Rain or Shine head coach Chris Gavina is always open to welcoming James Yap back in the fold, for he knows how valuable of an asset the two-time PBA MVP remains to be for the team even at this point of his career.
“I’m always open to bringing him back because he gives you an instant scorer, and a great leader on and off the court that our young guys really respond to,” he told Radyo5’s Power and Play with Kom Noli Eala, Saturday.
But how motivated will he be?
That’s where it all boils down to, according to the young mentor. Yap, who will turn 40 on February 15, is currently on a leave of absence as he’s running for councilor in the first district of San Juan for the May elections.
“Where James is in his career right now, everyone respects his political aspirations with regards to our ownership and management. They really provided him 100 percent, in him trying to become a konsehal,” Gavina said.
The last time that he played, you might wonder, was in Game Two of the 2021 Philippine Cup quarterfinals last September 30, 2021. He scored 16 there, but the Elasto Painters bowed out to eventual finalists Magnolia.
Even if he’s been away, though, Rain or Shine still signed him to a contract extension until the remainder of the season, as his old deal expired last December 31. But it remains to be seen if he will return when the Governors’ Cup resumes.
The season-ending conference is targeted to continue by the first or second week of February, pending the approval of authorities. Should it start within that time frame, then it could end either late March or early April.
Polls, on the other hand, are on May 9.
While the extension gives Yap a ‘slightly open window’ to see action again this season, Gavina reiterated that it will all depend on the seven-time champion, who’s now in his 18th season in the league.
“Giving him his extension kind of gives him a slightly open window for a return. But obviously, it will be upon his motivation of how he wants to come back,” he said. “Can he come back after a year off and compete?
“I mean, look at Tom Brady, he’s like 44 and he was just one game away from another [NFL NFC conference] championship game. So, I think it’s just gonna come down to how motivated James is.”
