MNE - Mood upbeat despite Pekovic absence

PODGORICA (EuroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Montenegro accomplished their aim of reaching EuroBasket 2013 without Nikola Pekovic.

Now the national side will attempt to make it to the FIBA Basketball World Cup without the NBA star.

The country's basketball federation announced on Monday that the 2.13m center is still in negotiations with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a new contract and that he will not play with Montenegro in Slovenia.

"Nikola is on the verge of signing the most important contract in his career, and we understand how hard this moment is for him," said Danilo Mitrovic, the director of Montenegrin national teams.

"We're in contact with him on a daily basis and agreed that the 5th of August is the deadline for him to show up at our training camp.

"When that day came, we spoke with him and his agent Miodrag Raznatovic and got information that his contract is still not signed, and that he needed more time.

"Therefore, Nikola Pekovic won't play at the EuroBasket and all of us in the Montenegrin Basketball Federation (KSCG) and our national team wish him good health and great form in next NBA season."

Mitrovic added that the "KSCG's wish is that Pekovic plays his part in future tournaments for national teams" but there is no doubt that his absence hurts.

After averaging 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for Minnesota during the 2012-13 season, Pekovic remained in the States so he could have talks on a new contract.

"Of course Pekovic's absence hurts," Mitrovic said. "Our strength is weakened, but our ambitions stay high.

"We won't change our goal, and it's to reach the second phase of the European Championship.

"Pekovic's case is just one of the problems we've faced during the preparations for this tournament, but I'm sure that our team will achieve what we all want.

"I believe that this group of players, after hard work and with a great atmosphere they've already built, can achieve all our goals."

Lithuania, Serbia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD), Bosnia and Herzegovina and Latvia will be Montenegro's opponents in Group B of the EuroBasket, and none will be taking the Pekovic-less team lightly.

The national side showed a tremendous fighting spirit and camaraderie last summer in the Qualification Round when they won all 10 of their games, including sweeps of Israel and Serbia.

Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic wasn't able to play last summer, either, but he has joined the team for the EuroBasket.

The tournament tips off 4 September, and the top six sides will book places at the World Cup.

If World Cup hosts Spain are in the first six, then the top seven sides will seal spots.

FIBA