Was Gilas playing possum?

Gilas 11-man team absorbed a painful whipping in two friendlies with the South Korean national team in Suwon last Friday and Sunday, raising doubts as to whether coach Tim Cone’s troops are ready to battle souped-up opponents in defense of the Asian Games gold medal in Nagoya.

From the way Gilas crumbled in losing to South Korea, the outlook isn’t bright in Nagoya. The first game was an 81-55 blowout with the Philippines held to only 22 points the entire second half. Gilas could shoot just 28 percent from the floor, 5-of-27 from three and collected 12 assists to the host team’s 23. Korean star Lee Hyun Joong compiled 27 points, including 7 of 11 triples, three rebounds and five assists in 28:42 minutes. The second tune-up was worse for Gilas, hitting 26 percent from the field, dishing out 13 assists to Korea’s 23 and committing more turnovers, 16-8. In two games, RJ Abarrientos failed to notch a single point and went 0-of-8. Robert Bolick was 0-of-10 from three and 2-of-15 overall.  Justine Baltazar and Adrian Nocum were the only twin digit scorers in the first encounter while Zavier Lucero was the lone double figure scorer in the second where Baltazar and Brandon Bates scored zero but combined for 18 boards. Gilas was held to four points in the first quarter of the second game.

The exhibitions exposed Gilas’ lack of chemistry and cohesion. Perhaps, the team was playing possum, not revealing what’s in store for opponents in Nagoya. If Gilas’ advantage is supposed to be speed, it didn’t show. Defense was loose and shots wouldn’t fall in consistently. Will Gilas unravel when the real hostilities begin?

Bahrain is coming in with four naturalized players. They’re 6-11 Elijah Thomas, 29, of Clemson University, 6-10 Uros Ilic, 28, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6-7 Austin Ajukwa, 31, of Clemson and University of North Carolina at Charlotte and 6-9 JaKarr Sampson, 33, of St. John’s University. Thomas played for Charlotte in the NBA Summer League and has barnstormed 16 countries. Ajukwa averaged 39.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in 15 games in the Bahrain league this season and has seen action in six other countries. Sampson suited up for Philadelphia, Denver, Sacramento, Chicago and Indiana in six NBA seasons, averaging 5.2 points in 236 games with 94 starts. He has played in China for four years, Italy and Kuwait. The locals are 5-10 Mustafa Rashed, 5-9 Ahmed Salman Haji, 5-8 Ahmed Alderazi, 5-11 Ahmed Bindayneh, 5-10 Ali Rashed, 6-1 Ali Jaber, 6-4 Muhammad Juma and 6-3 Mohmmad Buallay.

Bahrain wound up 10th of 16 in the last Asiad, beating Thailand by 14 but losing to Gilas by 28, Jordan by 24 and South Korea by 15. Bahrain, however, is now coached by Slovenian veteran Slobodan Subotic, 70, a two-time Greek league Coach of the Year with stops in Italy, Croatia, Lebanon, Montenegro, Tunisia, Cyprus, Mongolia and Saudi Arabia. Bahrain won’t be a pushover in Nagoya and Gilas is forewarned of danger ahead.