GRE - Diamantidis, Papaloukas rock Greece by pulling out of EuroBasket

ATHENS (EuroBasket 2009) – The road to the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey just got a little harder to travel for Greece following the announcements by veterans Dimitris Diamantidis and Theo Papaloukas that they will not play this year.

The 29-year-old Diamantidis, the best defensive player in Europe the past several years and a stalwart with Euroleague champions Panathinaikos, was a huge doubt after having laparoscopic surgery in late June. At the time of the operation, doctors said one would normally require up to six weeks to recover.

Papaloukas, meanwhile, strongly hinted after his season with Olympiacos that he would not play because of a need to rest.

The 32-year-old returned to Greece this season to play for Olympiacos after a very successful stint with CSKA Moscow but did not win a trophy back in his home country.

Diamantidis is almost certain to return to the Greece squad for the FIBA World Championship next year if the team qualifies, while Papaloukas is an uncertainty.

The players will be forever remembered for their terrific performances at EuroBasket 2005 in Belgrade, when they led Greece to the gold medal.

Both players were voted to the all-tournament team that year.

Papaloukas also had a prominent role in Greece’s Semi-Final triumph over the United States at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.

The two players have each won Euroleague MVP awards in recent history.

The top six sides at the EuroBasket in Poland will qualify for the FIBA World Championship. If Turkey are among the leading six sides, then the seventh-place team will also advance to next year’s big event.

Greece will take on F.Y.R. of Macedonia, Israel and Croatia in Group A at the EuroBasket in September.

FIBA