Mikey Williams remains unreachable days after skipping a training session with TNT Tropang Giga in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association.
TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa on Tuesday told Daily Tribune that the controversial playmaker has yet to make his presence felt since snubbing a training session that prompted the team to suspend him for one week without pay.
“He can’t be reached and he didn’t reach out,” Lastimosa said in a text message.
One of the league’s greatest players, Lastimosa is no stranger to stars who got in trouble with their mother teams.
He cited the case of Ramon Fernandez, who was benched during Purefoods’ championship series against Anejo Rum 65 for allegations of game-fixing in 1988.
Fernandez was eventually shipped to San Miguel Beer in exchange for rival Abet Guidaben.
The forward known as “El Presidente” played with fire in his eyes as he led the Beermen to the Third Conference title en route to winning his fourth Most Valuable Player award.
“I’ve seen drama like this when I was with Purefoods when Mon Fernandez went through tough times with management that shook us up,” Lastimosa said, adding that they won’t hesitate to crack the whip should the 31-year-old Filipino-American playmaker repeat the offense.
Lastimosa said the absence of Williams should not be an excuse for the players not to play well.
The Tropang Giga had lost back-to-back games for the first time in this midseason tourney to drop to a three-way tie for seventh to ninth places with a 3-4 record alongside Rain or Shine and NorthPort.
“Mikey’s presence or absence definitely has an effect, but it’s not an excuse to not play well. Even without him, we have a lineup that can still compete,” Lastimosa said.
He added that the new players like sophomore star Calvin Oftana and import Cameron Oliver should work hard and adjust to the new system being implemented by head coach Chot Reyes.
Oftana is playing his first conference since being acquired by the Tropang Giga in a three-way trade that also involved veteran forward Troy Rosario and top overall rookie pick Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser while Oliver is also in a period of adjustment.
“More than anything, we are still trying to figure out how to play together Calvin being new and Cam, too. Guys are hurt and still coming back into rotation. A lot of things can affect a team’s performance. It’s important to be complete and no one missing,” he added.
