CHICAGO - Shortly after Mikey Williams arrived in Manila around 4 a.m. this past Sunday, he was scooped from the airport and to an undisclosed location.
Over breakfast with newly-minted TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa, Williams' ears were serenaded with whispers about how much he means to the franchise and that he will always be part of the "family."
Flattered, and disarmed from a long, vertiginous trip, Mikey leaned toward buying into the rehearsed company line and was prepared to immerse in all the kumbaya.
[See TNT to pull offer to Mikey after he misses flight again]
But Williams, 30, isn't that gullible. He was born yesterday, not last night.
After hearing some of the comments TNT head coach Chot Reyes gave to the media, Mikey had some reservations.
Williams, who is exceedingly loyal and close to his handlers, is not thrilled that he and his team are being blamed for the impasse.
Not all PR battles can be won and Reyes' continued negative comments on the negotiation only makes it worse.
This curve ball is just the latest twist in a long, drawn out contract renegotiation that has been laced with delays, dismay, and an unhealthy dollop of distrust.
Which is a huge bummer for Mikey, who had only wanted the process to be handled professionally from the start.
MIKEY JUST WANTS TO PLAY.
"I decided to make the trip back to the Philippines to serve the best interests of the organization," said Williams, who reiterated that "TNT and I haven't completely come to an agreement on a contract."
He is at a point mentally that he wants to focus on playing basketball again. And hoping that a fair renegotiation can be agreed upon.
"The renegotiation process seemed at times all things but fair, and my worry concerning that contributed to the lack of communication," Mikey revealed.

But he is not pretending to be blameless in this brutal, and sometimes comedic, attempt at landing on the same page.
"I owe TNT fans an explanation and the assurance that my desire and intention was to always be there from the start of the conference in hopes of bringing another championship.
"I also want to explain that a series of unfortunate events delayed my return. These include a family health issue, an overbooked Air Canada flight, and a horrible accident that led to the demise of a dear friend's wife" Williams confessed.
TRANSLATION: HE WAS SUFFERING IN SILENCE AND HE NEEDED MORE TIME.
But he made up for those shortcomings by "booking my own flight as I have become increasingly anxious to play with my teammates."
TNT, meanwhile, knew what Mikey wanted in terms of an asking price, but sources told me, the team mysteriously sat on the request for at least 30 days.
I guess this is how PBA teams roll these days because Phoenix star Matthew Wright told me the same narrative while once waiting for the Super LPG to give him a counter-offer.
The bedrock of a contract negotiation must only be good faith. The other stuff, such as stalling in the hope that the other side would get desperate enough that it would fold, is plain garbage and a gratuitous waste of time.
Mikey Willians flew 7,292 miles from Los Angeles to Manila only to find himself back at the starting point of his contract renegotiation.
Enough already.
Mikey and TNT need to strike a deal right now and come to an understanding that they are better off together than they are apart.
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