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Calvin Abueva. Photo by Tristan Tamayo / INQUIRER.net
Phoenix Super LPG’s dramatic and emotional week culminated with the news it has been waiting for months, and the Fuel Masters are going to chase PH Cup glory inside the bubble with their most enigmatic star held at bay for the last few 16. months.
Calvin Abueva has finally gotten the green light from the Commissioner’s Office to return to action, ending the longest suspension from a local in league history as the former Rookie of the Year gets a chance to show just how reformed he is. and give the Fuel Masters a boost as the elimination round heads into its critical stages at the Angeles University Foundation powered by Smart 5G.
This was announced on Sunday, the day the first suspected positive COVID-19 case emerged in a gamer and prompted Commissioner Willie Marcial to postpone the Rain or Shine-Blackwater game before declaring the show continues, depending, of course. , of the sanitary situation in the next days in the confinement area.
The Blackwater player, by the way, had a negative antigen test Sunday night.
Phoenix started the PBA restart with two straight wins, dropped twice in a row after that and then pulled out a win from behind against Magnolia on Friday that thrilled Topex Robinson during the usual winning coach interview.
He described Abueva as “his son” and that a 91-84 Hotshot cut was dedicated to the 6-foot-3 bully.
“It’s been a long (wait),” Robinson told reporters in a chance encounter at the Quest Hotel as the Fuel Masters look for a second straight win on Monday against NLEX, looking to gain power and attack the pioneers.
However excited he is, Robinson was quick to point out that Abueva will be just one piece in a machine. Only time will tell how big it will be for the rest of the conference, considering how long it was away.
“There’s also the reminder that Calvin is not the whole team,” Robinson said. “He knows it. Having him doesn’t guarantee us wins, but putting him in the right place will obviously give us a better chance. And that’s what we care about right now.
“It’s not Superman who will save the day.”
Abueva went through a test that no PBA player before him had to endure.
He deliberately tackled TNT-imported Terrence Jones at last year’s Commissioner’s Cup before taunting league officials with a sarcastic dance on the floor after the rape.
Compounding that was an episode with Ray Parks Jr.’s girlfriend and the league axed him with an indefinite suspension that caused him millions in unearned wages and the mental torture of uncertainty in a professional career that was labeled one of all the times. great is when it started.
“He said he was grateful and that he would do everything he could to make the most of the new opportunity,” Marcial told reporters when asked what he and Abueva talked about before lifting the suspension. That long suspension also cost Phoenix as they struggled to continue their impressive Philippine Cup showing where they finished as the best team after the knockout round, winning nine of their 11 games.
The Fuel Masters compiled a 4-7 record during the Commissioner’s Cup, when Abueva was sanctioned, and then a woeful 3-8 record in the Governor’s Cup that ended the season. They missed the playoffs both times.
“Everybody is excited that he is there,” Robinson said. “We shouldn’t be too excited though. He could hurt us or help us.
“I mean, you have to play your cards right, because if you’re going to look at our team right now, we’re fine. So finding the right time to put it on is what will be crucial for us. “
Abueva will remain under close surveillance, according to Marcial. In a statement posted on the PBA website, the league chief said that he has established fines and penalties in case the temperamental athlete commits new minor offenses both on and off the court.
“We will have to stay grounded,” Robinson said.
The same goes for Abueva, according to the team’s acting coach.
“And as the commissioner said: fate is in Calvin’s hands,” Robinson said. INQ
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