Kiwi NBA player Steven Adams may have been a glaring omission during the Tall Blacks recent Olympic qualifying series against Australia, but is still a keen observer.
"They played really well," noted Adams. "They're a good team, they've got a bunch of young players."
Speculation surrounding the reasons for Adams absence from the national side this past week have continued to swirl, the pressure only mounting following the Tall Blacks spirited, yet ultimately futile, efforts in an 0-2 loss to the Boomers in the Oceania Series.
Adams cited a handful of reasons of his own, confirming his NBA employers held the final rights of veto.
"Just the situation I'm in. Our team made a decision for me to hold off for now."
"Contract year, coming off a broken hand, got some niggles here and there. So I just have to make sure that I'm one hundred percent."
However the 22 year old remains adamant that his presence with the national side is a mere inevitability.
"I will be playing some time in the near future," said Adams.
"I definitely do (want to play) and it hurts me that I can't play, but I just have to make that sacrifice for now. I'm looking forward to playing as a Tall Black and representing my country."
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