GREG Smith II insisted he didn’t burn any bridge in his time in Dominican Republic and was puzzled over his failure to secure a Fiba clearance that forced him to sit out Rain or Shine’s PBA Governors’ Cup game against Terrafirma on Wednesday.
Greg Smith II on failure to get Fiba clearance
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” said the Elasto Painters import, who last played for Leones de Santo Domingo in the top-tier Dominican Republic league in 2021.
“They just didn’t give me any paperwork,” the 32-year-old American reinforcement said. “And for whatever reason, they’re being slow and it should be something that should be resolved soon.”
E-Painters coach Yeng Guiao said Smith was allowed to play in his PBA debut last Sunday in the team’s 122-117 win over Blackwater as teams are given some leeway to comply with requirements.
But Fiba informed Samahang Basktebol ng Pilipinas that Smith has yet to secure his clearance from Dominican Republic, with the E-Painters finding out just 10 minutes before tipoff against Terrafirma.
“Kumpiyansa kami dahil alam namin na wala naman siyang atraso or pagkukulang dun sa huli niyang pinaglaruan,” Guiao said. “Actually, 2021 pa yun, so kung meron mang problema, dapat nalaman na namin, so nakapagtataka.”
“It’s also unfair to him na after all these years, he’s not able to get that clearance,” he added. “Hanapbuhay ng tao yun eh. Pag dine-delay mo or hindi mo inaasikaso, kawawa naman siya at kawawa din team namin.”
“Ano kasi dito eh, you are not assumed innocent, parang you are assumed guilty, so parang baliktad: you have to prove your innocence. Parang baliktad yung rule na yun.”
A consolation is an all-Filipino Rain or Shine coming out victorious against the Dyip.
“They got the win tonight,” Smith said. “That’s all you can ask for. Everybody played great. Drei (Caracut) stepped up, Gabe (Norwood) turned back the clock. They said they haven’t seen that game in a couple years, and that gave everybody else a chance to show out here and show what they had tonight.”
“Hopefully we can put it all together on Wednesday with the performance that those guys can do and what I bring to the team,” he added.
Smith is now getting help from his agent-friends abroad in his bid to be cleared before the Elasto Painters next play on Wednesday against Magnolia at the Philsports Arena.
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