PHOENIX Super LPG coach Charles Tiu admitted he would've wanted James Dickey III to give it a go in Sunday's important game against Converge in the PBA 50th Season Commissioner's Cup.
Dickey sat out owing to an ankle sprain that the import suffered in their previous game against Rain or Shine, leaving the Fuelmasters to play all-Filipino in 130-103 loss to the FiberXers.
READ Converge wins by a mile as Phoenix import Dickey sits out
The result had serious playoff implications, with Phoenix falling to 5-4 at sixth, just a game ahead of Magnolia and San Miguel (4-5) and Converge moving up to ninth place with a 3-6 win-loss record.
“I don't know, to be honest,” said Tiu on the severity of Dickey's injury. “I really thought na sana maka-try siya maglaro. Pero siguro day-by-day, we'll wait for the PT. I'm hoping in a few days, he can already be ready to play because our next game will be on Friday. Maybe another extra day or two of rest, he should be good to go.”
At the same time, Tiu said he understood that Dickey may have also been looking after his well-being.
“I thought it was something he could probably play through. I get naman, ayaw niya mag-risk ng injury. It's okay,” said Tiu.
Even with Dickey out, Tiu felt Phoenix could've held its ground against Converge, which the Fuelmasters failed to do so.
“No excuses. Even without the import, we should still try our best to compete. We saw naman Rain or Shine, they competed against Meralco without their import. Pero siguro, na-deflate lang rin yung guys namin.
"Medyo hungrier yung Converge today. They were also in a must-win situation,” said Tiu.
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