PBA: Nothing but initial talks with Danny I's agent, says Meralco coach Gregorio

Amid persistent rumors that the Bolts are after Danny Ildefonso to plug their gap up front, Meralco Bolts head coach Ryan Gregorio admitted that there have been talks between the 36-year old, two-time MVP and their franchise.

"There are initial talks with the agent, but it's just first base and exploratory in nature. If there is really one thing that's stopping us, it's his injury history, all kinds of ailments," said Gregorio. "That's why we have to be really, really sure right now that once we make that move, he's really 100 percent healthy."

[Related: Danny Ildefonso - The last of the San Miguel Beermen]

While some sources say Ildefonso's inclusion is a lock, Gregorio expressed some concern about incorporating a new player into his line-up.

"If we made our layups, maybe, and if we made our stops, [after all] it was just a two-possession game. Of course it's blatant we got out-rebounded for obvious reasons," he said, after losing on Friday against GlobalPort Batang Pier.

"Is a veteran big guy the answer? I still don't know. Will I make a move right now? Not yet, but I'm keeping my options and my eyes wide open," he said.

Meralco was clobbered on the glass 52-37, 16-6 on offensive rebounds, though there was only a 9-6 difference in second-chance points between the two sides.

Ildefonso, who turns 37 next week, had expressed his desire to reunite with former San Miguel Beermen coach Jong Uichico on the Meralco bench after the Petron Blaze Boosters decided against renewing their former franchise player's contract.

Following the emergence of June Mar Fajardo and the draft hype surrounding Greg Slaughter, Ian Sangalang and Raymond Almazan, PBA observers have pointed out that the league is trending towards a big man's game. But right now, the Meralco Bolts are fine despite ignoring the memo.

[Check out Meralco's progress through the 2013-14 Philippine Cup here]

The Bolts have been treading water in the Philippine Cup, as their undersized front court has carried them to a 2-3 record. Meralco have been improvising with playing their forwards out of position, featuring Rabeh Al-Husseini at center, and Jared Dillinger and Sunday Salvacion taking turns at power forward.

At times it's worked well, including a dominant win over Air21 (112-79), and they managed to upset Slaughter and the rest of Ginebra (100-87). In their losses to Rain or Shine, GlobalPort and Talk N' Text, they trailed in the final tally by an average of 5.3 points.

Still, Gregorio doesn't think it's a strategy for the long term, and prefers that his forwards return from injury. Earlier this conference, Cliff Hodge sustained a sprain that could sideline him for 4-6 more weeks, while Reynel Hugnatan's sprain could keep him out of play for three more weeks.

"If I have a timeframe, they should've been ready last week, but it's not my call. I'm following the orders of the doctor and they can't fast-track the whole process," he said, expressing relief that the current conference has a longer schedule. "Teams will figure us out because of injuries to three players playing a similar position and that's something they can pounce on."

Right now the league will have to watch and see if Meralco can continue to pull off surprises with their current lineup, but for all we know, the Bolts could have a hidden card up their sleeve. Ildefonso's addition might not be a game changer for the Bolts, but could provide welcome relief in the interim.

"I haven't really sat down and looked at the pros and cons of new guys coming in. We still have able guys on this roster who can fill those five to six minutes per half. We're just focusing on what we have right now. It's a deck of cards that is given me, I just have to play it," Gregorio said. - AMD, GMA News