Two hours had passed since the NLEX Road Warriors had absorbed their 11th straight loss on Wednesday night, but coach Yeng Guiao and his coaching staff were still in the dugout of the Cuneta Astrodome.
“It was just an exchange of views. Hindi naman ganun ka-seryoso yung usapan,” Guiao shared about the coaches’ meeting.
“Looking at this conference, we’re exploring options so nagbabatuhan lang kami ng mga ideas and in a situation like this, anything goes.”
Since January 7, 2017, the Road Warriors have yet to taste victory — their last was a win over the TNT Katropa in Pampanga. To stretch it out further, their last win in Manila happened on November 25 of last year.
With victories coming few and far between, patience have been tested as silver linings are hard to find. And it has been a humbling experience for the 58-year-old mentor.
“I think you have to be a little philosophical about it; may plano yung Diyos na hindi namin alam,” the seven-time PBA champion coach quipped.
“Siguro, we have to go through this and also we have to realize that before you are rewarded, you are humbled first.”
And by humbled, Guiao probably meant that he will set aside pride to reboot the franchise.
For months, the fiery mentor has gone on record numerous times to declare that trades will happen. But so far, it has only resulted in a trade for Rabeh Al-Hussaini and the acquisition of Juami Tiongson. Guiao admitted that he and the team have been holding back on trades.
Enough was enough on Wednesday evening after they suffered a 92-101 setback against Ginebra.
“Definitely, we have to shake it up and there is no justification to keep the team as it is.
“Hindi naman ito sikreto na we will explore trade options and any offer coming from any team. Kami naman we will be more aggressive in initiating,” Guiao added.
“Medyo nag-ho-hold back kami with transactions before pero ngayon, we need to be more aggressive and initiate instead of just waiting for offers.”
Guiao has every right to implode this batch of Road Warriors. Besides being at the bottom of the standings, the Road Warriors are in the bottom echelon of almost every statiscal category, including points allowed (9th), points scored (10th), turnovers (11th), and rebounds allowed (8th).
Because of this, no one is safe among the NLEX roster — except NLEX’s first round pick in the 2017 PBA Draft, the only consolation for losing.
“Sacred yung first round pick namin. Yun na nga lang yung consolation namin dito,” the two-time Coach of the Year said.
“We will not touch it or give it up but aside from that, anything is possible.”
Maybe, this idea is stemming from the sour taste left by the loss. But judging by how this season has gone for them, maybe the coaches’ meeting they had was more than just a meeting of the minds.
