Return imminent?

Phoenix coach Louie Alas is riding a wave of optimism nowadays. The soft-spoken coach believes that sometime next week, Calvin Abueva would have already completed the last requirement set by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for his reinstatement.

“He needs to complete one more requirement. The last one he completed was already two weeks ago so maybe by next week, everything would be completed. In fact, if not for the pandemic, he could have completed all the requirements earlier,” Alas told the Inquirer.

The COVID-19 health crisis necessitated a series of community lockdowns that kept people in their homes. But Alas said Abueva has found a way to fulfill the requirements set by the PBA after he was indefinitely suspended for a spate of questionable actions on the court.

“He has gone beyond the requirements, actually,” Alas said in Filipino. “He has really shown a lot of remorse for his actions and he has been helping out his community a lot.”

It has been reported that Abueva needs psychological evaluations, among other things, before he is allowed to return to court.

Good feedback

“I’ve talked to the people facilitating his requirements and those evaluating him, and they all gave really good feedback. So just based on that, I’m hopeful that if Calvin submits his requirements, he will be cleared

to play.”Whether there will be a season to play, Alas also remains hopeful. Even as the pandemic continues to rack up infection rates, the PBA continues building a closed-circuit environment that will allow it to restart its suspended 45th season.

And even while that restart is pending, Alas is trying to get the management to sign key players. On top of that list is Abueva, whose contract ends on Aug. 31.

“Calvin is a game changer,” Alas said of Abueva, who has not played since the third game of last season’s Commissioner’s Cup. “You wouldn’t want to lose that type of player to free agency.”

Coach Louie Alas (top) hopes to have Calvin Abueva back with Phoenix soon. —PHOTOS BY SHERWIN VARDELEON

Expiring deals

Abueva is one of four Phoenix big men whose contracts will expire on Aug. 31. Dave Marcelo, Jake Pascual and JayR Reyes are also on expiring deals and Alas wants to keep them.

“One of our primary strengths last season was our offensive rebounding, which follows that we were also one of the better teams in terms of second-chance points,” said Alas, whose team topped the elimination round of last year’s Philippine Cup before getting bundled out by San Miguel in the playoffs.

RR Garcia and Jaymo Eguilos, who signed short-term deals that ended on May 31, are both still part of Alas’ plans should the league’s season resume late this year.

‘Elite player’

“I would recommend to the management to extend the deals of these players,” said Alas, who personally recruited Garcia. Alas also took in Eguilos, after the big man’s impressive stint with the

Batangas Athletics in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.“These players worked hard during the offseason so they deserve to be in the lineup,” Alas said. “RR is an elite player. He definitely adds depth to our backcourt rotation.”

A memorandum issued by PBA commissioner Willie Marcial early this month allows teams to extend the deals of players to Dec. 31, ensuring they get salaries regardless of what happens to the league’s 45th season, which remains suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The league has yet to restart workouts pending the release of the joint administrative order and the resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“I’m really hopeful that the PBA can return,” Alas said.