MANILA, Philippines —A former Best Import, who has captivated Filipino fans with his electrifying style of play, will make his return to the PBA while a Puerto Rican giant will try to carry his team on his broad shoulders as the two headline the list of imports in the 2015 PBA Commissioner’s Cup which opens Tuesday.
The high-flying Marqus Blakely will be in his fourth tour of duty for Purefoods after three fruitful stints — leading the Hotshots to two championship runs and a Finals appearance in the Governors’ Cup.
Blakely, listed at 6-foot-4, will be the shortest import in the field but from what he has shown in over 60 games in the PBA, he compensates his lack in size with his athletic ability and his unrelenting intensity.
The 26-year-old Blakely, who was named Best Import during the 2013 Governors’ Cup, averaged close to 22 points, 14.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 blocks and 2.1 steals per game through 64 games for the Hotshots.
Blakely though, will only be Purefoods’ import until Daniel Orton arrives from China. Orton, late first round pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2010 NBA Draft, is just finishing his contact with the Sichuan Blue Whales in the Chinese Basketball Association before flying over to the PBA.
Purefoods, the reigning Commissioner’s Cup champion, opens its title defense against Globalport on Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome.
From the shortest import to the tallest. Kia’s Puerto Rican reinforcement Peter John Ramos will certainly be a handful to the rest of the league at 7-foot-3 and close to 300 pounds.
The 29-year-old Ramos, who was drafted in the second round by the Washington Wizards in the NBA in 2004, will be tasked to lead a Kia team, which won only one game in the recently-concluded PBA Philippine Cup. Ramos will be one of the first imports to make his PBA debut with the Carnival (formerly Sorento) taking on the Batang Pier in the first game of the conference.
Blackwater, like its fellow expansion team Kia, hopes that its import Chris Charles will be the answer to turning its fortunes around after winless campaign in the PH Cup.
The 7-foot Charles made a name for himself in the Asean Basketball League where he was named MVP among imports twice.
“I just want to bring some energy defensively, block some shots, rebounds, give us an inside presence, just help as much as I can in any department. That’s why they brought me here for, to improve their standings. That’s my job and I want to help as much as I can,” Charles, who was brought in early by the Elite, told pba.inquirer.net last month.
Aside from Blakely, two other imports are making a comeback.
Michael Dunigan, who had an impressive outing with the Air21 Express in the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup, will parade his wares for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel while Richard Howell will be in his second season for Talk ’N Text.
The stocky 6-foot-8 Howell, a rebounding machine, led the Tropang Texters to the Finals in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup before losing to the Hotshots. Talk ’N Text won 13 games in a row at one point with Howell at the center of it.
Dunigan on the other hand, was in the middle of a tug-of-war between Ginebra and Meralco before the Kings gained the upper hand to get his services. The 25-year-old Dunigan averaged 23.9 points, 15.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 15 games for the defunct Express.
With Ginebra, Dunigan will be teaming up with the 7-foot Greg Slaughter and the 6-foot-9 Japeth Aguilar up front. Ironically, the Kings and the Bolts are pitted against each other in the main game of the conference’s opener at the Mall of Asia Arena.
After missing out on Dunigan, the Bolts opted for NBA D-League standout Josh Davies.
The 6-foot-8 Davies may be a second choice for the Bolts but his talent is certainly worthy of being a primary option. Davies nearly made it to the reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs squad. He is known for his knack to secure rebounds and his presence also addresses Meralco’s problem at the middle.
Globalport also needed to go for Plan B after its first-choice import Rod Benson measured slightly over the 6-foot-9 height limit set for the league’s top eight teams.
With Benson ineligible, the Batang Pier brought in NBA D-Leaguer and former North Carolina State slotman CJ Leslie. The young 6-foot-9 Leslie last saw action in the Korean Basketball League.
Leslie led NC State in scoring during his sophomore and junior year and to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013.
The only NBA veteran among imports, a lot is expected from NLEX import Al Thornton.
The 6-foot-8 Thornton was a 14th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2007. He started 167 out of the 296 games played in the NBA and normed 11.9 points on 45% shooting from the field and 4.2 rebounds per game in five seasons.
Thornton already made his debut for the Road Warriors in a recent tournament in Dubai where he helped his team make the quarterfinals.
Philippine Cup finalists Alaska and San Miguel Beer aim to sustain their form with talented imports to give their already solid crew a boost.
Known for its relentless defense, the Aces tapped the services defensive specialist DJ Covington after they couldn’t bring former Best Import Rob Dozier back.
The 23-year-old Covington won the Big South Defensive Player of the Year twice for the Virginia Military Institute and averaged close to a double-double with 20.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in his senior year in college.
Meanwhile, the Beermen, coming off a Philippine Cup championship run where they outlasted the Aces in a scintillating seven-game series, continue to keep tabs on Arinze Onuaku.
The former Syracuse big man Onuaku had initially reached a deal to play for San Miguel Beer but his steady play in the NBA D-League drew interest from NBA teams that could hinder him from playing in the PBA.
If the 6-foot-9, 275-pound Onuaku ends up with SMB, he and reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo will be tough cover on a nightly basis with their size and skill.
Beermen head coach Leo Austria said the team is looking for other prospects but added that he remains hopeful that Onuaku will wind up wearing a San Miguel Beer jersey.
San Miguel is the last team to play its first game. The Beermen won’t be making their Commissioner’s Cup debut until Feb. 4 against Kia, which will be on its third outing by then.
Another 7-footer in Nigerian Solomon Alabi hopes to make a big impact in his first crack at the PBA for Barako Bull.
The 7-foot-1 Alabi was a former late second round selection by the Dallas Mavericks in 2010, before being relegated to the D-League and playing overseas in Greece.
Alibi played 26 games in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors while playing limited minutes. He averaged just 1.5 points and 2.3 rebounds.
Rick Jackson also has experience playing overseas having recently played in Russia before ending up with Rain or Shine, which makes its Commissioner’s Cup debut against Talk ’N Text on Wednesday.
In his senior year with Syracuse, the 6-foot-9 Jackson led the Big East in rebounds, field goal percentage and blocked shots while also being named Defensive Player of the Year.