Asia Championship 2017

[Lebasketball]

Pot 1 : Australia, NZ, China and Iran
Pot 2 : Philippines, Jordan, S Korea, Chinese Taipei
Pot 3 : Qatar, Kazakhstan, Japan, India
Pot 4 : Hong Kong, Irak, Syria and Lebanon

Lebanon as a host will choose their group that's why they are in the Pot 4.

[Lebasketball]

Group A : Iran, Jordan, Syria, India
Group B : China, Philippines, Qatar, Irak
Group C : NZ, Korea, Lebanon, Kazakhstan
Group D : Australia, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong

Good luck to all teams and welcome to Lebanon !

[locdogjr]

Taiwan has Australia in this tournament and the qualifiers,
damn.

Good luck!

[Lebasketball]

I've read that Yi Jianlin is out of the team ?
Can anyone confirm ?
And what about the other nation ?
Will they send their best line-up ? Iran with Haddadi or without ?
S Korea ? Philippines ? Etc

[McCalebb2015]

I've read that Yi Jianlin is out of the team ?
Can anyone confirm ?
And what about the other nation ?
Will they send their best line-up ? Iran with Haddadi or without ?
S Korea ? Philippines ? Etc

Yi Jianlian is not sure.

[eshmawi]

Pierre Kakhia is loaded with money.Julian Khazzouh will play for lebanese NT , he will get paid 175 thousand dollar for his services.
There will be naturalized top foreigner alongside him too.

Lebanon are coming one hope, and thats winning the title.Pierre Kakhia is throwing all the money in the world for it.

[Roofman]

If true that Julian Khazzouh will play for the Lebanese NT in FIBA Asia, that 175K surely talks! I subscribe to Australian basketball podcast Aussie Hoopla, and in a July 2016 interview, he stated that he saw himself as Australian despite various overtures to play for the Lebanese NT, and in fact was contacted by Australian NT coach Lemanis to attend the Boomers pre-Olympic training camp when Andrew Bogut got injured in that year's NBA finals to be part of a pool of 16. However, given his torn quadricep, he was in no position to attend the camp. FWIW, I see him as a sort of poisoned chalice for you given that he hasn't played in two years, and although talented, never had the desire to lock down players on the defensive end.

[eshmawi]

Not many people are happy with Khazzouh being payed to play , some calling Julian Mercenary like Akram Halabi. I honestly want my NT to win, then again disappointed for it to go this way. Julian has no feeling for Lebanon, and is in it for the money.

[Lebasketball]

Ok but you can't blame Khazzouh if he has no feelings for the NT. He was born abroad, his father never went on holiday in Lebanon. Plus since the first time he came to Lebanon (sagesse), the other fans was telling him that he was a Jewish and mocked him . I can't blame him and at the end he's a professional player.
We don't have center player as him so why be against him ?
And what is your feelings about Fadi's behavior ? He used to always cry like a baby "i don't want to play for the NT, I want holiday with my family ! I have a contract with my Chinese team and so on !"
Ok he's a legend for sure, he's our best player but he's worse than Khazzouh in my opinion coz he was born in Lebanon.

[reamily]

Julian back then is australian at heart, since an australian team is the one whose giving him paychecks and australia is the one who will give him chance to play in olympics..
Come on, some players motivate to play in nt to prolong their careers..

[Lebasketball]

Yes for sure his heart is Australian but as long he's doing his job with our NT as a professional player...why treat him like a sh*t ?
As for Akram Halabi, he lost the election against Kakhia that's why he's doing a big issue with Khazzouh gate !
The only thing I can say it's to congratulate the federation !!! And every Lebanese should be behind Kakhia because :
1) the guy is doing a great job : host the fiba asia
2) the woman NT is finally back
3) he's doing youth championship and wants to develop youth teams for every clubs from the D1
4) Making Khazzouh back after the failure of the ex federation to bring him
5) foreign referee to help the Lebanese one
6) the final of the championship ended in the court
7) ...

Lebanon NT is back and that's the most important thing !
We disappeared in the last 7 years because of people who don't give a sh*t about basketball...
Go Lebanon

[Roofman]

For you Lebanese, you will probably never get a better chance to win an Asian championship. It seems like all the other major contenders will be weakened, while you will be at full strength and motivated to send off Fadi.
- China are divided into Team Red and Team Blue.
- Philippines probably won't have Blatche and there is infighting as usual between the SBP and PBA over releasing players. See the Philippines page for more.
- Australia have released their 20 man squad. About 15 players, including all current NBA players are missing. Team will be well prepared, Lemanis said that the team wants to win but the overriding focus is on preparing for the later World Cup qualifiers. More info here:

http://basketball.net.au/helloworld-travel-boomers-squad-invited-to-fiba-asia-cup-camp

- New Zealand may be the favourite in this tournament, at least they are according to (Australian legend) Andrew Gaze. It is doubtful that Steven Adams will play (he's never played for their national team at any level) and possibly their next two best players, Tai Webster (NBA draft prospect) and Isaac Fotu may be unavailable. For the first time ever, the national team coach (Paul Henare) is also the coach of the NZ Breakers in the Australian league, meaning the core of the NZ NT play together virtually year round together, a substantial advantage.
- Iran are also a dark horse. Will their guard play hold up and Haddadi and Kazemi be available? If either of those bring negative answers, I think Lebanon have a shot.

One question for Lebanese fans. Why pay Julian in this dead rubber tournament (I mean no qualification is at stake), when they could pay him in the qualifiers? Or will they do both?

[Lebasketball]

It will be for both (fiba asia 2017 and the qualification).
Yes we do have a shot and that's why the federation is working hard. In the past we were so close ! So yes it's maybe our last chance and I hope we can make it even though it's not a qualification edition. You know it's just the pride and the feeling to be champion of the biggest continent for 4 years !

[adrax]

It will be for both (fiba asia 2017 and the qualification).
Yes we do have a shot and that's why the federation is working hard. In the past we were so close ! So yes it's maybe our last chance and I hope we can make it even though it's not a qualification edition. You know it's just the pride and the feeling to be champion of the biggest continent for 4 years !

The philippines is making a two national team which is called gilas cadets which is composed of
players coming from college local and abroad, amatures and pba d league players.Gilas Pilipinas which is composed of senior National players.
Now philippines might just send team b in this tournament which we really are now focusing on the qualifiers this coming
November which is more important.also still SBP and PBA are still discussing or debating if they will realese the players
Because it conflict the pba season.we dont want to risk jordan clarkson or blatche play in a no bearing
Tournament.

But still im hoping gilas will send atleast half of the full roster of gilas with blatche.

[OSHAFA]

Jordan NT Preliminary Roster for FIBA Asia Cup 2017

Ahmad Dwairi (Fenerbahce - Turkey)
Zaid Abbas (Tongxi - China)
Dar Tucker (Estudiantes - Argentina)
Mohammad Shaher (FUS - Morocco)
Mahmoud Abdeen
Mousa Awadi
Malek Kanaan
Ali Jamal
Sami Bzai (NCAA - USA)
Jordan Dasqui (NCAA - USA)
Amin Abuhawwas
Ahmad Obeid
Ahmad Hamarsheh
Abudllah Sawalhi
Yazan Taweel
Yousef Abuwazaneh
Nader Ahmad

Coach : Sam Daghlas