TP won't play in national team for 2 years

[caribbean_spur]

Not sure if this has been posted.

Basket : Tony Parker absent de l'équipe de France pendant deux ans
LEMONDE.FR avec Reuters | 03.10.07 | 12h05

Sur son site Internet, le basketteur français Tony Parker fait savoir qu'il va "connaître une pause de deux ans avec l'équipe de France". Le meneur de jeu explique que Gregg Popovich, l'entraîneur des San Antonio Spurs – l'équipe américaine où évolue Parker – lui a demandé de ne pas participer aux qualifications pour le championnat d'Europe en septembre 2008, sans toutefois renoncer à l'Euro 2009 en Pologne.

Même si "Pop" (Gregg Popovich) sait que "l'équipe de France me tient vraiment à cœur", poursuit Tony Parker, "ils estiment que c'est le moment pour que je fasse un break, que je repose mon corps". Un moment de repos qui tombe à point nommé puisque les Français, huitièmes au championnat d'Europe de basket de septembre, ne se sont pas qualifiés pour les Jeux olympiques de Pékin en août 2008.

[caribbean_spur]

On his website, the French basketball player Tony Parker let it known that he is going to " take a 2 year break from the French national team". The PG explained that Gregg Popovich , the san Antonio Spurs coach- team where Parker plays- asked him to not participate in the qualification rounds of the European championship tournament in September 2008, without however giving up on the Euro 2009 in Poland.

Even if "Pop" said that " the French national team is very important to me" Parker added, "they think that it is time for me to take a break, that I rest my body". A rest time that happens at the right time since the Frenchmen, 8th at the European championship tournament last September, did not qualify for the Olympic games in Beijing in august 2008.

[exstatic]

So, he won't play next summer, when there are the Olympics going on (and nothing else), and France didn't qualify? Wow. What a sacrifice.

[Bruno]

It's quite logical that Parker didn't play the Eurobasket qualifying tournament. It's a quite low level tournament and France NT should be able to be qualified for the Eurobasket even without Parker.
NBA players who gets a lot of playtime like Diaw won't likely play this tournament. A player like Mahinmi could play it if he is selected by French coach. I guess too that Spurs will be happy that Mahinmi plays this tournament because he needs playtime to improve his level.

[WalterBenitez]

Great, France will go far with this.

[ploto]

Spurs could get in hot water again- now with another player saying publicly that the team asked him not to play for his national team. Just like happened with Manu.

[v2freak]

Both sides have to make sacrifices. Sometimes the player plays with the national team and sometimes he rests. Nothing wrong with that

[hater]

France sucks w/him or w/out him. who cares?

[WalterBenitez]

France sucks w/him or w/out him. who cares?

French people