CHICAGO - TNT made another stab at reaching Mikey Williams the past couple of days. Like the previous attempts, though, this one was another disappointment.
"Mikey is not in Los Angeles," a person with knowledge of the months-long contract stalemate between the disgruntled star and telephone giant told me.
READ COLUMN: Salary offered by Strong Group to Mikey isn't loose change
This latest hiccup doesn't mean that the odds of the two sides reconnecting have completely perished. It does, however, narrow the window of them coming to terms with an agreement.
And with the Philippine Cup set to start next month, the Tropang Giga no longer have the luxury of time to wait.
It's been 10 months since Mikey walked away from TNT and exercise a renegotiation clause in his contract. Somehow, after roughly 283 days, nothing has been ironed out.
Accusations of broken promises and unmet expectations coming from both sides are beginning to weigh down both parties.
TICK, TICK, TICK.....
Much water has passed under the bridge since.
Chot Reyes has returned to the coaching spot he temporarily vacated to focus on Gilas during SEA Games and the FIBA World Cup 2023.
Jojo Lastimosa, Chot's interim replacement who did a splendid job in last year's Governor's Cup before injuries plagued the Tropang Giga this conference, is back to his usual spot as team manager.
However, some issues remain, like silence on one side and distrust on the other. And as the pages of the calendar keep flipping, the flagship franchise of the MVP Group simply cannot just sit and be idle.
"Hope is not a strategy," coach Chot Reyes told me in a telephone interview yesterday.
That being said, TNT isn't banking on the idea that Mikey will just jet in from California and miraculously show up in practice anytime soon. The Giga chose to be proactive.
PLAN B.
"We are looking for a replacement," Reyes said. From "all over" he added.
This move shouldn't be construed as TNT completely giving up on a Mikey reunion. The team is merely activating a Plan B. Staying put was never an option, progress implies a forward motion.
Having chronicled this saga since blood was first seen on the water, I still believe both sides would eventually be together again. In the end, their mutual needs will make them unite like metals to a magnet.
TNT can exist without Mikey. But life would be better with him. Warts and all, he proved his worth as a franchise player by leading the Tropang Giga to two titles and pocketing Finals MVP plums along the way.
When engaged, and when "treated right," as his camp likes to insist, Williams is one of the best, if not the best, scorer in the PBA. The 9 treys he sank versus Ginebra to deliver the 2023 Gov's Cup crown to TNT was Mikey's Mona Lisa, a masterpiece not seen in recent years.
Mikey, on the other hand, has left and continues to leave a lot of money on the table. While he may not necessarily need the extra cash as he is already financially well-off, TNT is romanticizing on the idea that his love for the game will entice Mikey from the shadows.
Meanwhile, the search for the next TNT star continues.
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