IS Bennie Boatwright returning to San Miguel for another tour of duty?
Even before the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup could start, there was already word that the reason the Beermen took so long to bring in an import was because they were awaiting their former import to agree to a return.
“Actually, hinihintay namin siya. Kasi ngayong conference, siya talaga ang import choice namin,” said a source.
READ SMB still wants to bring back Boatwright despite recent surgery
However, the same source said Boatwright, who led SMB to the 2023 Commissioner's Cup championship and later targeted for naturalization by Gilas Pilipinas, hasn't completely recovered after undergoing Achilles surgery in August.
“That was around October. Ang sabi nya, 'di pa siya ready that time to fly in, baka mga [around] December daw ready na siya, pero up to now… wala pa rin. Di pa sumasagot so far,” he added.
But in the months that have passed since the first attempt to bring in Boatwright, the Beermen continue to search for stability in the import position as they hopped from Quincy Miller to Torrey Jones to Jabari Narcis.
In that stretch, the Beermen also changed coaches by bringing back Leo Austria. Yet they remained in the bottom half of the 13-team standings at 3-3 (win-loss).
The good news is, there is optimism that Boatwright is already healthy by now if the Beermen come calling again.
"I think he should be [healthy by now]," said a source from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas when asked for an update about Boatwright's fitness.
So is San Miguel still holding out hope that Boatwright will say yes for a comeback?
A source said there is no urgency on the part of San Miguel to bring back Boatwright since managment wants to give Narcis a chance to prove himself, blaming his unimpressive debut against Eastern to jetlag.
“Wala, hindi pa rin sumasagot [si Boatwright], ang sabi nga namin dito na mag-training at mag-rehab. Hinintay talaga namin siya,” the source said. “Sa ngayon, baka hindi na. Ang tagal na namin naghintay.
"Ang mahal ng pamasahe, saka magastos ang palit-palit ng import. May guaranteed pay pa na 15 days,” he added.
Meanwhile, Boatwright’s naturalization has yet to br deliberated by both houses of Congress. But main proponent Rep. Robbie Puno is hoping they can complete the naturalization process before the current Congress ends in March.
“Nag-usap na kami ni Speaker and he is very very supportive of the naturalization. So once ma-tackle yan sa lower house, madali na yan,” said Puno. “We hope to finish the deliberations bago ma-busy sa elections."
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