Smart Gilas chases deadline for Blatche

MANILA, Philippines - Time is of the essence as the clock continues to tick with the Asian Games deadline of May 30 a week away for Brooklyn Nets center Andray Blatche to submit his Philippine passport for eligibility to play in Incheon on Sept. 19-Oct. 4.

The other day, the Senate approved Bill No. 4084 granting citizenship to Blatche by naturalization on second reading with Sen. Jinggoy Estrada waiving interpellation to affirm his support for the measure sponsored by Sen. Sonny Angara. The bill is calendared for third reading on Monday with approval a formality.

The process of naturalization through legislation started in the House of Representatives with the bill authored by Rep. Robbie Puno. The consolidated bill will be transmitted to Malacanang for President Aquino’s final approval after the Senate clears it on third reading. It will be a tight squeeze but Gilas coach Chot Reyes said he hopes to beat the Asian Games deadline.

The Senate postponed discussion of the bill on second reading twice last week as Sen. Estrada, who has a long history of supporting Philippine basketball, asked for assurance of Blatche’s commitment to play for the Philippines to avoid arbitrarily granting citizenship.

Reyes and team manager Aboy Castro later met with Sen. Estrada to submit Blatche’s sworn affidavit expressing his commitment. Blatche has confirmed to play for the Philippines at least up to 2016 or until the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He will be lined up for the FIBA World Cup in Spain on Aug. 30-Sept. 14 and the Asian Games in Incheon. Blatche’s commitment means he relinquishes eligibility to play for any other country, including the US, in FIBA tournaments.

Reyes said Blatche’s choice of playing for the Philippines is unprecedented. “It’s not every day you get a legitimate NBA player to renounce his eligibility to play for any country except the Philippines in FIBA,” an SBP official said. “Andray isn’t in between leagues. He just finished playing for the Brooklyn Nets in the playoffs. Yet he’s committed to play for the Philippines and he’s excited to do it.”

Blatche himself told The Star in a meeting at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn last month that he’s looking forward to playing in Spain. He said he’s overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from Filipino fans around NBA arenas all over the US. His best friend Bryan Extra said playing for the Philippines is something they talk about every day. And his younger brother Tre said Blatche can do it all on the court for the Philippines.

Blatche would’ve liked to travel to the Philippines except that he is opting to become a free agent on June 30 and has been advised by his agent to stay in the US in case his presence is required during negotiations for a new contract. Blatche will visit the Philippines after Spain and before flying to Incheon for the Asian Games. Reyes said the plan is for Gilas to make a stop in Manila in between the World Cup and Asian Games so it’s exactly what Blatche has in mind.

Reyes said since Blatche lives in Miami during the offseason, Gilas will set up training camp in the Florida city after playing at the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China, on July 11-19. The camp will introduce Blatche to his Gilas teammates, including Marcus Douthit. In the run-up to the World Cup, Blatche will play about 10 practice games with Gilas.

Blatche and his Nets teammates were scheduled for exit-season interviews in Brooklyn yesterday. The Nets were eliminated by Miami in five games in the second round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs.

For the FIBA Asia Cup and the World Cup, the deadlines are later than the Asian Games. The Gilas 24-man lineup is due for the FIBA Asia Cup on June 11 and the 12-man roster on July 2. For the World Cup, the 24-man cast is due on June 30 and the 12-man lineup, possibly in the last week of July.

Several senators came out in the open to support the bill for Blatche’s naturalization. The Committee on Justice chaired by Sen. Koko Pimentel prioritized the bill for discussion. Majority Floor Leader Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Sen. Vicente (Tito) Sotto, Sen. Pia Cayetano and Sen. J. V. Ejercito also backed up Sen. Angara’s bill.

Sen. Estrada clarified that he never intended to block the bill. He said he raised questions about the measure “not for the purpose of preventing Mr. Blatche from playing for the Philippines but to put a stop to the practice of arbitrarily granting citizenship to individuals.” Sen. Estrada said, “I want to see our national team succeed and become world champions” but cautioned legislators from “cheapening” Filipino citizenship which carries “a great responsibility.” Sen. Estrada noted that Blatche’s sworn statement declaring his commitment to embrace Filipino customs, traditions and ideals was reassuring.

Blatche, 27, has earned over $30 million in his nine-year NBA career. This past season, he averaged 11.2 points in 73 games with the Nets. In the playoffs, he hit at a 6.4 clip with a single-game high of 15 points.