TERRAFIRMA is keeping its fingers crossed that the third time will be the charm.
The Dyip are currently in the middle of a negotiation with vastly improved big man Andreas Cahilig, who the team hopes will be willing to accept the new deal being offered to him following the expiration of his contract last Dec. 31.
Team governor Bobby Rosales said the Dyip have tendered an offer to Cahilig, but didn’t divulge the exact content of the package.
“Ang pending namin ngayon si (Andreas) Cahilig. Ongoing ang discussions namin with him,” said Rosales, who is also the vice chairman of the PBA board.
The 6-foot-6 Cahilig has spent almost five seasons with the KIA franchise, which gave him the needed break after being picked up from the unrestricted free agent list following an uneventful one-conference stint with NorthPort where he was relegated to the inactive list during the 2017-18 Philippine Cup.
Will Cahilig follow Rosser, Adams?
The Batang Pier selected him in the second round (24th overall) of the 2017 rookie draft.
Cahilig is the third Terrafirma player whose previous deals expired at the end of 2021 along with Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and former No. 1 pick Roosevelt Adams.
Both Ganuelas-Rosser and Adams opted not to accept the two-year offers tendered by management and instead, tested their value in the free agent market.
Ganuelas-Rosser is an unrestricted free agent and therefore, free to choose and negotiate with a team he would like to play for. He ended up signing with TNT.
Adams on the other hand, is a restricted free agent who can negotiate with a team interested in him. But any offer can be matched by Terrafirma management under the right of first refusal rule given to mother teams.
Cahilig’s case is similar to Adams, according to Rosales.
He averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 rebounds in the stalled Governors Cup, where he plays as part of coach Johnedel Cardel’s main rotation that also included Juami Tiongson, Aldrech Ramos, top rookie pick Joshua Munzon prior to his injury, and Ganuelas Rosser and Adams before they chose to become free agents.
A fellow 2014 batch mate of Ganuelas Rosser in Kyle Pascual will also become an unrestricted free agent by the end of February, but already sent word to management that he will finish his commitment with the Dyip.
Pascual, a product of San Beda, was tabbed at No. 24 overall by the KIA franchise at the end of the second round of the rookie draft held eight years ago.
“He committed naman to finish the conference, although may offer na rin kami sa kanya na extension, but sabi niya tatapusin muna yung conference,” said Rosales.
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