TAIPEI — If these were a film, it would have gone by the title: “Saving Point Guard Ryan.”

As it is, the clock is ticking for the injured Ryan Reyes and, conversely, for somebody from among the Powerade-Team Pilipinas Twelve.

National coach Yeng Guiao made it clear Saturday that it will be Reyes’ call – not Guiao’s – whether or not to reinsert him into the national team that will fly to Tianjin, China on August 4 for the 25th FIBA Asia Men’s Championship.

Rules allow teams to alter the lineups they submitted Friday until three days before the tournament comes off the wraps on Aug. 6.

“If Ryan tells me he’s O.K. to play, then I’ll find a way for him,” said Guiao, who earlier named Reyes and Talk ‘N Text forward Ranidel de Ocampo as alternates.

The Nationals were to play Iran Sunday afternoon, wrapping up their campaign in the 31st William Jones Cup tournament where four of the Philippines’ potential rivals for quarterfinal berths in the FIBA Asia World Championship qualifier – South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Iranians – went on parade.

Reyes, 25, who played for California State-Fullerton and was drafted third overall by the Sta. Lucia Realtors,
pulled a hamstring muscle in his left thigh during the 8th SEABA Men’s Championship in Medan last June and has been listed as day-to-day since.

“If I don’t feel I’m 90 percent healthy, then I’d rather not play because I don’t want to bring the team down,” said Reyes, who has an appointment with noted sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Raul Canlas after the RP team returns home Monday.

A sharp pain that shot up his thigh while doing lateral exercises a couple of days ago, Reyes said, prompted him to inform Guiao of his condition.

Guiao, who has repeatedly said he wanted Reyes on his team, accepted Reyes’ decision to be stricken off the team but left the door ajar for any eventuality.

“All Ryan has to do is say it,” said Guiao, who refused to discuss whose spot Reyes would take over if he turns up fine within the next seven days.

Shooting guard Willie Miller has been covering magnificently for Reyes and the still hobbled Jayjay Helterbrand at the point guard spot but is clearly playing out of position.

Helterbrand suffered a similar hamstring pull during Barangay Ginebra practice after the Kings clinched an outright semifinal berth in the PBA Fiesta Cup and sat out the SEABA tournament along with Alaska’s Sonny Thoss (strained knee) and, eventually, Reyes, who went down after a baseline drive a minute into the opening game against Malaysia.

Helterbrand and Thoss have since come back but Reyes continued to experience tightness around the injured area and was advised by doctors to sit out the Jones Cup tournament.

Practice resumes Tuesday for the national team, which is also set to scrimmage with Fadi El-Khatib and the Lebanese team before departing for Tianjin.

Sixteen teams, led by powerhouse China, are shooting for three qualifying berths to the 16th FIBA World Championship in Istanbul next year.

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NOTES: “Tie A Yellow Ribbon,” the ‘70s pop hit by Tony Orlando and The Dawn and the unofficial anthem for the late former Senator Benigno Aquino on his ill-fated arrival from Taiwan in 1983, was played during the pre-game introductions for the RP-Taiwan match Saturday…Organizers apparently found out the reason for the strips of yellow adhesives taped on the Philippine team’s jersey's and dug up the song from their music archives… Jordan’s Portuguese coach Mario Palma, whose decision to walk out of their game with Iran might have cost his team a third straight championship here, remains furious over the incident, branding it “a shame” and calling the two Taiwanese referees in that game “cowards.”