Clarkson reinstated to play for Gilas

MANILA, Philippines — A last-minute request by the POC was granted yesterday by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to reinstate Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson in the Philippines’ 12-man basketball lineup for the Asian Games but final clearance from the NBA remained pending at presstime to clear the way for his Gilas debut.

Despite a previous denial of Clarkson’s participation in the Asian Games, it appears the NBA has opened the door for the Fil-Am to play in the so-called Olympics of Asia after a series of overseas phone calls with SBP chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and SBP president Al Panlilio. NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum spoke in the league’s behalf in trying to arrive at a compromise solution. An avalanche of social media appeals from Filipino fans has flooded the NBA portals and could’ve led to a rethinking of the rejection.

However, no NBA approval has been officially announced so the SBP was unable to confirm Clarkson’s participation as The Star went to press. What brought an air of optimism to the waiting game was OCA director of Asian Games Department Haider Farman’s letter to POC secretary-general Patrick Gregorio late yesterday afternoon confirming Clarkson’s reinstatement. Haider said Clarkson was brought back to the Gilas roster to show OCA’s “solidarity and cooperation with all.”

Gregorio had previously sent an urgent request to Haider in behalf of POC president Ricky Vargas and Cayetano to replace Don Trollano with Clarkson in the Gilas cast. He also asked if the Philippines game against Kazakhstan, set at 10 a.m. tomorrow, could be postponed to later at night or the next day but because of schedule constraints, it was denied.

Due to the uncertainty of his situation, Clarkson has rebooked his flight to Jakarta at least five times. He was distraught when the NBA initially denied his participation in the Asian Games. With a possible reconsideration in the offing, Clarkson is reportedly flying to Jakarta via Japan or Singapore or Manila since there are no direct flights to Indonesia from Los Angeles. He could arrive in Jakarta at 11 tonight at the earliest or 12 noon tomorrow at the latest. Whether Clarkson will have boarded or not was being monitored.

 Clarkson’s agent Chris Emens said assuming he arrives in Jakarta tonight or tomorrow, the Fil-Am may not be physically and mentally ready to play Kazakhstan in a game that’s a virtual knockout contest to determine which two teams from Group D will advance to the quarterfinals. China, Kazakhstan and the Philippines are the only teams in Group D and the lowest finisher after a single round-robin will be struck out of contention.

The word from the POC is if Clarkson flies in, he will be designated the Philippine flag-bearer in the opening parade on Saturday, regardless of whether or not the NBA clearance comes. If in the end Clarkson is unable to play, the Philippines will battle with an 11-man roster. Gilas coach Yeng Guiao has been advised that Clarkson may play after all but he could be doubtful against Kazakhstan. The Philippines’ second game will be against China on Aug. 21.

When Clarkson’s participation was put to question due to a rule prohibiting NBA players from performing in non-FIBA sanctioned competitions like the Asian Games, China refused to delist Houston Rockets center Zhou Qi and Dallas Mavericks forward Ding Yanhuyang from its Asian Games lineup. The NBA has expressed concern that players may be exposed to injury or overextended in tournaments during the offseason and could give the Asian cagers the choice of seeing action in either the Asian Games or the next window of the 2019 FIBA Asia/Pacific World Cup Qualifiers. Since China is guaranteed a ticket to the 2019 FIBA World Cup as the host nation, playing in the Qualifiers is an academic exercise meant more for training so if given the choice, it will opt to suit up Zhou and Ding in the Asian Games instead.