IF you're among those hoping or praying to see the name of Carl Tamayo in the next PBA Rookie Draft pool, you're bound to be disappointed.
"[Carl Tamayo] is not joining the PBA draft this year," said his agent Charlie Dy emphatically when asked if there is even a slight chance of the Gilas Pilipinas mainstay putting in his name in the draft pool for the July proceedings.
The head of VP Global Management made the statement amid strong interest from fans in Tamayo, a versatile 6-foot-8 forward who showed he belonged in Tim Cone's elite Gilas team during the first window of the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers.
Tamayo or Balti?
In fact, not a few scouts believe that at this point in their careers, the 23-year old Tamayo may be a good investment as a No. 1 pick than Justine Baltazar, who they feel has peaked at 27 years old while playing in the MPBL.
"At 23, si Carl hindi na hilaw ang laro but alam mong may iaangat," said one scout of the former UP Maroons star. "Kay Balti, 'yung nakikita natin sa MPBL, parang 'yun na yun."
"I mean, he'll be a PBA star, no doubt. But I don't think he'll ever be an MVP-caliber player."
However, 'Balti or Tamayo' debates have become pointless given the PBA is nowhere among the Cebuano forward's priority destinations since opting out of his contract with B.League side Ryukyu Golden Kings early in the year.
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Tamayo has not bared his next destination since the January parting of ways, but it's not because of lack of options for sure.
"He has seven offers from Japan and one from Korea so he’s deciding which one [to pick]," said Dy. "Some teams wanted him now [so he can play] for the remainder of the season, but we already told them he’ll go back next season.
"His focus now is with Gilas first."
So there.
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