BUENOS AIRES (2010 FIBA World Championship) - Argentina’s Juan Gutierrez is looking forward to playing at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey but there are important games before the team makes the trip to Kayseri.

The number one team in the FIBA World Rankings will very shortly play at the South American Championship, and Gutierrez said his national team is fully focused on that event in Colombia.

“We are defending the 2008 title,” the CB Granada big man said.

There is no question that the bigger and more important event is the 24-team FIBA World Championship, which tips off on August 28.

Argentina will be in Group A with Serbia, Australia, Germany, Angola and Jordan.

And the Argentinians, who captured the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in China, will be without Manu Ginobili as he takes this summer off to spend time with his wife and their newborn twin sons.

"We're going to miss the best player in the country's history, so his absence is very important,” Gutierrez said.

“But we will try to hide it in the best way.”

Argentina still have designs on reaching the podium but they will face plenty of tough opponents.

The USA will not have any of the players that beat Argentina in the Semi-Finals of the 2008 Olympics but should be formidable.

“The U.S. have lost irreplaceable players,” Gutierrez said, “although they may wind up putting together an unbeatable team.”

FIBA