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Daniel Theis is expected to provide additional stability to the German team. © DPA Deutsche Presseagentur
(sid). No, Daniel Theis definitely didn’t want to miss the world champions’ “Last Dance”. He would have taken the chance to go to the Olympics anyway, says the center of the German basketball team, “even if he hadn’t signed a contract yet.” Just in time for the start of the hot phase of preparation, Theis has the all-important NBA contract with the New Orleans Pelicans in his pocket – and, unlike two Manila champions, his ticket to the Olympics.
“I had to be a bit patient. The fact that it happened with New Orleans is of course good for me personally, but also for the fact that I was able to get involved here,” said Theis, who will probably play for the first time in the friendly against the Netherlands in Hamburg on Saturday (7.30 p.m./MagentaSport). As an anchor in defense and as a congenial partner in the play with his childhood friend Dennis Schröder, Theis was sorely missed by the Germans in the two previous tests against France. Without a valid work permit, there was no insurance cover.
Now the sensational team from Manila is slowly coming together again – although not completely. On Friday, national coach Gordon Herbert made a statement and dropped world champions Justus Hollatz and David Krämer from the final twelve-man squad. While Hollatz is at least initially available as a backup in case of injury, Oscar da Silva and Nick Weiler-Babb are newcomers compared to the 2023 World Cup in Asia. Louis Olinde and Leon Kratzer were also dropped from the provisional squad of 16.
The squad is set, now things are getting serious. Among other things, Herbert will now begin to assign the “roles” in the team that are so important to him. For this, too, it is essential that the situation surrounding NBA stars like Theis is clarified. Franz and Moritz Wagner, who also signed new contracts with Orlando Magic, had already returned last Monday for the 70:65 (39:39) win against the French, after they too had been absent from the 66:90 defeat against the Olympic hosts at the start of preparations. “In the last few days we were finally able to train together. Now it’s time for games,” said Theis, who represents some of the golden boys who will come full circle at the Summer Games. The hunt for the third medal in three years will not only be the last hurrah for the departing Herbert, the team will almost certainly also change.
Theis (32), co-captain Johannes Voigtmann (31) and Niels Giffey (33) – players who have been pillars of the team for years – cannot play forever. In recent months, Herbert also noted that he could imagine an NBA shooting star like Franz Wagner taking a break from the national team in the future. A possible shake-up is not yet an issue in the team. Because the Olympics, this experience in the group phase in Lille and later possibly in the knockout round in Paris, dominates every thought.
The German Olympic squad: Dennis Schröder (Brooklyn Nets), Daniel Theis (New Orleans Pelicans), Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner (both Orlando Magic), Johannes Voigtmann, Maodo Lo (both Armani Milan), Nick Weiler-Babb, Andreas Obst, Niels Giffey, Oscar da Silva (Bayern Munich), Isaac Bonga (most recently Bayern Munich), Johannes Thiemann (Alba Berlin).
2024-07-12 19:29:00
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