CHICAGO - Already without Kai Sotto in the upcoming Fiba qualifying window, Gilas Pilipinas has another obstacle to hurdle.
When the 10-day camp opens on Monday, I can say with almost one-hundred percent degree of certainty that Quentin Millora-Brown will not be there.
That means losing 6-foot-10 in ceiling and 245 pounds of brute force, not to mention championship pedigree and readiness for international competition.
READ All PBA players for now in Gilas' first practice
QMB is in tremendous shape and played for the Chiba Jets in the Japan B.League on Sunday night, so the absence is not a health issue.
It's not about lack of willingness to play, either, because the former UP Fighting Maroon has consistently, unabashedly, reiterated the desire to represent his grandfather's homeland.
WHAT THE HECK IS IT THEN?
Based on my experience and inside knowledge covering the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and the national team extensively for years, here's my informed hypothesis.
QMB is still unsigned, meaning he doesn't have a contract yet with the federation and he won't hop on a plane unless there's one.
At the end of the day, basketball is a business and players who provide a service to the country and flag need to be paid the same way soldiers and elected politicians get compensation.
He may be a hardcourt hero and whatnot, but the 25-year old is just like us. He needs to eat and has bills to pay.
It's unclear whether this potential stalemate will be resolved in time for the February 26 match versus New Zealand and the March 1 date with Australia at the Mall of Asia Arena.
What's clear is that Gilas will be severely undersized against those Oceana superpowers and will have a microscopic chance of victory.
PAYCUT FOR KAI?
Although it has been established that Sotto's reason for potentially missing the upcoming window is not financially motivated, I have just been told that his camp and the SBP were unable to agree to a contract, too.
Per multiple sources, Kai only got a $2,000 retainer offer plus an engagement fee of around $10,000 - a far cry from the 2023 2023 Fiba World Cup contract he signed which was reportedly worth in the six figures in US dollars.
Like QMB, Kai also needs to eat and has bills to pay.
I can understand the idea of uniformity of pay to promote unity and avoid friction stemming from jealousy and low morale.
But it's not tenable in all workplaces, which is why the manager gets a bigger paycheck than the office janitor.
If QMB and Kai are angling for more money, that doesn't mean they're greedy or unpatriotic, they're simply putting a value for what they can provide.
It's now up to the SBP to determine whether both are worth what is being asked for.
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