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Haitian Philadelphia 76ers Samuel Dalembert has expressed interest to play Canadian National Basketball Team

Canadian men's basketball coach Leo Rautins will be cheering for the USA at this month's world championships until he's red, white and blue in the face.

The good news for Rautins is, Canada Basketball, the governing body of the sport for this country, is said to be interested in hosting the event. It's always easier to win at home. But the bottom line is this. Rautins has his work cut out for him, no matter what the scenario is.

Sure, he's got a decent core group of young players, including 2006 NBA draft pick Denham Brown of Toronto, as well as former NCAA stars Carl English and Juan Mendez. But without Canada's two NBA stalwarts, Steve Nash and Jamaal Magloire, the chances of qualifying for Beijing are slim.

Nash, the two-time defending NBA MVP, has gone above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to playing for his country. Who can forget the leadership he displayed in helping Canada finish seventh overall at the 2000 Sydney Olympics? Now 32, and nursing a chronically sore back, it's likely that Nash's days of donning the red and white are ove

FOUND AN EXCUSE

Which brings us to Jamal Magloire. The Toronto native always says nice things about the national team, but he's always found an excuse not to play for Canada -- and for whatever reason, hasn't taken a lot of heat from the Toronto media. Perhaps next summer, that will change. But Rautins isn't holding his breath. If Magloire wants to play, great. Rautins will leave the door open and has tried to get the message out to Magloire that playing for the national team would be a good move for his NBA career. It certainly didn't hurt Nash's.

There's another interesting possibility. Philadelphia 76ers centre Samuel Dalembert, who was born in Haiti, but raised in Montreal, has expressed interest in playing for Canada.

"Sam keeps asking me if Steve and Jamaal are going to play next summer," Rautins said. "I told him, 'why don't you play and be the dominant guy (on the team)?' Be the leader. Be the one who inspires others to play."

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Basketball...63247-sun.html