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Jonathan Simmons. PBA PICTURES
NLEX coach Frankie Lim often joked in post-game interviews about hiding Jonathon Simmons’ passport since it was determined that the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) would not be around for long.
It may have been Lim’s way of showing his appreciation to Simmons, whose Road Warriors campaign ended in all four games before fellow former NBA player Wayne Selden took over to try and maintain the team’s hot start in last season’s Governors Cup.
Lim hopes Selden can provide at least some of the list of qualities he described from the former San Antonio Spurs cager.
“Leadership is within [and] he knows how to win games. I think I’m going to miss it,” Lim said of Simmons after a 98-94 win over the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Saturday at the Ynares Center here.
“He’s a good person to work with, even in practice. Magaan kasama (Easy to be around),” added the Road Warriors mentor after a big turnaround from a jittery debut in the Commissioner’s Cup.
Selden has not yet joined the team, but Lim plans to see him as soon as possible to begin the transition phase that the Road Warriors hope will be easy before facing Commissioner’s Cup champion Barangay Ginebra on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It’s obviously a big challenge for NLEX because the Ginebra match will be a measure if the Road Warriors are for real, even if Simmons will return to China to continue his professional career there.
In the midst of Simmons’ recent action, Lim was able to sneak in some news about what NLEX should do other than import changes, as seen against Phoenix.
“I think we need to get more points from Kevin [Alas]Slip [Trollano]even Sean Anthony and Brandon [Ganuelas-Rosser],” he said.
Simmons finished with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals to finish his trip in the Philippines. Four game averages of 37.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals will leave a lot to be desired.
“I have a short window to play basketball, I just think about it,” Simmons said.
And Lim, once again, couldn’t resist another joke about Simmons’ passport.
“He already has a passport,” Lim said before telling the import to “make sure it’s real,” prompting a smile from Simmons.
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