BEIJING —
The only good news about guard Jose Calderon pulling up lame in Spain's quarter-final Olympic victory over Croatia on Wednesday is that Toronto Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo has friendlier relations with the Spanish Basketball Federation these days.
Interviewed inside the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium late Wednesday, Colangelo said Calderon, the Raptors point guard, gave him a thumbs-up before leaving the court with a groin injury, and that he had already been e-mailing with Spanish authorities about what steps will be taken for the remainder of the men's Olympic basketball tournament.
The Raptors have no control over Calderon's medical evaluation, or playing availability to Spain, but Colangelo said he would have a member of the Raptors' medical staff speak with the guard before a semi-final game against Lithuania on Friday.
Late Wednesday, Colangelo was told Calderon suffered a "strained adductor."
"You are always concerned," Colangelo said. "Groin injuries are sensitive and need to be dealt with accordingly. You have to have some faith in the player to make the right judgment in these circumstances when you are not in total control.
"But if I had a preference, if it's anything less than 100 per cent, I'd shut him down."
Calderon, 26, was scheduled to see a doctor either Wednesday night or Thursday morning. He was to call Colangelo as soon as he received further news on his injury. If he is less than fully healthy, Colangelo will ask the Spanish team to keep Calderon out of action.
Late in the third quarter of a 72-59 win against Croatia, Calderon grabbed his right groin and limped off the court. He did not return to the game. He remained on the team bench, but did not stop for interview requests in the media mix zone.
Spain's head coach, Aito Garcia Reneses, told the Globe and Mail that Calderon wouldn't play on Friday unless he was "well" and that as soon as the injury occurred, the three-year NBA player knew he had to be cautious.
"He didn't force the situation," Reneses said. "He stopped when he began to feel bad."
Colangelo said that he and Spain's basketball federation have buried their differences over former Raptor Jorge Garbajosa's serious leg injury and the player's insistence that he play in international competitions while not completely healed. In June, the NBA teams cut ties with Garbajosa, buying out his contract and settling a lawsuit after many months of contentious negotiations with the Spanish Basketball Federation and their insurance company. Garbajosa has since signed with a Russian team.
Garbajosa suffered a broken fibula and ankle in March 2007 and underwent surgery. The Raptors believed Garbajosa's leg was still broken and required a second surgery last summer, but the player insisted on playing for Spain at the Eurobasket championships, despite the fact his country had already qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In late-November, Garbajosa agreed to have a second surgery and missed the remainder of the NBA season. The Raptors believed he had been set back by playing for Spain the previous summer.
The NBA team filed a lawsuit in March, claiming Spain had not yet paid its share of a $1-million (all figures U.S.) insurance policy required for the European championships and seeking to recoup a portion of Garbajosa's $4.5-million salary.
After the lawsuit was suspended and Garbajosa's contract bought out, Colangelo flew to Madrid and participated in a press conference with Spanish basketball officials where they shook hands. He said the hand shake was more than ceremonial, and that the parties now have a professional and constructive relationship.
