Barako Bull and Talk ‘N Text collide on Saturday in Legazpi City, Albay in a battle of two struggling teams in the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The Energy Colas and the Tropang Texters both enter the game with a two-game losing slide, and one streak will end after their 6:30 p.m. encounter.
After a promising 3-1 start, Barako Bull absorbed back-to-back blowout losses to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (93-72) and Petron Blaze (91-78) to see its win-loss record slide to 3-3.
“We have to play better than in our last two games. I don’t know if it is enough to win,” said Barako Bull consultant Rajko Toroman, who admittedly was not pleased with how his players performed in their last two assignments.
They will be up against another skidding team in Talk ‘N Text, which is sitting at the bottom half of the team standings with a 2-3 mark.
The Philippine Cup champions are parading balik-import Donnell Harvey, who replaced Keith Benson.
“They changed their import. They lost two in a row and these are the reasons why it will be very difficult for us,” Toroman added.
Harvey was Talk ‘N Text’s import when the franchise lost to B-MEG (now San Mig Coffee) in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup finals in seven grueling games.
The 32-year old Harvey averaged 19 points and 16 rebounds in the best-of-seven championship series against the Llamados.
The Tropang Texters have lost to Alaska (69-92) and the Coffee Mixers (82-90) in their past two games.
Petron Blaze guns for a fifth straight win against Barako Bull in Sunday’s opening game as the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup resumes at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Boosters and the Energy Colas clash at 4:15 p.m. to be followed by the tussle between Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at 6:30 p.m.
After losing its opening match to GlobalPort, Petron has won its next four assignments, including a 60-53 win against Air 21 last Friday.
And the Boosters are doing it minus starting point guard Alex Cabagnot, Chris Lutz, and Danny Ildefonso, who are all sidelined due to injury.
Petron coach Olsen Racela commended his players for playing together and import Renaldo Balkman for providing the leadership.
“I have to give it to our import. He’s our leader and he has stepped up his game,” said Racela, who will be facing his former consultant Rajko Toroman.
Toroman is now on the bench of Barako Bull also serving as consultant to coach Bong Ramos.
The Energy Colas (3-2) are coming off a 93-72 defeat to the Gin Kings last Wednesday.
In the second game, the Elasto Painters try to extend their winning streak to four games against a motivated Ginebra squad, which finally broke into the win column after dropping its first four assignments.
Rain or Shine is coming off a 99-97 win against the Express and coach Yeng Guiao cautions his players not to take the 1-4 Kings lightly.
“You cannot take any team for granted in this league,” said Guiao. “Like what happened to us against Air 21. Suwerte kami nakalusot kami sa game na iyon.”
Barangay Ginebra vented its wrath on an off-form Barako Bull side, 93-72, to finally end a barren run in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Unlike in their first four games where the Gin Kings’ lacked intensity, the boys of coach Alfrancis Chua went all out against the Energy Cola, attacking the basket ferociously and clamping down on defense.
So ferocious was the Gin Kings' defense that held the Energy Cola to an abysmal 25.6 percent shooting in the first half (10-of-39) to take a 39-26 haltime lead that only swelled in the second half.
There was no let-up from there as Barangay Ginebra kept piling the point sto erect an insurmountable 84-56 lead going into the final five-minute mark on the way to its first win under Chua, who took over from Siot Tanquingcen at the turn of the year.
“I told the players since we lost against Alaska, I never, even once, got mad at them. I just told them, I trust in you, I hope you trust yourself,” sad Chua after his team improved to 1-4.
The Kings' last victory happened in Game Two of the PBA Philippine Cup against Rain or Shine, 79-77 on December 14, 2012. But Barangay Ginebra went on to lose the best-of-three series, 1-2.
It was also the first victory of Chua as coach since his final head coaching stint with Sta. Lucia Realty in 2007.
Barako Bull absorbed its second loss in five games as the team ended the game shooting just 33.8 percent overall (25-of-74).
Barako Bull’s finish kick was so strong, the GlobalPort Batang Pier didn’t quite know what hit them.
The Energy Colas finished the game on a 22-2 run spanning the fourth quarter and overtime period, hacking out a 98-88 victory over GlobalPort Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Barako Bull looked dead in the water trailing by 10 points, 86-76, heading into the two-minute mark of regulation. But the Energy Colas locked down on defense and finished the fourth period with a 10-0 run capped by a three-pointer by a corner three-pointer Mark Macapagal to force overtime.
They finished the job in extra time, outscoring GlobalPort, 12-2, for their second straight victory and an early spot atop the Commissioner’s Cup team standings.
Import Evan Brock led the charge with 25 points and 18 rebounds, while Josh Urbiztondo added 24 points on six three-pointers for Barako Bull, which saw five players — Brock, Urbiztondo,, Macapagal, Jonas Villanueva, and Allein Maliksi — logging at least 35 minutes with a shorthanded roster missing five key players.
Villanueva chipped in 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while Danny Seigle added 16 points, including a slam dunk over GlobalPort import Justin Williams in the fourth quarter that fired up the Energy Colas.
The loss spoiled the fine efforts of GlobalPort’s top guns.
Japeth Aguilar led GlobalPort in scoring with 23 points and added 10 rebounds. Sol Mercado finished with 19 points and 16 assists, while Williams posted 12 points and 27 rebounds before leaving the game in overtime because of an apparent leg injury.
Gary David added 19 points for GlobalPort, whose win-loss record dropped to 1-1.
GlobalPort and Barako Bull battle for the early Commissioner’s Cup lead as they clash in the PBA opener on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Coming off hard-earned wins at the start of the tournament on Friday, Batang Pier and the Energy Cola square off at 4:15 p.m. with the winner taking the top spot with a 2-0 win-loss card.
In the main game, Alfrancis Chua debuts as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach against Air 21 in their 6:30 p.m. duel. Herbert Hill will reinforce the Gin Kings while Michael Dunigan will lead the Express.
GlobalPort shocked Petron Blaze, 94-92, while Barako Bull upended the import-less San Mig Coffee, 79-75, to start their respective campaign on a high note last Friday.
Gary David, Sol Mercado and Japeth Aguilar carried the fight for Batang Pier after import Justin Williams was ejected in the game because of a flagrant foul penalty two on Boosters center June Mar Fajardo.
“But we still lots of jelling to do,” said Globalport coach Junel Baculi. “We cannot rely on individual talent. We have to build our chemistry.”
David had a game-high 28 points while Mercado and Aguilar, who came in via separate trades during the break, contributed 17 and 16, respectively, for GlobalPort.
The Energy Colas banked on their defense in silencing the defending champion Mixers, who played without Matt Rogers who was sidelined due to food poisoning.
Evan Brock provided the hustle plays for Barako Bull while guards Josh Urbiztondo and new recruit Jonas Villanueva contributed big numbers for the victory.
“We won by defense and that’s the great way to begin,” said Energy Cola consultant Rajko Toroman. “But we have a new system. A lot of things are new. We need time to put everything in the right spot.”
Last season, Josh Urbiztondo and Jonas Villanueva helped the B-MEG Llamados win the Commissioner’s Cup.
One year later, the point guard duo was winning at their old team’s expense, as they led Barako Bull to a tight 79-75 victory over the San Mig Coffee Mixers Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Urbiztondo, who was traded to Barako Bull prior to the start of the season, posted 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Villanueva, who joined the Energy Colas after the Philippine Cup, had 16 points and five assists, including a key pass to Danny Seigle for a three-pointer that pushed the Barako Bull lead to five points, 76-71, with 30 seconds remaining.
Import Evan Brock added 18 points and 12 rebounds for Barako Bull, which took advantage of San Mig Coffee playing without reinforcement Matt Rogers. The Mixers import was confined in the hospital prior to the game because of suspected food poisoning.
“This is an important win for us,” said Toroman. “I have five or six players on injured list and the rotation was so small. But we played good defense.”
Despite playing with a handicap, San Mig Coffee kept the game close led by James Yap, who scored 19 points but suffered an injury late that kept him on the bench for key stretches of the fourth quarter.
The big boys are back for the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup! With no height
limit and 10 new faces, the action promises to be titanic. Who will
stand tallest? Here’s an early look.
Justin Williams, GlobalPort Batang Pier
Williams is one of the more intriguing imports in the upcoming
conference. He wrapped up his college career at Wyoming with averages of
11 points, 11 rebounds and 5.4 blocks per game. He followed that up
with a nice stretch with the Dakota Wizards in the NBA D-League where he
posted averages of 12-12-3 before receiving a 10-day contract with the
Sacramento Kings in 2007. He played a total of 49 games with two teams
in the NBA.
The 6-foot-10 Williams is a nice athlete with length and timing so
he’s expected to shine on the defensive end. He has good instincts when
it comes to blocking shots, and is a smart team defender. He’s also a
strong rebounder with a quick second jump. He looks to have the
potential to be a huge presence defensively, something the Batang Pier
will surely appreciate.
Offensively, he may be a little limited, but is a decent enough
finisher around the rim to make an impact. He probably won’t be coming
out and scoring 30 a game like some imports do. He was being asked by
GlobalPort’s front office to be more aggressive offensively, but that
probably won’t be as much of an issue after the additions of Sol Mercado
and Japeth Aguilar to an offensively-loaded lineup that already
features Gary David and Willie Miller.
He was put under evaluation by GlobalPort when he first arrived here,
but has played well enough in practices and tuneup games to keep his
spot. Right now, he’s looking like an excellent fit for a team that
badly needs a defensive anchor. He’ll form a lengthy, athletic duo with
Aguilar up front, and it will be interesting to see if the newly-rebuilt
Batang Pier can make a splash as contenders right off the bat.
Evan Brock, Barako Bull Energy Colas
Brock is not a complete stranger to Philippine soil. The 2012 ASEAN
Basketball League finals Most Valuable Player led his Indonesia Warriors
past the hometown San Miguel Beermen last year, clinching the title in a
tight contest here at the Ynares Sports Arena.
The PBA is a different league from the ABL, of course, but there
aren’t a lot of reasons to think that Brock couldn’t replicate some of
his success here. After all, he averaged an impressive 21.7 points and
13.7 rebounds in the three-game finals series against the Beermen, a
team that featured two of last year’s Commissioner’s Cup imports in Nick
Fazekas and Duke Crews as well as PBA top pick June Mar Fajardo.
The 6-foot-8 Brock is a guy that plays above the rim with ease. In
the ABL, a good chunk of his highlight reel consists of him flushing
home alley-oops from teammates in transition. He likes to get up and
down the court and that should make him easy for local fans to like. He
uses his athleticism not just on offense, but also to challenge shots
and grab boards.
It’s hard to say what the fortunes for Barako Bull will be like this
conference. They’ll have a new person calling the shots in team
consultant Rajko Toroman, a new system in place, and a bunch of new
players from the five-team deal last month. Brock and his teammates will
have a lot to learn on the fly but they’ll definitely be an
entertaining team to catch this conference.
Michael Dunigan, Air 21 Express
Dunigan took an interesting route to the pros, ending his collegiate
career at Oregon after his sophomore season, where he averaged a modest
9.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, to play professionally
in Israel.
He had nice stints in Europe, recording 12.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and
1.7 blocks in Ukraine and 11.1 points, 8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in
Estonia, before receiving an invite to the Memphis Grizzlies training
camp alongside former PBA import Jarrid Famous over the offseason.
Unfortunately for Dunigan, he was unable to lock down a roster spot in
the NBA. He then played four games in Australia where he posted 13.8
points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
The 6-foot-10 Dunigan is a strong interior threat who has improved
his mobility and athleticism since turning pro after he lost 30 pounds.
He’ll be comfortable in a role where he gets plenty of touches in the
paint, having already done that with some teams in the past. He’s a nice
finisher around the basket, and has shown the ability to draw fouls at a
decent rate.
The Air 21 franchise seemed to have turned a corner in the Philippine
Cup, finishing out of the cellar in the standings after three straight
conferences in the bottom. Dunigan is going to try to keep that momentum
going this conference, even after the two teams the Express topped last
conference retooled with big trades over the break.
Renaldo Balkman, Petron Blaze Boosters
Balkman likely has the best pedigree among this crop of imports.
Local basketball fans will undoubtedly remember the dreadlocked energy
guy drafted 20th overall by the New York Knicks in 2006. He’s a
legitimate NBA guy who played six season with the Knicks, the Nuggets
and the Knicks again. Balkman played about 62 games in each of his first
three years while logging around 15 minutes per game. He’s a also a
veteran of the international game, representing Puerto Rico alongside
guys like JJ Barea and Carlos Arroyo.
His numbers won’t blow you away, but like many other NBA role
players, the boxscore doesn’t tell much of the story. His best season,
statistically, was his rookie year when he averaged a modest 4.9 points
and 4.3 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game.
Bbut for stat-heads who like advanced statistics, that’s actually a
near double-double — 11.3 points and 9.9 rebounds — if you extrapolate
his numbers to 36 minutes instead of that 15 he actually played).
But he’s not the biggest guy, which is interesting in a conference
where there isn’t a height limit. Early in his career, Balkman was
measured at just a shade above 6-foot-5 without shoes, although he makes
up for it with his 7-foot-1 wingspan. He’s shown he can be a pretty
decent rebounder, though, even when playing the 3-spot, and there’s
little reason to think that wouldn’t translate to his PBA stint. He has a
reputation for being good in anticipating where balls go, which
contributes in his ability to track down boards and loose balls.
Balkman is an interesting choice for Petron Blaze, which has more
than enough offensive firepower to have an import who might not be a
dominant offensive player but will definitely be a major presence on the
defensive end. His smaller size might mean he won’t be taking minutes
away from rookie big man June Mar Fajardo, whose continued development
will be something to watch for this conference.
If Balkman can get the rest of this deep, talented squad to play hard
for 48 minutes by leading by example, then Petron should be a real
contender this conference.
GlobalPort tests its retooled roster when it takes on Petron Blaze in the opener at the start of the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Batang Pier, who suddenly became a contender with the acquisition of Sol Mercado and Japeth Aguilar in separate deals, and the Boosters meet at 5:15 p.m. to be followed by the San Mig Coffee-Barako Bull tussle in the main game at 7:30 p.m.
Globalport also has a new coach in Junel Baculi, who replaced Glen Capacio, now the first assistant coach in the squad.
“With the players that we got from trades, Globalport looks competitive on paper,” said Baculi. “But we still have to build chemistry. Good thing is, they are all veterans.”
Mercado, the top scorer of the previous Philippine Cup, will join forces with reigning scoring champ Gary David and two-time MVP Willie Miller.
The Batang Pier are pararding Justin Williams, who will be pitted against NBA veteran and Petron Blaze’s reinforcement Renaldo Balkman, regarded as the yardstick among the imports this conference.
“It’s going to be tough versus Petron but we will compete. Justin Williams is very coachable and has good attitude towards his teammate and the game,” said Baculi.
In the main tiff, the Mixers start their title defense bid against the Energy Cola, who also made a lot of acquisitions during the break.
Barako Bull retained Bong Ramos as interim coach and signed ex-SMART-Gilas coach Rajko Toroman as team consultant. The team has Evan Brock as reinforcement.
“Barako Bull, with Coach Toroman, their new additions and Brock, has the opportunity to be very good this conference. They are truly a dark horse in this race,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone, who also has new players in Leo Najorda, Alex Mallari and Lester Alvarez.
But the Mixers lost JC Intal and Jonas Villanueva, who are now with the Energy Cola, and Aldrech Ramos, now with Alaska, in the multi-player trade deal.
San Mig Coffee is parading Matt Rogers as its import.
“It will be a tough game for us. We need time for our new players and for everyone to get used to the system we want,” said Toroman.
“We have to play better than in our last two games. I don’t know if it is enough to win,” said Barako Bull consultant Rajko Toroman, who admittedly was not pleased with how his players performed in their last two assignments.
“We have to play better than in our last two games. I don’t know if it is enough to win,” said Barako Bull consultant Rajko Toroman, who admittedly was not pleased with how his players performed in their last two assignments.
