Raul Lopez

Pau Gasol has revealed that fellow NBA player Raul Lopez is likely to play for Spain when they go for gold at the 2005 European Championships in Serbia & Montenegro.

Utah Jazz playmaker Lopez, after consulting team officials, decided to skip the Olympics and avoid aggravating his knee problems which had required a couple of serious operations and delayed his career in North America.

The 24-year-old point guard's absence, Gasol believes, was a contributing factor to Spain's quarter-final exit.

"In Belgrade we are going to have a team packed with good players that has to work," Gasol said.

		“	If Raul plays we will be much better.	„
		Pau Gasol

"We will have (DKV Joventut's) Rudy Fernandez, who is improving every day and also Raul Lopez.

"If Raul plays we will be much better. I think he will play with us again."

Spain did receive outstanding play from guards Jose Manuel Calderon and Juan Carlos Navarro, and reserve Jaume Comas at the Olympics.

But Gasol is clearly saying Lopez's experience would have helped against the United States in the last eight.

Lopez's decision not to play in the summer appears to have backfired because when the 1.82m star began his hard workouts ahead of the NBA pre-season, knee trouble forced him off the court.

He ended up missing the entire pre-season and after having an operation to remove torn cartilage, he sat out the first 18 games of the regular season.

"I have spoken to him and he has realised that four months without playing during the NBA break is a long time," Gasol said.

"You lose your rhythm and that can bring problems when you have to start again from scratch."