From thestar.com
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Samuel Dalembert, the 6-foot-11 Canadian citizen who makes millions manning the middle for the Philadelphia 76ers, grew up a skinny kid in Haiti and Montreal.

And if he's heard it once, he's heard it a zillion times: He would be a better player if he bulked up.

Last summer he tried to oblige, adding considerable weight to his formerly 250-pound frame. And if he looked a little sluggish playing in Canada's unsuccessful Olympic-qualifying bid in Las Vegas, blame either the bulk or the bulk's result: A stress fracture in his left foot.

"I ain't trying to change nothing anymore, I'm staying lean," said Dalembert.

"Why change it? Why fix it when it's not broke?"

And it is an excellent sign Dalembert is looking lithe and strong these days. But even though he's the centrepiece of Canada's senior men's basketball team, it's difficult to convince a realist the squad won't spend this summer playing approximately 178 pounds short of its fighting weight.

That's the approximate scale-tip of Steve Nash, our greatest hoopster who, way back in the dead of winter, announced his intention to spend his coming summers doing things other than playing for his country.

Nash's choice was intelligent and heartfelt. At age 34, he already has done more than enough for Canada's national program.

Still, it seems at least a little strange that while the team is ensconced in training camp this week at the Air Canada Centre preparing for the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens – next month's last-ditch, long-odds chance to make it to the Beijing Games – Nash, the Phoenix Suns point man, is scheduled to play in a charity pickup soccer game in Manhattan tonight.

Thierry Henry, the French soccer great and Nash's friend, is expected to kick it around. Baron Davis, the Golden State point guard, is reportedly bent on playing in net. It's all very chi-chi.

But that's not to say Canada's ballers weren't holding out hope Nash might yet have a change of heart.

"You never know," said Dalembert. "When (the Suns) didn't make it too far in the playoffs (they lost in the first round), I was all happy. I was like: `Steve's going to have more time now.' So we'll see."

Said Juan Mendez, the Montrealer and Niagara University alumnus who plays in the Israeli Premier League: "We don't expect him to come here and try to save us. But if he comes, it would be a bonus."

With or without Nash, the odds of earning a trip to the five-ring circus aren't exactly bankable. Only the top three teams of the 12-team qualifier get a chance at the Games.

The field includes four teams ranked ahead of Canada in the world rankings – host Greece, Germany, New Zealand and Puerto Rico – not to mention credible powers such as Slovenia and Brazil.

"Nobody thinks we can get to Beijing," said Canadian head coach Leo Rautins.

"So there's no pressure."

Actually, there is pressure, because Canada has been underachieving on the world stage for too long.

Also, Rautins, a coaching neophyte, has plenty to prove as a bench boss, and the unit has to gel quickly. The 10-day training camp wraps with four warm-up games next week, two against each of Lebanon and New Zealand at Hamilton's McMaster University and Ricoh Coliseum.

The squad will make a stop in Germany for a pair of dates with Dirk Nowitzki et al. And then Canada is off to Athens for their July 15 opener against Rasho Nesterovic and Slovenia.

Which is why, even all these months after Nash said he wasn't coming, his absence weighs heavy, even if his presence is highly unlikely.

"If we were to have (Nash), it would make our team 10 times better," said Jermaine Anderson, who will be the starting point guard in Nash's absence.

"To be honest with you, if he decides to come back, I'll probably go and pick him up from the airport. But I don't think he will. We just have to train like he's not coming back."