Mighty Sports has the tools with reinforcements in Lamar Odom, Justin Brownlee and Randolph Morris teaming up with bright young stars and former pros.
But coach Charles Tiu knows talent alone isn’t enough to win.
Tiu said his team still has a ton of work to do while also being pressed for time ahead of the Dubai International Basketball Tournament slated on February 1.
He said with roughly three weeks left before the tournament, the squad has yet to practice together.
“That’s a big challenge, while other teams have been playing together for a couple of years now we will only have at least seven practice days. I think we need a miracle this time,” said Tiu, who is preparing for the possibility of facing Middle East powerhouses Jordan national team and Al Riyadi of Lebanon.
Mighty Sports team owner Alex Wongchuking also expressed his concerns over the lack of preparation time.
“When they will all arrive, they will only have a week of preparation, and that is our biggest concern right now. We can’t rely on talent alone, there must be a good chemistry,” said Wongchuking.
Odom, on Instagram, vowed to help Mighty Sports win the title.
Tiu, though, would want to see what kind of condition Odom is in first.
“We really don’t know his condition yet,” said Tiu. “Working out is very different from actual game.”
The 39-year-old Odom won two NBA championships as a key member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010 but he has been out of the basketball circuit since suiting up for Spanish club Laboral Kutxa Baskonia in the EuroLeague in 2014.
Joining Odom, Morris and the prolific Brownlee are former PBA players Jett Manuel and Joseph Yeo, University of the Philippines star Juan Gomez de Liano, La Salle standout Santi Santillan, and College of St. Benilde swingman Justin Gutang, who had an impressive rookie season in the NCAA.