France’s Batum unsure if he’ll play in Manila qualifiers

Nicolas Batum (5) could miss France’s trip to Manila for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July. AP

Nicolas Batum may or may not be with France when it competes in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila.

The French star said he’s still unsure of his plans with the NBA Playoffs tipping off this weekend and his status as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season making it tough for him to decide at this point.

“That’s a good question, and right now I don’t know yet,” the 27-year-old swingman, an integral part of the national team, said during a conference call. “We’re still in the NBA season and there is free agency and stuff like that, so we are still talking about it. ”

Batum’s team, the Charlotte Hornets are headed to the playoffs and are currently positioned in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with only one game left in their regular season schedule.

Batum, though, vowed to do whatever it takes to be with his team when it shoots for a lone ticket to the Rio Olympics in July.

“But I’m going to do everything I can to be there, for sure,” he said.

France, one of the teams tipped to rule the Manila qualifiers, is in the same group as Gilas Pilipinas, which is eyeing its first trip to the Summer Games since 1972 in Munich.