CHICAGO - Why did Mac Belo languish in the Meralco bench as a prisoner of playing time?
Apparently, it had nothing to do with the abilities of Belo, a certified nice guy and good soldier.
A Bolts official told me in a telephone interview that Belo's minutes were scarce because he was playing behind proven veteran Raymond Almazan and defensive demon Cliff Hodge.
READ: Mac Belo signs one-year deal with Rain or Shine
"He lost his confidence," Belo's agent Edgar Mangahas described Belo's emotions in a separate interview.
Which is the reason why the Cotabato native went to Meralco management to ask for a "leave of absence." In doing so, Mac missed out on his base max salary of P420,000 a month from December until April when his contract expired.
Never in his lifetime, Mangahas confessed, had he ever seen a player turn his back on that kind of money. So credit goes to Belo, who just walked away, crazy as that sounds, instead of making a fuss and complaining about lack of playing time.
THAT'S ALL IN THE PAST NOW.
Belo is officially with Rain or Shine now, signed to a one-year deal worth P300,000 a month, sources told SPIN.ph.
It's a bold but calculated risk for the Elasto Painters to ink a disgruntled, dormant player who isn't in game shape.
But there is faith this gamble would work out.
READ: Why Belo isn't an unrestricted free agent after 7th PBA season
Mac is only 30, young and eager to prove he belongs. He is also 6-foot-4 and at least 185 pounds. Bigs are always an asset in the PBA, especially in the All-Filipino Cup.
Once he gets sprinkled with Yeng Guiao's magic dust, a potion laced with tough love and brilliant teaching, Belo should be able to rediscover the potential that made him a part of the 2016 Gilas special draft.
But in the sage words of Guiao, it's not all up to him.
"We will give him the opportunity to revive his career, revive his confidence. The rest, nasa kanya na yun."
Amen.
Basketball really is a religious experience.
MORE MONEY, MORE SUGAR.
After news broke that Converge is no longer interested in signing the services of Maverick Ahanmisi, we have learned additional information that led to the falling apart of negotiations.
Besides his steep asking price, the unrestricted free agent has reportedly requested big bonuses for Player of the Game honors and Player of the Week awards.The 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard also asks for business-class tickets to the US each year.
When reached to comment on the veracity of these demands, Ahanmisi's camp didn't deny it.
"In fairness to Maverick, he has been negotiating in good faith. 'Bihira maging unrestricted free agent lalo na sa PBA so he is merely exploring his options and trying to find out what is available for him," a person with knowledge of the negotiations but isn't authorized to officially comment told me on the phone.
If Converge holds its ground and chooses to move on, Ahanmisi can sign with another team as soon as June 7, the day after his contract with the FiberXers expires.
The Converge ownership has the financial wherewithal to meet Ahanmisi's asking price. But feelings have been jilted and the dollars no longer make sense.
The FiberXers' reported initial offer (was it P750,000 a month plus incentives?) is above the fair market value and they soured on being asked for more supposedly because a major bloc in the league has also allegedly attempted to throw money at the 31-year old Fil-Nigerian's lap.

Under coach Aldin Ayo's system where his usage rate went up, Ahanmisi blossomed and averaged a robust 20.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game last conference.
Still, Converge hasn't gotten within a whiff of a championship, which is an indictment against Ahanmisi if he truly believes he is a superstar who can carry a team on a, say, P900,000 a month pay.
Make no mistake, Converge wanted to keep Maverick but the team is prepared to move on without him, secure in the knowledge that Ayo and team manager Jacob Lao can pick up the pieces.
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