CHICAGO - After a four-import, pie-in-the-face fiasco that sabotaged their Governors' Cup campaign, the Magnolia Hotshots moved quickly to purge their indecisions.
Last October 15, just 10 days after they were bounced out of the conference, Magnolia revealed the import signing of Ricardo Rattclife who arrived in Manila shortly thereafter.
READ Siot Tanquingcen reunites with Jong Uichico at NLEX
But looking for a quality import in a PBA Commissioner's Cup battle that imposes no height restrictions isn't as easy as picking up the phone and downloading YouTube videos.
That's the dilemma NLEX is mired in.
With only 10 more days to go before the Commissioner's Cup starts, the Road Warriors remain import-less.
WHY DID THE DAVIS DEAL FALL THROUGH?
After announcing Ed Davis as their reinforcement last November 4, the potential collaboration fizzled even before the former McDonald's All-American could fly to the Philippines.
"He had to attend to personal matters," NLEX coach Jong Uichico told me about the botched deal.
But team sources also told me that Davis, a 12-year NBA veteran, was now a step slower at age 35 and the 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward wasn't exactly the take charge big the team desired.
It could also be possible that Davis, a blue-chip asset who won an NCAA title at North Carolina, didn't like the figures he saw in the term sheet.
Either way, NLEX is the lone squad without foreign help.
STILL SEARCHING.
The Road Warriors abruptly shifted their focus to another high-value target but that player politely declined NLEX's offer which only had a short-term guarantee and paid just north of $40,000 a month.
So who's next on their sights?
There are a few names but "I can't say who they are," Uichico said while adding that they may have a signing "hopefully tomorrow."
In his return to head coaching, Uichico didn't exactly light the PBA on fire with a 5-5 record but he didn't drag NLEX down the gutter with Terrafirma, either.
His team's inability to secure an import, fly him here to learn the Road Warriors playbook and gel with his teammates for a reasonable period of time doesn't exactly set him up for success.
On the other hand, this import hiccup could be a blessing in disguise in a way that it incites the locals to step up.
Right, Robert Bolick?
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