Coach Chot Reyes said the New Year break is something he hopes would be beneficial for TNT following a seesaw start in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
One thing Reyes pointed out following a scary 95-92 win over Rain or Shine was to help new import Aaron Fuller get more acclimated after only getting acquainted with the team only on the day of his debut.
Fuller, who had stints with NLEX and Blackwater, had to spend time in quarantine after arriving from the United States to take the place of McKenzie Moore, whose knee issue has been cited by the team as one of the reasons for his struggles.
Reyes, however, clarified that Moore, who averaged just 10.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the first three games of the conference, will remain in Manila before the Tropang Giga make a final decision on who will reinforce them moving forward.
“We're pretty fortunate that we have a break. At least, we will have time to assimilate Aaron Fuller into our scheme of things,” Reyes said of Fuller, who finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in his debut held Sunday, Dec. 26 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“But this was really the gamble that we took when we got McKenzie Moore, then we found out that he was injured right off the bat. I saw, if we could just end the year na 50-50, then it would be a big win for us. And that's exactly how it turned out.”
The Tropang Giga have yet to find the form that enabled them to win the Philippine Cup title in late-October.
TNT opened its campaign with a 102-100 loss to NLEX last Dec. 15, came back to produce an 81-77 win over Alaska two days later before absorbing an 83-80 defeat to Meralco three days before Christmas.
Troy Rosario has yet to suit up due to injuries sustained in the Philippine Cup Finals while rookie Mikey Williams, RR Pogoy and Jayson Castro have carried the bulk of TNT’s production while being forced to play all-Filipino with Moore’s woes.
At 2-2, Reyes could only count his blessings.
“We could have easily been 0-4, but we could have also easily been 4-0,” Reyes said. “We had a shot for the win against NLEX, we had a shot for the win against Meralco, it just didn't pan out. That's just how this game is.
“We're happy with the 2-2, but we understand that it could have easily been 0-4. On the other hand, we could have easily been 4-0,” he added.