Williams is ready to resume practice with Sta. Lucia
July 31, 2009 9:38 am
MANILA, July 31 – Sta. Lucia Realty assistant coach Adonis Tierra said on Friday that the team’s top scorer and former PBA MVP Kelly Williams is ready to practice, hoping to suit up for the team in time for the PBA’s 35th season opener in October.
“We've talked to him early this week and he told us he’ll be ready to practice starting Monday,” Tierra said during weekly SCOOP sa Kamayan session at the Padre Faura in Ermita.
Williams had been diagnosed earlier in the quarterfinal round of the Fiesta Conference with immune thrombocycotopenic purpura that caused his platelets, tiny particles in the human blood system, to drop.
Tierra said Williams, since contacting the disease, been given prednisone, a steroid to suppress his immune system and although his platelets increased, it has not been enough for him to resume his playing career.
Tierra said during the forum, sponsored by ACCELL that Williams has, of late, been responding positively to his medication for his platelets to go back to normal and eliminate the risk of bleeding or bruising during games.
Tierra, said Ryan Reyes is also hoping to return from injury before the PBA opening as the Realtors’ pointguard has already been working out with Team Pilipinas bound for the FIBA-Asia world championship elimination next week in Tianjin, China.
Tierra also disclosed that except for minor details in their new contracts, the re-signing of injured Williams and Joseph Yeo are already done deals, adding that all other Realtors, whose contracts had expired at the end of the PBA 34th season, will be negotiated before the next season in October.
Besides Williams and Yeo, those whose contracts had expired are Nerbert Omolon, Norman Gonzales, Dennis Daa and Christian Coronel, who Tierra added, will be negotiating with the management in the next one or two weeks time.
”I think there is no problem in renewing their contract,” he said.
Those with live contracts are team captain Dennis Espino, Marlow Aquino, Paolo Mendoza, Denok Miranda, Chito Jaime, Kelvin Gregorio, Melvin Mamaclay and Philip Butel.
Tierra also said that the Realtors have just acquired Gabby Espinas from Barako Bull in exchange of the team’s first round pick in the PBA draft on Sunday. (PNA) LBV/jfm/utb
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