ARG – Injuries sideline Oberto, Gutiérrez; Manu on the mend

BUENOS AIRES (Olympics) – With Argentina’s Olympic campaign set to tip off in a month, the team’s preparations are being disrupted by injury problems.

Fabricio Oberto and Leonardo Gutiérrez must take a week off from training because of muscular problems, team doctor Diego Grippo has announced.

However, the signs are very good that Manu Ginobili will recover from an ankle injury in time to play at the Beijing Games.

San Antonio sent a member of their medical team, Chad Bergman, to check on Ginobili’s progress in Argentina and he gave a very optimistic report.

"I think Manu will be in good condition in two weeks,” Bergman said.

"Manu Ginobili doesn't feel any pain and he is well, improving.

“The doctors that are working with Ginobili are very good and there's no need for me to stay any longer."

As for Argentina’s narrow win over Poland in Wednesday night’s friendly that was played in Rosario, star forward Luis Scola said the game had been beneficial.

The Houston Rockets ace had 22 points and nine rebounds in the win, and he said: "This game was good for us because we faced a team like Poland who had prepared very well for this game.

“They were focused and played good basketball. It was good training for us of high quality.”

Argentina are nowhere near their best, however.

"We did win, but we played badly,” Scola said.

"But the important thing for us is to face teams that test you in different ways and so we see how we can resolve or overcome them.”

Point guard Pablo Prigioni, Scola’s former teammate at Tau Ceramica, said: "We want to win every preparation game but these games above all should serve us to polish our defensive and offensive game and find our top level for our first Olympic Game against Lithuania.”

FIBA