Pals keen on retaining Bill Bayno

American coach Bill Bayno is staying put with Talk N Text after all – till the end of the season, that is.

The Talk N Text management has reportedly convinced Bayno to stay on although the former UNLV mentor has yet to decide whether to continue calling the shots for the team or work in the background as team consultant in the coming All-Filipino Cup.

The team management and the coaching staff is holding a meeting tomorrow when Bayno returns from a short vacation in Phuket, Thailand. Bayno flew to the Thai paradise island Tuesday after spending the weekend in Boracay following their bitter loss to the Red Bull Thunder in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

When Bayno returns, the team will also discuss the trade offer by Airfreight 2100/FedEx involving Bong Alvarez.

FedEx is offering Alvarez in exchange for Christian Nicdao but Talk N Text is willing to release Bong Ravena and not Nicdao for Alvarez.

Alvarez wants back in the PBA after sorting out his personal problems while on leave with FedEx. However, FedEx said it couldn’t accommodate the high-flying forward anymore since it has gotten Vergel Meneses.

Before leaving for Boracay, Bayno wasn’t sure if he’ll be back for another conference.

In the wake of their loss to Red Bull, Bayno, with tears in his eyes, was heard telling his players he’s leaving Manila and will decide over a week whether to come back or just pack his bags for home.

A reliable source said Bayno wasn’t happy with his PBA stint and he realized he couldn’t achieve his goal of making it to the NBA coming from the PBA that’s why he thought of rescinding his contract with Talk N Text.

He also thought he could be of more help to Philippine basketball if he would handle the national youth team. He was once invited to observe the ill-fated youth team of coach Johnny Tam in practice.

In the PBA, he’s a walking time bomb, exploding numerous times on questionable calls by the referees. No wonder, he has become the personality fined the most in the season with a total of P280,000.

Bayno has been slapped a P200,000 fine for badmouthing the PBA plus a total of P80,000 on several attacks on officiating.

"We have always cautioned you on your behavior because we don’t want you to earn a reputation of being a recidivist who refuses to follow rules and subject himself to persons of authority," the PBA told Bayno in a reprimand issued before Game Seven of the Red Bull-Talk N Text series. "This not only hurts your image as a coach and as a sportsman but this could also have a negative effect on your team and the entire league as well."