One last chance to mend this broken relationship

PHOTO: JEROME ASCANO

CHICAGO – It’s been 14 months since Mikey Williams left TNT and rode into the sunset with his second Finals MVP plum after leading the telephone giant to the PBA Governor’s Cup title.

Unable to come to terms with a renegotiated deal with their star shooter, the flagship franchise of the MVP Group has been left in shambles, to put it mildly.

Here’s how TNT has fared in the previous two conferences of the 2023-24 PBA season.

Eighth in the Commissioner’s Cup with a below-average 5-6 mark followed by a quick exit at the hands of Magnolia, 109-94, in a one-sided quarterfinals.

Fourth in the Philippine Cup with a 6-5 record that was enough to enter the quarterfinals where Rain or Shine beat them in a best-of-three series, 2-1.

All told, TNT’s won-lost record across two conferences is 11-11 including 1-3 in the playoffs. But here’s the most damning statistic – 0 championships.

In contrast, San Miguel Beer’s won-lost record in the same span is 33-11 including 15-7 in the playoffs with two Finals appearances and one championship.

OBVIOUSLY, THERE’S NO SMB-TNT RIVALRY OF LATE.

Mikey’s disappearance is a malady that is slowly morphing into a tragedy. And TNT is determined to cure it.

“We have a lucrative offer on the table, but he needs to be here by July,” a team official told me in a telephone interview.

He wouldn’t elaborate how much “lucrative” is but he made it clear that the Tropang Giga are willing to do just a one-year dance with potential yearly extensions.

Their recalcitrance in signing a long-term contract is understandable. In his two previous deals, Mikey opted out, invoking a clause that eventually created this ongoing mess.

TNT is feeling once bitten, twice shy.

An agent who helped negotiate Williams’ prior contracts told me Mikey was paid $26,000 a month including royal perks (car service and free apartment) and bonuses of up to two months of extra pay per championship won.

That may not be enough to end Mikey’s extended hibernation.

GOOD TO GO.

“He’s ready to play. Just pay him what he deserves,” a person within Mikey’s camp said when asked for comment.

He, too, wouldn’t elaborate how much the asking price of the two-time PBA champ is.

What is known from talking to both parties is that a gulf still divides them when it comes to agreeing on the monetary terms.

Meanwhile, a couple friends and former players have reached out to Mikey on behalf of TNT with no avail. A belief is starting to form that Mikey is either done with playing or he just doesn’t want to return to the PBA anymore.

The upcoming PBA Rookie Draft is an avenue for TNT to pluck young talent and re-tool. But that process offers no guarantees.

Besides, rich teams don’t grow their own tomatoes, they acquire the best available in the market.

And that’s why TNT is keeping the door open. Mikey is a finished art that can win now, not tomorrow.

You don’t have to be a Jedi to figure that out.