SAN JUAN (William Rosario's Somewhere in the Americas) - I'm intolerant to the tolerance that some national teams have to some players.

In the past few weeks, the national team of Puerto Rico (I'm back home by the way, in between events) has been affected by some players that have yet to commit to play for this summer for sentimental and emotional reasons.

Peter John Ramos, who had been left out of the national team during the Paco Olmos-two-year era, began this new process under legendary college basketball coach Rick Pitino by missing his individual workout, stating that he had a MRI scheduled the same day. He played the day before and the day after the workout.

Then, Pitino came out saying he wanted Ramos in the national team. In a Primera Hora, Puerto Rican newspaper, piece Pitino said: "I can't confirm him yet, but I'm optimistic. I understand him. He has great resentment to have been sidelined in recent years, but I explained that what matters is not what happened, but to look to the future. He needs to use his previous experiences as motivation to be a better player." 

Pitino, master recruiter, is doing and saying the right things now when it comes to these guys. He has come up against the fact that player resources in the island are not that great and letting go of a 7ft 4in center is unthinkable. I understand his motives.

But I don't understand Ramos. What is he thinking?

Ricky Sanchez, the second seven footer available to play for Pitino this summer, has also been missing in action.

"And in the case of Ricky, he expressed to me dissatisfaction with the lack of unity on the team. And that is precisely one of my commitments this year, to work for the unity of the team. This team not only will always eat together, but go out together and everything that is done will be done together. In fact, when we train in Louisville, we will even go out together," added Pitino.

Again, what? You express dissatisfaction over the unity of a team by not being with the team? Or is he talking in code about a national federation issue? If the latter is the case, I don't understand his grudge and he has definitely made his point. But now, having not reported for over a month of practice and the Pan Am Games under Pitino’s guidance is just… wow, incredible. What is he thinking?

But both of them fall short to Jorge Bryan Diaz and his story.

Bryan Diaz, deemed last year as the future center of the national team, did not attend practice because he "wanted to rest, heal and work on my body." 

When I first heard that quote, I actually thought it was a prank, somebody impersonating Diaz. It was hard to believe that this guy, who Pitino had said was going to be his star at the Pan American Games, had decided to not attend for those reasons. What was he thinking?

"Honestly it is disappointing. The worst thing is that he did not even call ahead of time for us to be able to make adjustments. For my part, I was excited to work with him and make him a better player. In the Pan-American Games he was going to play 30 minutes per game. He would have been my main player in the paint. I do not understand his decision," Pitino said about Diaz.

Last year I wrote a column, that got me some flack, asking the question "Is Facundo Campazzo bigger than a tournament?". It centered on the managers of Penarol de Mar del Plata (Campazzo's team then) arguing the fact that the point guard was too big to go play the ODESUR Games with the national team over staying and playing with the club in the national league.

I argued that it was an insane claim by the club because Campazzo was 22 years old. And 22-year-old players play this kind of tournaments. They just do. When the national team comes calling, you go, and you take the opportunity to leave your mark in another international event. The wear and tear that may be a factor for the absence of veteran players is not a factor for him. And if I have seen greats like Jose "Piculin" Ortiz play in the ODECABE games after leading the Puerto Rican national team to four Olympic Games appearances and having a legendary career in and outside his country, well, it makes it difficult for me to believe that the ODESUR are too big for anybody.

Then I added that, "fortunately, the kid is a good kid and has not made any public comments about the dispute."

Because, he WANTED to play. And he ended up playing for the national team.

So I go back to Ramos, Sanchez and Diaz. Why are they not playing? Why are they not taking the advantage of having a summer coached under one of the most legendary coaches in the history of the sport? Who does that?

Jose Juan Barea does not. The star point guard, leader of the national team, was the first to report to practice for Pitino. A player that just finished an 87-game season in the NBA, after playing in both the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the Centrobasket last summer. And he was there on the first day. Probably the only player that could have withdrawn due to "physical exhaustion" (Diaz played 44 games this year in the Puerto Rican national league).

This is the big man era Puerto Rico is going through right at this moment.

I insist, what are they thinking?

And I ask that question sincerely about Ramos, Sanchez and Diaz. I honestly cannot even fathom what they are thinking when they make those decisions and the only answer I can come up with is that I don’t think they like basketball that much.  That must be it.

"I remember when I interviewed him several weeks ago I asked him if he loved basketball and he replied that 'he liked basketball'. I told him he had to love it if he really wanted to be good. The pity is that it is a boy with huge potential that hasn’t even begun to reach it," said Pitino about Diaz, confirming my thought.

What a shame. But they are still counting on Ramos and Sanchez to join the team for the FIBA Americas Championship in late August, early September. If I was the national federation and the coaching staff, I would reject them already, especially when they are using “Puerto Rico First” as their summer theme. This lack of respect for the opportunity to represent the country should not be allowed.

This is the time to say thank you, good-bye and move on.

Is the famous quote that Pitino produced when he coached the Boston Celtics adaptable to the Puerto Rico national team (I'll take the liberty of substituting Bird for Ortiz)?

"[Piculin] is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through the door, they're going to be grey and old. What we are is young, exciting, hard-working, and going to improve. People don’t realize that."

Boricuas can only hope.

William Rosario

FIBA

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