A FULL-PLEDGED star player and a champion coach who’ve had memorable battles together at Rain or Shine in the last half decade cross paths for the first time as opponents on Wednesday when Star and NLEX collide in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Paul Lee and coach Yeng Guiao, who were separated before the start of the season with the former going to the Hotshots and the latter to the Road Warriors, meet when their new teams face off at 7 p.m.
But Lee, who played under Guiao in his first five years in the league, played down the reunion, turning his focus instead on helping the Hotshots stop an early two-game skid.
“It’s not me and coach Yeng ‘tong laban na ‘to,” Lee said in a short chat with SPIN.ph after practice on Tuesday. “It’s about how we get our first win.”
“We need to take care of our business,” he added. “Kailangan makuha namin ‘tong panalo na ‘to. We need to be ready.”
The PBA press corps’ Comeback Player of the Year for 2016 has averaged 10.5 points, 8.5 boards, and two assists in his first two games, although those decent numbers have been negated by his 6.5 turnovers.
And that underlines the need for the 27-year-old playmaker to continue adapting to his new environment.
“Kahit sabihin nating gasgas na yung dahilan na ‘new team, new coach, new system,’ lalabas at lalabas pa rin yun,” Lee said. “Kailangan lang namin madaliin yun kung paano namin makukuha yung right chemistry.”
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