San Miguel head coach Leo Austria remained mum regarding the team’s import situation that has hogged the headlines for the past few days.
Tne champion mentor instead asked to give the Beermen more time to come up with a decision when sought for comment Wednesday night after their conquest of Phoenix Super LPG in 2022 PBA Governors’ Cup action.
“We’re not talking about his game tonight whether he will play or not in the next game,” he said in the postgame presser of their 104-99 win.
“Just give us some time, because it’s a team decision if ever something happens sa changes ng lineup namin.”
SMB on Monday became the center of discussions online when reports came out that it is replacing Orlando Johnson with another former NBA veteran in Shabazz Muhammad, initially the import of choice by Meralco.
Many were caught by surprise since Johnson had himself an excellent outing the night before. He had 31 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists to power his side to a 110-102 win over his former team Barangay Ginebra.
It was then expected that Johnson had already played his final game with the arrival of Muhammad. But he still suited up versus the Fuel Masters.
The former Indiana Pacer even finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, together with two blocks and a steal in nearly 47 minutes.
Austria lauded the professionalism of Johnson, who was brought in by the Beermen as a replacement for another returnee in Brandon Brown.
“One thing I like since he arrived, I’m confident with him and he’s very professional,” the four-time Coach of the Year said.
“You can see naman, in spite of the news that came out in the newspapers and on social media,” he added. “Alam natin naman na mayroon kaming pinarating na import, and that is because of the availability, it popped out e.”
And while they have yet to decide, Austria said that the Beermen’s focus is on Sunday’s game versus Magnolia in a clash of rivals.
“As I said, we’re not talking about the replacement or changing of import. Our focus in this game, ano. Let’s see what will happen in the next few hours or tomorrow,” he said. “For the meantime, we have to rest.
“We have an important game against Magnolia. That game will give us a chance to get into the top four, and that’s our target. Right now, we’re playing well. And whatever happens, it will be a collective decision from us.”
A report by PBA Rush though quoted San Miguel team manager Gee Abanilla that Muhammad took his official biometrics in the PBA Office in Libis, Pasig earlier in the day.
Photo from CBA
The five-year NBA pro measured exactly 6-foot-5 — an inch within the limit for this conference.
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