TNT Tropang 5G head coach Chot Reyes deals with a double-edged sword with the arrival of new reinforcement Chris McCullough.
On one end, it’s a relief for the Tropang 5G as they need a quick replacement for injured super import Bol Bol.
But on the flip side, there’s no guarantee McCullough’s entry will result in a seamless integration with the team’s system, given that he only has a couple of days to adapt to a squad already in the middle of a fierce semifinals series against Meralco in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.
“It’s very ticklish because on one end, introducing a new element to the team can go both ways: it can give us a jolt of energy, but it can also get in the way of how smoothly things are going with the team,” Reyes said.
McCullough arrived on the same day the all-Filipino defending champion pulled off a miracle in Game 3 with a 77-75 escape over the Bolts to regain the lead in the best-of-seven series on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
He was able to catch the match that was not decided until the final buzzer.
The 31-year-old former Syracuse star is expected to fill the void left by the 7-foot-3 Bol, who went down with a conference-ending Achilles tear last Friday in TNT’s Game 2 defeat, with the pivotal Game 4 starting on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“They just got a great win. Hopefully, we can carry it on to the next game. I’ll attend practice and run plays a little bit, get familiar with my teammates,” McCullough said.
“I think when I stepped on the court Wednesday, it’ll hit me a little differently,” he added.
“But I’m just still happy to be here. Just ready to get out there and play. Taking it one game at a time. That’s about it.”
McCullough’s PBA return is quite a turnaround, as he will be playing, ironically, with the franchise he beat in the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup finals, when he was still playing for San Miguel Beer.
“It’s crazy, I know, playing with them. I’m taking it one day at a time. They welcomed me in the locker room, they welcomed me here. So, it should be good. I’m ready to play,” he said.
McCullough, who is fresh from a stint with the Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards, is the third name that came up as an emergency reinforcement when TNT was scrambling for a replacement.
The Tropang 5G considered tapping National Basketball Association veterans Marquese Chriss and Darius Days, but the move failed to materialize on such short notice.
TNT then called on recently naturalized player Malick Diouf but his papers were not processed in time to get the green light to play.
McCullough has big shoes to fill as Bol consistently provided huge numbers on both sides of the court.
Bol exited the league with an average of 35.8 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per outing.
