Skipping national team duty was never a consideration for Jose Manuel Calderon following his signing by the Toronto Raptors.

In the past, some European players beginning their rookie NBA seasons have chosen to miss international tournaments but Calderon said: "I was going to come to the national team full stop."

"I have improved a lot as a player thanks to the national team and I'm not going to change my mind from one day to the next.

		“	Just because I will play in the NBA next season, it doesn't guarantee me more playing minutes with the national team	„
		Jose Manuel Calderon

"I am still the same person and just because I have a different club name on my back doesn't change anything."

Calderon, who is a point guard, helped Tau Ceramica to runners-up finishes in the Euroleague and the ACB last season.

While most basketball fans expected Luis Scola, a 2002 draft pick by the San Antonio Spurs, to cross the Atlantic, it is Calderon who will have the adventure with the Raptors.

Calderon, who joined up with the rest of his Spain team-mates on Tuesday in Cadiz to begin preparation for the EuroBasket which is to be staged in Serbia & Montenegro next month, has maintained a sense of humility.

"No one is guaranteed a regular spot in the national team," he said.

"I've always had to compete against great players here and just because I will play in the NBA next season, it doesn't guarantee me more playing minutes with the national team."

His decision will be a relief for coach Mario Pesquera, with Memphis Grizzlies power forward Pau Gasol unable to play this summer because of his need to rest a persistent foot injury.