San Miguel decides it’s end of the Rhodes, taps NBA first rounder

Chris McCullough practices with the San Miguel Beermen. Photo by Denison Rey A. Dalupang/INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines—With its PBA Commissioner’s Cup bid—and the second jewel of a projected Triple Crown—hanging by a thread, San Miguel Beer has let go of old hand Charles Rhodes and will be bannered by a former first-round pick in the NBA Draft starting Friday.

Christopher McCullough, a 24-year-old, who was picked 29th overall by the Brooklyn Nets in 2015, practiced with the Beermen on Tuesday and just needs to clear his working papers before he suits up against NLEX at Mall of Asia Arena on Friday.

McCullough played for the Nets and the Washington Wizards in a brief NBA career, which he finished with averages of 3.3 points, 1.9 rebounds. He played only a total of 59 games, coming out of Syracuse with a knee injury.

The Beermen’s playoff chances hang in the balance following a 134-132 overtime loss to Columbian that pushed the Beermen to a 2-5 slate in the midseason conference.

And a change in personnel could greatly affect the perennial powerhouse’s campaign moving forward.

An Inquirer source confirmed that McCollough, after practice, went to the PBA offices Tuesday for an “unofficial measurement.” He was measured to be just a shade over 6-foot-9.

“Everything is good. All my tests came out good. I was measured at 6’9”, I’m just ready to play now,” said McCollough, who was coming off stints in Puerto Rico, China and most notably, the NBA G-League where he was an All-Star.

A steep task awaits McCullough as San Miguel needs no less than a sweep of its remaining games to be able to bolster their chances of making it to the playoffs without a hitch.