CHICAGO - In a perfect world, Mikey Williams would have already landed in the Philippines a few hours ago and assumed his position as the scoring juggernaut for TnT Tropang GIGA.
There's just one hitch: He hasn't left the United States.
And so the wait continues.
But if there's any frustration building up, the team refuses to dwell on it.
"We're pretty good at playing the cards we're dealt with. So the guys have been patient. Frustration won't get us anywhere," TNT head coach Chot Reyes told me tonight.
[See TNT to stop paying salary of 'AWOL' Mikey]
If there's a man you want to be in front of a crisis such as the Mikey Williams saga, that would be coach Chot, an eternal optimist and battled-tested leader who has weathered storms much bigger and nastier than this one.
Anticipating that Williams is unlikely to be in game shape after a long layoff, the Tropang Giga had intended to work him on "slowly into the rotation," Reyes added.
Obviously, those best-laid plans are on hold.
DEAL OR NO DEAL.
Yesterday, after 43 exhausting days of trying to hammer a deal, the two sides appeared to have finally come to terms.
"He got what he wanted. He won," a Williams ally told me over the phone.
TNT, meanwhile, also confirmed that an agreement was imminent and a high-ranking team official sent me a text message saying, "all he needs to do is come here and sign."
The deal that awaits the disgruntled star is worth well over P1 million a month for at least two years, sources said.
But Williams doesn't seem to be in a rush, never mind if it's obvious that his team needs him, especially after absorbing a shocking loss last night at the hands of an energized Blackwater Bossing, 85-78.
So where is Mikey and when is he flying back to the Philippines?
Nobody seems to know. Not TNT, not even his handlers.
If he had his way, sources told me, the newly-crowned PBA Rookie of the Year won't be in Manila until next week.
Apparently, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound gunner still has some important matters to take care of in Los Angeles before he can re-dedicate himself back to the PBA in the ongoing Philippine Cup conference.
The skinny on the 30-year old Williams is that he is a tough cover who can finish with either hand, shoot a spot-up jumper or create his own shot. He is also a willing passer and an able rebounder.
After all this kerfuffle, it's only appropriate to add one more trait in the scouting report.
Unpredictable.
BLACKWATER HANGOVER. It was only 5 a.m. [Manila time] when I texted coach Chot early today and he was already up "breaking down film."
"What happened there?" I asked him about the Blackwater stinger the night before.
"Hard to win on 4-of-29 shooting from 3," he replied. "Credit to Blackwater. They defended us well."
Winning streak and Blackwater normally don't belong in the same sentence but dating back to last conference, the Bossing have now won two in a row.
"We really prepared for TNT and the players responded," head coach Ariel Vanguardia told me.
Job well done, guys.
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