CHICAGO - The stalled search for the next NLEX head coach took a sharp, unexpected turn today.
A source told SPIN.ph that the Road Warriors are considering the possibility of acquiring the services of renowned international coach Nenad Vucinic to add brain power on the sidelines with Luigi Trillo or Sandy Arespacochaga as the head coach.
Vucinic briefly served as assistant coach for Gilas Pilipinas and a consultant for the Meralco Bolts before leaving the Philippines when his contract expired last month.
Apparently, the "bosses" were so impressed with both his knowledge of the game and his skills as an instructor that they want to bring back the loving feeling of having him around.
[READ: Vucinic on Gilas exit: 'Too much drama']
After heading to Japan to visit his close friend, Paul Henare, the head coach of the Kagawa Five Arrows of the B League, Vucinic is now in Serbia and cannot be reached for comment.
But sources familiar to the situation told me that the 57-year old Vucinic, who is currently unattached to any coaching position, embraces the idea with open arms.
And should he take the offer, which hasn't reached him yet, Vucenic assumes the position many PBA teams have grown familiar with.
Active consultant.
It's the same set-up Talk N' Text unveiled in 2018 when it hired Mark Dickel, a move that circumvented Article 40 in the Labor Code which disallows a foreigner from securing a work permit if "there's a Filipino coach capable of performing his duties."
Hiring Vucinic is the best possible move for NLEX after it decided to part ways with seven-time PBA champion Yeng Guiao, one of the staunchest, most respected figures in the history of the league.
Pairing Nenad with the equally capable Trillo will be quite a 1-2 punch.
In light of the rumored "For Sale" sign hanging up around NLEX, there is reasonable caution that Vucinic might not take a job that comes with a ticking clock.
Maybe.
But Vucinic is fully aware that the MVP group has several places of employment where he can find a soft landing spot in the event that NLEX finds a suitable franchise buyer.
As long as he isn't pulled back to the Gilas assignment, I am told that Nenad will be just fine anywhere else. As he himself told Kom Noli in an appearance on Power and Play, he didn't like the drama constantly percolating around the basketball federation.
Sadly, as the world now knows, the SBP has this flair for turning what's meant to be serious into a circus.
So yeah, NLEX should bring in Nenad Vucinic to help Trillo fill the void and stability Guiao left.
But please, Road Warriors, don't run him over with the intrigue and internal politics that doomed his first foray in the Philippines.
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