Andray Blatche, Gilas Pilipinas’ best reinforcement, will be back in action for the Philippine men’s basketball team competing in the FIBA Asian Qualifiers three weeks from now.
The NBA veteran who played for Gilas Pilipinas, the first team which qualified for the world basketball competition in 40 years in 2014, is expected to return next week, Nov. 12, and join the team gearing up for preparations in the home and away tournament leading to the 2019 World Cup.
Blatche, who played for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA before moving to China where he inked the richest deal in league history, is definitely the most logical choice among the players who can reinforce the national team in major international tournaments.
A versatile big man, who can play inside and out, the 6-foot-11 Blatche is a good complement for our very own June Mar Fajardo, the reigning four-time Most Valuable Player and considered as the country’s best post player.
The 6-foot-10 Fajardo has improved by leaps and bounds since the first time he played for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.
From being a mere backup for then naturalized player Marcus Douthit, Fajardo has come a long way.
He has become an immovable force in the PBA and helped San Miguel Beer to five championships over the last two years.
Having Blatche will not only give Fajardo an ideal frontline partner, but it could also give Gilas Pilipinas an instant scorer.
There’s a better reason why head coach Chot Reyes named Blatche over Christian Standhardinger, the top overall rookie pick in the recent PBA Annual Rookie Draft.
Aside from the one player per team policy agreed upon by the PBA Board of Governors, Standhardinger is also an inside player like Fajardo. With Blatche around, the Cebuano slotman will have a lot of room to operate inside.
Once Fajardo is relieved by Japeth Aguilar, Blatche can slide to the center position and play inside and allow the athletic Ginebra forward to play the stretch four.
Blatche is certainly a welcome addition to the Gilas Pilipinas team, which has a good chance of returning to the 2019 World Cup following the new format created by FIBA.
The Philippines, which is in Group B, will play three other teams from its bracket twice — Japan, Chinese Taipei and Australia — via the home and away format. Three teams from each of the four groups will advance to the next cycle and will vie for the seven spots available heading to the 2019 World Cup in China.
Gilas Pilipinas will need Blatche from here until the team qualifies for the World Cup and if the NBA veteran can work on his availability, this will be a welcome development for Philippine basketball.
Rey Joble has been covering the PBA games for more than a decade. He is a member of the PBA Press Corps and Philippine Sportswriters Association.
