Vroman debuts for Kings Sunday

MANILA, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra and Petron Blaze shoot for third straight victories opposite separate foes Sunday with Jackson Vroman debuting for the crowd-darling Gin Kings in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Ginebra, which replaced former Best Import Chris Alexander to make room for the supremely talented Vroman, battles Powerade in the 4:15 p.m. contest before the Boosters take the floor at 6:35 to try and push Rain or Shine on cliff’s edge.

Vroman, who played in the NBA and is Lebanon’s naturalized center internationally, could be the biggest import name to hit the country in years with a vast experience in the American and European games.

The 6-foot-10 bruiser will be Dwayne Jones’ assignment as the Tigers not only try to prevent Ginebra from extending its winning streak but to also get back on the winning track after suffering a 91-101 loss to Barako Bull two nights ago.

Alexander was one of the most effective rebounders in the tournament but lacks the ability to dominate offensively.

And even though he guided the Kings to two straight victories after opening up with a loss, the prospect of signing up Vroman was too much for the coaching staff to pass up.

Vroman, who will wear a protective mask today after getting elbowed by Enrico Villanueva in practice, averaged close to 18 points and more than eight rebounds for Lebanon in the 2009 Fiba-Asia championship.

He was also named the MVP in the 2009 Asian Champion’s Cup while playing for Mahram Tehran in Jakarta.

Teams will be playing with a bit of urgency from now on with only the top six advancing to the playoffs.

The Elasto Painters, after a respectable semifinal stint in the Philippine Cup that saw them lose to Powerade in seven games, went 1-1 in Dubai to be at 1-3 overall.

But Petron won’t be an easy customer with the Boosters finding their stride the last two weeks to rattle off two straight wins.

At 2-2, Petron could moved up to the upper half of the standings with a win and keep the Painters in the cellar in the company of Meralco, which dropped to 1-4 the other day after losing to Alaska, 98-90.