MANPOWER problems have not been much of a concern for TNT thus far, but should be a major concern further down the road if not remedied soon.
That's why the Tropang Giga intend to make hay now while they still can when they take on the Terrafirma Dyip, with their own depleted workforce at 3 p.m. on Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A fifth straight win would boost TNT's overall record to 7-2 and solidify its claim to one of the eight quarterfinals seats and such a scenario appears to be a very distinct possibility.
Terrafirma has lost all its five matches thus far, a slide that has been helped along when none of its players were able to step up on a consistent basis after Isaac Go and Ed Daquioag got sidelined by injuries right in their second game.
Solid proof of that predicament by the Dyip was in their last outing, which was a 70-107 blowout loss to Blackwater last Saturday.
In stark contrast, TNT is coming off a 117-112 win over NorthPort just last Wednesday to notch its tournament-best winning roll to four despite playing its last two games minus the injured Troy Rosario, Ryan Reyes, JD Tungcab and Kib Montalbo.
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No wonder Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes lauds his players for their ability to adjust and plod along, especially his relievers. "Kailangan na namin ng depth, their services, as the season progresses and I think we're seeing some great contributions from those guys now, especially with the injuries we're dealing with," he said.
"First of all, we acknowledge that injuries are part of the process. We don't worry about who's not here. We just make sure that those who are here are ready and ready to play," added Reyes.
"We're just leaning on our agility, on our versatility and our ability to adjust on the fly, like having our guys play different positions."
It will be the Tropa's third game in six days in a speedy road that should get bumpier as they next take on San Miguel Beer on Thursday before winding up the eliminations against another former champion in Barangay Ginebra three days later.
How his team holds up is Reyes' main concern right now. "Obviously, our objective was to get as many wins as possible before we play the giants," he said.
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"Pero right now I think the key is for us to - of course we want to get those Ws - but more important for us is to get better and develop our game." (NC)
