NEW YORK - Franky Johnson is a fine asset, a freakish athlete with real talent, a nice work ethic, plus a solid character to wrap the whole package.
Don't just take my word on that, watch his YouTube highlights and see for yourself how he made the PBA On Tour his playground. And people I've talked to within the Bolts organization fawned about him being a model citizen off the court, too.
You'd think a gem like that would be a keeper, right?
Not quite the case.
In the eyes of Nenad Vucinic, Meralco's active consultant who is callng the shots when it comes to the team roster, Johnson is not good enough.
The Serbian from New Zealand told Franky after practice last Tuesday afternoon at the Meralco gym that the team won't renew his contract, which expired this month. And just like that, Johnson is a baller without a jersey.
Tough. But all is fair in love and basketball.
"I have nothing bad to say about Vucinic or anyone at Meralco. I just know that I deserve to still be in the PBA," Johnson told me via text message, his frustrations vibrating through the Viber lines.
TOUGH BREAK
Vucinic and Meralco aren't necessarily villains here. Executives and teams make difficult personnel decisions everyday and when there are only so many slots in a line-up, not everyone is going to end up happy.
But there could have been a better dismount here. Why release Johnson now when the upcoming conference is just around the bend? The poor timing left the 30-year old from Fairfield, California scrambling, scampering - his two-year PBA stint unceremoniously, temporarily stopped on its tracks.
But the 6-foot-2, 177-pound Johnson had worked too hard, traveled too far to let this hiccup let him down.
Taken by Rain or Shine as the 17th pick of the 2021 PBA Draft, Johnson was a star in the PBA D League where he averaged 26 points per game for the AMA Titans in 2019.
Prior to joining the PBA, Franky also made waves on the 3x3 circuit under the banner of Chooks-To-Go where he was named MVP in 2019 and won the championship in that conference where he drilled the game-winning basket in the title game to win P1 million.
He's not gonna lie, getting cut by Meralco hurt Johnson. But as the great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche once said, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
Franky Johnson will rise again. He's too good to be left on the sidelines. He can make an impact on any PBA team right now.
A motivated player is a dangerous player.
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