Coach Leo Austria liked what he saw Thursday morning, that’s why the veteran AZ Reid will be sitting it out in the next San Miguel Beer games.
Unless he got a wrong first impression of Kevin Murphy.
“He was impressive, considering the situation,” Austria said, referring to Murphy heading straight to the Beermen’s practice that started at 10 a.m., just after the import landed in the country after a long-haul flight from Georgia and then Los Angeles in the United States. “He appeared to be very much in shape.”
Reid, the former Best Import winner, has been hobbled by an ankle injury and the Beermen, who have been without June Mar Fajardo since the start of the PBA Governors’ Cup, are at 2-2 and needing a boost to be able to stick close to the leaders in the elimination round.
Austria said that Reid still comes to practice to watch while resting his ankle, but when he saw the NBA veteran Murphy practice, he was convinced that the team could make the import change at this time.
“What impressed me the most was his intelligence on the court,” Austria said. “We had him join practice not only to see him in action, but to also make him know the plays [of the team]. He caught on immediately. And that says a lot of his ability.”
San Miguel will be up for a tough outing Sunday where Murphy gets his baptism of fire as the Beermen tangle with sister team Magnolia in the 6:30 p.m. contest at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Jetlag is expected to set in come the Magnolia game, and Austria said that they will help Murphy get acclimatized as quickly as possible by not letting him sleep at night leading to the game against the Hotshots.
Drafted 47th overall by the Utah Jazz in 2012, Murphy had a brief NBA career and has bounced around in pro leagues in Asia, Europe and the United States.