Painters start title defense

PBA IMAGES

Yeng Guiao is getting a lot of attention as the PBA Commissioner’s Cup opens on Friday not because his NLEX crew—the tailender in the last conference—is seeing action on opening day.

The reason is that Guiao and the Road Warriors are set to play Rain or Shine in the 7 p.m. contest at Smart Araneta Coliseum, and that they are going up against the very team that the firebrand mentor steered to one of the most unexpected championship triumphs in the PBA’s rich history last season.

The entire league is aware of the awkwardness of the situation, but not the charismatic coach.

“For me, it’s not relevant, it’s not even important,” Guiao told the Inquirer Thursday as he awaits to board a flight back home from Hong Kong where he attended to a personal matter.

“It’s not about being the defending champion coach, it’s about the defending champion team, which is Rain or Shine.”

Leading NLEX is an import who has helped Rain or Shine in the past—though falling short of a championship a couple of times.

Wayne Chism reinforces the Road Warriors and on his shoulders fall the burden of NLEX taking their game to the next level in Guiao’s second full tournament since taking over the team at the start of the season.

Chism won two Best Import awards playing for the Elasto Painters, and Guiao remains impressed with the versatile reinforcement, who played just two games in the Governors’ Cup last year after a leg injury.

“We still have humble objectives,” Guiao said. “But I think we are more mature now than in the all-Filipino. There was a culture shock (in the team) then. But now they (Road Warriors) are now more familiar with the way I work and with the system I like to instill.”

After bringing up the rear in the Philippine Cup, Guiao knows that there’s no other way but up for his Road Warriors.

“I’m hoping that the added maturity will mean something,” he went on. “We cannot be worst than last place and realistically, our aim is to at least make the playoffs and take it step by step from there.”

Rain or Shine won this conference last season with Pierre Henderson-Niles, who averaged less than 10 points a game and became the lowest-scoring import to win a title.

Rain or Shine, now under Caloy Garcia, is not taking chances on the burly Henderson-Niles and has instead opted for Shawn Taggert.

The Meralco-Mahindra game at 4:15 p.m. opens the second conference.

Meanwhile, Talk ‘N Text has sent Denzel Bowles packing after the 2013 Best Import (with San Mig Coffee in the Commissioner’s Cup) was deemed out of shape.

Alaska also lost original choice Octavius Ellis as the 6-foot-10 American flew back home to attend to personal matters.