It is an improbable scenario to say the least.
There is a chance Justin Brownlee could play for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the upcoming PBA Commissioner’s Cup. The catch is that a lot of things have to go right if that is to happen.
On Saturday’s episode of One PH’s Power & Play, respected sports analyst Quinito Henson explained in detail how Brownlee can still suit up in the PBA despite failing a doping test in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
He said it starts with JB proving beyond doubt that the carboxy-THC found in his urine sample was due to the medications he had been taking to heal from his bone spur removal in August. It is something Barangay Ginebra governor and Gilas Pilipinas team manager Alfrancis Chua and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas have been working on already.
It does not mean that Brownlee will escape punishment. It means that his suspension could be reduced significantly to around three months instead of the reported two years. Brownlee's suspension, according to Henson, could even be as short as a month, depending on the "reckoning period."
“In some cases, FIBA, in giving out the suspension, will look at the point of extraction of the urine sample as the point where they will determine the number of days for suspension,” Henson explained.
In Brownlee’s case, that day is October 7—the day after Gilas Pilipinas’ historic gold medal win over Jordan.
“I’m very hopeful, if not optimistic, that if the ruling is, say, a one-month suspension, if you go back to October 7, matatapos ang suspension November 7. That is probably the most we can hope for: That number one, it could be a one-month suspension, and number two, that the 'reckoning period' can be at the point of extraction of the urine sample.”
Then again, there are so many moving parts to this generously optimistic scenario, which is probably why Barangay Ginebra is already looking for a replacement import.
But as the saying goes, hope springs eternal.