Guiao sees break as time to heal

MANILA, Philippines, January 12 ------ NLEX coach Yeng Guiao sees the PBA’s play suspension as “extra time” for the team’s banged-up players like Raul Soyud and Kris Porter to recover from their injuries. Prior to the Governors’ Cup stoppage, Soyud is rehabbing his knee while Porter is healing from an Achilles injury he sustained in the Philippine Cup playoffs. Another big man, Mike Miranda, sat out the Road Warriors’ Christmas Day 102-93 loss to Phoenix Super LPG due to uric acid problems while JR Quiñahan also hurt his Achilles. “Somehow, this temporary break had given our hurting players some recovery time,” Guiao said. “That’s probably the only positive thing I’m seeing while taking our break from action.”

Import KJ McDaniels, added Guiao, can also take advantage of the hiatus to “get himself in a much better condition.” The usually explosive and efficient McDaniels posted a lackluster 12-point, 10-rebound performance as NLEX absorbed its first loss after a hot 4-0 start. “It was just a bad game. We were disappointed with the way our import played but our local players didn’t play good as well, so that contributed to the loss,” said Guiao, who also conceded the Yuletide gatherings might have played a factor, too.

NLEX’ overall momentum in the import-spiced tournament was thrown off with the halt, but the veteran tactician isn’t complaining, stressing that health is paramount. “I would rather want our team playing if I had my way because we’re 4-1. But of course, we have to prioritize the health and safety of everyone,” said Guiao.

Source: philstar.com