Britain's coach Chris Finch named his 17-player squad for the tournament and the warm-up games today, including returns for Scotland's Robert Archibald and a fully fit Andy Betts.

 

 

But the Chicago Bulls forward Deng, 24, has been declared unfit after failing to recover from a stress fracture in his right tibia in February, an injury which kept him out of the NBA Play-offs.

 

He said: "I was only cleared to shoot a couple of weeks ago.

 

"I'm on my way but not there just yet.

 

"I've also only just started running.

 

"It's tough not playing.

 

"Since I started playing for GB the goal was to get to the highest level we can get to and not being able to play this summer is tough but that's just life and it's the smart decision for my health, especially if I'm not 100 per cent to help the guys.

 

"It has been a very tough season for me; sitting on the sidelines and watching the guys play, knowing that if you were healthy you could play."

 

To show his support for the British team, Deng will be at the O2 Arena next month for the four-nation Game On tournament also including Turkey, Poland and Israel which Finch will use to fine tune his side ahead of EuroBasket in Poland in September, the first time Britain have qualified for the final stages of the tournament since 1981.

 

Deng said: "It's heartbreaking that there's a tournament as big as this and I'm not going to be able to participate and I hope the fans can understand why."

 

While Finch is disappointed to have lost Deng, as well as Ben Gordon who wants to establish himself at the Detroit Pistons this season, he is delighted that Archibald has returned to the programme.

 

The 29-year-old from Paisley was unable to play last summer due to injury but he returns to the squad having been one of Unicaja's best players this season in the Spanish league, where he came up against fellow Briton Joel Freeland in the quarter-finals of the play-offs.

 

Meanwhile, Hackney's Pops Mensah-Bonsu has also been named and although he started the season in the Spanish league, with DKV Joventut, he ended it as a fan favourite at the NBA's Toronto Raptors.

 

Finch said: "The door is always open for Ben [Gordon].

 

"As for Luol, he committed to GB even before he was playing for us.

 

"He was always encouraging the guys to try out and play early on.

 

"The great thing about him is when he is there he's giving 100 per cent for the team.

 

"I know he is gutted and will do whatever he can for the programme, even if it's off court, which is why I'm not surprised to hear that he's pledged to come to Game On At The O2 and lend his support.

 

"Rob's return is huge, this year we need him more than ever.

 

"He is a high level guy and can do more than has been asked of him in the past.

 

"He plays hard, is smart, a good rebounder and shoots well.

 

"He will be a centre point of what we are building this summer.

 

"Plus make no mistake that we have other guys on the roster who have had good seasons at their clubs, like Joel and Andy [Betts] and of course Pops, who did well to fight his way back into the NBA."