After playing without an import in their opening game, San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone is looking forward to their second assignment at full strength.
“I guess we can throw that first game out the window,” said Cone, referring to the Mixers’ 79-75 defeat to Barako Bull with import Matt Rogers sitting out because of food poisoning.
“But our import, who ran into some bad luck (and some bad food), will be available this time around and we’ll get a chance to see where we are at this point.”
Rogers’s anticipated debut on Friday did not happen because of the illness, leaving the defending champions without a player who can match up Barako Bull reinforcement Evan Brock.
Despite playing without an import, San Mig Coffee managed to hang around against Barako Bull throughout the match.
Two-time Most Valuable Player James Yap carried the scoring load for the Mixers while new recruits Leo Najorda and Alex Malari had decent debuts with the team.
Najorda had eight points on 4-of-6 shooting off the bench while Mallari finished with five points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Cone said the game against Petron on Wednesday will give him a better idea about his team’s true strength.
“Petron and Talk ‘N Text are still favorites despite losing their first games so we obviously have our work cut out for us,” he said.
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.
“But our import, who ran into some bad luck (and some bad food), will be available this time around and we’ll get a chance to see where we are at this point.”
“But our import, who ran into some bad luck (and some bad food), will be available this time around and we’ll get a chance to see where we are at this point.”
