ESP – Pau Gasol sidelined following finger injury
SEVILLE (EuroBasket 2009) – There will be bumps in the road for all teams striving to reach the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey and that includes EuroBasket gold-medal favorites Spain, who have lost star Pau Gasol for 20 days to a finger injury. The most valuable player of the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, Gasol got hurt in ...
SEVILLE (EuroBasket 2009) – There will be bumps in the road for all teams striving to reach the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey and that includes EuroBasket gold-medal favorites Spain, who have lost star Pau Gasol for 20 days to a finger injury.
The most valuable player of the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, Gasol got hurt in training on Monday in Cádiz and was taken immediately to hospital in Seville where he was operated on.
“The Spanish international was going to block a teammate's shot and was hurt in the process,” an FEB statement said.
“It's an injury to his left hand with damage to the interphalangeal ligament.”
The Los Angeles Lakers big man, just a couple of months removed from winning his first NBA crown, isn’t expected back on court for nearly three weeks.
“After 20 days, he will be able to start training with the ball with protection (on the finger),” the statement said.
Spain are in Group C and their first game is on September 7 against Serbia.
The top six sides at the EuroBasket will qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
If one of those is Turkey’s national team, then the top seven sides will advance.
FIBA