TORONTO (2010 FIBA World Championship) - Joel Anthony is aiming to upset the odds at the FIBA World Championship with Canada.

The Canadians are not favoured to advance from Group D, which has paired them with France, Lebanon, Lithuania, New Zealand and defending World champions Spain.

But Anthony is happy to be underrated as the team prepares to head to Turkey.

“We’re really looking forward to proving a lot of people wrong,” Anthony told the Toronto Sun.

“A lot of people don’t see us as a big threat this tournament and that’s fine.

“We’re looking to come in under the radar and do really well. We really believe in what we’re able to do.”

This is an exciting time for Anthony, who, after the World Championship, will return to Miami to get to know new team-mate LeBron James on a Heat squad clearly targeting an NBA title.

“You understand you’re going to have a bullseye on you, a lot of teams are definitely going to look to come at us,” he said.

“That’s fine, as a team we’re definitely going to be prepared for it and looking forward to it.”

Anthony re-signed with Miami this year despite interest from elsewhere, not least the Toronto Raptors. 

“There was some interest, but Miami has been a great fit for me with their system and with their organization,” Anthony said.

”I was waiting like everybody else to see what LeBron was going to do ... Obviously once Chris (Bosh) and LeBron signed, it made that decision that much easier. Why wouldn’t I want to come back to a situation like that?”

FIBA