Blatche hard at work

NBA veteran Andray Blatche is scheduled to arrive in Manila on May 15, three days before Gilas resumes training camp and the expectation is he’ll be in shape for the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament at the MOA Arena on July 5-10.

Before leaving for Manila, Blatche is scheduled to show up for private workouts with some NBA teams. That could only mean he’ll be in condition. Blatche, 29, hasn’t played in the NBA since suiting up for the Brooklyn Nets in 2013-14. One of the last players to join the NBA straight out of high school, Blatche played for Washington and Brooklyn in nine NBA seasons, earning about $40 Million. He averaged in double figure points in five seasons with a high 16.8 in 2010-11.

After leaving the Nets, Blatche played a year in the Chinese league on a salary of $2.5 Million. He was back this past season to play for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers on a brand-new $7.5 Million three-year deal.

Blatche hasn’t played league basketball since last Feb. 3 when Xinjiang lost a 115-104 decision to Sichuan in Game 3 of the best-of-5 semifinals. He compiled 33 points, nine rebounds and four assists but Xinjiang failed to avert a sweep in the playoffs. Blatche wound up averaging 23.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 42 games. The previous season, he averaged 31.1 points, 14.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

At the moment, Blatche is working out with renowned trainer Idan Ravin, author of the book “Hoops Whisperer.” Ravin, a lawyer, has worked with NBA stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, James Harden, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire, Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin. Blatche also trains with former University of Toledo basketball player Rory Jones.

It was Jones who referred Blatche to Gilas after NBA center JaVale McGee backed out of playing as a naturalized citizen because of an injury. Jones suggested Blatche as a replacement. He is now Blatche’s personal trainer.

This month, Blatche’s conditioning will be supervised by master elite basketball coach Christopher Thomas known for creating the standard of combining high-level performance training based on the sports science of functional movement and fundamental drills and exercises. Thomas will work on Blatche’s physical and mental capabilities to enhance his performance on the court. An accounting major from Purdue University, Thomas founded his 100% Hoops program in 1998 and has conducted camps all over the world, often with Nike, in promoting the importance of skills training.

SBP deputy executive director for international affairs Butch Antonio said the other day Blatche is getting ready for the Olympic qualifier in Atlanta. “He’s committed to Gilas,” said Antonio. “Dray signed his new Gilas contract about three weeks ago and he’s excited to come over. We know how important it is for Dray to be in shape. FIBA officials told us if Dray plays like he did at the World Cup in Spain and not like he did at the FIBA Asia Championships in Changsha, we have a chance at the Olympic qualifier. We want to see the Dray of Spain not the Dray of Changsha.”

Antonio said there was a plan for him to go to Atlanta to check up on Blatche. “Sir MVP was joking that if Dray weighs more than me, we’re in trouble,” chuckled Antonio, referring to SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan. “In the end, it wasn’t necessary to send me. We’ve been assured that Dray is working hard to get in shape.”

In Spain, Blatche was dominant and led the World Cup in scoring, rebounding, double-doubles and playing efficiency. The Philippines came close to making it to the second round but an overtime loss to Croatia and close defeats to Argentina and Puerto Rico doused hopes of advancing from Sevilla to Madrid. But Gilas caught FIBA’s attention with its gutsy play. Blatche averaged 21.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists while hitting 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line.

In Changsha, Blatche was overweight and it showed in his numbers. He averaged 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 70.6 percent from the stripe. Despite the drop in Blatche’s stats, Gilas managed to finish second to host China and booked one of three Asian slots in the Olympic qualifiers.

Blatche’s stats also took a dip in the Chinese league. But he led the Flying Tigers to the playoffs this past season when in the previous campaign, Xinjiang failed to advance. Two of his Flying Tigers teammates were Zhou Qi and Li Gen who played for China in Changsha.

Blatche was the Wizards’ second round pick in the 2005 NBA draft. While Blatche played in China in 2014-15, he still drew a salary of $8.4 Million from Washington under the terms of his contract. He has two more years left to play in China but reports of working out with NBA teams indicate his contract may stipulate an out-clause in case of an NBA call-up.