Likening his ageing body to a car not driven for a year, Andrew Bogut is feeling more Ford than Ferrari.
The 30-year-old Australian NBA star has returned to the national basketball fold after a seven-year absence and says he's relishing being back in the green and gold.
His last full-scale campaign was the 2008 Beijing Olympics, having missed the London Games through injury.
Following this year's NBA title triumph with Golden State Warriors, Bogut was part of the Boomers' recent four-game European tour.
He's now back in his home town Melbourne for game one of their two-game Rio Olympic qualification series against New Zealand on Saturday week.
Bogut says he eased himself into the recent contests against Lithuania and Slovenia after taking a break following the Warriors' championship win.
"It's just general soreness, nothing too serious," Bogart said on Friday when asked about his back.
"I've taken time off since we won the Championship and didn't do a whole lot.
"I'm just starting up again and it's probably like starting a car which hasn't been driven for a year or two."
Bogut said there was something "pure" about representing his country, when the motive was winning rather than money.
"Guys who play in the national team are doing it for the love of the game because we don't really get paid to do this," Bogut said.
"We all come together for one goal and that's to beat New Zealand this year and hopefully qualify for the Olympics.
"It's always great to be playing for the right reasons because when you're playing professionally there's so many distractions with money and contracts and guys trying to build their value and get numbers.
"In the national team it feels much more pure because you've got guys playing for the one goal and that's to win."
He said the team had bonded in Europe over plenty of dinners and card nights.
"We had a couple of good games and a couple of not so good games but it was positive.
"To get away and to get the group together was a positive."
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