Less than a week left: predict the wild card picks

[Gytaz]

With less than a week until FIBA announces its wild car picks, who do you think will get them?

Post which teams you think FIBA will choose and you can also write, who would you choose if you were FIBA bosses.

[Gytaz]

Well, my predictions are:

1. Russia (100%)
2. Germany (not so sure about them, but they will probably get one)
3. Lithuania (hopefully, although FIBA might choose GB over them)
4. Korea (this might seem like a strange choice, but Korea is big market with big money (at least compared to Lebanon), so... We all know FIBA...)


And if I had to choose, I'd pick Lithuania, Russia, Germany and Lebanon.

[Straight forward]

Russia and Germany surely will get the ticket. Though I would ask, what exactly Russia achieved despite the Eurobasket 2007? Suddenly they came to the list of top national teams? Not even close. They have good relations with FIBA and their men inside. Germany, well, Dirk made them competitive since 2003 and they have even bigger achievements than Russia has this decade.

Lithuania is under the question, but if we won't get the wild card, I believe FIBA will be pleased with some extra surprises in 2011 Eurobasket by Lithuanian fans. That would be more than shame. On other hand, I could not realize this decision when our strongest competitors are Germany if we talking about basketball here. I believe we should get.

As for the last spot I would like to see Lebanon or Philippines, just because they love basketball. I'm not really the specialist of how good NT from Asia is, despite China off course.

PS: Off course, totally unexpectedly we have fresh interview with Kirilenko in official site of WC 2010, debating as if Russia already in WC. Nice work Russia! I wish our federation would be that powerful.
http://turkey2010.fiba.com/pages/eng...8/article.html

[Franz]

Teams I think FIBA chooses......

1. Russia

- won Eurobasket 2007
- finished with winning record at Eurobasket 2009 without their main players.
- nation with big market and population
- financially capable of meeting FIBA's standards
- with no Russia at World Cup, it gives FIBA a golden opportunity to showcase Russian basketball team

2. Germany

- consistent team in world tournaments
- played well in Eurobasket despite Nowitzki and Kaman not being there
- like Russia, they're a big market
- one of the more competitive teams in the world

3. Great Britain

- FIBA wants Great Britain to be part of world basketball
- big market
- played well in Group of Death in Eurobasket this year
- showcase team before 2012 Olympics

4. Dominican Republic

- another competitive team in Americas
- good potential for future tournaments
- FIBA likes NBA players (though that doesn't mean crap in world tournaments)

Surprise picks by FIBA

1. Italy
2. Korea
3. Cameroon

Teams that deserve to be there (in my opinion).

1. Russia
2. Lithuania - I don't know if Lithuania has found sponsors yet???
3. Germany
4. Lebanon

[Mindozas]

IMO Russia and Germany will get wildcards for sure. Last European spot will be between GB and Lithuania, it's up to FIBA what they'll prefer: bigger market or bigger bball nation. Last WC probably will go to Dominican Rep.

If I'd choose, I'd pick: Russia (they surely deserves it this time), Lithuania, Lebanon (love the passion they has about bball and it's No1 sports in their country) and last one would be between DR, Germany and Nigeria, really hard to pick due different reasons, but probably Germany would have slight advantage

2. Lithuania - I don't know if Lithuania has found sponsors yet???

We found sponsors, which will pay 500k, which FIBA asked from us, but it's still unsure if that will be enough

[Lebanese]

Russia (07 European chamionship)

Lithuania (3rd place in the last Olympics)

Germany (good team-dirk is probably the greatest non-american in the history of the nba, probably the last time he will play in wc)

Lebanon ( Good results in the last decade, good team, close to turkey, passion for the game, .... u cant ignore all that.)

[SG-]

Russia (07 European chamionship)

Lithuania (3rd place in the last Olympics)

Germany (good team-dirk is probably the greatest non-american in the history of the nba, probably the last time he will play in wc)

Lebanon ( Good results in the last decade, good team, close to turkey, passion for the game, .... u cant ignore all that.)

We were 4th in Beijing

[Dtown]

1: Russia (From all reports they seem to be a lock)
2: Germany (unlike Lithuania haven't heard any reasons why they won't get it.)

Now here's where it gets tricky.

3a: Lithuania (they have everything except the money apparently)
3b: Great Britain (they have nothing except the money)

This will be really telling of FIBA, right now I'm going to be optimist and hope FIBA goes with the team with the tradition and rabid fanbase in Lithuania. This by the way is from someone who is quite fond of the British side.

4: Dominican Republic (In the end what separates them from Lebanon is that the Dominicans seem to have the full backing of FIBA Americas, while the FIBA Asia contingent can't seem to back either Korea or Lebanon. I think the extra higher ups politicking for the Dominican will see them be the last wild card. )

[Lebanese]

We were 4th in Beijing

still a great team

[SG-]

By the way, Jasikevicius and Kaukenas accepted to play for Lithuania, if they will be going to Turkey

As we all know how important Saras is for our team, that is a great news.

[kaiziken_pinas]

In the Asian Region FIBA might go for Taiwan or Lebanon.

anyway. It's going to be Sri Lanka, East Timor and SOmalia

[wardjdim]

Lithuania deserves it the most and it's not even close

If they don't get it (which is likely, but not definite), it will be for reasons not related to the sport

Russia (only because of Blatt, they are nothing more than a mid-level team, top-8 best case scenario, while Lithuania is a medal contender)

Germany (even if they have Dirk, Kaman and all these nice young guys that played in Poland last summer, they are still nothing more than an average, but often overachieving European team)

Great Britain (good pick, despite the absolute lack of talent. They have no relation to the sport, but I don't see the reason for not getting some international burn and, thus, some potential marketing)

Italy? I don't think they lack any talent, but they didn't even make it to the Eurobasket

Any non-European team has no place in this discussion, imo. It is tough enough to discuss that some of these teams won't make it because of the sick FIBA system. Let's not invite the other continents. At least, they have more chances to qualify. If invited, they will do what? Go to Istanbul and win max one game, lower the level of the competition and make it easier for the better teams to be rested for the key games. We will have enough weak teams for that (the already qualified ones from the other continents)

[reamily]

In the Asian Region FIBA might go for Taiwan or Lebanon.

anyway. It's going to be Sri Lanka, East Timor and SOmalia

its crazy out there imagine if we had financial backing (at least 2 million dollars) we might get the fiba nod even in our 8th place finish taiwan is solid but korea and lebanon has the enough talent to compete in world competition given the massive buildup korea done (getting their kor shams este ams)

[TrueBluePinoy]

IMO 5th placer Taiwan deserves better consideration than 7th placer Korea. They played better as a team and they were the only team that gave eventual champions Iran a scare. Except against China, all of their losses were all heartbreaks. For me the reason they weren't noticed by FIBA is because they have a smaller market compared to Korea although they have the same buying power.

[JGX]

I have decided that Nigeria deserves the Non-European wildcard spot. Showed in 2006 that they could be competitive at the WC. Certainly one of the top three teams in Africa but had a bad day in the knockout stage.

Dominican Republic has talent on paper, but underachieved this summer and also at Centrobasket last year. Plus, since FIBA-Americas determines the top four through group play with no knockout games they had a fair chance to qualify and blew it.

Lebanon and the other non-Asian qualifiers simply aren't good enough and the mercenary thing is not cool.

[daniab]

I have decided that Nigeria deserves the Non-European wildcard spot. Showed in 2006 that they could be competitive at the WC. Certainly one of the top three teams in Africa but had a bad day in the knockout stage.

Dominican Republic has talent on paper, but underachieved this summer and also at Centrobasket last year. Plus, since FIBA-Americas determines the top four through group play with no knockout games they had a fair chance to qualify and blew it.

Lebanon and the other non-Asian qualifiers simply aren't good enough and the mercenary thing is not cool.

stop your hatred ok?
"Mercenary" is an awful word specially in sports so have respect to people.

Lebanon,Lithuania,Germany and Russia deserve it and they must be given a second chance!

[Straight forward]

.
1. Russia (Despite the fact that for some Liths here it is difficult to digest Russian basketball development and progress over the past years). Hell if the world's largest country doesn't deserve it, then no one does.

Yeah, and that's exactly the argument, come on Russia is going to the right direction, but to have one wild luck in 2007 is not the same as to be the contender since 1992, or even to be really competitive since 2003 (Germany). Russia, like wardjdim said, is nothing but average team so far, with Kirilenko or without him (we saw that in Olympics), period.

[Khalid80]

If FIBA was to base their decision on the love of the game+popularity of basketball in the home countries of the wild card candidates then for sure Lithuania and Lebanon should be selected.
I also support the selection of Russia and Germany mostly due to the recent results that these nations have achieved in bball (Germany becoming a European bball powerhouse after 2001 with Nowitzki's rise to fame , as well as Russian winnin the Eurobasket in 2007).

If Lebanon doesn't make it I would want to see Nigeria being selected as the non-European team.

[samer_1_2]

If I was the BOSS.

1. Russia (Despite the fact that for some Liths here it is difficult to digest Russian basketball development and progress over the past years). Hell if the world's largest country doesn't deserve it, then no one does.

2. Lithuania (One of the few, if not the only one, European nations who are clean-cut basketball nation. And not just that but they are good at it too.)

3. Germany (Can FIBA afford a WC in Europe without Dirk? Plus the new German generation we saw [and loved] needs more tournaments to compete in fi they are to develop.)

4. Lebanon (They deserve it just for their fans.)

I fully agree with every term for your choice..
A world cup without Russia and Germany is not a WC.. Lithuania is having a good fan base basketball and should be in the WC, The same applies for Lebanon world wide reputation..
Nigeria/Dominica Republic and Great Britain have no big effect on the basketball world wide if they are selected.
As far as I now, selection is increasing for: Russia, Germany, Lebanon and most probably 95% Lithuania unless something else happens

[HIGHLANDER]

I hope the GB team make it.
They can put together a very good team if all the players are available.
A decent run and good coverage would help the game a lot in Britain.
It is sport that in my opinion is ready to explode with the right investment for the development of the game.
I think of when Greece won the Euro or was it the World championship in the 80's and all of a sudden everybody took an interest in basketball. This could happen in Britain as well.