MERALCO active consultant Nenad Vucinic felt the need to change their import to have a better shot at beating TNT and reaching the finals of the PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup.
With the Bolts down 2-1 after losing Game 3, 77-75, to an all-Filipino TNT side, Meralco decided to bring in 7-footer Patrick Gardner to replace Marvin Jones despite the latter's strong performance for the team this conference.
READ Meralco replacing Jones with Gardner after crushing Game 3 loss
Jones averaged 22.4 points and 11.2 rebounds during the eliminations, and was contributing 20.0 points and 14.0 rebounds in the first three games of the semifinals before the change was made.
“Changing import was solely my decision, approved by management,” Vucinic told SPIN.ph on the eve of Game 4 on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. “I felt that we needed a change of chemistry within the team to be able to beat our tough opponent in the semifinals."
The Serbian coach admitted there is a risk in switching imports at this point of the conference. But Vucinic admitted that bringing in Gardner is worth the risk with the skills that he can bring to the Bolts.
“It is a double-edged sword and a big risk considering the lack of time to adjust, that (the change) may or may not be successful, but that is the destiny of decision-makers. I’m perfectly okay to take responsibility and looking forward to the big challenge,” said Vucinic.
Gardner is coming off a stint with Fukushima Firebonds in the Japan B.League second division. The Egyptian national player averaged a team-high 17.6 points and 7.3 rebounds during the 2025-26 season. The 26-year-old also shot 58 percent from two-point range and 40 percent from three-point country.
Vucinic admitted the search for an import at this point of the year was not easy and the fact thar Gardner was already in Asia became a consideration. Fukushima had just wrapped up its B2 campaign where they lost in the championship to Kobe last week.
“The options for replacement were very limited because of the timing, player has to be in the region, in shape and willing to come for the very short stint and conditions offered,” Vucinic said.
Vucinic said the locals must continue to contribute to complement Gardner, who will now match up against Chris McCullough, an import that has also come in from Chinese Taipei as a replacement to Bol Bol for the rest of the conference.
“Patrick is a young player, with certain skills and with great character and personality,” Vucinic said. “He will be put in a very difficult situation and our expectations on him will not be high. We need the rest of the team to function better and hopefully he will give his contribution.”
With Gardner as import, Meralco will look to even the series at 2-2 on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
“Difficult but not impossible. Our lives are full of challenges,” said Vucinic about tying the series in Game 4.
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