Time to go for McCants

Powerade coach Bo Perasol yesterday admitted it was difficult to let NBA veteran Rashad McCants go after two winless games in the PBA Governors Cup considering his credentials but even the former Minnesota Timberwolves guard knew he had reached the end of the line with the Tigers.

“I’ve never watched an NBA game live and the closest thing to it was seeing Rashad play,” said Perasol. “He’s that good. I think that was the problem because he still believes he should be playing in the NBA or the Euroleague, not in the PBA. This was just his stopover. He wasn’t fully committed to our team because his mind was somewhere else. No question, anytime he wanted to score, he could score and anytime he wanted to play defense, nobody could score against him. But he held back for some reason. I don’t know if he didn’t want to risk getting injured or he just wasn’t committed enough. He did well at practice but what he showed in the gym, he didn’t show in the game.”

Perasol said McCants’ lack of commitment was evident in the way he didn’t focus on defense. “He became a liability because he wouldn’t go back on defense,” continued Perasol. “When we lost two straight, he knew his time was up. I didn’t really have to tell him. After the first loss, I had a feeling he wouldn’t work out. I had to be truthful to him. I talked to him before the second game. He was receptive to the idea that if we lost again, he’d be replaced. So when it happened, there was no problem. He took it well. He knew it. In Rashad’s case, it wasn’t a matter of adjustment. It was a matter of commitment.”

Petron dealt Powerade its first loss, 97-83, last May 20 as McCants delivered 27 points on 10-of-27 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws in 37 minutes. In his second outing, McCants shot 23 on 8-of-19 field goals and 2-of-2 foul shots in 35 minutes. His inability to play multiple positions was a damper particularly as the other imports shifted from three to four to sometimes, five. McCants is basically a combo-guard and at 6-3 1/8, was the league’s shortest import.

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Luckily, University of Memphis guard Omar Sneed was available to fly in at a moment’s notice. Sneed, 35, arrived Wednesday night, practiced the next day and suited up for the game against Alaska last Friday. Sneed compiled 13 points, nine rebounds, 11 assists and three steals in 34 minutes as Powerade won, 114-97.

It’s not Sneed’s first time in the country. Two years ago, he came as Talk ‘N’ Text’s standby import during the Tropa’s semifinal series against Alaska in the Fiesta Conference. Sneed showed up with the Texters down, 1-2, and coach Chot Reyes seriously considering to replace import Shawn Daniels. But Reyes decided to stick with Daniels who led the team to back-to-back wins to wrest the series lead, 3-2, as Sneed watched from the sidelines. Alaska, with Diamon Simpson in harness, proceeded to win the tie, 4-3, and went on to capture the title. Sneed never got to play for the Texters.

Now, Sneed’s back to play after a two-year wait. “The locals love Omar,” said Perasol. “He’s unselfish, he likes to get everybody involved. It’s a short conference so I think we’ll get the most from him. He’s coming from a league in Turkey so he’s in shape. Compared to Rashad, Omar isn’t as talented but in terms of chemistry and his commitment to the team, Omar is way ahead.”

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Perasol said the win over Alaska put Powerade back on track. “We’ve got a rule in the team, that everyone will get his chance to play and when it comes, he’s got to be ready,” he said. “If someone gets a chance in one game, maybe, another will get the opportunity in the next. Meanwhile, everybody has to practice all-out to get ready for that chance. Against Alaska, Rey (Guevarra) got his chance and scored 15 points. James (Martinez) also got his chance and played well. We gave Lordy (Tugade) his chance in the first two games and we’ll give him another chance. That’s how we motivate the guys. They’ve got to be ready because you never know when the chance will come.” Offseason recruit Jondan Salvador is a prime example of a player making good use of his chance – he’s averaging 9.3 points and 9.3 rebounds.

As for center Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Perasol said he’s coming along just fine. In the Alaska game, Al-Hussaini had 13 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes. Against Barako last May 24, he collected 17 points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes. “In working with Rabeh, you must have endless patience,” said Perasol. “You’ve got to show trust to boost his confidence. You can’t keep scolding him every time he makes a mistake. Let him realize his mistakes and learn from them. Encourage him, give him time. He has his own idea on how to improve so you just guide him. He has a lot of potential and I think he’s getting to where we want him to be.”

Powerade brought in Guevarra, Al-Hussaini, Tugade and Salvador in the offseason. While the Tigers are breaking in the new hires, Perasol continues to rely on his tried-and-tested mainstays like Gary David, Jvee Casio and Sean Anthony to move ahead in the standings.