Basketball News:Team GB set sights on EuroBasket and London 2012 Olympic Games
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Following the most drawn out free agency saga ever - and despite the fact some big names are yet to make their decisions, attentions are slowly returning to the court.
Stateside, the new-look Team USA are working out in Las Vegas ahead of August’s FIBA World Championships in Turkey, while Team GB have been preparing for arguably the biggest games in the history of basketball in this country.
After GB’s brave, but ultimately unsuccessful EuroBasket campaign in Poland last year, Chris Finch’s men have returned to the qualifying stage to earn a place in next year’s competition in Lithuania.
However, not only does their place among Europe’s elite rest on this summer’s performances, but so do Britain’s hopes of fielding basketball teams at the London Olympics in 2012.
In order to qualify GB must complete the difficult but by no means impossible task of winning their group, which includes Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Ukraine and Hungary, or, they must finish as one of the two best second placed teams, from the three qualifying groups.
But yet again GB’s job has become more difficult before even taking to the floor.
Key figures such as, Mike Lenzley, Robert Archibald, Joel Freeland and Ben Gordon have all withdrawn after long club seasons. And today, the insurance disputes which have hampered Luol Deng’s international career once again became an issue.
As reported by Britball, Deng will not feature in any of the warm-up games - the first of which takes place tonight as GB take on Canada in Cobham - a game which can be viewed live online at HoopsFix.com.
And unless Team GB and the Chicago Bulls can come to an agreement, the star forward is a real doubt for the qualifiers themselves.
Another worry is that Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who spent most of last season in Russia with CSKA Moscow, is still yet to join up with the squad, although his arrival is expected on Friday.
There is one positive piece of off-the-court news to come out of British basketball though, Back British Basketball.
BBB is a campaign led by two fans who are on a mission to get the nation interested in basketball and support the GB teams’ bid to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics Games.
There are many ways to support the campaign and you can find them all, and much more at www.BackBritishBasketball.com.
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