With the current stalemate in NBA labor discussions, guys who were casually considering going to Europe to play during the lockout are suddenly not so casual. They aren’t ready to commit to a relationship yet (what man is?) but things are getting serious.
That includes Manu Ginobili, the Spurs star who just led his native Argentina to the FIBA Americas title and a 2012 Olympics berth. (Sure, Luis Scola had a little to do with that, if you want the truth.)
Ginobili has been courted to return to Europe — Italy specifically — and he is seriously considering it according to canchallena.com (translation via Hoopshype).
According to infobae.com (via I am a GM) Ginobili will make his decision in early October. Makes sense, by then we’ll have an idea just how ugly this lockout will be (and it’s not pretty now).
Then there is Boris Diaw, who is still in Lithuania playing for France at EuroBasket (France has advanced to the semi-finals). When that is over he told NBA.com he may stay in France and play for his hometown team during the lockout.“If there is a lockout I will play in France with my hometown team in Bordeaux,” Diaw told NBA.com on Sunday afternoon in Vilnius, Lithuania, shortly after the French National Team lost to Spain, 96-69.
“For sure I would go ahead and play with them. For me the decision is easy.”
Luckily for Diaw he knows JSA Bordeaux’s front office very well. Diaw is the team president of the club.He can probably swing at least a tryout, then.