2013 Commissioner’s Cup Imports: Rain or Shine, San Mig Coffee, Talk ‘N Text

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.

Bruno Sundov, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters

In last season’s no-limit conference, Rain or Shine opted to go with a smaller guy in Duke Crews. The Elasto Painters are going in a completely opposite direction this time around, tapping the 7-foot-3 Sundov for the Commissioner’s Cup. He spent seven seasons in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, though he’s never played more than 26 games in a season.

Sundov will likely be the most compelling import to follow this conference. For one thing, he is huge. He’s the largest import to ever suit up in the league and with some teams opting to go small for their import despite the lack of a height limit, Sundov’s size will be apparent the moment he steps on the floor for the Elasto Painters.

The other thing that makes him interesting is his style of play. He’s a big guy who likes taking jumpers, and if Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao is to be believed, he’s pretty darn good at making them as well. That, of course, makes him an excellent fit with the Elasto Painters, where their centers have the green light to throw up treys whenever the shot is there.

The downside to Sundov, obviously, is a lack of athleticism and mobility. There are few players his size blessed with agility. That means his teammates will have to compensate a little to allow their import to stay in spots where he’s comfortable.

That’s not to say he’ll be a sieve defensively, though. At his size, he’ll definitely be a big presence on either end. But it’ll be up to Rain or Shine to make the mismatches work in their favor instead of against them.

For a team like Rain or Shine that got so close to the title last conference, this is a very interesting import choice. At his size, he’ll very easily get his jumpers off and if he makes them at a high rate, this team will be very hard to stop. It would be to no one’s surprise if the Elasto Painters find themselves very much in the mix late in the conference, and Sundov will have plenty to do with that.

Matt Rogers, San Mig Coffee Mixers

Rogers will be taking on the unenviable task of following the very popular Denzel Bowles, who led this team to a title in last year’s Commissioner’s Cup. There will be inevitable comparisons, which might not be fair to Rogers, but San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone has assured fans that the 6-foot-11, 225-pound Rogers is a guy they’re going to like.

Like Bowles, Rogers is a skilled big guy. He led his Southwest Baptist University squad with averages of 18.3 points and 8.7 rebounds as a sophomore. He’s performed well with the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League as well, scoring 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and over a block per game while playing just 17 minutes per game. He also appeared in four NBA Summer League games for the Indiana Pacers last year and moved to the Spanish league LEB Oro to play for Coruna.

Cone has said that Rogers isn’t as physically strong as Bowles, but is athletic and has shooting range that extends to the three-point line. He has the ability to knock down long shots, although he doesn’t seem to take too many of them — which is something you’d like of a 6-11 guy anyway. In 11 games in the Spanish second-tier league LEB Oro, Rogers hit a pretty impressive 44% from three-point range. He only had nine attempts in that span, but made four of them.

So Rogers is looking like he’ll be a nice versatile presence for the Mixers who can do his damage inside but also knock down shots if he finds himself open on the outside, which will happen on occasion in Cone’s system. He’ll be a nice fit and a good replacement for Bowles, although for San Mig Coffee fans, the only Bowles comparison that will likely matter is whether or not he can lead the team to the title.

Keith Benson/Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters

Benson played collegiate ball for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies — one of the so-called mid-majors in NCAA Division I ball — where he set a Summit League record for career blocks and received the Lou Henson Award, an honor given to the mid-major player of the year. He was a late second round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2011 NBA Draft and was able to play in two preseason games before being waived.

He is an interesting physical specimen. Benson stands 6-foot-11 and has a terrific wingspan of 7-4 and will undoubtedly be a major lockdown presence for the Tropang Texters in the paint. He averaged 10.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the Erie BayHawks in his most recent NBA D-League stint while playing just 24 minutes per contest. His shotblocking ability should translate well to the PBA, with a quick leap, good timing and his excellent length.

On offense, he’s not the most polished player, but he does have a few reliable go-to moves like the jump hook and a nice midrange touch. He probably won’t dominate offensively, but that won’t matter too much on a talented offensive team like Talk ‘N Text.

Benson makes a lot of sense for the Tropang Texters. With what is likely the best core of local players in the league today — they’ve won the Philippine Cup three straight times, after all — they probably need a dominant defensive presence more than they need a possession-heavy offensive talent that could potentially mess up what’s obviously already working.

And that’s exactly what they get with Benson: a player that’s an excellent fit on an excellent team.

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2013 Commissioner’s Cup Imports: Barangay Ginebra, Alaska, Meralco

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.

Herbert Hill, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel

The 6-foot-10 Hill was a former Utah Jazz draft pick that spent a year with the Philadelphia 76ers, although never played because of an injury. He averaged a modest 5.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 11 NBA D-League games with the Bakersfield Jam in 2007-08, but upped those averages to 17.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in a five-game stint with the Tulsa 66ers when given significant minutes. Last year, he wrapped up a season with the Incheon Elephants in the Korean Basketball League where he posted numbers of 21.8 points, 11 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 38 minutes per game.
The former Providence big man hasn’t shown much range, but performs very well inside the paint, with a nice arsenal of shots from within 10 feet. He has a great touch around the basket and should put up impressive numbers here in the PBA. Hill should provide a nice presence on the defensive end as well, but offense is likely where he’ll shine.
The one concern about Hill is his free throw shooting, making just 42.1% of his attempts in 16 games in the D-League. He’s shown improvement of late, hitting 68.1% of his free throws in Incheon. That’s not so bad, though it will probably garner some attention if his struggles resurface.
Hill will be in stepping into a thankless job as the import of Ginebra, the most popular team in the league. Sure, a huge chunk of the fans will be squarely behind him and his team… as long as they keep winning. There will be a lot of pressure on him to lead the team to a deep run this conference, and it will be interesting to see if he can deliver.

Robert Dozier, Alaska Aces

The 6-foot-9 Dozier’s claim to fame was a nice run with the Memphis Tigers in the NCAA where he and his teammates Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Joey Dorsey made it to the national championship game where they fell to Kansas Jayhawks led by Mario Chalmers. Dozier had a pretty solid collegiate career, wrapping up his final season averaging 12.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks.
He was drafted by the Miami Heat with the very last pick of the 2009 NBA draft, but couldn’t crack the lineup. After failing to make it to the NBA, Dozier spent a couple of productive seasons in Europe. He bulked up and earned himself a spot back on the Heat’s Summer League team and an invite to training camp last year.
He’s described as long, athletic, mobile and with the ability to defend multiple positions — all the tools necessary to be a dominant defensive player in the PBA. He has a versatile offensive skill set as well, showing the ability to stretch the floor for his team and a nice first step that gives opposing bigs trouble. In his final year at Memphis, he was comfortable shooting from beyond the arc, taking 1.5 attempts from three per game while making about 38% of them.
He’ll be a nice addition to the Aces. Dozier’s versatility will be let him fit in nicely whether it’s beside or in place of Alaska center Sonny Thoss. His length and athleticism will make him a tough cover for locals and some of the bigger imports and it will be interesting how far he can take the fast-rising Aces this conference.

Eric Dawson, Meralco Bolts

The Bolts’ reinforcement Dawson will be very interesting to follow. He didn’t have a high-profile college basketball stint like some other imports — Dawson played four years of Division II basketball for little-known Midwestern State University. But he has played several years with the San Antonio Spurs’ D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, and has used that opportunity to really, well, develop.
He played 81 games with the Toros through five seasons and has seen his numbers rise almost every year. And that’s not merely an effect of increased minutes. His production per-minute has risen almost across the board. From an average of 10.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks in 24.5 minutes in the 2008-09 season, his first year with a significant number of games, Dawson has raised those numbers up to 17.2, 10.6, 2.3, 1.2 and 1.6 in 29 minutes per game. He was named the D-League’s Impact Player of the Year and was actually called up to play four games for the Spurs after Tiago Splitter went down with an injury last season.
The lengthy, 6-9 Dawson, who has a 7-6 wingspan, should be a great two-way player for Meralco who could be one of the standout performers this conference. More than the numbers, though, he’s a player who knows how to win, having led teams in Japan and South Korea to championships and having spent a little time within the very impressive Spurs organization.
Dawson’s already impressed his coach, Ryan Gregorio. But the Bolts will face an uphill battle in trying to become contenders so soon after starting a rebuilding process — trading cornerstone Sol Mercado for a crop of promising young players and a draft pick. He’ll have to step up in a big way, and it will be interesting to see if Dawson is up to the task.

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2013 Commissioner’s Cup Imports: GlobalPort, Barako Bull, Air 21, Petron

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.

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