REY Nambatac is taking things like a real pro.
The veteran guard said there’s no hard feelings on his part after being mentioned in the open as part of an aborted trade between TNT and Titan Ultra prior to the start of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Nambatac let out a smile when the matter was brought up to him after the Tropang 5G survived a late Macau Giant Pandas fight for a 106-103 debut win on Sunday in the season’s final conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
READ Titan Ultra balks at Munzon-Nambatac straight trade, wants more
“No hard feelings naman tayo dun. Hindi naman natin control ang mga bagay. As a pro, lalaro ako hangga’t gusto ako ng team,” said Nambatac.
A deal was supposed to be made between the Tropang 5G and the Giant Risers that will have Nambatac being shipped to Titan Ultra in exchange for Joshua Munzon.
But the trade was abandoned later when Titan management asked that young big man Henry Galinato be included in the deal.
To be fair to management, Nambatac said he was given a heads up by team manager Jojo Lastimosa about the trade.
At the same time, he admitted failing to play to his potential in the last Commissioner’s Cup when TNT lost to Barangay Ginebra in a seven-game championship series that went the distance,
He referred to is as a ‘wake-up call’ for his career.
“Eye opener para sa akin kasi I’ve been playing in the PBA for eight years and yun ang pinaka-worst performance na conference ko,” said the crack guard out of Letran.
“Sabi ko hindi puwedeng ganun. I need to step up and ibalik ko yung usual na laro ko. And dito mag-start yun sa conference na ito.”
Nambatac did go out of his way and led TNT in the struggling win over Macau, coming through with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, while grabbing three rebounds and dishing off three assists.
“The key for myself this conference is to be more consistent,” said the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals MVP.
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