MIKEY Williams is back in the country but remains a game-time decision when TNT makes its debut in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday against Magnolia.
The 30-year-old Williams has just arrived from the US where he spent the conference break but hasn’t fully recovered from the sprained ankle he sustained during Game 2 of the Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel.
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The injury slowed down the high scoring guard the rest of the finals, which the Beermen won in a dominant Game 7 (119-97).
Also a game time decision for TNT is Williams’ backcourt partner Jayson Castro, who hurt his ankle during the best-of-seven finals that saw him sit out Game 6, which San Miguel won, 114-96, to send the series to a winner-take-all showdown.
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But he played through pain in the final game of the series, delivering a near-triple double of 32 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in a losing cause.
As it is, TNT coach Chot Reyes bared the Tropang Giga will be without injured players Ryan Reyes (dislocated shoulder), Glenn Khobuntin (MCL), Raul Soyud (strained calf) and Brian Heruela (arthroscopic surgery).
Those injuries are compounded by the absence of big man Poy Erram, who will be serving a one-game suspension for commiting a second Flagrant Foul penalty 2 during Game 7 of the finals following a hit on San Miguel’s Mo Tautuaa that left the Fil-Tongan with a head cut that needed six stitches to close. - With additional reports from Homer Sayson