Smart Gilas loses American prospect for naturalization

Source: http://www.tribuneonline.org

Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas’ chance of signing American slotman as its prospect for naturalization vanished in thin air after Dwayne Jones declined the offer in favor of a rare opportunity to see action in the NBA.

Smart Gilas team manager Frankie Lim yesterday confirmed that the defense-minded 6-foot-11 NBA Developmental League All-Star will make a grand return to the NBA after the Phoenix Suns acquired him for injured center Robin Lopez.

Lopez, in a report from The Arizona Republic, sustained a bulging disc, leaving the Suns with a gaping hole underneath entering the crucial stretch of the regular season.

“The Suns called him up, we just have to look for another one,” said Lim, who spearheaded the thorny negotiation with the former Saint John University star who was said to be the personal choice of Serbian mentor Rajko Toroman.

Gilas’ skipper Chris Tiu also admitted to have been devastated by the report which might put the squad’s Olympic preparation in serious jeopardy.

Gilas’ earlier choice, CJ Giles, was sent home due to erratic behavior while its second import, Jamal Sampson, was given the marching order after complaining numerous injuries. The Nationals are pressed to hire an import who could lead them to the import-flavored Fiba-Asia Champions Cup in May and the Asian Games in November.

“It looks like we just lost our prospective import, Dwayne Jones, to the Phoenix Suns which is about to sign him,” Tiu said.

Losing Jones, actually, is just half of Gilas’ misadventure.

In its ongoing Serbian road trip, the Nationals absorbed a 67-98 loss at the hands of Vrsac Hemofarm, the second-best ballclub in the Serbian League, Saturday night in Belgrade.

Vrsac Hemofarm is a Division I team in the Serbian League that has three Serbian national players, one Slovenian national team member and a handful of under-20 standouts.

“Just when we thought the competition can’t get tougher, we learned that we will be playing Partizan Team A on Monday,” Tiu said, referring to the most dreaded squad in Serbia.

“Yes, that’s the team that’s currently in the Final Four of the Euro League together with Olympiakos, Barcelona and CKSA Moscow by beating Maccabi Tel Aviv, 3-1.”

Gilas opened its Serbian campaign with a 76-86 loss to Mattalac Vallejo before pulling a 91-84 stunner over Division I-bound Superfund and losing a controversial 79-80 decision to OKK Beograd.