CHICAGO - Shortly after 10 a.m., at the conclusion of morning practice at Gatorade Hoops Center, Schonny Winston meandered into a small office inside the gym where team officials awaited.
After short, perfunctory greetings, they went down to business and the 6-foot-4, 190-lb guard signed a contract extension with the Converge FiberXers worth the PBA max of P420,000 a month.
And just like that, Winston is contractually married to the FiberXers for the next two years. And with a quick flash of the pen, all the animosity that preceded this signing dried like the ink on his contract.
READ Schonny Winston, Converge agree to two-year extension
"I am grateful to get an extension with Converge and I'm preparing to keep building and moving forward with my teammates," the Fil-Am from LA told me via text message on Wednesday night..
With Schonny joining a core that includes Justin Arana, Justine Baltazar and Alec Stockton, plus valuable pieces such as MJ Garcia, Kevin Racal, Jackson Corpuz and Rey Suerte, the FiberXers are poised to make a lot of noise in the upcoming PBA Season 50.
TRENDING UPWARD.
While the team had a disappointing Philippine Cup campaign, the team's averages pointed to an upward trajectory that suggests consistent playoffs contention - 93.2 points, 52.9 rebounds and 18,9 assists per game.
Securing Winston, whose stock continues to rise as a dependable scorer and hard-nosed defender, was atop Converge's wish list. And with that done, another priority takes over.
Signing Mikey Williams.
Given how difficult reeling the mercurial guard can be, the team won't lose sleep if a deal never materializes.
"Bonus na lang yun kung ma sign si Mikey. We are confident with the players we already have on our roster," a team source told me on Wednesday night while confirming that both sides are still talking about a one-year offer on the table for the mercurial guard to make his long-awaited PBA return. .
WAIT AND SEE.
Again, no one is holding their breath here, but if by some small miracle Mikey signs, the possibilities are breathtaking.
"They will be a formidable team," a former PBA coach who won a championship in the late 2000s told me.
That coach, however, cautioned that Mikey needs to be signed now because it would take "at least two months" for the former TNT gunner to adapt to a new offensive system and at the same time get into game shape.
As for how close or far Mikey and Converge are in the negotiations, both parties have clammed up.
Given the tumult and enmity that marked his exit at TNT, where he won two rings and two Finals MVP plums, it's hard to bank on Mikey coming back to his old stomping grounds.
But damn, Mikey and Schonny pulling up on offense has to be a scary sight, isn't it?
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