TNT import Ivan Johnson fined after tuneup brawl
PBA IMAGES
With still a week left before the PBA Commissioner’s Cup gets off the ground, the Office of the Commissioner Wednesday suspended TNT import Ivan Johnson and fined him P50,000 for fighting with two players from Blackwater in a tuneup game recently.
It seems that time hasn’t changed the temperament of Johnson one bit after he hit JP Erram and went after another Elite big man, Frank Golla, in the exhibition game that was called off by game officials.
Aside from forking out that hefty sum, Johnson will also miss the Tropang Texters’ first game, which will, interestingly enough, be against Blackwater on Feb. 10 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Johnson is no stranger to getting in trouble.
Last season, Johnson was fined several times, including a P150,000 penalty for bumping Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao in their heated best-of-seven title series.
It was also Johnson who rearranged Paul Lee’s dental structure when he planted an elbow on the Rain or Shine guard while going for a drive.
Despite his so many infractions last season, Johnson was never suspended by then-commissioner Chito Salud.
New boss Chito Narvasa wasn’t as lenient, though.
The league reviewed game tapes coming from TNT, Blackwater and its own videographer.
Meanwhile, GlobalPort has finally came to terms with an import, with the Batang Pier to bring in Brian Williams after failing to come to terms with earlier prospects Diamon Simpson and Quincy Davis III.
Williams played for San Miguel Beer in its triumphant campaign in the Asean Basketball League and will be flying in straight from Uruguay after a stint in the pro league there.
He is expected to plane in tomorrow at the latest as the Batang Pier try to improve on a franchise-best fourth place finish in the Philippine Cup.
A source told the Inquirer that talks with Simpson broke down when the former Alaska reinforcement decided to again try to make it back to the NBA and refused to be tied to a relatively long contract far from the United States.
Davis, on the other hand, couldn’t get a release from his club in the Chinese Taipei pro league.
The 6-foot-8 Davis was high on the wish list of GlobalPort coaching staff because of his willingness to share the ball, as evidenced in his so many years with the Taiwanese national team.
Davis was actually cut by his mother club, but since he has a contract to play until September, the club eventually made him part of the coaching staff and did not let GlobalPort buy out his contract.
