TAB BALDWIN is not about to slam the door on three big-name players who already expressed doubts on their inclusion on the Gilas Pilipinas team to this September’s Olympic qualifier in China.
The three—San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo, Ginebra San Miguel’s LA Tenorio and Star’s Marc Pingris—have cited injuries or personal reasons for skipping the Gilas program for the Fiba Asia Men’s Championship.
Baldwin stressed injuries will have to heal—Fajardo is nursing a foot injury and Tenorio is citing fatigue—and that compassion should be accorded people with family issues—Pingris is on vacation in Normandy, France.
The three are part of Baldwin’s 16-man pool that started practicing on Monday night at the Meralco Gym. Only 11 players will be selected for the team that will be reinforced by naturalized player Andray Blatche.
Although Baldwin emphasized he could wait for Fajardo, Tenorio and Pingris, time is not on the team’s side.
“We can’t wait forever and I don’t have a deadline for that. We have to treat each case the way we can. Obviously, when we’re not a full team and we’re preparing, it means it’s another time we have to step backward to go forward if somebody comes in late,” Baldwin said.
The three players have been released by their mother clubs to Gilas and they could join the team practices anytime. Pingris expressed his intention to join the pool but only after he comes home on August 12.
Baldwin also said other players from the Philippine Basketball Association are free to join the pool as long as they are cleared by their teams.
“The guys in the PBA, they’ve been working very hard to try and get the players we need. I know the PBA is still talking to people and where they can generate a positive response, we will be waiting for that,” Baldwin said. “If they can’t, then this will be the lineup,” he added.
Blatche, meanwhile, admitted he has yet to reach 100 percent. The former National Basketball Association center arrived over the weekend from the US. He last played competitive basketball on February 1 with Xinjiang in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Kelly Williams, on the other hand, did not join Monday’s scrimmage after he injured his right knee in a freak accident before the training session.
Veteran international campaigners Asi Taulava, Sonny Thoss, Dondon Hontiveros, Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Gary David and Gabe Norwood and first-timers in the Gilas program Calvin Abueva, JC Intal and Terrence Romeo were present on Monday.
Aldrech Ramos, a reserve in the 2011 Asian Championship team, also joined the pool along with amateur player Troy Rosario and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, a former Gilas Cadets standout.
The Fiba Asia Men’s Championship will be played from September 23 to October 3 in Changsa in Hunan province.