CHICAGO - Like a seasoned politician's promise, the luster of TNT's championship run last conference has faded quickly.
After absorbing back-to-back losses at the resumption of the ongoing PBA Governors' Cup, the Tropang Giga have plummeted to 2-4 in the overall standings and are ranked a sad 9th among 12 teams.
Sitting on top of the league just last October, TNT has submerged near the bottom, wading aimlessly alongside three misery-infested franchises that have a combined record of 2-15 - Terrafirma, NorthPort and Blackwater.
How did a proven winner suddenly get lumped with losers?
This fall from grace is faster than a PLDT Wi-fi connection. Which can't be a great thing considering that MVP himself, the man behind the esteemed, iconic acronym, dotes on TNT so much that he even sometimes inconveniences his uber busy schedule to watch the team courtside.
Imagine his roiling emotions had he witnessed the Tropang Giga's one-point heartbreak yesterday.
And why the hell did a nakedly wealthy team with so much talent lose to Phoenix in the first place?
Look, the Fuel Masters are okay, but far from super.
Besides having an excellent coach in Topex Robinson, and ace ballers such as Matthew Wright and Jason Perkins, that team appears to only have a sack of potatoes as resistance.
Am I wrong?
I encourage reader-participation in this space so I'll let you geniuses figure those puzzles haunting the MVP group's mother ship.
THE BETTER QUESTION TO ASK IS HOW DOES TNT NAVIGATE OUT OF THIS JAM?
A plan is already in place, I am told.
According to my sources, the Tropang Giga are looking to replace current import Aaron Fuller, who is a replacement for the injured McKenzie Moore.
Fuller is good, but great is required to carry a weary TNT squad that is injury-ridden and physically-tested with their Gilas duties in the FIBA window. In the loss to Phoenix, Fuller had a forgettable 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
Urgency has arrived. Change is needed.
Who then?
The name of former NBA player Sonny Weems came up. But getting him would be next to impossible.
Weems is pure gold. He guided the Guangdong Southern Tigers to a CBA three-peat from 2019 to 2021. That's why he is expensive, paid between $2 to $2.8 million a year in China, which translates to $233,000 a month.
I know TNT is drowning with cash but $230k might be too high. "Outside the coverage area," as they say in the cell phone business.
Briefly, Weem's agent, Dexter Lewis, had offered his client to the PBA. But that was only after anticipating if Seems won't be allowed to return playing in the CBA following a six-game suspension. That suspension has since been lifted.
BRING MANNY HARRIS BACK.
Another option is Manny Harris, who once exploded for 40 points when NLEX tormented TNT in the 2019 Governor's Cup.
Having just finished his tour of duty with the AEK Athens in the Greek league, where he once had a game-high 61 points, the 6-foot-5, 185-pound University of Michigan alum is available.
Only 32 years old and still at the peak of his prime, Harris' price tag is only $40,000 a month, plus all the perks of course.
Gabby Cui, a vice president at SMART, is also the team manager of Tropang Giga. He is tasked with the difficult job finding foreign gems the way his counterparts at Merlalco and Magnolia clearly have.
This is why he gets the big bucks.
Your move, Mr. Cui.
TNT has a lot of catching up to do.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph