FILE — Taiwan’s Quincy Davis III (white jersey) jostles for the ball with Chinese players during a men’s Asia championships basketball game in Manila on August 9, 2013. Taiwan won 96-78. AFP PHOTO/TED ALJIBE / AFP / TED ALJIBE
GlobalPort, the surprise package in the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup, is looking at two seasoned, well-traveled veterans as import for the Commissioner’s Cup that blasts off on Feb. 10.
After finishing fourth in the season-opening tournament—the four-year-old franchise’s best—the Batang Pier have been very meticulous in signing an import for the tournament that will allow all but one of the 12 teams reinforcements not taller than 6 feet 9.
Quincy Davis III, a naturalized center for the Chinese Taipei national team and former Alaska import Diamon Simpson are being wooed by the Batang Pier, according to a person privy to the negotiations.
Davis has been with the Taiwanese squad since the start of the decade and is a battle-tested veteran who, the source said, could be a perfect fit for a GlobalPort squad that is loaded with scorers.
“He (Davis) has shown in his games that he is very much willing to take the back seat to the scorers [of the Taiwan team],” said the source. “That’s why he is very high in our list of candidates.”
Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle will continue to be the top guns of the Batang Pier, who made the Final Four against Alaska and even pulled off a stirring victory in Game 1 of that series.
Simpson is also being considered because of his familiarity with the PBA brand of play, the source said.
The former St. Mary’s College standout in the United States played for the Aces in 2010 and led Alaska to the Fiesta Conference championship over San Miguel Beer and import Gabriel Freeman with averages of 25 points and 16 rebounds.
The 28-year-old Simpson reportedly managed to make the Houston Rockets lineup in 2012 but was waived without playing a single game.
He hasn’t played in a major league since then.
On paper, the current roster of imports is high on quality.
Former Best Imports Denzel Bowles of Star Hotshots, Rob Dozier of Alaska and Wayne Chism of Rain or Shine are returning to play.
TNT, the tournament’s defending champion, is bringing back the volatile Ivan Johnson, who led the team past the Elasto Painters in a gripping seven-game title series.
Othyus Jeffers, another former import, will be playing for a Barangay Ginebra side that is in dire need of a go-to guy. Jeffers could be the smallest in the lot at just 6 feet 5 as the Gin Kings have opted for someone whom they can use until the Governors’ Cup.
Only Mahindra, a second-year franchise, is allowed an import of unlimited height after failing to make it past the eliminations of the Philippine Cup.