CHICAGO - Every time Kai Sotto coughs, an army of basketball fans in the Philippines gets a severe case of bronchitis.

So, when the 7-foot-3 phenom announced on social media the other day that he is returning to the Koshigaya Alphas FOR the upcoming Japan B.League season, people got excited,

This development really wasn't news in the sense that it was surprising or unexpected. If anything, the move was the natural, most sensible pathway for both sides.

Prior to his January 5 injury, Sotto was a pillar for Koshigaya, averaging 13.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1,1 blocks per game while converting 52 percent of his field goal attempts.

Without the former NBL center, the Alphas spiraled to a 19-41 record. It was a no-brainer for Koshigaya to bring back Sotto more so that the team has already invested time and resources on his rehab and recovery.

As for Sotto, rejoining the Alphas was the one and only viable option. As he emerges from an ACL tear, returning to a familiar system, with mostly the same teammates, makes the transition easier.

With Sotto and his camp providing little info on the freshly minted contract, social media was quick to eagerly fill in the details, including one Facebook post where Kai supposedly signed for P64 million a year, which translates to $96,000 a month in today's current exchange rate.

PHOTO: Mark Cristino

While Kai is a star attraction that belongs to an elite pay grade, that figure seems a bit high given his temporary unavailability.

Wasserman Sports, the powerhouse agency that has hundreds of NBA clients and represents Kai, politely declined to share contract specifics.

"It's a one-year deal," Tony Ronzone of Wasserman told me via text message.

With Kai teasing a "see you soon," note on his announcement, Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone was hopeful that his prized big could slip in that national team jersey sooner rather than later.

"We heard that he might be back in October and that might be enough for him to get into the first window," Cone told reporters.

We all would love that, too, but Ronzone was quick the extinguish the fire in Cone's expectations.

"No, too soon," Ronzone said of a possible November return to action for Kai.

Although it varies with different athletes and their respective powers of recuperation, the timeline for a return to action from an ACL injury is usually between 9-to-12 months.

Kai is not rushing anything until the knee is fully healthy, especially at this stage in his career when the NBA dream is more attainable than ever.

Time, lots of it, is required in the exhausting process of returning from an ACL tear. Kai is not walking through that door for the Asia Cup and the early windows of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

PHOTO: Mark Cristino

Which means Cone and the Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (SBP) must plan accordingly and fill that donut hole in the middle.

The problem is identifying the modern big and game-changer that sure isn't in the current Gilas lineup.

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