Guiao sees bubble as last resort

NLEX mentor Yeng Guiao is ready to enter another bubble if the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) runs out of options to launch its 46th season.

Guiao said he doesn’t mind spending months of non-stop basketball inside a biosecure environment for the sake of safely restarting the 46th season.

He, however, stressed that the league should first exhaust all options before resorting to a bubble setup, a concept that cost the league P65 million and took a toll on the mental health of the players the last time it was held last year.

“We are ready to enter a bubble as a last resort,” Guiao told Daily Tribune in a telephone conversation.

“The most important thing is that we have a tournament that is safe for everyone to play.”

Right now, the PBA is in limbo due to the massive surge of coronavirus cases.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, the staging of the 46th season depends on the availability of vaccine in which they are planning to inoculate the entire PBA family first before launching the season.

They are already in talks with the Philippine Red Cross about the possibility of purchasing Moderna vaccine while the group of TNT Tropang Giga team owner Manny Pangilinan also offered to give them doses.

But nothing is concrete at the moment as the government has yet to roll out the vaccination program in the private sector, including the athletes.

Marcial said their main problem right now is the arrival of vaccine supply.

With that, they are not discounting the possibility of holding another bubble tourney, with Ilocos Norte emerging as the frontrunner.

“It is realistic that in the next few weeks, the league can source out and justify the need for vaccination,” Guiao said.