JASON Brickman's unavailability has wrecked Rain or Shine's draft strategy.
Caloy Garcia, the team's newly named active consultant and head of basketball operations, admitted the Elastopainters were dead-set on drafting the Fil-Am guard with the No. 5 pick in the PBA Rookie Draft on March 14.
But those plans had to be shelved when word spread that Brickman, a 29-year old court general with extensive experience playing in the US, Europe, and Asia had failed to comply with the league's eligibility rules for Fil-foreign players.
“We’re actually looking at No. 5 and we were looking to get Brickman," Garcia, recently replaced by Chris Gavina as Rain or Shine coach, told hosts of the online program The Chasedown on Sunday. "Kaso wala na si Brickman."
If it is any consolation, Garcia and Rain or Shine will still be spoilt for choice when it's their turn to pick at No. 5 overall in what is being billed as one of the biggest and deepest draft classes in PBA history.
Garcia said the coaches and owners will sit down in a meeting on Friday, or two days before Draft Day, to lay down Rain or Shine's rejigged strategy.
"We're meeting on Friday, and we usually do that before every draft," he said. "We have to talk about who we are going to get. Marami pa naman na quality. We can go as far as the second round when it comes to quality."
The longtime RoS coach admitted eligibility problems left the 2020 Draft Class without four potential first-rounders, including Brickman.
"Mahabang kwentuhan yan [sa meeting with owners] kasi kahit nawala ang four of the possible first-rounders, marami pa ring quality," said Garcia.
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