Wiggins no slam dunk for Canada
T-Wolves star says he’ll play for national team, but they might not want him
TORONTO — It hasn’t been pleasant, the relationship between Andrew Wiggins, his family, and Canada Basketball.
In fact, that may be something of an understatement, considering what’s gone on in the past between Canada’s most accomplished active basketball player and the governing body of the sport in this country.
Wiggins said Wednesday he wants to play for Canada in the future. He said it with a straight face.
He didn’t say when he would play. He didn’t say where. He didn’t seem to know under what circumstances.
He said he’s going to try. That’s what he says. Believe of thatwhatyouwant.
“I’m going to try and play but we’ll see what happens,” said Wiggins, in Toronto with the Minnesota Timberwolves for a game against the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena, which he sat out with an injury.
When Canada Basketball first reached out to Wiggins to play national team ball years ago, the family reached back to Canada Basketball in return. It wasn’t a warm and fuzzy beginning. The back and forth went something like this: If you want Andrew to play, it’s going to cost you money. And if you want Andrew, you’re going to want his brothers, too.
This wasn’t your typical tryout invitation and recruiting session. This was part negotiation, part stickup, or so the story goes.
And Canada Basketball did what it believed was necessary at the time. It apparently paid decent money for Wiggins to play for Team Canada. No one will tell you much that it was pretty good money, but an organization without a lot of cash, had to come up with some.
Wiggins showed up to play in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Mexico a year before the Rio Olympics. He didn’t play particularly well, didn’t fit in all that well, and wasn’t thrilled with life in Mexico. And when Canada played the final game of the tournament — with a win needed against Venezuela to advance — Wiggins was a non-factor.
Team Canada lost in Mexico. Wiggins didn’t make any friends. And that was the last time he played for Canada.
Who knows when the next time will be? And that’s the rub for Canada Basketball in trying to put its best team on the floor in order to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Say what you want about Wiggins, who has yet to become the star many believed he would be in the NBA: He remains Canada’s best player. He’ll likely be that until R.J. Barrett, likely first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and son of former national team member Rowan Barrett, emerges.
Head coach Jay Triano wants Wiggins on the team but at least two questions, maybe more, remain.
Does he want to play? And do his fellow Canadian players want him to play?
If Triano is able to put his best lineup on the floor for the world championships this summer in China — eight countries will qualify for the Olympics — that would probably mean Cory Joseph at point guard, Jamal Murray at shooting guard, Wiggins at small forward, and some combination of Dwight Powell, Kelly Olynyk or Tristan Thompson at the centre and power forward spots.
Will Canada ever put its best team on the court?
“I don’t know,” said Triano. “There are always going to be guys in a contract year, or getting married, or with family issues or with an injury, or teams not letting them play.”
In other words, no chance.