(c) PBA Media Bureau
As San Miguel Beermen and Magnolia Hotshots continue their war for supremacy of the 2019 Philippine Cup, the cast of imports for the 2019 Commissioner's Cup is almost complete.
Today, we will continue our card-day by giving out the grades of Ginebra, Columbian and Meralco for their choices.
Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel - Justin Brownlee
This may seem like an easy choice for Ginebra because Brownlee was the one who led them to the 2019 Commissioner's Cup crown last season. With Brownlee at the forefront, they dispatched the Beermen in the finals.
Even though he is on a size disadvantage against his fellow foreigners, he still managed to produce 26.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 45% FG and 21% 3FG per game in the 2018 Com. Cup. Position-wise, this was the right move because the wing position remains to be the weakest spot of Ginebra.
Grade: A
Columbian Dyip - Kyle Barone
Kyle played with Saigon Heat in the recently concluded 2019 season of the ASEAN Basketball League. He was respectable in his stint, averaging 21.1 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, 50% FG and 30% 3FG per game.
It is great that Barone is a capable shooter from the outside because Dyip needs that to open up driving lanes for CJ Perez and Rashawn McCarthy. Although, they may have a problem with his defense which is not a huge part of his game. And for the weakest roster in the league, a better scorer may have served them better.
Grade: C
Meralco Bolts - Gani Lawal
Gani Lawal will come to the PBA with one NBA game under his belt. In his most recent stint in the Japanese B League, he averaged 21.0 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
Gani is an inside operator with a high motor and high level of athleticism. He will need a lot of motor and athleticism in leading a team that has one of the weakest frontline in the league. With his numbers, I do not expect him to pass that much. So, he will need to be effective and efficient in his attempts to make sure that the system of Meralco will work.
Unless he overwhelms the league with his athleticism and activity, I do not think Lawal will finish the conference.
Grade: D
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