PARIS (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - The last thing France coach Vincent Collet wanted as he started to plan for FIBA EuroBasket 2017 was news that Rudy Gobert is going to be unavailable.

The giant center is a weapon on both ends of the floor for Les Bleus and will be missed. C'est la vie!

Utah Jazz center Gobert said in L'Equipe over the weekend: "It was a tough decision for me, but considering my recent knee injury in the Play-Offs, the long season and discussions with my club, I need to work on my body this summer."

The player's decision is understandable, which is why the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) simply took it on the chin and made it clear that the player remains a part of the national team. The FFBB also wished him luck in his recovery.

What Gobert's injury will do for France is a couple of things. First, coach Collet will have to issue a "next man up!" call, which means that someone else will have to fill the void.

Gobert's withdrawal has also perhaps lowered expectations outside the French camp and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Remember the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup when a supposedly inferior French team without Tony Parker still stunned star-studded hosts Spain in the Quarter-Finals and ended up finishing third at the event?

The priority for France right now is to get the roster of players that gives them a shot of winning as many games as possible in Group A in Helsinki where they will face Iceland, Finland, Slovenia, Greece and Poland.

There is no other Gobert-like player for France, but there are plenty of options for Collet on his 37-man list as he considers the make-up of his team. The French are sure to go with Olympians Boris Diaw, Joffrey Lauvergne and Kim Tillie at power forward but which centers might join them?

Mouhammadou Jaiteh

Jaiteh played for France at FIBA EuroBasket 2015

Don't be surprised if Jaiteh is on the roster because he was, after all, in France's FIBA EuroBasket 2015 team. Jaiteh also plays for Collet at SIG Strasbourg and has had his share of shining moments in the Basketball Champions League and the LFB.

Alpha Kaba

When it comes to including a young, up-and-coming and flashy low-post player, Collet could certainly do worse than the 21-year-old Blois-born Kaba. Having played for Mega Leks this season in the Basketball Champions League, Kaba appears to have a great shot of joining the French brigade in the NBA one day. In Europe, he averaged 10.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for Mega Leks in 12 games. If Collet wants a slam fest, then he needs to take this guy!

Mathias Lessort

A FIBA Europe Cup winner with Nanterre 92, the 21-year-old Lessort averaged 9.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Included on the 37-man list by France for competitions up to the 2020 Olympics, Lessort may not be as big as Fall, but he still has a fighting chance of making the team.

Vincent Poirier

The Paris-Levallois pivot stands 6ft 9in (2.13m) in height and is averaging career highs of 10.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. The 23-year-old is at the start of what appears to be a promising career. 

Kevin Seraphin

If the NBA big man is available, which he appears to be, then Collet is almost certain to include him. Seraphin played for France at FIBA EuroBasket 2011 and helped them qualify for the Olympics. He then came off the bench and did well at the London Games, helping Les Bleus reach the Quarter-Finals. Seraphin is only 6ft 8in (2.08m) in height but he has a powerful body.  

Moustapha Fall

Size matters, as Fall showed on this dunk in the FIBA Europe Cup

If Collet is looking for size and a player that can protect the paint, he will surely give 7ft 15in (2.18m) Elan Chalon center Fall a good, long look. The 25-year-old can score and block shots but is slow-footed laterally. When opposing teams draw him away from the basket with a sweet-shooting big or by going small, then he could be a "Fall Guy" as a liability on defense. He averaged 10.5 points, 8 rebounds and 18 blocks for Elan Chalon in the FIBA Europe Cup. 

FIBA