CHICAGO -- With the Fiba window joyfully behind us now, a 2-0 Gilas Pilipinas romp over New Zealand and HongKong that universally reinvigorated the basketball masses, we now revert back to a familiar like-dislike relationship with another entity.
The PBA.
Before Kai Sotto and Co. took over everyone's hoops obsession in the days leading to and after the two Gilas Pilipinas games at the Mall of Asia Arena, Troy Rosario was the talk of the town.
READ Why Cone resisted fans' chants, Chua advice to field Dwight Ramos
Since entering unrestricted free agency status at the end of September, the sweet-shooting 6-foot-7 stretch four has been busy as an ant.
He quickly shed his Blackwater Bossing jersey, flirted with star-struck Converge, and shunned what would have been an intriguing reunion with TNT, the team that traded him at the most ill-opportune time of his life in 2022.
POSSIBLE DETOUR.
As first reported by my close friend Snow Badua, Rosario has already landed at Barangay Ginebra and potentially struck a deal where the ink on the signed contract may have long dried.
Troy, bless his bursting heart, has always been open to me like a public library. But when I requested an interview yesterday to write about his SMC landing, he was unusually distant.
"I'd rather not talk po muna," he told me via text message.
After talking to multiple sources, I now understand Rosario's trepidation. His seemingly ordained arrival at NSD nation still has several movable parts and is not set in stone just yet.
"Until the SMC bosses make the official announcement, hindi talaga natin alam," a person familiar with the situation told me Sunday night.
Which means San Miguel Beer and spiraling Magnolia, the only title-less SMC sibling the past six years, are in play to acquire the former NU star.
MORE SMC MOVES
A June Mar Fajardo-Troy Rosario twin towers combo at San Miguel is intriguing, especially in a Philippine Cup setting. But so would a Troy-Ian Sangalang tandem at Magnolia.
Although Ginebra, the goose that lays the golden eggs of revenue and popularity, is the most favored by the SMC bosses, it won't be a surprise either if they choose to throw a lifeline to the Hotshots.
Let's see how this plays out.
Meanwhile it appears like the Beermen are sticking with Quincy Miller as their Commissioner's Cup import for now. But that could still change depending on his performance at the EASL, sources told.
And while we were all happily distracted by Gilas, NLEX finally found an import. After missing out on real good prospects, the Road Warriors are bringing in Mike Watkins.
NLEX had originally tapped former NBA player Ed Davis who made a U-turn due to "personal matters," prompting a tedious search that involved several people in the organization before deciding on Watkins.
Between November 28 and December 3, the Road Warriors' schedule is light as a supermodel where they will feast on NorthPort, Blackwater and Terrafirma.
This easy stretch should be a good barometer on Watkins' value.
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