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Team USA could use another big man like Adebayo during the World Cup, but he’s probably better off with a summer of rest, Winderman states in another piece. Training camps will open three weeks after the end of the tournament, which is why a lot of veteran players decided not to participate. Winderman wonders whether Adebayo will be more eager to return to international competition in the 2024 Olympics.
Butler’s tendency to sit out regular season games may prevent him from being considered for postseason awards, Winderman adds. Players are now required to participate in at least 65 games to be eligible, and Butler hasn’t reached that number since the 2018/19 season.
Butler refused to answer a question about Team USA’s loss in the World Cup when approached by a journalist Sunday at the U.S. Open, according to a BasketNews story. Butler thought he was being asked for a photo when Sasa Ozmo of SportKlub Srbija introduced himself, and he quickly ended the conversation when he heard the question. “I don’t care about the World Cup,” Butler responded.
The Miami Marlins will honor longtime Heat forward Udonis Haslem at their September 7 game, the team announced on Twitter. Haslem will get a one-day contract with the MLB club, which will hold “UD Night” at the ballpark.

Team USA Notes: First Loss, Banchero, Brunson, Bridges

September 4th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Team USA coach Gregg Popovich used to talk about “appropriate fear,” which is what current coach Steve Kerr said his team should be feeling after losing to Lithuania on Sunday, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. After going unbeaten through exhibition play and the first four games of the tournament, the Americans now understand they’re not invincible as they enter the quarterfinals.

“It makes it real,” Austin Reaves said. “Obviously, now, it’s (win) or go home. We see the reactions. We obviously know that everybody wants to beat us in particular. We see the joy that they get from that. That taste in your mouth, it don’t feel good.”

Although the U.S. remains favored to win the tournament, it will have to play significantly better for that to happen. Sunday’s loss came after a close call Friday against Montenegro in which Team USA had to stage a late rally to pull out a victory.

Reynolds notes that Kerr has been through this experience twice before as a member of Popovich’s staff. The U.S. dropped its first game against France in the last Olympics, but didn’t lose again on the way to a gold medal. In the 2019 World Cup, the team lost in the quarterfinals and wound up finishing seventh.

“Every player that plays for USA Basketball, they have to recognize what they’re up against and it’s not enough for us to just tell them. They’ve got to feel it,” Kerr said. “I think they’ve felt it in the last couple games.”

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Tuesday’s matchup with Italy will be especially significant for Paolo Banchero, Reynolds adds. With an Italian father and an American mother, Banchero had a choice of representing either nation, but he chose the U.S. because that’s who his mom once played for. “I’ll treat it like any other game,” he said.
Jalen Brunson is accepting blame for the troubling pattern of slow starts, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. Lithuania dominated the early part of Sunday’s contest, building a 31-12 lead after one quarter. “They executed their game plan and we just started too slow. We played way better in the second half and we waited too long to come to play,” Brunson said. “That’s on me, I have to come ready to play, I have to have everyone else ready to play. Respect to them, they played great.”
Mikal Bridges vows that the U.S. squad will be more focused for the rest of the tournament, Barkas adds in a separate story. “We just have to be ready for the next one, add more fuel to the fire,” he said. “We are not getting sent home. We just have to keep playing with our talent, we have to keep our guys out there.”

Community Shootaround: Team USA

September 3rd, 2023 at 7:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Team USA appeared to be cruising along in the FIBA World Cup. Then came Lithuania.

A 110-104 loss on Sunday didn’t knock Team USA out of the tournament but it made the favorites look quite vulnerable. Team USA’s athleticism couldn’t overcome Lithuania’s size and power. The U.S. was outrebounded by 16 and got outscored 17-2 on second-chance points.

A slow start — which has been characteristic of this group — was another issue. Team USA trailed 31-12 after the first quarter and never recovered.

As the final score would indicate, Team USA’s defense was shredded by the star-less Lithuanians. While Lithuania has some familiar faces, including Jonas Valanciunas and Ignas Brazdeikis, it was alarming to see the United States team allow 52.8% shooting overall and 56% on threes. Lithuania had nine players score at least nine points.

The biggest concern coming into the tournament for Team USA was a general lack of size. Jaren Jackson Jr., who has spent most of his NBA career as a power forward, has been starting at center. He quickly got into foul trouble on Sunday and coach Steve Kerr had even smaller options when he went to his bench. The only true center on the roster, Walker Kessler, played six minutes.

Even so, with the likes of Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Austin Reaves and Tyrese Haliburton, you’d expect Team USA to overcome its size issues.

There’s no more margin for error with the quarterfinals against Italy looming on Tuesday. If Team USA advances, it would face Germany or Latvia in the semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket, the quarterfinal matches include Lithuania vs. Serbia and Canada vs. Slovenia.

That leads us to today’s topic: Do you feel Team USA will prevail in the World Cup despite Sunday’s loss? If not, which team is your pick to win it?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

World Cup Notes: Team USA, Kessler, SGA, Brooks

September 3rd, 2023 at 5:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Following Lithuania’s upset of Team USA, Bucks forward Bobby Portis said the team needs to have a short memory as it prepares to play Italy in the World Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.

“One thing I learned about sports, nobody gonna feel sorry for you,” Portis said to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports and other media members. “Nobody gonna pat you on your back and sleep with you at night and say, ‘Hey man, it’s gonna be OK.’ Move on, get ready for the next opponent.”

The upset was fueled by Lithuania’s inside power and dominance of the boards. Lithuania out-rebounded Team USA 43-27 and had a 17-2 edge in second-chance points.

“They out-rebounded us, for sure,” Portis said. “I don’t have to look at that stat. I think that was kinda obvious.”

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Another thing Team USA needs is to get off to better starts, Fischer notes in the same story. The U.S. trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half. “We were on our heels that whole first half,” coach Steve Kerr said. “They were carving us up, and we definitely had some miscommunications.”
Jazz second-year big man Walker Kessler hasn’t seen much action for Team USA, though that could change, given its rebounding issues. Kessler is averaging 3.6 points and 6.1 minutes per game but he’s just happy to be on the roster, Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune relays. “I think that our team, all 12 of us are just unbelievably talented players,” he said. “All the guys are great guys. Regardless of who’s playing, we all cheer for each other. We all support each other. It just goes to show how deep we are. Anybody could have a good night on this team, and it’s a lot of fun to be part of.”
Canada clinched a spot in the Paris Olympics with its 88-85 win over Spain on Sunday. The victory was fueled by the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Rockets’ Dillon Brooks, Eric Koreen of The Athletic notes. Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points, seven assists and three steals. Brooks supplied 22 points and was also a defensive nuisance. “It’s something that’s almost indescribable,” SGA told Sportsnet in regards to Canada clinching an Olympic appearance for the first time since 2000.

World Cup Notes: Haddadi, USA, France, Dominican Republic

September 3rd, 2023 at 1:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Following a two-decade run with Team Iran’s national club, 38-year-old center Hamed Haddadi is retiring from international competition, according to Eurohoops.

“I have had a long career with the national team since the 2000s,” Haddadi said following his final stint, against Team Lebanon, in which he notched 14 points and eight boards. “I try to play when I can even if I’m out of shape. I feel good but upset too because I’m leaving my team.”

Haddadi has been playing abroad since his last NBA experience, in 2012/13 with the Suns. All told, the 7’2″ big man spent five seasons in the league, averaging 2.2 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 151 regular season bouts.

Here are more notes from the World Cup:

Massive disadvantages in rebounding and three-point shooting efficiency, along with a general height disadvantage, doomed Team U.S.A. to its first 2023 FIBA World Cup defeat on Sunday, a 110-104 loss to Lithuania, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Shooting guard Austin Reaves considers the loss a potentially galvanizing moment for the now-4-1 club, heading into the quarterfinals of the tournament, per Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. “We were down by 17 at the halftime,” Reaves said. “It’s hard to climb back from a deficit like that. When you do that, it’s hard… But tip the hat off, they shot the ball from three really well. Offensively, they were really well. Congrats to them.”
Hall of Fame point guard Tony Parker recently spoke to RMC Radio’s The Stephen Time Show at length about his native France’s upset early ouster from World Cup competition (hat tip to Eurohoops for the transcription). “There, we really experienced a fiasco,” Parker said. “It’s not normal for such a team to lose in the first round. We have never seen Spain and the United States go out in the first round. And it’s a shame because our generation worked so hard to bring France back to a certain level, so that we could be respected, by FIBA, the referees, the other countries. It’s so hard to have respect… We have to improve the team [ahead of next year’s Paris Olympics], we need changes, but it’s not going to be easy.”
After a 112-79 defeat against Team Serbia, Karl-Anthony Towns‘ Dominican Republic national team was eliminated from the World Cup prior to the tournament’s quarterfinals. Towns told reporters after the loss that he deeply enjoyed his experience despite the ouster, according to Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. “This is some of the most fun basketball I’ve ever played,” Towns said. “Coming here, the world expected us to fall flat in our faces, not being a contender and not winning games. Being one of those easy opponents to face, but we didn’t do that at all. We came out here and I hope we made our country proud with the way we competed. The way we fought. And I think the biggest word is we made our country believe.”

World Cup Quarterfinals Set; Canada Qualifies For 2024 Olympics

September 3rd, 2023 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

The Canadian national team pulled off a comeback victory over Spain on Sunday to secure a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals and a place in the 2024 Olympics, joining Team USA as the two FIBA Americas squads to achieve both feats.

It will be the first time Canada has been in the men’s basketball event at the Olympics since 2000. It’s also the first time the team has made the final eight of the FIBA World Cup since 1994.

The Canadian World Cup team is a talented one led by NBAers Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dillon Brooks, Luguentz Dort, and RJ Barrett, among others. For next year’s Olympics in Paris, the Canadians will also likely attempt to recruit other NBA players who didn’t take part in this year’s tournament, including Nuggets guard Jamal Murray and Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins.

The loss to Canada means that Spain, as well as Brazil (who would have made the Olympics if Canada had lost today), will need to compete next summer for a spot in the 2024 Olympics. Additionally, the World Cup will have a new champion — the Spaniards won in 2019.

Italy, Latvia, and Serbia were the other teams to claim spots in the 2023 World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday.

Italy hasn’t made the quarterfinals since 1998 and has never won a World Cup medal; Latvia has never made the quarterfinals and is the smallest country to ever make the final eight of a major FIBA tournament, per HoopsHype (Twitter link); Serbia, meanwhile, lost the gold medal game to Team USA in 2014 but missed out on a medal in 2019, finishing fifth.

The matchups in the quarterfinals are as follows (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca):

Tuesday:
- Lithuania vs. Serbia
- U.S.A vs. Italy
Wednesday:
- Canada vs. Slovenia
- Germany vs. Latvia

In the semifinals on Friday, the winner of the Lithuania/Serbia game will face the winner of Canada/Slovenia, while the winner of U.S.A./Italy will square off against the winner of Germany/Latvia. The victors in those games will compete in the final next Sunday.

Six teams – U.S., Canada, France, Australia, Japan, and South Sudan – have qualified for the 2024 Olympics, with six spots still up for grabs. Four of those participants won’t be determined until next year’s qualifying tournaments, while the top two European teams in this year’s World Cup will earn the other two. Germany, Slovenia, Serbia, Lithuania, Italy, and Latvia all remain in the running for one of those two Olympic berths.