Rain or Shine, coach Yeng Guiao set realistic goals for PBA Season 48

Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines— Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao preferred to be more realistic about his team’s chances heading into the PBA’s 48th season.

During the league’s Media Day at One Esplanade in Pasay on Tuesday, Guiao said that while they had a successful offseason on paper, the Elasto Painters are staying cautious about their objectives heading into the upcoming season.

“We’re very cautious with our objectives and goals. We ought to be realistic, we haven’t made the quarterfinals last conference so if we reach it this year, it’s an improvement but we’re really looking forward to our eliminations,” said the veteran coach.

“We don’t want to overestimate our capabilities. We like it to be realistic and contending. We need to win at least six games out of 11 in order to get to the next round.”

Guiao could have expected more out of his wards. After all, Rain or Shine had quite the eventful offseason.

Even before the PBA Draft where they selected two stellar bigs in Keith Datu Jr. and Luis Villegas, the Elasto Painters balled out in the preseason.

Rain or Shine finished with an 8-3 record in the PBA on Tour, just a few spots below top-seed Magnolia, which swept all 11 of its games.

“[I’m] very happy with what we saw in practices and scrimmages and of course, adding to our positive expectations were the results of the PBA On Tour. We had a pretty solid performance there,” explained Guiao.

With all that in tow, Guiao also said the upcoming conference will be a tournament to watch for with the Elasto Painters with their import.

Former NBA cager Dajuan Summers, a 6-foot-8 bruiser, was handpicked by the team to be the squad’s enforcer for the Commissioners’ Cup that begins on Nov. 5.

“We’re very positive about the abilities of our import. We think he’s the right fit for our system… Our import is good. He can bring huge help to us. What we lack in size, we’re able to maximize with the 6’9 limit. He’s an NBA and international veteran and he’s also matured at 35.”

“Our big rookies are also going to benefit from playing around somebody like our import.”

The Elasto Painters begin their bid for a Commissioners’ Cup title on Wednesday, Nov. 8, when they face the Meralco Bolts at Philsports Arena.