GB coach Finch reassures NBA star Deng

GREAT Britain head coach Chris Finch has urged NBA star Luol Deng to stay positive as he continues to recover from a leg injury that threatens his EuroBasket involvement in September.

WORDS OF WISDOM: GB head coach urges Luol Deng to stay positive despite frustrating injury

The Chicago Bulls captain has been sidelined since late February with a stress fracture to his right tibia an d has been forced to sit out the remainder of the NBA season.

Deng, who signed a six-year contract in 2008 worth an estimated $110million, would play a pivotal role in Great Britain's EuroBasket assault, but suffered an injury setback last week, throwing his participation into doubt.

And while Finch admitted Great Britain's success in September will be affected by whether or not Deng recovers in time, he insists the bigger picture is more important.

"The main thing with Luol is to remain positive.  Injuries are part of the profession and unfortunately he seems to be in a run at the moment, which can happen," said Finch.

"The key is to keep positive and to do what you need to do.  I'm very proud of everything Luol does and we understand he has a professional career first and foremost.  

"We are fortunate to have a great relationship with Chicago and are not going to do anything to harm it.

"There's not a lot we can do now but support him.  We know how important GB is to Luol and how much he enjoys it."

With Deng injured, it has been left to fellow Londoner Ben Gordon to fly the British flag for the Bulls, as the Chicago side have charged into the play-offs.

Deng watched from the stands on Wednesday night as Gordon and another Brit Pops Mensah-Bonsu faced each other, with the latter plying his trade with the Toronto Raptors.

And Mensah-Bonsu, who came off the bench as his side beat the Bulls 109-98, also backed Deng to come back stronger than ever.

"He is having a pretty tough time at the moment with that frustrating injury but I have no worries about him," he added. "He is incredibly tough mentally and he will come through it even stronger mentally and physically."