What’s next for Gin Kings?
FOR all intents and purposes, Barangay Ginebra’s early exit in the PBA Philippine Cup at the hands of its favorite whipping boy, the Meralco Bolts, should serve as a wake-up call for the PBA’s most popular ballclub.
That’s why I’m not surprised that management is trying to shore up its roster for the upcoming import-laced Commissioner’s Cup.
There are reports that Jamie Malonzo is (literally) jumping ship from NorthPort Batang Pier to the Gin King in exchange for Prince Caperal, Aljon Mariano, and draft compensation. If that’s true, it proves that farm teams are alive and well in Asia’s first pay-for-play league.
Not that I’m averse to having the 6’7” ultra-athletic wing in the Ginebra camp, but there’s just no way that Caperal, Mariano, and a draft pick (more likely a late first-rounder) are enough compensation for a talent such as Malonzo.
Besides, the crowd favorites are already set to welcome Jeremiah Grey (in another dubious trade with another “farm team” Terrafirma Dyip) to its lineup in the Commissioner’s Cup, so having Malonzo and the former Alab Pilipinas small forward in the same fold is kinda overkill for me.
But leave it to boss Al Chua to make doubly sure Ginebra won’t suffer an early exit again.
Another quandary coach Tim Cone and company are facing in the upcoming conference is the height limit for the Commissioner’s Cup.
As predicted, Ginebra will again be redeploying resident import Justin Brownlee — but at only 6’4” — the do-it-all, two-time Best Import awardee will again be the shortest in the field where the height limit is 6’11.”
Not that the former St. John’s University forward hasn’t done it before, as he actually led Ginebra to the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup championship as a replacement import when 6’9” Charles Garcia proved ineffective and along the way, he won his first-ever Best Import plum.
However, unlike in previous years when the Gin King still had 7’0” Greg Slaughter, they will only have 6’9” Japeth Aguilar and 6’8” Christian Standhardinger to battle with the imported giants this time around. So, only time will tell if bringing back the shorter Brownlee, who is now 34 years old, was the right move.
Ginebra fans are also hoping that the Commissioner’s Cup will also herald Stanley Pringle’s return to the pink of health.
While the emergence of 2021 MVP Scottie Thompson has somehow made it easier for Pringle to slowly ease himself back into the Ginebra lineup, there’s no denying that the former Penn State star, when fully healthy, makes the Gin Kings a more potent team.
Pringle has that Jordanesque quality about him that when the triangle offense isn’t working, just give the ball to the 6’1” jump-stopping guard and make him create for himself or his teammates.
Despite his age, Ginebra still counts on LA Tenorio to right the Gin Kings’ ship, especially if grim weather is on the horizon. The PBA’s ironman is still the team’s unquestionable leader and always hits the toughest shots in the most crucial of moments.
Fans are also looking for the continued improvement of Standhardinger, especially from the free throw line and the perimeter. Now that he will not necessarily be the biggest player in the court at all times, it would surely help if the Filipino-German from the University of Hawaii will add other facets to his game as he can’t easily bulldoze the opposition this time around.
It was also a welcome sight to see Aguilar play his usual highwire act in Gilas Pilipinas’ games against Lebanon and Saudi Arabia last month. It proves that even at 35 years old, the pride of Sasmuan, Pampanga still had a lot of gas left in the tank.
It’s certainly a tall order for Barangay Ginebra to come out on top of the upcoming Commissioner’s Cup, but with the old Brown Magic back in town and the usual suspects (plus Malonzo if the rumored trade pulls through) ably supporting him, expect NSD to be one of the favorites this coming conference.