As the curtains fell on the 2022-23 PBA Governors' Cup Finals, one of the lingering questions was whether Jojo Lastimosa -- who masterminded TNT Tropang Giga's triumph over Barangay Ginebra -- would still be at the helm come the new season, or if he would revert to his previous solitary role as team manager.
The answer, as it turned out, was the former as Lastimosa was tasked by team management to continue serving as interim coach while Chot Reyes is on sabbatical following a tough grind in the FIBA World Cup.
It did make sense to let 'Jolas' continue handling a team that is coming off a championship and on paper looked to be a solid contender this coming season. But what no one counted on was a series of unfortunate events that have threatened to undermine the team's championship aspirations even before the new PBA season opens.
Already reeling from the loss of center Justin Chua to an anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered before the Governors' Cup Finals, the Tropang Giga also lost Poy Erram to bone spurs which forced him to withdraw from the Gilas Pilipinas pool and has relegated him to the injured/reserve list with uncertainty over when he will return.
Meanwhile, Governors' Cup Finals Most Valuable Player Mikey Williams left for the United States after the season and still hasn't returned. The team didn't include him in their official roster, and Lastimosa has grown tired of being asked when he expects his star guard to come back.
"No idea," he told ESPN. "You have to ask Chot and (TNT governor) Mr. (Ricky) Vargas.
"I'm hands-off now with Mikey. I am going to roll with the players that I have right now. It doesn't matter if Mikey's here or not."
The word is Williams continues to hold out for a new contract, even though he signed an extension just last year.
As if that weren't enough, sharpshooter RR Pogoy was diagnosed with myocarditis -- a condition caused by the inflammation of the heart muscle -- and is out indefinitely.
"My thoughts and prayers are with Roger," Lastimosa said. "It's a terrible thing that happened to Roger and you don't want to wish that to anybody, especially your own player.
"The weird thing about that sickness with Roger is that you don't know how long that's going to (take to) heal. It depends on how his body would react."
It is against this backdrop that the Tropang Giga will open the Commissioner's Cup on Sunday against Magnolia Hotshots. The franchise has won this conference just twice in its 33-year history, and hasn't won it in nearly nine years.
Thanks to their participation in the East Asia Super League, the Tropang Giga returned to practice sooner than other teams, which gave them more time to integrate their three newcomers -- veteran big man Jewel Ponferrada and rookies Henry Galinato and Kim Aurin.
They set up training camp at the Inspire Academy in Calamba in early September, although the head count was still a bit low due to injuries and conditioning issues.
"One good thing about going into our camp is that we are able to accomplish things quickly and be in one place," Lastimosa said. "All you have to think about is just basketball, and just the team and your teammates."
Let's get one thing clear, though: the Tropang Giga still have a potent core of Jayson Castro, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Gilas stalwart Calvin Oftana. Of these three, Lastimosa is looking to Oftana to do most of the heavy lifting.
"I don't want to put pressure on Calvin but he will have to carry the load here," Lastimosa said. "Calvin has a bigger responsibility in terms of scoring in this coming conference, and even maybe in the All-Filipino (Philippine Cup) because we don't know when Roger's coming back.
"But I think he's capable of doing that and I think he can produce. He's got all the skills to be the main guy for us."
With Williams and Pogoy sidelined, TNT's guard rotation lost a lot of depth. But they still have Castro, who is still going strong as he enters his 15th season.
"It's a challenge for me," Castro admitted. "But, of course, my number one issue is my health. I need to maintain my health first so I can perform well.
"But as of now, my condition is good. I can't replace Mikey and Roger, who are good for almost 40 points a game. We need to become a defensive team in this conference so that we can win games."
It also helps that they will be getting Hollis-Jefferson for the whole conference this time, unlike in the Governors' Cup when he joined TNT midway through the conference. Plus, he's in shape after playing for Jordan in the World Cup and Asian Games.
"From the start, he already knows the system we're going to run," Castro said of Hollis-Jefferson. "And the best thing about him is he's not just a scorer. Even in defense, he's always involved -- how he communicates with every player, what they're doing."
Ponferrada and Galinato, both acquired in a draft-day trade with Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, will be teaming up with veteran Kelly Williams down low.
"Jewel is a veteran and I was really surprised to see him first hand," Lastimosa said. "He's actually a very mobile big: tough, strong and very smart, too. We're going to need Jewel to play a major role here together with Kelly."
Galinato almost quit basketball but was persuaded to give it another go. He says he's gradually learning the ropes while getting his conditioning back to an optimal level.
"It's a lot harder than I expected," he said. "Obviously, being pro is going to be harder than it was in college.
"I expected it to be difficult at first because I took that time off. But I feel like I'm slowly getting in the groove again. I just hope I can get back to the level I was playing at before."