ARG/FRA - Club-less Nocioni and Diaw; Turiaf with Heat

PHILADELPHIA (NBA/Olympics) - One of the prevailing themes for countries that have qualified for the Olympics of late has been lack of playing time for some leading players.

Argentina and France have designs on reaching the podium in London but have real concerns key men getting minutes on the court.

For the South Americans, the biggest question is how veteran forward Andres Nocioni is going to salvage his season.

Nocioni, who hasn't played since a game against Boston on 7 March, has just parted ways with the Philadelphia 76ers.

A member of Argentina's golden generation, Nocioni left Spain's Baskonia after the 2003-04 campaign and joined the Chicago Bulls immediately after winning the Olympic title.

After several seasons with the Bulls, Chicago traded Nocioni to Sacramento and he moved to Philadelphia for the 2010-11 campaign.

Sixers coach Doug Collins said: "We’ve worked out a deal with him to allow him to either go on with another team maybe, or if not … go to Argentina and get ready for the Olympics.”

Nocioni, knowing in recent weeks that he had no future with Philadelphia, kept his spirits up by thinking about the Olympics.

"In this situation, the national team is what keeps me motivated," he said.

"My goal is to reach London in the best way possible.

"Physically I'm fine and painless, due to the fact that I have really not been playing.

"I want to arrive in London at 100% ..."

Since his release, there has been speculation that he may return to Baskonia in Spain and play for his former coach, Dusko Ivanovic.

Fellow Argentina international Pablo Prigioni is the starting point guard for the club in Vitoria.

"If Ivanovic believes that Andres can lend a hand and the leadership of the club believes it can reach an economic agreement, obviously he would have no problem going back there,” Nocioni’s agent Claudio Villanueva said.

Villanueva is also Prigioni’s agent.

There has been nothing but frustration for Nocioni since he came off the high of winning a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mar del Plata.

At last summer’s event, a fit Nocioni averaged 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds as Argentina sealed their place in the London Games.

"When he played the Olympic qualifying tournament, he was great physically and playing great in the team,” Villanueva said.

“So one wonders why this guy does not have the prominence he deserves in the United States.”

The French, meanwhile, will be feeling better about Ronny Turiaf's chances of showing up this summer in good shape after the Miami Heat announced on Wednesday they had signed the veteran center.

Turiaf, who played just four games this season with Washington before breaking his hand, was sent to Denver before the trade deadline but was then let go by the Nuggets.

The 29-year-old, who broke into the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers and has also played with the New York Knicks, now finds himself with a team that is among the favorites to win the league title.

Boris Diaw, meanwhile, is looking for a new team after reaching an agreement on a divorce with Charlotte that led to the Bobcats waiving the veteran.

Diaw, 29, came into the season as Charlotte's most high-profile player but he never saw eye-to-eye with coach Paul Silas.

The writing was on the wall for Diaw on 6 March when Silas benched the versatile Frenchman.

FIBA