THE Mac Belo comeback at Rain or Shine is close to happening.
The restricted free agent is close to striking a new deal with the PBA ballclub that got him in a trade with Meralco after he and his agent, Edgar Mangahas, finally met with coach Yeng Guiao and RoS management on Monday.
READ: Why Belo still isn't a unrestricted free agent after 7th PBA season
"We're just haggling with numbers now," Guiao said when asked about Belo, who RoS acquired in exchange for fellow big man Nobert Torres.
The former FEU star is expected to join Rain or Shine's practice and sign a deal that will go beyond his seventh year, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
His camp is also not demanding the league's maximum salary, sources added.
The 6-3 Belo was the third pick overall in the 2016 rookie draft after an impressive amateur career that saw him win Finals MVP in FEU's run to the 2015 UAAP championship and become a mainstay at Gilas Pilipinas.
However, the Midsayap, Cotabato native struggled to live up to expectations in six seasons in the PBA and hit a new low in terms of form and confidence while spending his final year with Meralco mostly rotting on the bench.
But that has hardly discouraged Guiao, who expects Belo to become a key figure in his rotation once he helps whip him back into top form.
"He doesn't look in game shape, at medyo payat," Guiao said of Belo. "But we can help him get back in top form."
At 30, Belo, Guiao said, can also make the Rain or Shine lineup a lot younger, now that James Yap is 41, Beau Belga 36, Mark Borboran 38, and Jewel Ponferada 34.
"Mac is 30 and still has five to seven good years left in him, so let's see," said Guiao.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
