Nangyari ito dahil sa tulong ni Sen. Robert Jaworski na bumilib kay Alvarez kaya ipinakiusap niya ito kay FedEx Team manager Lito Alvarez na makabalik sa Express.
Dahil na-impress din ang FedEx president, iminungkahi niya itong maglaro Valleydawgs, kung saan may commitment ang Express sa kanilang long-standing agreement para sa palitan ng basketball technology sa pamamagitan ng coaches at players.
Na-impress din si Valleydawgs manager Sam Unera kay Alvarez. "He (Bong) fits the Valleydawgs‚ razzle-dazzle style to a T. Talagang lumilipad."
"This is something we should all be proud of. Noong time ni Bong sa akin with Ginebra, wala naman kaming naging problema. I think it’s just a matter of handling him properly," sabi ni Sen. Jaworski. "I know Bong will carry the Philippine flag well and make us all proud."
Si Alvarez ay kikita ng $8,000 a month, bukod pa sa bonuses at iba pang insentibo sa kanyang three-and-a-half month stint sa Valleydawgs na nangangahulugang halos kapantay na nito ang maximum salary ng mga PBA players na P350,000 kada-buwan.
"But we’re not talking of money here. Depending on his performance, I can give him as much as $30,000 if he excels," ani Unera, na umaasang wala itong magiging problema sa attitude ni Alvarez dahil ang kanyang magiging coach ay si NBA legend Darryl Dawkins.
"Iba ang style ni Mr. Dawkins. Kapag nakikita niya na ayaw mong humataw, hindi ka niya ibe-bench. Lalu ka niyang paglalaruin, so that either you play your best, or make a fool of yourself," ani Unera.
Ani Unera, sa USBL nanggagaling ang mga dating NBA stars. "My player Olden Polynice is now with the Los Angeles Clippers because he did very well in the USBL."