Motiejunas rules himself out of EuroBasket

VILNIUS (EuroBasket 2015) - Donatas Motiejunas has put to rest any faint hopes that he could possibly conclude his rehabilitation in time to bolster the Lithuania national team frontcourt at EuroBasket 2015.

"There is no way," the 24-year-old Lithuanian international told delfi.lt on Tuesday.

"The doctors and the team [Houston Rockets] have never forbid me to play for the national team, but this year it is simply impossible."

The Rockets power forward was included in early May on Lithuania's 25-man EuroBasket preliminary roster, despite undergoing surgery (lumbar microdiscectomy) in April that forced him to miss the end of the NBA regular season and his team's play-off run.

The operation was necessary for Motiejunas to eliminate the back spasms which troubled him for a large part of the season, but it came with the high price of a long lay-off, with his rehabilitation now likely to last up until even late August.

"One of my legs is right now 15 to 20 percent weaker than the other," he said.

This injury has been one of the toughest challenges of my life. - Motiejunas

Motiejunas believes that a possible replacement could come from one of the youngest members on the Lithuania preliminary roster, 19-year-old Domantas Sabonis.

"I think we have a number of players who can play on the national team and it will not be a problem," Motiejunas said modestly.

"I've met Domantas in Houston, when he played there with his university [Gonzaga].

"It's not up to me to assess his chances to make the team, I am not the coach.

"But as far as I know, he is trying to work hard and I think that not only here but also in America everybody has high expectations from him."

Motiejunas averaged 7.4 points and four rebounds at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup as Lithuania reached the Semi-Finals.

He followed that up with the best season of his NBA career.

Motiejunas averaged 12 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists before the back problem cut short his year.

Go to eurobasket2015.org for full coverage of EuroBasket 2015.

FIBA