FRA/RUS – Noah wants to be with France in Turkey; Kirilenko committed to Russia

LONDON (2010 FIBA World Championship) - Both Joakim Noah and Andrei Kirilenko are committed to playing for their countries next summer despite missing the EuroBasket this year.
 
Noah has insisted he remains committed to France and is targeting a place in the squad for the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
 
The Chicago Bulls star missed this year's EuroBasket after being called back to the United States by his paymasters and though he never quibbled with that decision, he said on Monday afternoon that wants to play for his country.
 
"It's a situation that was kind of hard because you can't be in two places at once, but I dedicated my time to the Bulls this summer and I feel like I made the right decision," said Noah to FIBA.com in London on Monday, where he and the Bulls are preparing for an NBA Europe Live tour game against Kirilenko’s Utah Jazz.
 
"I missed playing with the French national team because I really like the guys on the team and I feel like we have a chance to do some very good things with the team in the future, both at the World Championship and the Olympics.
 
"I'm hoping to be a part of that."
 
France played well without Noah, winning the Additional Qualifying Round and then going undefeated for the first six games of the EuroBasket. They missed his low-post presence against Spain, though, with the Spaniards’  seven-foot superstar Pau Gasol dominating in their Quarter-Final meeting.
 
Kirilenko likewise committed himself to playing for Russia, regardless of whether they get a wild card for the FIBA World Championship.
 
Russia coach David Blatt has been openly lobbying for a ticket to Turkey, and Kirilenko certainly hopes they are successful.
 
"I'm not the president of the federation, so I don't know," he said. "But I think we have a pretty good chance because six teams went straight through (from EuroBasket) and we were seventh so we're next in line.
 
"But it doesn't matter if we're in the World Championship or not, I will still play next summer."
 
Smokey Roberts
FIBA