Serge Ibaka: (Calf) Expects to Play in FIBA World Cup in August

Ibaka plans to play for the Spanish national team this summer if his calf strain allows him to, the Oklahoman reports.

Analysis:

Ibaka originally suffered the Grade 2 calf strain against the Clippers in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. The initial diagnosis of the injury was that Ibaka would be out for the rest of the playoffs, but after sitting out Game 7 of the semifinals and the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals, he returned in Game 3 and played in the final four games of the series. In those games, Ibaka averaged 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 3.3 blocks, and 0.3 three-pointers in 35 minutes per game. With the injury, Ibaka saw dips in his  points and rebounds, but his blocks remained at an elite level. Considering that there were talks of Ibaka possibly needing to undergo surgery, we're a little concerned about the injury persisting if it's not treated properly this offseason. With that said, if Ibaka does get cleared by the Spanish national team's doctors to play in the FIBA World Cup at the end of August, then it's likely that Ibaka will be fine going into next season. At this point, we're just in a wait and see position. Keeper league players may want to discount Ibaka's value slightly right now, but based on what we know, it appears he'll be fully healthy for the start of next season.