Kristaps Porzingis has the Knicks in contention for a playoff spot as an NBA rookie. If he can have a similar impact on his countrymen, he might just be spending some time in Rio this summer.
Latvia was one of the final three countries invited to this summer's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, which will fill out the rest of the 12-team field for this summer's Games. Turkey and Croatia also will have a chance after the announcement Tuesday by FIBA, the international basketball governing body.
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Three six-team tournaments will be held between July 4 and 10 in Italy (Turin), the Philippines (Manila) and Serbia (Belgrade), with the winner of each event taking a slot in the Rio field. Angola, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Serbia and Tunisia also are in contention, with a draw to be held Jan. 26 to determine which countries play where.
Latvia reached the quarterfinals of last fall's EuroBasket competition before falling to France. Porzingis did not play in the tournament but should be the centerpiece of the country's effort to qualify this summer. The fourth overall pick in last spring's NBA Draft has become a sensation for the Knicks, averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game. At 21-22 through Monday's games, the Knicks already had surpassed last season's total of 17 wins and were on the fringe of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Latvia's lone Olympic appearance in basketball came in the sport's inaugural year in the Games, 1936, and just making the Rio field would be a significant accomplishment. The country's Eurobasket roster was composed entirely of European-based players except for guard Haralds Karlis, who spent the last three seasons as a reserve at Seton Hall.
The addition of Latvia, Turkey and Croatia to the qualifying tournament field means Germany is officially out of contention for Rio. The Germans finished fifth in their six-team group at Eurobasket, failing to advance to the knockout round, but some had held out hope they might make the cut to give Dirk Nowitzki a swan song on the international stage. The Mavericks legend came out of international retirement to play for his country at Eurobasket and will end his career with one Olympics appearance, a 10th-place finish in Beijing in 2008.
