GLOBALPORT was forced to send import Rod Benson packing as the NBA D-League veteran exceeded the height limit for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Benson, who has been playing in the Korean Basketball League the past few years, was measured on Tuesday at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City to be 1/8 of an inch beyond the allowed 6-9 height restriction for teams that finished in the top eight in the Philippine Cup.
“Lumagpas yung import ng dalawang guhit sa 6-9 kaya di siya puwede,” said a PBA staff who conducted the height measurement on Tuesday.
The Batang Pier management, which placed eighth in the all-Filipino conference, is now set to bring in former North Carolina State standout CJ Leslie to replace the disqualified Benson.
“Listed talaga sa 6-10 si Rod Benson, pero ni-risk lang siya nung pinapunta dito. Nung sinukatan, nag-over nga yung height niya kaya papalitan siya,” a source from GlobalPort told Spin.ph on Wednesday.
Leslie, a 23-year-old forward, will arrive in Manila over the weekend.
GlobalPort hopes to bank on the youth and athleticism of Leslie, a former high school teammate of Washington Wizards star John Wall.
The forward who hails from Holly Springs, North Carolina, played for the New York Knicks in the 2013 NBA Summer League. He also saw action for the Erie Bayhawks and the Idaho Stampede, before suiting up for the Anyang KGC in the Korean Basketball League.
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