Deng not 100 percent, will skip European championships

Luol Deng has officially decided to skip the European championships in order to concentrate on recovering from the stress fracture that kept him sidelined for the Bulls’ final 29 games last season.

During the past two summers, Deng helped carry Great Britain to a rare spot in the 16-team tournament, which will be held in Poland beginning Sept. 7. Britain has never made much of a ripple in international basketball, but has its sights set on fielding a competitive team at the 2012 London Olympics.

Deng held a conference call Monday morning with reporters in England.

“The fracture of my leg was such a serious injury that I need all summer in order to go full speed and I’m not full speed yet, but I’m almost there,” Deng said. “Right now, it’s the right decision. Hopefully it will come out as a small sacrifice for my future with the Bulls and my future playing with GB.”

During another interview with the Telegraph, Deng said he just recently started running and was cleared to shoot baskets a few weeks ago. The stress fracture was near the top of his right shin and tests showed that the injury is healing well.

“With the pace I'm going right now, I should be healthy enough to play in (Bulls) training camp and in the season,” he added. “I’m just not 100 percent right now, but I am able to put more pressure on my foot, which I wasn’t during last season. I should be healthy for the NBA season.”

The extent of his injury made skipping the European championships a no-brainer for Deng, but he insisted the Bulls never pressured him to sit out.

“The decision was mine,” he said. “I knew that if I am not 100 percent, then playing for GB would not be a good idea because I would not be starting the (NBA) season 100 percent, either. If I was healthy I would definitely be playing and I’m sure the Bulls wouldn’t mind it. But because of my injury, it changed a lot of things.”

Deng promised to be at London’s O2 Arena for a warm-up tournament against Israel, Poland and Turkey on Aug. 14-16. The Bulls are also scheduled to play a preseason game in London on Oct. 6 against the Utah Jazz.

FRANCE WANTS NOAH IN UNIFORM
Joakim Noah suited up for the French national team last weekend in an exhibition tournament at Strasbourg. He scored a combined 27 points in victories over Austria and the Czech Republic.

According to FIBA.com, the French team has asked the Bulls to allow Noah to play in some qualifying games for the European championships.

Unlike Great Britain, France did not secure a berth in the tournament, know as EuroBasket ’09, last summer and is now one of six countries vying for the final spot in Poland.

France will play two games each against Italy and Finland, beginning Aug. 5. The winner of that group will play the Group A survivor (Portugal, Belgium or Bosnia-Herzegovina) for the last spot at EuroBasket.

DENG COMPARED TO BECKHAM
I guess it’s only natural that English reporters would eventually steer the Luol Deng teleconference to the subject of soccer. Someone asked Deng if he had any advice for David Beckham, who failed to generate much fanfare playing for the L.A. Galaxy.

Deng gave a generic response along the lines of, “I’m sure when Beckham starts playing like he can, the fans will appreciate him.”

I’d say there’s an obvious answer to this question: The best way for Beckham to make a splash in the U.S. is to give up soccer and try kicking field goals for the Dallas Cowboys.