Playing for the national team is an honorable task. Making it to Team USA is for US Basketballers is the ultimate award. But for dozens of US pros, a nomination in the past year and a half had a huge catch, because they got a thankless task: The World Cup qualifiers play, although it was already clear that they themselves are not nominated for the tournament.
Because for the World Cup, Americans trust only their established NBA professionals. And so, 53 of the 54 players who came into the qualifiers are damned to watch on Wednesday when defending champion USA is in the quarter-finals against France (13:00, live ticker SPIEGEL ONLINE, TV and Stream: MagentaSport). From the World Cup squad only Derrick White was also in the qualifier in use. However, only because he had been shut down by his NBA club for two games.
It is also due to the World Federation Fiba, who fundamentally reformed the qualification mode before the World Cup. International match windows were created, as they are known, among other things, from football. The national leagues must interrupt their season for the games, the two best leagues in the world, the NBA and the Euroleague, do not participate. And so the best players stayed with their clubs while the second or third guard of the top nations ran in qualifying. The USA have gotten away well, European champion Slovenia did not even qualify for the World Cup without his NBA stars.
German team also affected
Even with the German team came to hardship cases. Although Bastian Doreth and Karsten Tadda played in all twelve qualifiers, they were not even nominated for the preliminary squad. "It was not our idea that the mode would be like that," said national coach Henrik Rödl the SPIEGEL before the World Cup. All players were previously informed that such a situation could occur. "Talking to players who are not there is part of my job, which is not very nice."
picture alliance / DPA
Bastian Doreth (right) in qualifying against Greece
This is also confirmed by Doreth, who was the last player to be deleted before the European Championship in 2017, the SPIEGEL. "It was a very short conversation, I had expected it a bit and then accepted it," said the professional from Medi Bayreuth. "Also, because I realized that this was not easy for the national coach." Of course it would have been nice to be part of the preliminary squad at least. "Ultimately, it was fair of the national coach to say that he does not invite older players, if he already knows that it is not enough."
Why was the 30-year-old father of two in spite of this possible situation in all twelve qualifiers? "As an athlete you compete because you are convinced of yourself and at the beginning of the qualification I said to myself that I want to attend the World Cup." In fact, Doreth played a big role in qualifying, was co-captain of the national team and performers. "That's why I feel like an important part, so that the team could even be in China."
Qualification as a possible NBA springboard
For the Americans, there were other reasons why they did the thankless task. They saw the qualifiers as a chance to profile themselves. However, it was not easy to recruit players, the coach of the qualifying team, Jeff van Gundy said: "You have to decide what is best for their careers." For some, Team USA was indeed a springboard to the NBA, but no player could really establish it.
However, a solution to the situation is not in sight. NBA and Euroleague still do not want to turn off players, the Fiba holds on to the international match windows. And so will be asked in future qualifiers again professionals from the second row.
For Germany there is a special situation, as an organizer you are sure in the European Championship in 2021, in the qualification, the team still occurs out of competition. No attractive task for a veteran. Would he still be there when the national coach would contact him? "I have not dealt with that yet," says Doreth. At least he does not want to exclude it. Too big is the appeal to wear the national jersey.