CARL Bryan Cruz has yet to play in his first official game for TNT, but he’s valuable enough for the franchise to sign him to a new contract.
The 6-foot-4 Cruz was given a one-year extension before his previous contract signed with Blackwater expires at the end of the month.
A member of the 2016 special Gilas Pilipinas draft, Cruz was acquired by the Tropang Giga prior to the start of the Governors Cup from Blackwater in exchange for two-time Best Player of the Conference Jay Washington and a pair of second-round picks in 2022 and 2025, respectively.
Although listed in the official lineup, the big man out of Far Eastern University still has to suit up in the team’s first four games in the season-ending conference.
Coach Chot Reyes said Cruz is already injury-free, but not yet at full fitness.
“There’s nothing structurally wrong with CBC. He’s completely healthy, but not yet 100 percent. He’s not yet in full strength,” said the TNT mentor. “We want to make sure he’s at full strength before we play him some minutes.”
Full-contact practices
Cruz however, had already been participating in full scrimmages with the Tropang Giga prior to the indefinite postponement of the games due to the surge of COVID-19 cases.
“He’s been able to join our full contact practices, and he’s going to have his time,” Reyes added.
Cruz is just the latest acquisition of TNT during the off-season, which also saw the franchise acquire Gab Banal from the free agent pool.
During the break, the Tropang Giga also enlisted a pair of unrestricted free agent in Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and rookie big man Mark Acuno.
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