Slaughter back for Gin Kings

Greg Slaughter Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

After losing its first two games in the PBA Governors’ Cup, Barangay Ginebra certainly can use all the help it can get.

Greg Slaughter, the Gin Kings’ 7-foot cornerstone, returns to active duty—albeit in a limited capacity—as Ginebra on Friday tries to arrest that slide by colliding with another slumping side in Blackwater at Alonte Sports Center.

Charles Garcia will remain Ginebra’s import for now, although all eyes in their 7 p.m. clash with the Elite will be on how well Slaughter has recovered from a severe ankle sprain that kept him out of the playoffs in the Philippine Cup.

“We won’t play him full minutes, probably 20-24 minutes once he plays his first game,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said. “Needless to say, we have to be very careful with him; we don’t want him to go down again.”

The Gin Kings lost by a wide margin against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters but their latest loss, which was against TNT KaTropa, had Ginebra with a chance to win it in the endgame.

Garcia failed to deliver in those games, though Cone doesn’t see his import as the only person to blame.

“I know all eyes are on our import, but I just feel like it’s more than that,” Cone said. “Our locals are not playing as well either and we’re not just playing at a high level at this point.”

The reentry of the 7-foot Slaughter might change it all as Garcia earns a chance to prove himself one more time with Justin Brownlee, who helped the Kings’ back-to-back championship run in the Governors’ Cup, just one phone call away.

Brownlee is coming off a championship stint with San Miguel Beer-Alab Pilipinas in the Asean Basketball League.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Petroleum coach Louie Alas is anxious about facing an NLEX side that has lost its first three games when both teams collide in the 4:30 p.m. curtain-raiser.

“Three consecutive losses make NLEX a dangerous squad,” Alas said.

Matthew Wright knocked down the game-winning three with 2.3 seconds remaining that propelled the Fuel Masters to their second win in three games at the expense of Philippine Cup runner-up Magnolia Hotshots last week.

And the Fuel Masters hope to ride the momentum of that victory.

“We have to follow it up with another good game. It will make us tougher if we can win this one,” Alas said.