Gilas Pilipinas’ near upset of Serbia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament left many to wonder a different outcome had Dwight Ramos been healthy enough to suit up and play.
The dashing guard was reduced to a role of cheerleader after a groin injury forced him to miss Gilas’ 83-76 loss to the host nation of the Belgrade OQT Thursday, July 1 Manila time.
Coach Tab Baldwin believes that having Ramos would have led to a different complexion of the match, though he wasn’t sure if that would translate into a Gilas victory.
“It would be a different game but it doesn’t guarantee a different outcome,” Baldwin said.
“Certainly to have his athleticism and strength defensively and his composure and skill offensively would have given us more weapons but that doesn’t mean that that would necessarily change the outcome.
“But I think that the way the game would have been played from our end of the floor might have been different. Dwight has that calming influence on his teammates and he can impose himself a little bit more easily because of his physicality in elite basketball,” he added.
Ramos was the most consistent player for Gilas during its sweep of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in Pampanga, but that came at a costly price after hurting his groin during the second match against South Korea.
Baldwin had hopes that Ramos would heal in time for the OQT, but the situation didn’t improve which left Gilas with no choice but to sit him out for the Serbia match and most likely the crucial match opposite Dominican Republic on Friday, July 2.
Instead, Gilas is opting to let Ramos focus on making a full recovery so he can be ready for next month’s FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia.
But Baldwin also said that Ramos’ absence is not the only factor if things were different since Serbia was also missing key players.
Nemanja Blejica, a big man who plays for the Miami Heat, and Euroleague Most Valuable Player Vasilije Micic sat out the game due to injuries sustained the other day against the Dominican Republic.
“if you add any player you add Micic or (Nikola) Kalinic you know it would have been different as well but that doesn’t guarantee a different outcome,” said Baldwin.