Texters go back to drawing board; Ivan Johnson return ‘considered’
TNT is considering bringing back a familiar face as it hopes to defend the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title.
Ivan Johnson could make another tour of duty for the Texters in the second conference.
“He’s considered,” he said as TNT is still on the lookout for a reinforcement. “We’ll make our decision in our next few days.”
The 31-year-old slotman established himself as a workhorse in leading TNT to the crown in a grueling seven-game series against Rain or Shine. He averaged 26.8 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 steals last season, and bringing that production back would certainly be a big help for Uichico.
“He’s ready to come naman, so if we decide to bring him in, he’ll come,” said the coach.
Johnson last played in Spain for San Sebastian Gipuzkoa BC.
Back to the drawing board
TNT missed the semifinals for the second straight conference last week, but Uichico remains optimistic with Ranidel de Ocampo set to return from his spine injury and the two rookies – Mo Tautuaa and Troy Rosario – slowly feeling their way in the league.
“Ranidel should be back. He’s about 50 to 60-percent, and as he continues his recovery, he’ll be back in the second conference,” he said. “As far as the rookies, the first few games, medyo nangapa pa sila. Pero as the games go on, nakaka-adjust naman sila.”
Consistency would be one thing TNT seeks to improve next conference as Uichico plans to distribute the responsibilities among the other members of the team and not just rely on star guard Jayson Castro and their prized newbiews.
“We’ll just go back to the drawing board and see what we did wrong. We never ran a streak, which means we’re not consistent. We need to re-assess,” Uichico said. “Malaking bagay na nawala si Ranidel, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to win without him. We got enough good players, but we relied on Jayson (Castro) and the two rookies to lead the team. We might be asking too much from the two rookies, but they’re playing really well naman. In time, they’ll fill that role.”
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