Boris Diaw evades Embiid question, weighs in on Noah Lyles' controversial take / News - Basketnews.com

France NT general manager Boris Diaw addressed the squad's early elimination from the FIBA World Cup and didn't give straight answers to questions about Thomas Heurtel's absence and Joel Embiid's potential recruitment. He also gave his perspective on Noah Lyles's recent comment.

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France's early elimination from the World Cup has brought turbulence to the squad's camp. Right after the loss to Latvia that marked the end of the road for Les Bleus,Nicolas Batum spoke about "a big disappointment," took responsibility for the outcome and said he was feeling ashamed and "afraid to go home."

Boris Diaw

Position:PFAge:41Height:205 cmWeight:113 kgBirth place:Corbeilles, FranceProfileNewsStatistics

The veteran forward also attacked the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) for their decision not to allow Thomas Heurtel to play for the national team. Heurtel has been banned from playing for France due to his choice to play in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

"Everyone must question themselves after what happened this summer: coaches, players, Federation, everyone. That we deprive ourselves of certain players, that we lose players because of certain conditions. Everyone needs to be committed," he told beIn Sports.

One day later, France didn't make any players available to the media. However, general manager Boris Diaw appeared before the media in Jakarta to address the team's poor performances and lackluster results. Diaw clarified that no big decisions are to be expected in the immediate future, saying that "it's going to take a while."

Asked to comment about Batum's statements about political decisions preventing France from fielding the best possible roster, he downplayed the player's accusations.

"It's a statement made after the game and it's always tough to lose. So, you always try to find a solution to why you've lost and why you're here at that time," he pointed out.

"Obviously, we're all asking ourselves these questions. I don't think we can answer them right away, we'll need time to analyze everything. That's what we're doing right now."

Diaw also stressed that the situation will be analyzed on the basis on the players who were present at the World Cup.

"We can't talk about who came and who didn't, for whatever reason," he argued.

France / Schedule

Canada France95-65 France Latvia86-88 Lebanon FranceTue09:45

"Sometimes, you miss players due to injury, sometimes because they don't want to come, sometimes because there's a ban. Depending on why the person isn't there, all you can do is have 12 guys and try to win. The problem is that we lost with the players that were there."

France has been trying to recruit Joel Embiid, who might also play for Team USA. Diaw didn't give a specific answer as to how advanced the federation's talks with the NBA star are at this point. Nor did he say whether Embiid seems willing to join the team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

"I don't think there's one magical answer to our team that's going to change everything," he said. "I don't think it's a pursuit [of Embiid]. It's about people who want to come. He's a special case and has his own reasons."

The former NBA player thinks that France "should have done better" in their two World Cup games so far.

"That's the fault of everybody-- managers, coaches, players, staff...The problem wasn't that we didn't have enough talent, but that we didn't play our way. That's the first thing we'll have to change," he uttered. "It's what happened on and off the court, the preparation, the tactical and technical level."

Diaw's biggest concern is that France didn't play the right way, "for a lot of different reasons" and made a distinction between the two games.

"The concern against Canada was that we gave up in the end. You don't want to lose by 30. Latvia is a team that we could have beaten had we played better together. But we didn't play all the way until the end and were smart enough to win."

The 41-year-old executive recalled that he had experienced similar sentiments of failure as a player, echoing Batum's quote about the elimination being the biggest disappointment in his career.

"There were a few championships where I was very disappointed," Diaw said. "One was in 2007, when we didn't qualify for the Olympic Games because we lost the last two games of the EuroBasket in Spain."

As an NBA champion in 2007, Boris Diaw was asked aboutNoah Lyles' recent take on NBA players not being entitled to call themselves world champions if they win the title.

"You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have 'world champion' on their head. World champion of what? The United States?" the U.S. sprinter asked. "Don't get me wrong. I love the US at times. But that ain't the world.

"We [World Athletics Championships] are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting and thriving and putting on a flag to show that they are represented. There ain't no flags in the NBA."

"I understand why he's saying that," Diaw admitted.

"Personally, I liked to call myself an NBA champion. I'm not a world champion because the NBA isn't a world championship," he continued.

"Historically, the team that wins the NBA is the best team in the world, in terms of clubs. I don't know if it's a better team in the world than the Champions League champions. But they don't call themselves world champions. Still, there's another club that could beat them," the French GM concluded.

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