PHOENIX coach Louie Alas felt Kelly Nabong has yet to learn from what happened at Meralco after yet another heated exchange with the Fuel Masters coach as well as referees on Friday night, this time as a member of Globalport in their PBA Philippine Cup matchup.
Picked up from the free-agent market in the offseason after being dropped by Meralco due to an altercation with Jimmy Alapag, the mercurial Nabong got involved in another heated exchange with an official and Alas that led to the player’s ejection late in the first half.
“Kinausap ko yung referee dahil minumura na siya ni Nabong. Sabi ko, ‘Ref, you have to control him,’” Alas said. “May sinabi siyang bad words eh … sa akin. Sabi ko, ‘You picked the wrong guy, man.’ Nagmura ng nagmura, so hindi naman pwedeng ganun.”
“Napaka-disrespectful niya,” he added. “Wala na nga siya sa kabilang team, ganun pa rin siya dito. Dapat naco-control na niya yung emotion niya. Sabi nga natin, yung mga pinanggalingan, dapat natututo tayo sa lesson.”
Alas said he just tried to understand where Nabong is coming from after the Batang Pier big man blew his top following two non-calls against him.
“Anyway, spur of the moment yun eh. Iniintindi ko na lang,” Alas said. “But hindi siya pwedeng ganun, because hindi naman tayo tumanda ng ganito para… ‘di ba?”
Nabong grabbed eight rebounds, but wound up scoreless in 16 minutes as a starter, before getting ejected as the Batang Pier lost, 104-100.