Are the future naturalized NBA players a good option for Smart Gilas Pilipinas?

Philippine coach Chot Reyes has been firm about letting Douthit play in Spain for the FIBA World Cup, as the 6'11" center still has some gas left in his tank. However, a rumor about acquiring the services of foreign-born players is making waves online.

For now, it is still apparent that Douthit can still be a solid contributor and a key player to Smart Gilas’ chase for basketball glory in the coming FIBA World Championships. He was awarded the best import in the recent FIBA Asia tournament and has been a stronghold in Philippines’ gold medal finish in the newly concluded Southeast Asian games.

If ever Douthit decides to hang ‘em up and say goodbye to his Smart Gilas duties or if coaches feels the need to replace him, some international players have been considered to be naturalized for them to join the national team. Players who were clamored by national team scouts include Oregon’s Michael Dunnigan ( 6’10 ), who previously played for the Air21 Express, Denzel Bowles ( 6’10 ) who gave his PBA team a championship, Robert Dozier ( 6’9 ) who also did what Bowles have done before, international league player Matt Kyle ( 6’11 ), NBA veterans Javale Mcgee ( 7’0 ) and Andray Blatche ( 6’11 ). Among these six players, it were Blatche and Mcgee who are clearly the favorites to become naturalized players.

Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes confirmed the development to News5 on Thursday, that bills have already been filed to naturalize NBA players JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche to become eligible for inclusion into the Philippine national men’s basketball roster. House Bill 3784 will take care of giving citizenship for McGee, while House Bill 3783 will do the same for Blatche. Mcgee expressed willingness to play for the Philippines. He even said in a note last 2012 that he would love to represent the Philippines if given the chance. If these bills would be vetoed, then we could certainly expect a continuous progress in Philippine basketball.