PBA
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Aguilar is ready to face consequences
By WAYLON GALVEZ, Manila Bulletin

Saying he did not break any PBA rule, Japeth Aguilar declared he is ready to sit down for at least three months if the PBA
won’t allow him to play for the Smart-Gilas developmental team.

The 6-foot-9 Aguilar is a member of the Smart Gilas team of coach Rajko Toromas that will play as a guest team in the PBA
Philippine Cup which starts on Sunday.

Aguilar had refused to sign with Burger King after he was picked No. 1 overall during the PBA draft. His decision prompted
Burger King team manager and current PBA chairman Lito Alvarez to propose before the PBA board that Aguilar be banned
from all PBA games.

    “Parang masama kasi para sa akin kapag
    tinanong ng Burger King, tapos I don’t want to play
    for them,” Aguilar said. “Pero ’yung rights ko nasa
    kanila pa rin. I just want to serve my country first,
    so it will be like two years (that Burger King own
    my rights). I know ’yun naman ’yung rule eh. As far
    as I know, wala ako bine-break na rule.

    Aguilar said he’s very happy with Smart-Gilas.

    “Hopefully things will go well, so sana maayos na
    lahat. I just want to stick with this team because I
    bonded with them well na. I just want to
    concentrate in this team talaga,” Aguilar added.

    Toroman said Aguilar should be given the
    opportunity to play with the team when they start
    playing in the pro league because his happy
    where he is.

    “He’s a very important player for us,” Toroman
    said. “Japeth likes to play for us, you saw that he’s
    really part of the team. He enjoys playing with us.”

    “We still don’t know the situation with him what
    the PBA will decide,” Toroman said. “The decision
    is not in our hands, the decision is in the hands of
    PBA.”

“It’s really pity that this kind of player, one of the most potential players in the history of Philippine basketball will sit down for
two, three months. But anyway we are ready. He is ready also to sit down. He will sit two months and then we’ll go
internationally and then he will play,” he added.