With a week to go until their first game in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, the Canadian national team saw no reason to be anything but cautious with Kelly Olynyk on Tuesday.
Olynyk sat out a second consecutive exhibition game for the Canadians, with the team opting to take the precautionary route after Olynyk banged his left knee Sunday. The Boston Celtics center was rebounding for teammates and dribbling before the game, with the team maintaining that the injury isn't serious.
With Olynyk's place in the team's rotation more or less secure, his absence from friendlies also gives head coach Jay Triano a longer look at some of the players vying for playing time at the end of the rotation, or a spot on the team altogether. Olynyk figures to be the team's starting center when the FIBA Americas tournament gets underway next week.
While Canada ranked just 25th in last September's FIBA rankings, this is their best chance to return to the Olympics for the first time since 2000. The top two teams, excluding Brazil, in the Americas tournament will qualify for the 2016 Olympics, with three more earning berths into next summer's last-chance qualifier.
