MANILA, Philippines – With Alaska winding up on its intense, two-week training camp with Australian coach Rob Beveridge on Saturday, incoming combo guard Chris Banchero is curiously absent, fueling speculations that he could be on the way out.
But Alaska board governor Dickie Bachmann said the 6-foot-1 Fil-Italian guard's arrival got delayed because he had to attend to his two-year-old son, who is sick.
"He has to be with his son who has an infection in the leg and cannot travel," Bachmann told Philstar.com on Thursday.
But the Alaska team executive said the cat-quick former Seattle Pacific University standout has booked his ticket back to Manila and is expected to leave the US on Friday.
Banchero's original rookie one-year deal expired last month.
But Bachmann mentioned that the Aces' offer remains the same - a three-year deal worth P11.79 million.
The Aces' fifth overall pick in the 2014 Rookie Draft is set to receive P225,000 a month on the first year of the proposed new deal, P337,500 per month on the second year and a maximum salary of P420,000 monthly on his final year.
"We made an offer and I leave it to him to decide," said Bachmann.
"Once he gets back, we will have a better picture, but for now, he is focusing on his son," he added.
Banchero averaged decent numbers of 6.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his rookie season, helping the Aces to a pair of runner-up finishes in the Philippine Cup and Governors Cup.