Andray Blatche. TRISTAN TAMAYO/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes has gone tired with the delayed arrival of Andray Blatche that he issued an ultimatum to the naturalized player: show up or stay home.
“I’m very upset with the unfolding of events. Andray knows it and his handlers know it. And as I’ve said, if another problem pops up, we will replace him,” he said.
Reyes shared that he expected Blatche to finally show up to the national team’s evening practice at Meralco Gym on Tuesday as he starts the buildup for the upcoming 2017 Seaba Championships in May.
However, the birth of Blatche’s son, Andray Jr., last Sunday kept the big man in the United States and further delayed his arrival to the Philippines.
“He called me right after his girlfriend gave birth to their son. Supposed to be, he should be here. But then, he was asked to stay for the christening and the word is he will arrive on Friday,” the outspoken mentor said. “He could’ve easily made it here today. He asked to stay but I told them by Friday, what will be their excuse? He’s giving lots of excuses, so we just have to live with it and make that decision when we need to.”
Reyes was obviously irked with the situation that he has gone to say that he’s willing to take Blatche out of the Seaba roster and pay the required fines if indeed he decides to replace the naturalized player for the regional tournament.
“I told him, we’re seriously considering replacing him. If he does something again, we won’t mind taking him out of our roster. There’s a replacement fee and we’ll pay that replacement fee. I’m not gonna jeopardize the team just because of one person,” he said.
Disappointed with the turn of events, Reyes said that he’s now doubting the words which are coming out of Blatche’s camp.
“His guarantee doesn’t mean a thing to me. He has a lot of guarantees that he doesn’t accomplish,” he said. IDL
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