Well they can’t technically but their NBA FO and coaching staff can definitely hurt their careers. They can give them reduced minutes, reduced roles, trade threats, etc to “encourage them” to not play for the olympic team. Canadians are very patriotic, I can’t imagine Zach or Wiggins not wanting to play for their country.
I can. I very highly doubt Memphis is blocking their rookie from playing in the Olympics and after everything Wiggins has gone through recently I wouldn't be surprised if the warriors are just taking the fall for him not wanting to commit to something so serious rn
Edit: to clarify on edey, if I were in his shoes I'd be thinking I have my whole career to play in the Olympics, I want to take advantage of the professional team training to become as good as I can to secure more money
Last time Canada qualified for the Olympics was 2000. Yes, we have much deeper talent now, but Canada should not take for granted that we will qualify for the next olympics.
Grizzlies let Aldama play in the FIBA World Cup last year, obviously year 3 vs year 1, and 30th pick vs 9th, but I still can't imagine them letting a young big man pick the FIBA World Cup over the summer league, but not allow another young big man to pick the Olympics over the Summer League. Not to mention, Edey played 2.9 minutes a game for Team Canada at their last major tournament, under a year ago. Maybe he doesn't want to be a benchwarmer with Team Canada again.
It's way, way better for his development to get this early nba experience. No it's not nba competition but it is his organizations development team and his nba team's scheme. There is a lot of pressure on him. He was a monster in college and nobody thought he'd be drafted high or do much in the nba. Well, he got picked 9th so at least one team thinks he will. He has a chance to become a Day 1 starter and make some noise in the nba, and it's time to work on that. If it was any other time besides his rookie season just weeks after being drafted, things would be different. He needs to focus in on his career right now.
Team Canada has a fantastic coaching staff and he would get an opportunity to play against the best centres in the world if he played in the olympics, with a rule set that benefits him more than the NBA. Going to the olympics would not hurt his career in the slightest.
I mean, Brooks couldn’t shoot for shit by the end of his memphis tenure, and the Canadian basketball team fixed his shot in the time between the grizzlies getting eliminated and the FIBA world cup. Clearly they have some decent coaching there.
yeah I'm confused honestly. Like, why not say this earlier? He was always going to get drafted, so in what world would there *not* be an NBA team for him to prioritize over the Olympics?
also who picks summer league over the opportunity to be a literal Olympic athlete
He was projected maybe late first round, expected to develop in the g-league.
Now he’s a top 10 pick…and unless Memphis makes any moves, he’ll be getting substantial NBA minutes. He needs to grow up fast.
Like Kobe reneging on Team USA in 2000 Olympics to work on his game.
I am definitely going to the Grizzlies/Mavs game that Monday. Maybe the Grizz game that Wednesday too.
Edey/Clingan will be a fun matchup all year.
Edey/Wemby might be the BEST matchup of the season!
Yea it's a tad weird I don't get the how he won't translate well...
he's 7'4, weighs 300...
So same weight as OG Shaq, bit taller...and looks lean n fit as fuck
He gonna be fine in the paint! Will be surprised if he doesn't average about a 15/10 first season
I feel the opposite tbh. Being able to participate in the actual Olympics and everything involved is such a dope opportunity that you may or may not get again. Idk about missing that for a preseason prospect tourney.
Rookies and soon-to-be rookies used to play in the Olympics a lot in the past, like they'd make it a point but I guess times have changed. And especially with the conversation around how Edey wouldn't be a good performer in the NBA, he's probably more focused on getting that sorted first.
I get it, but he's young enough that he'll probably get another chance, and he played 2.9 minutes a game for Team Canada at the World Cup last year. Is it worth sacrificing preparation for the NBA to sit on a bench at the Olympics? Idk.
They have Shai, Dort, Nembhard, Jamal Murray, and RJ Barrett. A little guard heavy but if they don't qualify it would be a shock, i think. They'd have to finish below the US and one of Puerto Rico, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic in the FIBA World Cup, then they'd have to fail to win a 6 team tournament where they're the 1 seed. This year, their opponents might be teams like Italy, Montenegro, Georgia, Ivory Coast, and Bahamas. They should be easily good enough to do that.
Wouldn't be surprised if they made a strong suggestion at least. Probably the right move for his career though, he's got a chance to be a day 1 starter but with a lot to improve on to get ready
I strongly disagree that playing in the summer league is the best thing for his career. He'll be playing with fringe NBA talent rather than some of the most elite talent in one of the most competitive environments in the world.
Grizzlies training camp is where he'll actually be cementing his foundation on the team playing with actual regular season teammates.
My opinion is that they're stunting his growth by limiting his participation on a potential medal winning team that could really use his size and skill set.
He's saying the right things publicly, but if I were him I'd be absolutely furious about not being able to go to the Olympics. He might only have 2, maaaybe 3 chances to go, and they just took 1 of them away.
You're wrong. Grizzlies have been ahead of the curve using their summer league to implement team concepts and work on individual skill needs. Bane ran point for the whole summer league *after* his impressive rookie year in preparation for his expanded role in the offense. They're 100% going to be looking to make use of these minutes. They're not trying to fill the roster. Scottie Pippen Jr is going to be trying to earn the backup PG spot, and it looks like we're going to be leaning on him to be that. GG Jackson is surely getting playmaker reps. These are guys Edey will likely share the court with in real games. It's the opposite of a waste of his time.
And they'll do exactly all of that in training camp for a month straight with these same players.
Olympics are a one of a kind experience.
I'll put it this way, the Grizzlies are developing Zachs floor instead of letting him reach his ceiling.
I'd also contend that Zach is a very smart player who's familiar with most if not all current basketball plays and schemes, who doesn't need the redundancy of learning in Summer League, what he will learn and use in training camp.
Learning our system and working with our coaches, who are specifically focused on his development, would be better than sitting on the bench and trying to learn from a hodgepodge of coaches who do not care about his future. If he was in year 3 or 4 I might agree with you.
Canada doesn't have hodgepodge coaches, wtf are you talking about? Jordi is one of the best young coaches in the NBA!
The Canadian National team is a class organization from top to bottom with top notch medical staff, trainers, insurance, everything.
Zach would have a very large role to play on the team, they don't have anything like him. Last year he struggled, but with how much players in his age group improve year over year, and after what he's been through in the NCAA tourney, he's grown a lot and would definitely benefit from an expanded role on team Canada.
If that team medals or even if they don't and he's not a part of it, well, I'd resent my employer if I were him, because I'd feel like I could've made a difference and my boss didn't let me have a chance to.
Im not saying that they aren’t skilled coaches. Im saying that he wouldn’t be getting the individual attention from a staff primarily focused on his development like he would in Memphis. The only argument for the Olympics being better for his development is playing stronger competition, which probably is only true for a handful of games. I think learning our system and playing with Vince, GG, LaRavia, and (possibly) Clarke in summer league would be waaaaay better.
But they do have coaches that'll work with him personally. They're not gonna assign a personal coach to Olynyk or Powell who've been on the team for 6+ years. On top of that, the talent won't just be in opposing teams, he'd be running sets with Jamal Murray, SGA, Nembhard who's gravity would create lots of opportunities for him in pops, rolls, whatever, they're great players.
Bro he wouldn’t be sitting on the bench, his best competition is Kelly Olynk for the center spot, playing against Wemby, Jokic, Embiid, AD, Bam would be great experience and he would almost certainly get serious minutes because of the size coming to the olympics at the center position.
Literally less than a year ago, Olynyk and Dwight Powell combined to play 40+ minutes per game for Team Canada, Edey got less than 3. I don't think it's anywhere close to "almost certain" that he would get serious minutes. Both of them are on the team again, they brought Khem Birch and Mfiondu Kagenbele onto the team, and Olynyk was literally announced as the captain for Team Canada. It doesn't seem like they were ever planning to commit to Edey completely as a center for them, not even close.
Totally disagree. In a normal situation, you might be right. But Memphis is in a unique spot. We’re not drafting him to develop over 4 years. He’s gonna start. Now. We’re gonna try to win from game 1 and he simply has to be a part of that.
So either the team pressured him after selecting him at 9, or he really wants to work for his spot as he knows he has a massive opportunity in year 1.
Not a bad point, I personally wouldn't know, though I take this news to imply that the organization thinks this is best for the team. It does suck from an individual career perspective to miss one of only a couple shots at a medal
You’re right about the talent difference, but that’s also under different rules that affect big men the most. Here he is needed to adapt to the NBA, and he would get thrown into adapting to international ball instead.
He realizes that by being a high draft pick that now maybe he can make hundreds of millions of dollars by being a decent player. The path towards that as a second rounder or UDFA is significantly harder.
Yes, and he had to hedge it because there was an unknown. How many third-party viewers had him going at 9 in the draft? The consensus was much lower. Guys in the top-10 who play league average ball get rookie-maxes. Even if you suck sometimes you get a hundred million. Where you are drafted matters so much.
Look at Cade Cunningham. If he were undrafted, how much money does he get right now? He has the first pick aura and he sucks and will make several hundred million dollars.
Ι was with you until you said Cade sucked. You clearly haven't watched pistons basketball. He is making the very best of a very bad situation, and is playing some very good basketball. Especially the later half of the season.
More money can definitely change your mindset. Making a few million a more a year you may just want to focus on the team giving you that money. Edey was good in college but had a lot to work on if he wants a long career.
Idk, they let Santi Aldama play at the FIBA World Cup last year, which is a lower-prestige tournament. I don't know if they would allow that while also outright blocking a player from the Olympics. I'm sure they prefer this option though.
> even if Edey only gets garbage time minutes in the olympics, actually competing for something that matters, with stakes,
If you're only getting garbage time minutes, there are no stakes and not much competing happening with you on the floor. Unless you're saying the experience of competing from the bench would be more valuable to Edey than actually working with his future teammates.
you might consider it idealistic but it has been clear in these conversations that other countries take olympic basketball way more seriously than americans do. Porzingis is gettin slammed for another non-appearance due to injury even though he won a ring
> you might consider it idealistic but it has been clear in these conversations that other countries take olympic basketball way more seriously than americans do.
Well Edey isn’t American, so..?
Im cool with olynyk dont get me wrong… but for team Canada our center position is the weakest compared to like jokic, embiid, etc,etc… our guard positions have always been strong
Less than a year ago, Dwight Powell and Kelly Olynyk combined for over 46 minutes a game to Zach Edey's 2.9. Olynyk was named the captain again this year, idk if he would have seen the court much.
they're not going to publicly castigate a rookie who just got drafted. maybe rib him a bit in private but it feels like the kind of thing you just shrug at in their position.
if he's a legit NBA star next go round and doesn't want to help, then maybe some pressure like that
Terrible decision. He would’ve gotten far more exposure if he balled out at the olympics over hitting a few layups against random g leaguers
Im assuming Memphis told him not to go, and this is PR bullshit
It’s the OLYMPICS. This ain’t the pan American games or something, this is the biggest sporting festival in the world, and this dude would rather play in what is an unserious pre season tournament
He'll also get reps with the starting practice team to build chemistry. Learning the system is much more critical than playing against big names for media hype.
No chance would he start for Canada. Olynyk is still their captain and a really good international Center. Olynyk and Dwight Powell combined for 46+ minutes a game for Team Canada at the World Cup less than a year ago. Edey played 2.9 minutes per game.
I'm not convinced that the media projection was accurate, but what really improved Edey's stock was his combine workout. Presumably Team Canada also had workouts, and I highly doubt that he became drastically faster within a year. Certainly he played almost the same in his last year of college as he did the year before. Not that there was much room for improvement.
He has a once in a lifetime opportunity right now as a lottery pick to change his family’s life forever. Edey will still have an opportunity to play for Team Canada in the Olympics four years from now.
He’s not playing with anyone who will actually be playing meaningful minutes in the nba next season. The olympics would be a great chance for him to polish his skills against actual professional players with experience. He can learn from some of the best players in the nba too.
GG Jackson will most definitely be getting meaningful minutes in the NBA next season and also I’m sure the team will all be training together while the Olympics is going on so that would give Edey less time to get acquainted with his new teammates.
Dude you're stretching big time. Olympics are an incredibly rare opportunity to play with the best talent in the world.
Grizzlies are making a very small minded decision and stunting Zach's growth. Summer League is meaningless for anyone except for NDFAs and G-leagers trying to crack a roster.
Almost every player who's represented their nation come back to the NBA with elevated performances, or enlightened experiences and stories.
Unfortunately your FO is making small time decisions, it'll cost them down the road.
I'm sorry but this summer league won't make or break whether he is good enough to make it to the NBA.
Anyone pretending otherwise is being un serious.
Him getting a payday or not has utterly nothing to do with the summer league 2 weeks after he was drafted.
honestly, speaking of paydays, being an upcoming star on the olympic roster would be great for name recognition in the country and endorsements deals too
He played less than 3 minutes a game in the August/September 2023 FIBA World Cup. Can't be much of a star if you're barely getting garbage time minutes.
Sure you know better than the lakers about who they should draft
Sure you know better than Dennis Schroeder about his contract decisions
Sure you know better than chet about playing in an pickup game before his rookie season
And so on and so forth
This is a direct reply to you effectively saying ‘you don’t know better than edey’, a comment that also has zero correlation to the actual topic, since that is making the assumption that people always make the right decision for themselves
Can’t believe the people in the comments saying that edey playing a meaningless preseason exhibition against g leaguers and fringe players who won’t make the league is better then going to the Olympics.
Totally logical even if it is disappointing for Canada.
Wemby did the same thing last year by staying with Spurs rather than going to play the 2023 World Cup with France.
For Edey, it's the same thing. Even if it is the Olympic Games, he must do everything to best prepare for his arrival in the NBA.
Play against hobos in summer league, or play alongside of all-star caliber players against top level competition. Makes sense, definitely no one from Memphis with a gun to his back….
NBA is just a job contract.
Olympic is about pride and opportunity to represent your country.
Must be frustrating for Canada having him pull out all of a sudden.
Has to be frustrating to be a team Canada fan. A big name is always injured or pulling out last second.
Or is getting blocked by their NBA team. Yeah it fucking sucks
If I’m Canadian I’m calling them all the fuk out. Wiggins could absolutely play if he wanted to. Make a show of it and he’s in.
Seriously man cursing bro… Not cool…
Clearly not Canadian
Get the fuck outta here, it’s Reddit, everyone curses here
That’s what makes it an objectively hilarious comment, intentional or not
Upvoted for taking a stand
They can't get blocked by their NBA team, they can play if they want to.
They can, ignoring the team and playing would violate their NBA contract
Well they can’t technically but their NBA FO and coaching staff can definitely hurt their careers. They can give them reduced minutes, reduced roles, trade threats, etc to “encourage them” to not play for the olympic team. Canadians are very patriotic, I can’t imagine Zach or Wiggins not wanting to play for their country.
I can. I very highly doubt Memphis is blocking their rookie from playing in the Olympics and after everything Wiggins has gone through recently I wouldn't be surprised if the warriors are just taking the fall for him not wanting to commit to something so serious rn Edit: to clarify on edey, if I were in his shoes I'd be thinking I have my whole career to play in the Olympics, I want to take advantage of the professional team training to become as good as I can to secure more money
Last time Canada qualified for the Olympics was 2000. Yes, we have much deeper talent now, but Canada should not take for granted that we will qualify for the next olympics.
Grizzlies let Aldama play in the FIBA World Cup last year, obviously year 3 vs year 1, and 30th pick vs 9th, but I still can't imagine them letting a young big man pick the FIBA World Cup over the summer league, but not allow another young big man to pick the Olympics over the Summer League. Not to mention, Edey played 2.9 minutes a game for Team Canada at their last major tournament, under a year ago. Maybe he doesn't want to be a benchwarmer with Team Canada again.
It's way, way better for his development to get this early nba experience. No it's not nba competition but it is his organizations development team and his nba team's scheme. There is a lot of pressure on him. He was a monster in college and nobody thought he'd be drafted high or do much in the nba. Well, he got picked 9th so at least one team thinks he will. He has a chance to become a Day 1 starter and make some noise in the nba, and it's time to work on that. If it was any other time besides his rookie season just weeks after being drafted, things would be different. He needs to focus in on his career right now.
Team Canada has a fantastic coaching staff and he would get an opportunity to play against the best centres in the world if he played in the olympics, with a rule set that benefits him more than the NBA. Going to the olympics would not hurt his career in the slightest. I mean, Brooks couldn’t shoot for shit by the end of his memphis tenure, and the Canadian basketball team fixed his shot in the time between the grizzlies getting eliminated and the FIBA world cup. Clearly they have some decent coaching there.
yeah I'm confused honestly. Like, why not say this earlier? He was always going to get drafted, so in what world would there *not* be an NBA team for him to prioritize over the Olympics? also who picks summer league over the opportunity to be a literal Olympic athlete
Maybe he wants to focus on making hundreds of millions instead of playing 3 minutes a game like last World Cup?
He was projected maybe late first round, expected to develop in the g-league. Now he’s a top 10 pick…and unless Memphis makes any moves, he’ll be getting substantial NBA minutes. He needs to grow up fast. Like Kobe reneging on Team USA in 2000 Olympics to work on his game.
It’s not like he just found out he was being drafted on draft night.
Would be fun for a Edey vs Clingon summer league game
Is that game on the schedule? I didn't see it....
July 10th
naa, im just saying
I am definitely going to the Grizzlies/Mavs game that Monday. Maybe the Grizz game that Wednesday too. Edey/Clingan will be a fun matchup all year. Edey/Wemby might be the BEST matchup of the season!
He’s going to absolutely wreck the summer league
With GG and SPJ it is going to be fun.
And Vince Williams and maybe LaRavia. We’re gonna look like the KD warriors
Hang the banner
I heard a rumor BC actually might play, it would be like clubbing baby seals.
Could be good for Clarke, completely forgot he existed. Can’t wait to see his goofy jumper again
How is GG “literally Michael Jordan” Jackson allowed to play in summer league And how is he only 19 Bruh
Can Wemby go back to summer league as a sophomore? I want to see the two battle it out
Yeah, no limits on the amount of times you can play in summer league.. Jack Cooley played six summer league seasons.. Iirc lillard played three
Why did Lillard play three? He would’ve been an all nba player playing in the summer league.
He just wanted to get more run in his early career he worked tirelessly to get better at that point I don't believe he was all nba
He’s busy in France this summer
Wemby don’t want no part of Cling Kong
Wow that's way more exciting than the Olympics
Hope he succeeds he seems like a good kid. Shut the haters up
He is. He’s only hated because of his success
People now want raw players more than the real thing 😅
Want allowed to make a penny in NIL money bc he was from Canada too. Guys getting paid fibally
What why? There were other players making NIL from other countries though
Idk. Work visa issue or something. Not sure. But he complained about it a lot
Why is he hated
People don't believe his game will translate from college to the NBA.
Yea it's a tad weird I don't get the how he won't translate well... he's 7'4, weighs 300... So same weight as OG Shaq, bit taller...and looks lean n fit as fuck He gonna be fine in the paint! Will be surprised if he doesn't average about a 15/10 first season
I agree, I'm high on Edey. I think he'll be a solid center barring injury. Maybe a couple all star appearances.
I sense a lot of “this guy dominated my favorite college team with the same boring post moves over and over” salt from some of the haters.
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I feel the opposite tbh. Being able to participate in the actual Olympics and everything involved is such a dope opportunity that you may or may not get again. Idk about missing that for a preseason prospect tourney.
Rookies and soon-to-be rookies used to play in the Olympics a lot in the past, like they'd make it a point but I guess times have changed. And especially with the conversation around how Edey wouldn't be a good performer in the NBA, he's probably more focused on getting that sorted first.
I get it, but he's young enough that he'll probably get another chance, and he played 2.9 minutes a game for Team Canada at the World Cup last year. Is it worth sacrificing preparation for the NBA to sit on a bench at the Olympics? Idk.
Grizzlies are paying you, a lot, to be a member of their team, including team activities. You do what your employer wants you to do.
If Canada qualifies in 4 years
They have Shai, Dort, Nembhard, Jamal Murray, and RJ Barrett. A little guard heavy but if they don't qualify it would be a shock, i think. They'd have to finish below the US and one of Puerto Rico, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic in the FIBA World Cup, then they'd have to fail to win a 6 team tournament where they're the 1 seed. This year, their opponents might be teams like Italy, Montenegro, Georgia, Ivory Coast, and Bahamas. They should be easily good enough to do that.
Shaedon Sharpe will be a star by then *he said confidently as a delusional Blazers fan*
pre-draft he said he would play for Canada. Memphis is forcing him out lol
Wouldn't be surprised if they made a strong suggestion at least. Probably the right move for his career though, he's got a chance to be a day 1 starter but with a lot to improve on to get ready
I strongly disagree that playing in the summer league is the best thing for his career. He'll be playing with fringe NBA talent rather than some of the most elite talent in one of the most competitive environments in the world. Grizzlies training camp is where he'll actually be cementing his foundation on the team playing with actual regular season teammates. My opinion is that they're stunting his growth by limiting his participation on a potential medal winning team that could really use his size and skill set. He's saying the right things publicly, but if I were him I'd be absolutely furious about not being able to go to the Olympics. He might only have 2, maaaybe 3 chances to go, and they just took 1 of them away.
You're wrong. Grizzlies have been ahead of the curve using their summer league to implement team concepts and work on individual skill needs. Bane ran point for the whole summer league *after* his impressive rookie year in preparation for his expanded role in the offense. They're 100% going to be looking to make use of these minutes. They're not trying to fill the roster. Scottie Pippen Jr is going to be trying to earn the backup PG spot, and it looks like we're going to be leaning on him to be that. GG Jackson is surely getting playmaker reps. These are guys Edey will likely share the court with in real games. It's the opposite of a waste of his time.
And they'll do exactly all of that in training camp for a month straight with these same players. Olympics are a one of a kind experience. I'll put it this way, the Grizzlies are developing Zachs floor instead of letting him reach his ceiling. I'd also contend that Zach is a very smart player who's familiar with most if not all current basketball plays and schemes, who doesn't need the redundancy of learning in Summer League, what he will learn and use in training camp.
Well I’m sure you know better than the team.
Learning our system and working with our coaches, who are specifically focused on his development, would be better than sitting on the bench and trying to learn from a hodgepodge of coaches who do not care about his future. If he was in year 3 or 4 I might agree with you.
Canada doesn't have hodgepodge coaches, wtf are you talking about? Jordi is one of the best young coaches in the NBA! The Canadian National team is a class organization from top to bottom with top notch medical staff, trainers, insurance, everything. Zach would have a very large role to play on the team, they don't have anything like him. Last year he struggled, but with how much players in his age group improve year over year, and after what he's been through in the NCAA tourney, he's grown a lot and would definitely benefit from an expanded role on team Canada. If that team medals or even if they don't and he's not a part of it, well, I'd resent my employer if I were him, because I'd feel like I could've made a difference and my boss didn't let me have a chance to.
Im not saying that they aren’t skilled coaches. Im saying that he wouldn’t be getting the individual attention from a staff primarily focused on his development like he would in Memphis. The only argument for the Olympics being better for his development is playing stronger competition, which probably is only true for a handful of games. I think learning our system and playing with Vince, GG, LaRavia, and (possibly) Clarke in summer league would be waaaaay better.
But they do have coaches that'll work with him personally. They're not gonna assign a personal coach to Olynyk or Powell who've been on the team for 6+ years. On top of that, the talent won't just be in opposing teams, he'd be running sets with Jamal Murray, SGA, Nembhard who's gravity would create lots of opportunities for him in pops, rolls, whatever, they're great players.
Bro he wouldn’t be sitting on the bench, his best competition is Kelly Olynk for the center spot, playing against Wemby, Jokic, Embiid, AD, Bam would be great experience and he would almost certainly get serious minutes because of the size coming to the olympics at the center position.
Literally less than a year ago, Olynyk and Dwight Powell combined to play 40+ minutes per game for Team Canada, Edey got less than 3. I don't think it's anywhere close to "almost certain" that he would get serious minutes. Both of them are on the team again, they brought Khem Birch and Mfiondu Kagenbele onto the team, and Olynyk was literally announced as the captain for Team Canada. It doesn't seem like they were ever planning to commit to Edey completely as a center for them, not even close.
Totally disagree. In a normal situation, you might be right. But Memphis is in a unique spot. We’re not drafting him to develop over 4 years. He’s gonna start. Now. We’re gonna try to win from game 1 and he simply has to be a part of that. So either the team pressured him after selecting him at 9, or he really wants to work for his spot as he knows he has a massive opportunity in year 1.
Not a bad point, I personally wouldn't know, though I take this news to imply that the organization thinks this is best for the team. It does suck from an individual career perspective to miss one of only a couple shots at a medal
You’re right about the talent difference, but that’s also under different rules that affect big men the most. Here he is needed to adapt to the NBA, and he would get thrown into adapting to international ball instead.
He probably didn’t expect to be a lottery pick, that changes things a little
How so?
More money, more responsibilities.
Mo' money, mo' problems.
He realizes that by being a high draft pick that now maybe he can make hundreds of millions of dollars by being a decent player. The path towards that as a second rounder or UDFA is significantly harder.
He's still the same player he was before the draft.
Yes, and he had to hedge it because there was an unknown. How many third-party viewers had him going at 9 in the draft? The consensus was much lower. Guys in the top-10 who play league average ball get rookie-maxes. Even if you suck sometimes you get a hundred million. Where you are drafted matters so much. Look at Cade Cunningham. If he were undrafted, how much money does he get right now? He has the first pick aura and he sucks and will make several hundred million dollars.
Ι was with you until you said Cade sucked. You clearly haven't watched pistons basketball. He is making the very best of a very bad situation, and is playing some very good basketball. Especially the later half of the season.
More money can definitely change your mindset. Making a few million a more a year you may just want to focus on the team giving you that money. Edey was good in college but had a lot to work on if he wants a long career.
They probably made it clear they wanted him to be a starter and wanted him preparing for that now.
Idk, they let Santi Aldama play at the FIBA World Cup last year, which is a lower-prestige tournament. I don't know if they would allow that while also outright blocking a player from the Olympics. I'm sure they prefer this option though.
One would think playing in the Olympics against top talent would help him prepare for the NBA season
He averages 3 minutes per game at last year's world cup. He's better off at summer league
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I can’t tell if this is satire or not. He should definitely go to summer league and work with his coaches and get ready to be a starter this season.
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What the fuck is that racist comment about the Rio Olympics lol?
> even if Edey only gets garbage time minutes in the olympics, actually competing for something that matters, with stakes, If you're only getting garbage time minutes, there are no stakes and not much competing happening with you on the floor. Unless you're saying the experience of competing from the bench would be more valuable to Edey than actually working with his future teammates.
This is idealist clown talk
you might consider it idealistic but it has been clear in these conversations that other countries take olympic basketball way more seriously than americans do. Porzingis is gettin slammed for another non-appearance due to injury even though he won a ring
> you might consider it idealistic but it has been clear in these conversations that other countries take olympic basketball way more seriously than americans do. Well Edey isn’t American, so..?
sure the point then is “american” as in north american and compared to european countries. Before the world cup canada NT was daydreaming anyhow
canadian salt will never get old
i am pulling for edey big time. people unfairly shit on him in college and everyone is discounting him as a pro. hope he proves everyone wrong
Bro said Canada isn’t doing anything in the Olympics
No he said he is not going to get minutes
We have fucken Dwight powell and kelly olynyk playing center … i think he’d get minutes lol if he passed the tryouts
Those guys have played in the NBA for over a decade lmao they’re not gonna just start edey over him because he dominated college players
I didnt say start..
Lively came into the Mavs team and was clearly better than Powell. why can't the same be true for Edey?
Edey is worse defensively than Lively
He is also huge, athletic and way better than Lively offensively
Still better than Powell
Also those guys know how to defend the pick and roll Or at least they can better than Edey
Fiba rules make slow centers way better
These guys are good under FIBA rules
Olynyk is a fantastic international Center. I’d hope he gets the majority of important minutes
Im cool with olynyk dont get me wrong… but for team Canada our center position is the weakest compared to like jokic, embiid, etc,etc… our guard positions have always been strong
I mean Olynyk is still better but he’s just not a center. The problem with our roster is we have no center so this one stings lol
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Poeltl plays for the raptors doesnt mean hes canadian… hes from Austria
That one year that Kawhi played for the Canadian national team was wild
TIL Marc Gasol was Canadian
he did not get much minutes during last year fiba run.
Dudes with enormous size do well with FIBA rules. I bet he would’ve played plenty.
Less than a year ago, Dwight Powell and Kelly Olynyk combined for over 46 minutes a game to Zach Edey's 2.9. Olynyk was named the captain again this year, idk if he would have seen the court much.
right before canada day too god damn
No wonder why people said he wouldn't fit in the NBA, he's showing loyalty and commitment to the team that's paying him millions of dollars
shai or murray should pull a dennis schroder and call out canadians who don't participate like how schroder called out maxi kleber for germany.
they're not going to publicly castigate a rookie who just got drafted. maybe rib him a bit in private but it feels like the kind of thing you just shrug at in their position. if he's a legit NBA star next go round and doesn't want to help, then maybe some pressure like that
Olympics will accelerate a players growth faster than summer league. All Vegas does is tell us who *can't* play
This guy is such a fucking basketball robot, he's gonna be so good when he downloads the league.
I would’ve played the Olympics… better competition, not to mention he would actually get minutes this time around… 🤷🏾♂️
He avg 3 minutes a game in Fiba last year, maybe he's pissed about this and feels like he wasted his time last year.
+1000 team chemistry
You would rather play in a summer league than represent your home country in the Olympics?? Poor decision in my opinion.
Omg omg we’re gonna be so good
Terrible decision. He would’ve gotten far more exposure if he balled out at the olympics over hitting a few layups against random g leaguers Im assuming Memphis told him not to go, and this is PR bullshit
If Memphis told him to not go, it's the right decision. He has a lot to prove and should be with the team
It’s the OLYMPICS. This ain’t the pan American games or something, this is the biggest sporting festival in the world, and this dude would rather play in what is an unserious pre season tournament
Olympic basketball really ain't that serious sorry man
Way more serious than the summer league.
He'll be the starting center and play more minutes leading up to the season. I understand the persuasion.
Being a backup/potential starter in the olympics>starting in a semi-pro pre season tournament
He'll also get reps with the starting practice team to build chemistry. Learning the system is much more critical than playing against big names for media hype.
He still has 2 months at least once he comes back. I don’t see the logic at all.
If Canadians are anything like people from the states then they probably just don’t care about Olympic basketball that much
No chance would he start for Canada. Olynyk is still their captain and a really good international Center. Olynyk and Dwight Powell combined for 46+ minutes a game for Team Canada at the World Cup less than a year ago. Edey played 2.9 minutes per game.
And a year ago edey was projected to be a late second round pick
I'm not convinced that the media projection was accurate, but what really improved Edey's stock was his combine workout. Presumably Team Canada also had workouts, and I highly doubt that he became drastically faster within a year. Certainly he played almost the same in his last year of college as he did the year before. Not that there was much room for improvement.
He definitely made the right decision
I disagree, only in the nba would playing in a pre season Tournament be valued by some above the fucking OLYMPICS
He has a once in a lifetime opportunity right now as a lottery pick to change his family’s life forever. Edey will still have an opportunity to play for Team Canada in the Olympics four years from now.
And how does not playing in the summer league affect that at all?
Him playing in the summer league will help the team build more chemistry.
He’s not playing with anyone who will actually be playing meaningful minutes in the nba next season. The olympics would be a great chance for him to polish his skills against actual professional players with experience. He can learn from some of the best players in the nba too.
GG Jackson will most definitely be getting meaningful minutes in the NBA next season and also I’m sure the team will all be training together while the Olympics is going on so that would give Edey less time to get acquainted with his new teammates.
That’s one player He still has 2 months once he comes back from the olympics.
Dude you're stretching big time. Olympics are an incredibly rare opportunity to play with the best talent in the world. Grizzlies are making a very small minded decision and stunting Zach's growth. Summer League is meaningless for anyone except for NDFAs and G-leagers trying to crack a roster. Almost every player who's represented their nation come back to the NBA with elevated performances, or enlightened experiences and stories. Unfortunately your FO is making small time decisions, it'll cost them down the road.
I'm sorry but this summer league won't make or break whether he is good enough to make it to the NBA. Anyone pretending otherwise is being un serious. Him getting a payday or not has utterly nothing to do with the summer league 2 weeks after he was drafted.
honestly, speaking of paydays, being an upcoming star on the olympic roster would be great for name recognition in the country and endorsements deals too
He played less than 3 minutes a game in the August/September 2023 FIBA World Cup. Can't be much of a star if you're barely getting garbage time minutes.
Sure you know better than Zach Edey on what he should do for himself
Sure you know better than the lakers about who they should draft Sure you know better than Dennis Schroeder about his contract decisions Sure you know better than chet about playing in an pickup game before his rookie season And so on and so forth
Zero correlation to Zach Edey not playing in the Olympics, but ok
This is a direct reply to you effectively saying ‘you don’t know better than edey’, a comment that also has zero correlation to the actual topic, since that is making the assumption that people always make the right decision for themselves
Can’t believe the people in the comments saying that edey playing a meaningless preseason exhibition against g leaguers and fringe players who won’t make the league is better then going to the Olympics.
His old ass gone cook the summer league lmao
Totally logical even if it is disappointing for Canada. Wemby did the same thing last year by staying with Spurs rather than going to play the 2023 World Cup with France. For Edey, it's the same thing. Even if it is the Olympic Games, he must do everything to best prepare for his arrival in the NBA.
the World Cup isn't the same tier as the Olympics
Play against hobos in summer league, or play alongside of all-star caliber players against top level competition. Makes sense, definitely no one from Memphis with a gun to his back….
Damn, someone should have told Memphis to block Santi Aldama from the Olympics too, can't believe they forgot about him.
I'd rather he train with NBA level players in the Canadian team than play in the circus known as summer league.
interesting...
Chose the bear
NBA is just a job contract. Olympic is about pride and opportunity to represent your country. Must be frustrating for Canada having him pull out all of a sudden.
Someone had told him he would be riding the bench in France.
He’s a fucking menace. Choosing to fuck other rookies rather than representing his country, he has my respect 🫡
Doesn’t want to get exposed by actual professionals at the Olympics quite yet.
Summer league is terrible for big men. It's mostly guards/wings run and gun. He'd get better ready for the NBA training with the Olympic team.
JA gonna be so mad when he drives to the lane and sees edey getting ready to post up lmao
Ja will be yamming it because his coverage just got pulped on the Edey screen.