Deng and Gordon will not play for GB this summer

BRITISH Basketball has confirmed the worst-kept secret in the game - Luol Deng and Ben Gordon will not play for GB this summer.

Deng has, as expected, been ruled out through injury as he slowly recovers from a stress fracture to his leg.

But, in an interesting development, the Daily Mirror - the official mouthpiece of British Basketball - has laid the blame for his absence firmly at the feet of the Chicago Bulls.

Daily Mirror story.

According to the Mirror piece, Deng was desperate to play but was blocked by the Bulls - a move that would have been in direct contravention of FIBA regulations.

The fact that British Basketball has used the Mirror to blame Deng's team for his absence suggests that relations between club and country might be frosty in the future.

Gordon, also as expected, has failed to follow through on his promise of playing for his country after signing a new deal with the Detroit Pistons.

And, although lower on the scale, point guard Richard Midgley has also delivered a blow by pulling out because of injury.

Robert Archibald has also recently undergone surgery to repair a sports hernia although he claims he will be fit to take his place in the GB training squad that meets at the start of next month.


The 17-man roster:

Achara, Kieron (Fortitudo, Serie A, ITA)
Archibald, Robert (Unicaja, ACB, ESP)
Betts, Andy (Aris Thesaloniki, A1, GRE)
Boyd, Flinder (Leicester Riders, BBL, UK)
Clark, Dan (Estudiantes, ACB, ESP)
Freeland, Joel (Kalise Gran Canaria, ACB, ESP)
Forbes, Germayne (BBC Nyon, LNA, SUI)
George, Nick (Fastweb Junior Casale Monferrato, Lega 2, ITA)
Hanke, Randall (Providence, NCAA, USA)
Hart, Jarrett (Keravnos, Div A, CYP)
Lenzly, Mike (Nymburk, NBL, CZE)
Leven, Steve (West-Brabant Giants, Eredivisie, HOL)
Mensah-Bonsu, Pops (Toronto Raptors, NBA, USA)
Reinking, Nate (Mons Hainaut, Div 1, BEL)
Robinson, Justin (Rider University, NCAA, USA)
Sullivan, Andrew (CSK VVS Samara, Superleague, RUS)
Vanderbeken, Jamie (Iowa State University, NCAA, USA)