FanPost

Les Bleus au départ... (France in the starting blocks...)

Les Bleus closed out the first segment of their preparation for the World Championships last night, losing to Serbia by ten points in a tournament in Pau, in the south of France. This is preparation, so the results are pretty much meaningless -- both the victories against Greece and Croatia, and the loss against Serbia. Coach Vincent Collet is still looking at his personnel, and how to get the most out of a rather odd -- and talented -- group. (Power forward Kim Tillie was cut after this tournament.)

Obviously, the first question is, "Who's going to play point, with TP absent?" A rather panicky question, among those who don't know anything about basketball... Point guard is a spot that is WELL covered!


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First there's Thomas Heurtel. He's an interesting case, because he isn't very well known in France. He left for Spain (big buck$) while still quite young. He is now one of the best point guards in the very tough Spanish league... But no one in France knows anything about him. Heurtel is a genuine point guard. His first impulse is to run the team. He has an "OMG-pass / minutes played" ratio that is off the charts. He also is a very good shooter, so defenses cannot cheat on him. He likes to get inside a defense -- 16 - 20 feet from the basket -- where he always draws a defender and then hits the open teammate. Or pops the little jumper. And he can hit at three-point range. I think he has a lock on the starting point position.

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Shooting guard is going to be a very hard spot to grab! Our old friend Nando de Colo (now under contract with Moscow) has been impressive. When he goes to the basket, he lowers a shoulder, and anyone who gets in the way gets hurt. Very impressive.

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Last year, the Nuggets' Evan Fournier came to the Team France camp with an "I'm here guys!" attitude. He was cut. This year, he came with a "I really want the experience of playing for my country" attitude... And he will make the cut at the team's toughest spot. He's not a showy player -- except for the haircut -- but he fills the role Collet wants him to play. He slashes when the opportunity comes, and is steady when he gets a three-point outlet pass. Lousy defense, though...

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Combo guard Antoine Diot was "French MVP" last season. He won't start anywhere, but he's solid at both one and two.

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There are two players who are combo 2-3s.

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Mikael Gelabale doesn't have a contract for the upcoming season. He doesn't seem worried... And I think he's right not to be... He's a silky-smooth do-it-all: drive from the three-point line on a single dribble, or drop the three. He never raises his voice... never says a word... but he may be the best outside player on this team... Nico Batum notwithstanding...

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Edwin Jackson (yes, he is French... His father, Skeeter, was a naturalized player for France twenty-five years ago) was the top scorer in the French league this last season. He's the first Frenchman to do that in four decades. (The previous one was Jacques Cachemire, for the experts... ;-))) . Edwin is a "crazy shooter". On his team, he has a permanent green light. With Les Bleus, he's still trying to understand his position. I don't think this year will be his... But he is certainly a project for Coach Collet.

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The three slot belongs to Nico Batum. He has completely dominated the play, every time he has been on the court. His easy athleticism is insane. PATFO absolutely MUST find a way to bring him to SA.

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Charles Kahudi is a lock-down defender. Stratospheric rebounder. And sometime three-point shooter. He won't get a lot of minutes... but he's mission-oriented...

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Noah. Turiaf. Seraphin. Ajinça. That's four NBA centers who have opted out of Team France. Okay... The last three aren't all-stars... But Joakim...

So the paint is a worry.

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Ian Mahinmi must be given credit! He was not selected... but when the stars fell, one after the other... Ian stepped up. He's not really in shape. He wasn't expecting to be playing basketball these days, after all... Ian puts some mass and muscle in the paint.

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The Jazz's Rudy Gobert has been doing better than anyone hoped. He has a huge wingspan, and a good jump. So he's good at blocking shots, against his immediate adversary or as backup for the rest of the team. But he's skinny as a rail, and got killed by Serbia's cement-block centers. A lot is riding on this young man...

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It is impossible to play inside if you are less than two meters tall (6'7"). Certainly not at a high level. (Please don't tell Flo Pietrus. He has been playing inside in Euroleague and international for ten years.)

There are those who say that it can be uncomfortable to be in the paint at the same time as Flo Pietrus. I'm sure they exaggerate.....

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Oh, and... Boris is still waiting for the OK from the insurance company... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Speaking of Boris... Les Bleus occupy ALL of a local five-star hotel when they are in Pau. Pau is a basketball Mecca in France -- a ton of national-team stars have played there.

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Boris stays in the best suite in the hotel. It is called the "Boris Diaw suite".

Boris owns the hotel.

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