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Giannis Antetokounmpo a doubt for Greece National Team, Jabari Parker to scrimmage with Team USA

By Frank Madden

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Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo unlikely to play for Greece NT in Olympic Qualifiers?
A disappointing showing at last summer's Eurobasket means Greece will need to take the long road in order to make it to Rio in August. Worse yet, their most talented player may not be there.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was named in Greece National Team preliminary squad but he is unlikely to play for his country this summer. Antetokounmpo would love to play for Greece but he did not speak with the Bucks yet. The Bucks want him to work in the US this summer on his new role (point guard) and his new role in the team, as franchise player.

Multiple European sources suggested the issue could be resolved later this week after Giannis meets with the Bucks, who likely aren't thrilled at the prospect of Antetokounmpo spending a good chunk of his summer helping Greece first try to qualify (July 4-9 in Italy) and then actually participate in the Rio games (August 6-21). Not that Greece will have an easy time of it either way; only one of the six teams playing in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Italy in July will make the Olympic cut, and the Greeks will have plenty of competition with Croatia, Italy and Mexico also in their bracket. It's fair to wonder whether the Bucks would have the same reservations over an American star representing Team USA, though the broken up nature of Greece's potential obligations makes it particularly disruptive.

Either way, It's a difficult spot for both parties, especially with Giannis evolving into the centerpiece of both the Bucks and Greek national teams. Ultimately, money may be the deciding factor: Milwaukee can offer Antetokounmpo a five-year max extension worth up to an estimated $144 million on July 1, and it'd be a lot easier to convince him to stick around Wisconsin for the summer if he had a hint that the Bucks were going to be ponying up that kind of cash. I always enjoy seeing guys rep their country, but if the Bucks plan to lock him up for nearly $30 million per season you can also understand if they'd want him sticking around town working with the Bucks' coaching staff instead.

Parker officially named to USA Select team | USA Basketball
As first reported a month ago, we now have official confirmation that Jabari Parker will be among the 25 players on the USA Select roster at USA Basketball's minicamp July 18-21 in Las Vegas. To be clear, Parker is not actually vying for a spot on the team heading to the Rio Olympics in August, and a quick glance at the names on the Select team roster suggests it isn't particularly selective (Gary Harris! Doug McDermott! Jerami Grant!). Still, it's a nice honor for Parker, who became the youngest winner of USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year award back in 2011. Stay safe, Jabari.

Giannis: One day, we’re going to win the championship! | EuroHoops.net
We love you too, Giannis.

It’s true that my dream is to win a title in the NBA with the Bucks. But I don’t see that as an unattainable dream.

I feel it as a fact that has to become a reality and I know full well the process I have to go through in order for all of us together to get there one day.

Bucks formally launch Milwaukee Bucks Foundation | Bucks.com
Jabari Parker and Steve Novak joined team officials at the formal lunch of the new Milwaukee Bucks Foundation this week, with a focus on youth education, youth health and wellness, and community betterment:

The Milwaukee Bucks Foundation's focus on youth and families in the areas of education, health and wellness, and community betterment was borne out of a critical need for services to help address systemic issues of poverty and segregation, not only within the city of Milwaukee but across the entire state. The Foundation will develop and support initiatives ranging from literacy and school attendance (education), to anti-bullying campaigns and athletic clinics (health and wellness), to workforce development and neighborhood safety project (community development) in an effort to provide better outcomes for children and families in Milwaukee and throughout the state.

As a local guy Novak would likely be in Milwaukee regardless, but his recent public appearances for the Bucks make it seem increasingly likely the Bucks bring him back as a free agent, eh?

NBA mock draft: Intrigue begins with Boston Celtics at No. 3
Derek Bodner's latest mock has a familiar name at #10.

Poeltl improved his scoring from 9.1 points per game to 17.2 as a sophomore, becoming one of the more skilled all-around centers in the country. That versatility would be tough to pass up this late in the lottery.

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