Radmanovic out of EuroBasket

Jun 22, 2007 - 8:53 AM By Darko Nikolic Special to PA SportsTicker

BELGRADE, Serbia (Ticker) - Vladimir Radmanovic will not play at this year's EuroBasket in Spain, Serbian national team coach Zoran Slavnic has confirmed.

The sweet-shooting forward, who was dropped from the national side after the team's surprise elimination round exit at EuroBasket 2005 in Serbia, will instead spend his summer in the United States to focus on his NBA career.

"Radmanovic has abstained, definitely," Slavnic said. "He said he was happy to be called, but added that he has obligations in NBA camps, so he can't participate at our preparation for FIBA European Championship."

Radmanovic captured a world title with Yugoslavia in Indianapolis five years ago but he has always been under a cloud in the national team set-up because of his strained relationship with the coach of that triumphant team in 2002, Svetislav Pesic.

Pesic was so annoyed at the player in Indianapolis that he banished him to the stands for the second half of one game after a disagreement in the locker room.

It is understood that Pesic took exception to Radmanovic's eating of a banana while he was giving his players a team talk.

Radmanovic did continue with the national side and played at the 2004 Olympics and the following year in Novi Sad at the EuroBasket, but Dragan Sakota took a young team to Japan last year for the FIBA World Championship with Orlando Magic center Darko Milicic the only NBA player in the group.

This season in the NBA, Radmanovic drew the ire of the Lakers when he picked up an injury while snowboarding in February.

He initially said he had slipped on ice but later confessed how he had gotten hurt a shoulder injury that forced him to miss most of the remaining games.

The Lakers eventually fined him a whopping $500,000 for violating the terms of his contract.

Earlier this season, Radmanovic spoke to the Serbian media and spoke of his willingness to play this summer but only if then coach Dragan Sakota gave him guarantees that he would play significant minutes.

"We'll do our best with players we'll have," Slavnic said.