Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola wants to play for Argentina even if there is an NBA lockout
Even if the NBA fails to avoid a lockout, Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola has said he wants to play for his home country Argentina in the FIBA Americas championship slated for next summer.
In an interview with the Associated Press, the former NBA All-Rookie team member said that participating in international competition is a great way to keep in shape. The 6'9" forward, who was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft by the San Antonio
Spurs, said that there is "no reason" why he would not suit up. Scola said he would get insurance before playing in the tournament. Many NBA players would shun that risk if there is a work stoppage in the league.
Olympic Qualifier
Argentina will be hosting the FIBA Americas tournament next year. The competition will serve as a qualifier for the 2012 Olympics in London. The team features NBA stand-outs such as San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili and Scola. The duo led the squad
to back-to-back medals in the past two Olympics. The team won the gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics. In the 2008 edition of the Games held in Beijing, the team won the bronze.
"I think we deserve it. We played there in 2001, it was the beginning of this whole thing that we have now and I think this could be a great chance to end it,'' said Scola in an interview with the Associated Press.
Argentina, which hosted the tournament, won the title that year. The victory solidified the squad's position as an international basketball power. Scola has been named the MVP of the 2007 and 2009 editions of the competition. Last summer, he led the tournament
in scoring after averaging 23.3 points per game.
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