Will he or won't he?

Everyone in Spanish basketball wants to know if Pau Gasol will suit up for his country at September's Eurobasket in Serbia & Montenegro, or rest a foot problem that nearly ruined his year with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Spanish basketball icon missed two months of the NBA campaign because of his ailing foot and has been dropping hints that rest may win out over national team duty - especially as he only recently signed a lucrative contract extension with the Grizzlies.

		Without Gasol, Spain will rely heavily on Jorge Garbajosa

Gasol's absence would be a killer blow, but Spanish international forward Carlos Jimenez is not counting him out yet.

"Pau is Pau, he's where he is because he's unique, there is no doubt about that," Jimenez said to PA International.

"Maybe we don't have anyone like him, but between all of us, we have to try and get over his theoretical absence.

"I say theoretical because I think it is still too early to say whether or not he is going to be there.

"The European Championships are still a long way off and he has time to recover from his injury."

With seven-footer Gasol in the line-up, Spain have a chance to win the gold medal.

Without him, they will struggle to reach the podium.

Serbia & Montenegro, the reigning world champions, are expected to put a very strong team on the court as will the French, who will be led by San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker.

Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki gives Germany a chance to win the title, and both Olympic silver medalists Italy and Slovenia could reach the podium.

Lithuania, the 2003 champions, will start as favourites if all of their players like Sarunas Jasikevicius make themselves available.

Gasol, who led Spain to silver two years ago in Sweden, does so many things well.

Against Argentina at the Athens Games, when the Spaniards won their preliminary round game against the eventual gold medalists 87-76, Gasol made nine of his 13 shots from the floor, and eight of 10 from the line, to finish with 26 points.

He also pulled down eight rebounds.

In the quarter-finals, Gasol had 29 points, six rebounds and blocked two shots but it wasn't enough against Team USA, who won 102-84 and knocked Spain out.

Another of Gasol's frontcourt mates is Unicaja Malaga's Jorge Garbajosa.

"You always miss Pau when he is not there," Garbajosa said to PA International.

"It would leave a big space and we would have to try and fill it between all of us.

"We would notice his absence but we will all work to ensure we miss him as little as possible."

The memory of Athens is painful for everyone in the Spanish group.

The United States were off the mark from three-point range in the preliminary round, but when they came up against the Spaniards, Stephon Marbury single-handedly destroyed them with 31 points.

Marbury buried a Team USA record six of his nine attempts from three-point range.

Spain had not lost in the preliminary round, but finished with nothing.

"We want to put that behind us, all 12 of us who are there and the coach as well," Garbajosa said.

"The European Championships are a good moment to do just that."