FRA - No Parker but plenty of firepower for Les Bleus

PARIS (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - France are assured of having a deep and talented roster when they arrive at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, yet their squad won't include veteran point guard Tony Parker.

The EuroBasket 2013 MVP is going to rest this summer and miss out on Group A games against Spain, Serbia, Brazil, Iran and Egypt.

In his 24-man preliminary squad, national team boss Vincent Collet does have the other 11 players who won the title at least year's EuroBasket.

Among the most important are national team captain Boris Diaw, high-flying forward Nicolas Batum and center Alexis Ajinca.

Diaw and the San Antonio Spurs will be in action on Monday night, opening their NBA Playoffs Western Conference finals showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Batum's season with the Portland Trail Blazers just ended in the Western Conference Semifinals while Ajinca's campaign with the New Orleans Hornets concluded at the end of the regular season.

Another player in the 24-man group is Rodrigue Beaubois, the former Dallas Maverick whose NBA career was cut short by injuries.

The 26-year-old combo guard has returned to playing in Belgium with Charleroi and now has an opportunity to realize a dream of playing for Les Bleus at the World Cup.

A few players from the recently announced France 'A' team have also been named in the 24-man preliminary squad for Spain.

They are Nobel Boungou Colo, Pape Sy and Adrien Moerman.

"Vincent Collet will pick out (players) from this list to make up the group that will participate in the 2014 campaign," said France national team director Patrick Beesley.

"The announcement of the reduced group will take place at the end of the LNB season."

As for Parker, France would prefer to have the superstar but this time, they'll have to do without.

"It's going to be weird," the playmaker said to L'Equipe.

"I love playing for the French national team, I love playing for my country.

"But I have to look farther, I have to think about my body and the length of my career.

"I think I'm making the right decision even though it hurts me to miss the FIBA Basketball World Cup which is a huge competition.

"It will be even better, I think, when I come back next year."

France, meanwhile, have also announced their calendar for the build-up to the World Cup.

The players and coaches will link up at INSEP in Paris for a week of training on 21 July and then begin a second camp in Rouen on 27 July. They will be in the city to face Belgium (30 July) in their first warm-up game for the World Cup.

France will then hold further preparations in Pau, Antibes and Strasbourg.

The other friendly opponents will be Croatia, Greece and Serbia (all Pau), Philippines, Ukraine and Australia (all Antibes), Finland and Australia (both Strasbourg).

Collet will take his squad to the FIBA Basketball World Cup on 26 August, with France opening their tournament in Granada on 30 August against Brazil.

France preliminary squad for 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup: Alexis Ajinça, Andrew Albicy, Nicolas Batum, Rodrigue Beaubois, Nobel Boungou Colo, Fabien Causeur, Nando De Colo, Boris Diaw, Antoine Diot, Evan Fournier, Mickael Gelabale, Rudy Gobert, Thomas Heurtel, Edwin Jackson, Charles Kahudi, Joffrey Lauvergne, Adrien Moerman, Johan Passave-Ducteil, Johan Petro, Florent Pietrus, Kevin Seraphin, Pape Sy, Kim Tillie and Ali Traore.

FIBA