CHICAGO - In the afterglow of their successful PBA Governors' Cup title defense last Friday, word leaked that the TNT will bring back newly-minted Best Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for the upcoming Commissioner's Cup.
Not so fast.
With no height restrictions for reinforcements in the upcoming conference. TNT coach Chot Reyes told me that the RHJ plan is in the works but not necessarily etched in stone.
READ RHJ all-in on TNT's plan to bring him back next conference
"We are trying to find a 6-foot-10 guy pero mahirap maghanap this time of year," Reyes said while emphasizing that the calendar is tough during this period when leagues around the world are in full throttle.
While getting stuck with Hollis-Jefferson isn't a bad thing at all, the six-year NBA veteran will be yielding a lot of size and ceiling. And given his propensity to play hard, heavy minutes, that might be a problem.
SIZE MATTERS.
Several teams have already taken advantage of the opportunity to bring giants in their rosters including Terrafirma which has tapped 6-foot-11, 264 pound Ryan Richards.
Magnolia, which was the first to find an import, rolled with the well-chiseled 6-foot-8 Ricardo Rattcliffe. Phoenix has 6-foot-9, 245-pound Donovan Smith while NorthPort will ride with 6-foot-11 Kavell Bigby-Williams, a Brit who last played in Libya.
Not to be outdone, NLEX reeled in 6-foot-11 Ed Davis, a stalwart at storied University of North Carolina while NBA veteran Chuck Diallo, a 6-foot-8 former Phoenix Sun and Detroit Piston, is with Converge.
READ Meralco Bolts bring in well-travelled Akil Mitchell as import
Meralco, meanwhile, has just snagged Akil Mitchell, a 6-foot-9, 234-pounder who flaunts an extensive portfolio that includes stops in the G League, France, Israel, Australia and China among other destinations.
The 32-year old Mitchell, who averaged just 6.9 points during his four-year college career at Virginia, isn't a volume scorer but he is an aggressive lockdown defender and a tenacious rebounder.
NENAD AND PAOLO'S PICK.
Active consultant Nenad Vucenic and team manager Paolo Trillo, who kept their import info like a Pentagon secret, were supposedly the brains behind Mitchell's selection, sources revealed.
Per my best bud Snow Badua, San Miguel Beer is rumored to be in talks with former NBA fixture Kenneth Faried whose beast-like approach to the game earned him the moniker "The Manimal."
Should TNT eventually decide to hang on to RHJ, Reyes remains confident that Jefferson's familiarity with the Tropa's sets and his chemistry with the rest of the team will remain an asset.
Hard to disagree, but RHJ is only 6-foot-6 and 217 pounds.. That means giving up five inches and 47 pounds to Terrafirma's Richards for starters.
Ginebra, which also plans on keeping 6-foot-6, 220-pound Justin Brownlee, is similarly situated. Ditto with Blackwater which already decided last month that 6-foot-6 George King is their man,
Will the gamble of pitting speed over size pay?
Maybe.
But don't bet the house on it.
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