Makapaglaro man o hindi si Justin Brownlee, handa pa rin ang Barangay Ginebra sa kanilang title defense sa PBA Commissioners’ Cup na magsisimula na sa 5 Nobyembre sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ayon kay Magnolia coach Chito Victolero, maraming kalaban ang inaasahang lalabas kasunod ng nagbabantang pagkawala ni Brownlee, na nahaharap sa mahabang suspensiyon matapos magpositibo sa ipinagbabawal na substance pagkatapos ng 19th Asian Games.
Gayunpaman, ang Kings ay inaasahang gagawa ng seryosong kampanya para sa titulo dahil sa firepower, karanasan at chemistry na nabuo sa mga nakaraang taon.
Hindi pa pormal na pinangalanan ng Ginebra ang kanilang reinforcement ngunit pinalakas nito ang kanilang roster sa pagdagdag ni Maverick Ahanmisi.
Si Ahanmisi ay nagkaroon ng breakout season noong nakaraang taon kung saan nag-average siya ng 19.9 points, 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists at 1.2 steals kada laro sa nakaraang Governors’ Cup.
Magbabalik din ang beteranong si Japeth Aguilar at reigning Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson gayundin sina Christian Standhardinger, Stanley Pringle, Jamie Malonzo at LA Tenorio, na magmumula sa matagumpay na pakikipaglaban sa cancer.
“There are still a lot of elite teams that are hard to contend with, the likes of Ginebra, TNT, San Miguel, Meralco. They’re very good teams,” saad ni Victolero.
Para naman kay head coach Luigi Trillo, ang San Miguel at Magnolia ay maaaring ituring na malalakas na puwersa, ngunit ang Ginebra ay nananatiling isang solidong puwersa na dapat isaalang-alang.
“Ginebra is always there because of the experience. They get better as the games progress,” sabi ni Trillo. “They may start a bit slow, but once they get their footing, they start getting better and once they start getting better, they’re hard to knock out.”
Si Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao naman, sinabing ang Ginebra at Brownlee ay magkasingkahulugan sa pagkapanalo at ang kanilang partnership ay naging napakaproduktibo, na humahantong sa anim na titulo.
“With the resources of Ginebra, with the expertise of their coaching staff, and their scouting abilities, they can even afford to get a high-caliber import,” saad ni Guiao. “Of course, getting a top-caliber import also has a luck factor.”
“But, if you have the resources, expertise and network, which Ginebra have, they can even afford to bring in another Class A import. They may not look for another Justin Brownlee, but they can figure out a way of finding somebody who might be helpful to them in some other ways and as effective in getting those wins,” dagdag niya.
