NEW petron import Rodney White said he doesn't want to fill the shoes left by Renaldo Balkman.
He just wants to do the best that he can.
The former first-round pick of the Detroit Pistons arrived on Sunday morning to take the place of Balkman, who distinguished himself as the finest import in the PBA Commissioner's Cup.
White, though, doesn't want to be compared with Balkman or be measured by the standards set by the temperamental import whose meltdown led to a lifetime ban in the local league.
“No expectations,” said White while watching the Ginebra-Talk `N Text encounter on Sunday in the company of Petron coach Olsen Racela and deputies Pido Jarencio and Biboy Ravanes.
“I will not try to fill his (Balkman) shoes. I will just do my job and that is to win more games for the team. But at the same time to have fun.
“I humbly don’t know what to expect. The team wants to win, I want to win, I’ll just do my role and do what I do.”
White planed in at 7:30 a.m. of Sunday and will have his first practice with Petron on Monday.
Racela said he is eager to see how White will fit into the team.
“Wala pa (expectations sa kanya), bale first practice namin, di ko pa alam how good he is,” said the rookie coach. “Tignan natin how he fits sa system and sa teammates niya.”
But this early, Racela noted that unlike Balkman, White is more offense-minded player.
“He plays (the position) four like Balkman, but unlike Balkman who is more of a defensive guy, White is more of an offensive type of player, so we’ll see.”
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