NLEX is bringing in a new import in a bid to stay alive in the Commissioner’s Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association.
DeAndre Williams Baldwin, a 6-foot-9 forward who played for former National Basketball Association star Anfernee Hardaway at Memphis, will be on board when the Road Warriors fight for life against Converge today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Williams Baldwin has yet to gain significant overseas experience but he is expected to dominate after posting 17.7 points and 8.2 rebounds in his senior year for the Tigers in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s tournament.
Williams Baldwin will be the Road Warriors’ third import after Thomas Robinson and Stokley Chaffey Jr., who reportedly left the country following their 104-97 win over Blackwater last 22 December.
Stokley averaged 22.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks in his five-game stint for the Road Warriors.
There will be pressure on Williams Baldwin as he is expected to pump life into the flickering NLEX campaign.
Fashioning a 3-6 win-loss slate, the Road Warriors are in desperate need of a win as they are just half-game behind TNT Tropang Giga after their stint was hounded with injuries, sickness and bad luck.
They have a chance to change the course of their campaign should they beat Converge and finish their eliminations campaign with a victory over Barangay Ginebra on Saturday at the Ibalong Center for Recreation in Legazpi City in Albay while praying for the Tropang Giga to drop their last game against Phoenix Super LPG on Sunday at the Big Dome.
