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Japanese 2012-2013 National Team

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  • Aside from being badly outplayed by the Philippines, two distinct fundamental blunders I remember:

    Ryota Sakurai slipping even before advancing into the half-court.

    Kosuke Takeuchi stepping out of the inbound line. Back-court forgot that they were supposed to command the ball.

    Overall, Takumi Ishizaki's absence stings the most.

    Same goes for Naoto Tsuji and Keijuro Matsui. They are not point guards. Tsuji plays SG/SF for Toshiba while Matsui starts as SG. Hiejima is also a converted point guard who played SG / SF back in college. The next national head coach would not make a blunder of not bringing a pure point guard.

    I like Tsuji's game though. He is showing that he deserves more considerations in the future.

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    • Takahiro Kurihara could miss games due to a dislocated finger. Team staff accompanied him to the nearest emergency hospital. This means Daiki Tanaka, Yuta Watanabe could get more minutes at SF.
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      • Takahiro Kurihara said on his twitter that he will try to play today. He had that finger taped and aligned by a chiropractor as well as taking pain killers. Kimikazu Suzuki stated that everybody needs to pitch in and hinted that Kanamaru, Sakurai, Watanabe and Tanaka would see minutes at SF if needed.

        This means that Sakurai could start at PG and later move up to wing as Hiejima / Tsuji / Matsui could share in the PG chores but we can expect Tsuji to play his shooting guard role.
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        • I was a bit surprise how Japan finish out of the Top 8 and is relegated to the consolation round. Though, most of their losses were really heartbreakers, but the ones they really lost (vs Phl, and vs Jordan), they seemed to just gave up. And Sakuragi even said after their loss to PHL, that some of his teammates don't know how to respond to the physical plays of the opponents. Against the bigger teams Japan faced, they seemed to crumple when the plays really get physical.

          Any thoughts CKR13? Do the Japanese Leagues' brand of plays involve banging bodies at all?

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          • Originally posted by Dotch View Post
            I was a bit surprise how Japan finish out of the Top 8 and is relegated to the consolation round. Though, most of their losses were really heartbreakers, but the ones they really lost (vs Phl, and vs Jordan), they seemed to just gave up. And Sakuragi even said after their loss to PHL, that some of his teammates don't know how to respond to the physical plays of the opponents. Against the bigger teams Japan faced, they seemed to crumple when the plays really get physical.

            Any thoughts CKR13? Do the Japanese Leagues' brand of plays involve banging bodies at all?
            The JBL brand of basketball allows less physicality compared to the BJ-League. In the JBL, one rack up an astonishing number of fouls with the slightest handcheck and the slightest bump. So Japanese players are not used to the man to man pressure and physicality of what the Philippines did.
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            • We may have seen the last of JR Sakuragi and Kimikazu Suzuki for the national team. What works in the JBL definitely won't work with FIBA Asia.

              As per my assessment:

              Kosuke Takeuchi - He has become Japan's best bigman as what scribes have envisioned, but he needs help. As he enters his prime, Japan's center spot is at a question mark.

              Atsuya Ota - Like a good soldier, does what he is told. He does not complain nor is bothered by erratic minutes. As he too is entering his prime years, Japan will have to find a bigman prospect from the colleges and JBA bigman academy.

              Sean Hinkley aka Hiroshi Ichioka - Needs to get his confidence back and stay healthy. I see that he has put on weight as what the coaches told him when he was playing for Link Tochigi and Toyota, but his speed and agility is quite compromised. Quick remedy is get fit, shed extra pounds and work hard. I still see Ichioka donning a Hayabusa jersey.

              JR Sakuragi - He should retire and this tourney should be his swan song. He can still play at a high level in the NBL under Kimikazu Suzuki. Now if rumors are true, Japan will have a new naturalized bigman for 2015. Sakuragi being an elder statesman of the team set a bad example. Constantly arguing with the refs and glaring at teammates for his own blunders in passing. No wonder Kosuke Takeuchi wanted out of Aishin to step out of his shadow.

              Ryota Sakurai - He should retire as a point guard. 2012 to 2013 was an interesting experiment for him at point guard. Sure Sakurai has the dribbling and agility to handle the ball, but that does not equate for point guard duties. He over-dribbles at the high baseline, makes an attempt for the baseline drive but is repulsed and he over-dribbles again at the baseline, shedding an average of 10 seconds when he has the ball. Sakurai should make way for true point guards like Takumi Ishizaki. As per his future, he can still be tapped for wing help. He can backup Takahiro Kurihara, who is stronger and just as quick.

              Takahiro Kurihara - Should be Japan's mainstay at SF for a couple of years more. Really benefited in playing and under Sakurai's mentorship. It is not too late for him to hone his shooting as that is lacking in his role.

              Kosuke Kanamaru - He got a taste of his first FIBA Asia as the main gunner with a green light to shoot. Outside of Kawamura, Kanamaru is perhaps the second best scorer in Japan. But he only had one good game and that was in his first game against Qatar. Needs to develop that instinct of surveying the defense not just when he has the ball. Suzuki lived and died on how well Kanamaru will shoot and convert. I can see Kanamaru being around, but he too cannot do it all alone. We'll see if he gets to play a FIBA Asia with Kawamura.

              Naoto Tsuji - He is really a shooting guard and not a point guard. He is young and could prove to be an asset in years to come. He can still improve his ball handling skills. FIBA Asia in Manila is his first.

              Yuta Watanabe - Extremely raw. Outside of his athletic gift and dribbling coordination, nothing more at the moment. He plays on instinct alone and will need to work hard on everything when he goes to the US this fall. Still, Japan may have a diamond in the rough here.

              Makoto Hiejima - Decent in playing point guard as a backup for Sakurai. He is not starting point guard material yet as he can't dictate tempo nor facilitate the offense as he was more of an aggressive slasher to the basket. He will learn a lot when he plays in the NBL as well as more FIBA games in the future.

              Daiki Tanaka - He was perceived as Kanamaru's backup for the road to Manila, but Naoto Tsuji played much better. Tanaka needs to hone that shooting. Slashing skill wise, he is the team's best slasher but his confidence dipped after the Jones Cup. He still has a long way to go, but is now a full time member since 2012.

              Keijuro Matsui - The most under-utilized and mismanaged player by Suzuki. Matsui maybe limited with his ability to play point , dribble break or slash to the basket, but his shooting and basketball IQ got wasted on this one. Tom Wisman designed plays as per catch and shoot to diffuse the zone through misdirections. Under Suzuki's system, every guard must be able to create their own shot but that is not Matsui's game at all. A much more complex system based on crisp pin point passing compared to the chaotic dribble breakdown outlets serves Matsui better. Matsui is a shooting specialist and can still be considered as an 11th or 12th man.
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              • Japan became a dangerous team when Wisman was at the helm. He is a very good coach they should have retained him. They badly needed a PURE PG. Like a Kamrany, a Tenorio, or Cho Sung Min(though he is a SG), or even a Guo. not at the same skill level but with the IQ for a good PG.
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                • Originally posted by MD125 View Post
                  Japan became a dangerous team when Wisman was at the helm. He is a very good coach they should have retained him. They badly needed a PURE PG. Like a Kamrany, a Tenorio, or Cho Sung Min(though he is a SG), or even a Guo. not at the same skill level but with the IQ for a good PG.
                  Yes, but Wisman was a victim of unrealistic expecations wherein a full budget and the best training plus the best roster were prepared for the London Olympics. Wisman failed so he was relieved of his duties. Federation incurred losses so they decided that a local coach will be much more economical and shoot for a world cup berth as long as they put in the best players possible. Injuries to J. Takeuchi while the likes of Kawamura opted out to try their luck overseas hurt the team.

                  About the point guard, Suzuki's gambit of putting in makeshift tall guards that can handle the ball backfired. What he wanted was a team that is no longer hounded on how other countries exploited Japan's small point guards. Moving over, offensive execution suffered.

                  The next coach should learn from Suzuki's flaws.
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                  • Suzuki should give extended minutes to Yuta Watanabe in their next game against India. Make him play against bigger opponents for the experience.
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                    • Originally posted by CKR13 View Post
                      Yes, but Wisman was a victim of unrealistic expecations wherein a full budget and the best training plus the best roster were prepared for the London Olympics. Wisman failed so he was relieved of his duties. Federation incurred losses so they decided that a local coach will be much more economical and shoot for a world cup berth as long as they put in the best players possible. Injuries to J. Takeuchi while the likes of Kawamura opted out to try their luck overseas hurt the team.

                      About the point guard, Suzuki's gambit of putting in makeshift tall guards that can handle the ball backfired. What he wanted was a team that is no longer hounded on how other countries exploited Japan's small point guards. Moving over, offensive execution suffered.

                      The next coach should learn from Suzuki's flaws.
                      I dont know what is missing with Japan but not having the other Takeuchi twin was a minus for them. Plus Sakuragi didnt have that good relationship with this teammates.

                      You are right that what works in a local professional league would not always work in FIBA. The Philippines has had to endure so many years to learn that, and still learning. Also, economically Japan has been devastated, first because of the tsunami and then the nuke radiation.
                      ‘They don’t pay you a million dollars for two-hand chest passes.’ - Pistol Pete Maravich

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                      • I think Japan should hire Foreign Coach in the next International Games.
                        They should hire Tab Baldwin of New Zealand.

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                        • Originally posted by MD125 View Post
                          I dont know what is missing with Japan but not having the other Takeuchi twin was a minus for them. Plus Sakuragi didnt have that good relationship with this teammates.
                          Yes, Joji Takeuchi was a big part of Suzuki's plan for offense as he envisioned Joji to be that long range threat to de-clog the paint so as to give more space for the slashers. As per Sakuragi, he tuned out and turned off his teammates when the tournament started as he would give them that stare when they make a mistake.

                          Plus he complains a lot about his teammates not being able to withstand physicality, but he himself always argues with the ref after the slightest bump. He also acts the same way in the JBL.
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                          • Originally posted by Bad_Shot View Post
                            I think Japan should hire Foreign Coach in the next International Games.
                            They should hire Tab Baldwin of New Zealand.
                            I doubt Baldwin will accept coaching Japan. If ever the JBA hires a foreign coach, it will be someone who is currently coaching in the NBL (formerly JBL) like Zeljko Pavlicevic (their coach in 2006) and Tom Wisman when he was coaching Tochigi Brex.
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                            • Japan is a better team than most people believe. But first things first is to assure that the most capable players are available (Kawamura, the twins and Naturalized player).. get back to Kashiwagi, Ishizaki and even Tabuse as point guard as they have the most pg exp.. in intl. competition..Ota is a bad big man imo as ranidel can easily take away an already gotten rebound from him.. Hikley would always be there.. the generic shooters should be in the lineup as long as they do things rather than shooting the bball.. Kurihara is a NT mainstay..

                              Japan would be in the final 4 picture next asian games..But "Nana" basketball has been bred to Japanese Basketball since the last decade or so..
                              To becomes Asia's Best, we need to compete against the World's Best..
                              1 Big 4 small > 5 out offense.

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                              • Originally posted by reamily View Post
                                Japan is a better team than most people believe. But first things first is to assure that the most capable players are available (Kawamura, the twins and Naturalized player).. get back to Kashiwagi, Ishizaki and even Tabuse as point guard as they have the most pg exp.. in intl. competition..Ota is a bad big man imo as ranidel can easily take away an already gotten rebound from him.. Hikley would always be there.. the generic shooters should be in the lineup as long as they do things rather than shooting the bball.. Kurihara is a NT mainstay..

                                Japan would be in the final 4 picture next asian games..But "Nana" basketball has been bred to Japanese Basketball since the last decade or so..
                                Japan can't look for the Takeuchi twins, Kawamura, Ishizaki, Ota and Sakurai any further. They are peaking and entering their early 30's by 2014. Much more with over the hill players like Tabuse and Kashiwagi who won't make any difference in the Asian Games.

                                Come to think of it, 2006 was the start of the said generation and should have stayed together in full force to qualify for the 2014 FIBA World cup. Instead, it was the 2012 London Olympics that the federation targeted with this generation. Perhaps the 2014 Asian games and 2015 FIBA Asia for Rio would be the last for the said geneation.

                                Last time I checked, the JBA is preparing a long term plan if Japan lands the 2020 Summer Olympics that runs course with the next 2019 world championship. I can only imagine that such team will look upon much younger players like Ryogo Sumino, Landen Lucas (If ever), Daniel Nana and others.
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