By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Manila, Philippines – With the second round games starting tomorrow and 15 teams having already secured at least a spot in next summer’s Olympic qualifiers – Australia due to New Zealand not making the second round has already booked the Oceania spot directly in the Olympics -there’s a legit question about the top NBA stars who are not part of the competition.
Has the fact that this World Cup is played in back-to-back summers with the Olympics played a role in the decision of those stars to skip this summer’s tournament?
US national team coach Steve Kerr has already admitted that while talking to Eurohoops, however, the rest of the world has a very different approach.
Greek coach Dimitris Itoudis understood the point of coach Kerr, however, he explained that each case is different and each player who decided to skip the tournament should be asked about it: “This should be a question for those players who are not here. As journalists, you should contact them and ask them. It wouldn’t be bad. Maybe you should make a poll. However, there might be such an approach because there are enough absences. Of course, everyone has a different reason. For example, after Giannis (Antetokounmpo) had surgery, he couldn’t be here. So, maybe…”
Thanasis Antetokounmpo on the contrary expressed the opinion that this is an issue that has to do only with the US: “This line of thinking applies only to Team USA. It doesn’t apply anywhere else. I don’t think that South Sudan is not happy after getting their first-ever World Cup win. Or look at the run that the Dominican Republic is having. I don’t think it applies to us”.
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With the mood light, since absences-plagued Greece has achieved its first goal, making it to the pre-Olympic tournament, and a win in the upcoming game against Lithuania being treated as a bonus, Thanasis took also a gentle jab to the official FIBA World Cup power rankings: “First of all, where are we now in the FIBA Power Rankings? At the 19th, or 18th spot? We are in the top 16 teams, so I guess we got an upgrade. So this applies only to teams who have a vast pool of players, not to us who have so many rookies in a World Cup”.
Coach Itoudis also added that in France’s case, in order to be eligible for the Olympics you should have been eligible for the team in general: “I think that in France that was a prerequisite for being on the Olympic roster, to be available in the World Cup. I am not sure, I was told that it might be wrong”.
Just for the record, French athletes had indeed signed such a protocol at the start of this Olympic circle, however, this summer Victor Wembanyama is absent and of course, he will play in the Olympics. Having said that, before getting drafted, he played for his team in the FIBA Windows.