REPORTS say Shabazz Muhammad has been cleared to play for Magnolia, making him eligible for another tour of duty starting with the Hotshots' duel with the Terrafirma Dyip Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Crisis over, the Hotshots will try to get back on track, looking to go above the .500 mark again as they tangle with the struggling Terrafirma Dyip in their 7:30 p.m. tiff.
Without the proper FIBA clearance yet for Muhammad, the Hotshots were forced to play all-Filipino and went down to a 74-82 defeat at the hands of the Meralco Bolts in their PBA Governors' Cup road showdown in Panabo on Saturday.
With that, the Hotshots are now at 3-3, sharing Group A third spot with the NorthPort Batang Pier behind the pacesetting TNT Tropang Giga (5-1) and the Meralco Bolts (5-1) as they set out for battle with the Dyip who are winless in six starts.
Until the Panabo snafu, the Hotshots were on a run, winning their last two outings with original import Glenn Robinson III.
Sponsored content: But the management and coaching staff were convinced they would have a better chance at getting into the playoffs and getting deep into the post-elims play with Muhammad, an NBA first-round draft choice who has shown his stuff in the local pro league with the NLEX Road Warriors and the San Miguel Beermen.
For the Dyip, the immediate concern is how to get over the hump to nail a first win.
Coach Johnedel Cardel and his crew are now in critical spot, badly needed to start winning if they're to land a spot in Group A top four which are to face the Group B top four in crossover quarterfinals matchups.
But the Dyip are in terrible shape, obviously a work in progress in terms of cohesion and chemistry following the offseason lineup shakeup that saw the entry of Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle.
An added big problem was the injury that felled guard scoring machine Juami Tiongson.(SB)
