Greg Slaughter assured once more that he is ready to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas whenever his services are needed.
“I’m absolutely ready to go,” the 7-foot slotman told the Power & Play program hosted by former PBA Commissioner Noli Eala, Saturday.
Gilas, at present, is searching for players for the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers’ second window set in November.
Player availability has become an issue. The PBA players part of the pool are currently inside the bubble in Clark for the resumption of Season 45.
There aren’t enough cadets to fill out the 12-man roster, either for next month’s games against South Korea and Thailand.
Still, Gilas program Tab Baldwin has said that he and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas will look for ways to address the situation.
And now that Slaughter is back home after a months-long sabbatical, the timing seems right for his return to the national team.
There’s a catch, however.
Before he and Gilas can discuss matters, Slaughter has to clear things up first with his mother team, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
The 32-year-old has yet to talk to the Gin Kings’ top brass since taking a break last February following the expiration of his contract.
Slaughter said in the same program, though, that he is waiting for Ginebra to set a date so that they could finally talk things over. And he hopes that it will take place soon, since he would want to know if he can finally rejoin the national team.
“I’ve been in contact with Coach Tab while I’ve been in Florida. I’ve been updating him with my progress. I think he’s very happy with what he sees. But at the moment, I think with the SBP [Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas], they’re just waiting to see my talks with Ginebra before they get into any talks with me.
“So hopefully, I can get my talks with Ginebra done soon, so I’ll have some clarity if I’ll be able to join Gilas or not,” he added.
