ORLANDO - It was nice to hear Kai Sotto reaffirm his unwavering commitment to the national team in a recent interview on PlayitRight TV with Quinito Henson and Dyan Castillejo.
But his relationship with Gilas Pilipinas as it pertains to the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup requires more than just sweet assurances at this point when the event is a scant 18 days away.
His presence at actual practices is what's needed.
LOOK: Jordan Clarkson is bound for Manila to join Gilas
Yes, in the words of the great Allen Iverson, "we talkin' about practice here," something so rudimentary yet essential in basketball where pieces come together to execute sets on both ends of the floor.
Especially after missing the FIBA February window, Kai and his potential teammates in the current team might as well be relative strangers. Which is why the coaching staff has repeatedly pleaded for Sotto to join their scrum.
Unfortunately, that co-mingling has been so slow to evolve.
And with the clock ticking, it looks like the Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (SBP) is prepared to move on, albeit reluctantly, without the former Ateneo high school star.
And if Kai is indeed eased out of the roster, I believe Gilas will be just fine.
As shown by this ongoing pocket tournament in China, the basketball gods work in mysterious ways, too.
Without Kai, the three other bigs in coach Chot Reyes' rotation have acquitted themselves well while happily eating up the playing minutes that would have been assigned to the former NBL campaigner and current Japan B.League player.
AJ EDU IS READY FOR THE SPOTLIGHT
AJ Edu may not be 7-foot-3 like Sotto, but he is no slouch at 6-foot-10, either. And he makes up for those precious five inches with his tenacity and scoring punch.
And while Edu doesn't have the extensive international experience that Sotto brandishes, AJ played four seasons with the Toledo Rockets of the US NCAA Division 1.
Just 23 years young and seasoned by stiff competition in the US, Edu used the might of his 224 pounds to drop 13 points as Gilas outlasted a taller, higher-ranked Senegal team yesterday, 75-63.
Regardless of the outcome against Iran tonight, Edu appears to be a good fit for Gilas and is gelling enormously well with his teammates.
And he ain't the only big we got.
There's June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguliar, cagey and capable veterans forged in the fire of physical play in the PBA.
They're not exactly the Three Tenors in terms of international prominence but Edu, Fajardo and Aguilar have more than enough stage presence to help us mount a respectable showing in the World Cup.
Just remember, the one-man cavalry that is Jordan Clarkson is coming. A legit, celebrated NBA star, JC can play with any player, any big.
We will miss him, if ever. But Gilas Pilipinas at this time believes it will survive a Kai Sotto absence.
THE MRI IS STILL MIA. Although the SBP would lovingly, excitedly welcome Kai to it's practices once the team returns to Manila tomorrow, the federation still insists that its doctors gleam at the MRI Sotto supposedly took after experiencing back spasms in the NBA Summer League last month.
Considering the hefty sums of money attached to his contract, the SBP just wants to make sure they are paying for a player that is 100 percent healthy. Nothing wrong with that.
I asked Kai's handlers if the MRI will be furnished as requested.
No response yet as of posting time.
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