GB CHIEFS: NO PANIC WITH LU
08/17/2008 Great Britain basketball officials confident Luol Deng WILL suit up for Euros

Great Britain basketball officials are confident that Luol Deng WILL suit up for the team in September's European Championship qualifiers.

Despite reports emerging from the States this week that the GB star will miss the six group games for Eurobasket 2009, federation officials claim this is not the case.

After working round the clock over the past three days, GB officials have used the words "hopeful" and "confident" in describing the state of play.
And it sounds as if GB chiefs are making inroads in their search for alternative insurers after Deng was refused by the NBA's insurance company because of a back injury.

Great Britain Basketball performance director Chris Spice told the BBC: "The issue for us is to seek alternative insurance, which is what we're doing right now.
"We're very hopeful that will happen - all of our people and all of Luol's people are working for the same outcome."

Even if GB gain additional insurance for Deng's back problem, which is at the root of the problem, the Bulls will be allowed to refuse his release.
But Spice told the BBC that will not happen.

He said: "They've been very supportive of Luol playing for GB.

"It's purely an insurance issue and the Bulls are looking after their own interests, which they're entitled to do. We're confident that he will be able to play - it's just a matter of time as we try to work through the paperwork."

Meanwhile, British basketball performance manager Ron Wuotila was equally upbeat when talking to the Associated Press.

He told them: "We have encountered problems with his insurance and are currently looking at different possible ways of working around that.
"It is still early days and we are determining the next steps with the NBA and the Bulls.

"It's not over, we are looking at potential ways around it and there are examples in sport of an assortment of ways of managing it and we are doing as much research as possible."

The latest twist is great news after what had been one of the most depressing developments in the recent history of British basketball.
And GB officials clearly beieve they are on the brink of solving the problem.