CHICAGO - The recently-announced corporate collaboration between the Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (SBP) and mattress giant Uratex Dream couldn't have come at a better time.
With the growing uncertainty over Justin Brownlee's availability, Gilas fans will need a good bed to sleep on as they toss and turn under the sheets between tonight and August 5 when the Fiba Asia Cup tournament begins.
As reported today by my SPIN.ph colleague and podcast partner Snow Badua, Brownlee's camp has appealed the adverse analytical finding on his urine sample that was taken after an away qualifier last February 23.
READ Brownlee availability for Asia Cup dims amid appeals on drug test
Given how the Fiba marches to the beat of its own drum, this appeals process could take time and seriously imperil Brownlee's eligibility to play in the Jeddah, Saudi Arabia showpiece.
According to Snow, the SBP prefers that Brownlee's camp "accepts the result of the drug test," serve a suspension, and then move on.
The option sounds so charming in its simplicity. But life is never that easy.
LAWYER UP. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.
Brownlee was right to listen to his lawyers and appeal. This is one of the rare times when Brownlee, who has given so much to Philippine basketball, must prioritize his own interests ahead of the team.
Due process can be a bitch, so tedious and invasive in so many ways. But it is also an inherent right that all persons accused of any wrongdoing must invoke.
Brownlee already has one positive test with which he served a three-month suspension. A guilty plea on the same infraction gives him two strikes and makes him vulnerable to sanctions and penalties that are potentially steeper.
And this is why due process must be allowed to take its course.
What if the sample was inadvertently contaminated?
What if Brownlee unknowingly ingested the substance found in his system through a legal supplement?
CAN'T MICROWAVE A STEAK.
Like cooking a good steak or letting paint dry, the adjudication of the Brownlee case isn't something that can be rushed.
Trust the due process, SBP.
Ange Kouame is reported to be on the radar as the next man up in case Brownlee is a no go. Not a bad choice given his familiarity with current Gilas players and the system of coach Tim Cone.
The NBA calendar is slow in August and that means Jordan Clarkson may be able to play assuming he has no other prior commitments as a model and brand ambassador.
The fact that Clarkson is entering another contract year can be an obstacle but the Jazz player has always been ready and willing to play for the Philippine flag.
A natural-born scorer, the 11-year NBA veteran will be an easy fit for Gilas. But Cone and SMC, the beer giant that now "oversees" Gilas Pilipinas, according to my source, may be more inclined to look elsewhere.
Either way, it looks like the SBP might also need fine mattress for the sizzling summer nights of anxiety ahead.
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