BY WAYLON GALVEZ
NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao doesn’t see any obstacle – major or minor – in the renewal of contracts of Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Alas, considered as the 1-2 punch of the Road Warriors in the PBA.
The two players have expiring three-year deals this year, Alas by end of August while Ravena on the last day of September, and Guiao said he expects the two to stay with NLEX.
“I don’t see any obstacle to their contract renewal. I’m sure gusto din naman nila parehas mag-stay sa team ng NLEX,” said Guiao in a telephone interview Monday.
“Numbers na lang sa tingin ko ang paguusapsan, konting pencil pushing na lang yan when it comes to their contract,” added Guiao, referring to the salaries of his pair of high profiled players.
The coaching staff and management of NLEX are expected to deliberate in the coming days the expiring contracts of players, and the deals on Ravena and Alas are top priorities.
Ravena signed his freshman deal back in 2017 after he was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft. This 45th season is the third and last of his contract.
Ravena, one of the rising stars in the pro league and a mainstay with the national team Gilas Pilipinas, is expected to command a maximum monthly salary of P420,000.
Alas, on the other hand, signed a three-year deal with NLEX also in 2017.
Originally drafted by Rain or Shine in 2014, he was dealt to TNT KaTropa prior to the season and was part of the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup champion as a rookie. Alas was shipped to NLEX the following season.
Like his backcourt partner, Alas too is expected to command a maximum offer.
Although they play similar positions as combo guards, Guiao was able to combine Ravena and Alas as backcourt tandem that helped NLEX barge to the semifinal stage of the 2017-18 Philippine Cup.
NLEX lost to the Magnolia Hotshots in six games of a best-of-seven series.
The next two seasons was a struggled for the Road Warriors as Alas dealt with knee injury, while Ravena had issues with FIBA, which had him skip for 18 months before finally returning late last season.
Based on their initial foray back in 2017-18 Philippine Cup, Guiao sees positivity considering both Alas and Ravena are healthy and still young players – and leaders of the Road Warriors.
“Noong una hindi magka-tono yung laro nung dalawa, but they were able to complement each other’s game. Later in the eliminations and in the playoff (of the Philippine Cup) that’s when they‘ve gotten their acts together,” said Guiao on the Ravena-Alas tandem.
“We don’t want to waste or not be able to maximize that combination. On a personal level for me they are not just good pair on the court but off the court as well. They’ve taken responsibility of the team.”
“They’re recognized, even by the veteran player on our team, as the team leaders of NLEX,” added Guiao.