CHICAGO - When NorthPort announced it was bringing in Taylor Johns last July 21, the Batang Pier were the last PBA team to reveal their import hire for this ongoing Governors' Cup.
On Thursday, they became the first squad to make a switch by bringing back Venky Jois, who led them to a quarterfinal finish last conference where the Australian averaged 23. points, 15.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
The switch was a stunner given that Johns, a UC-Riverside alum with experiences in five other countries before washing ashore at Batang Pier, sizzled with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 9 assists in a loss to TNT the other night.
READ Blackwater, Cariaso in a quandary as import Ledo misfires again
Unless there was a prior arrangement where his tenure hinged on the availability of Jois, Johns himself must have been flabbergasted over being released following a near triple-double output.
But choosing an import to augment a team is more complicated than simply relying on an import's production.
Familiarity with the system, how he gets along with the local players and how his game complements theirs are just as vital.
Attitude is important, too. And that's why two high-profile former NBA players haven't returned to the PBA even after impressive showings.
JUST HOW THE WORLD TURNS.
Darius Days, a TNT official told me, was an excellent pick-up with NBA pedigree. But when Rondae Hollis-Jefferson's calendar cleared, Darius' days, pardon the pun, were over.
Nothing personal, it's just how the business churns. Teams always go with a proven asset over potential.
Long story short, selecting an import to help a team navigate a championship in a very dense period of a few months is not an exact science.
In the 2023 Commissioner's Cup, for instance, San Miguel Beer went through three imports before striking gold with Bennie Boatright.
Import switches are not cheap, either. Oftentimes, the salaries of the reinforcements that are coming and going overlap, not to mention the logistics required in providing air travel and accommodations.
This is an aspect where the rich teams have a built-in advantage over the smaller, independent teams.
IS LEDO NEXT TO GO?
Like any good coach would, Blackwater's Jeff Cariaso quickly got his import's back after Ricky Ledo had a horrific debut in the Bossings' 110-97 loss to Rain or Shine last Tuesday.
Here's what Ledo did against the Elasto Painters - 12 points on 4-of-23 shooting including 0-for-5 from 4. The former NBA player also had 3 turnovers in 37:25 of action.
Blackwater lost again tonight, this time a 114-87 drubbing at the hands of NLEX.
Ledo was almost as bad. He logged a tepid 6 points on 2-of-15 shooting while having three turnovers against a lone assist. Ledo missed two 4-point shots and was just as cold from beyond the 3-point arc at 1-for-8.
Having watched the PBA for decades I've seen more imports than a duty-free shop. I can't remember a two-game stretch where an import scored just a combined 18 points on 6-of-38 shooting from the field (15.7 percent).
At 0-2 with games coming in bunches, what would Blackwater do?
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