With or without Justin Brownlee, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is favored to emerge victorious when the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup fires off on 5 November at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said a lot of contenders are expected to surface following the looming absence of Brownlee, who is facing a lengthy suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in the aftermath of the 19th Asian Games.
Still, the Kings are expected to make a serious run for the title due to firepower, experience and chemistry forged through the years.
Ginebra has yet to formally name its reinforcement but it boosted its roster with the addition of Maverick Ahanmisi.
Ahanmisi had a breakout season last year where he averaged 19.9 points, 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game in the previous Governors’ Cup.
Veteran Japeth Aguilar and reigning Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson will also return as well as Christian Standhardinger, Stanley Pringle, Jamie Malonzo and LA Tenorio, who is coming off a successful battle with cancer.
“There are still a lot of elite teams that are hard to contend with, the likes of Ginebra, TNT, San Miguel, Meralco. They’re very good teams,” Victolero, whose team went 11-0 in the preseason tournament, said.
For head coach Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo, San Miguel and Magnolia may be considered as ripe to win a championship, but Ginebra remains a solid force to be reckoned with.
“Ginebra is always there because of the experience. They get better as the games progress,” said Trillo, whose wards have suffered a lot of bitter setbacks at the hands of the Kings.
“They may start a bit slow, but once they get their footing, they start getting better and once they start getting better, they’re hard to knock out.”
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao said Ginebra and Brownlee are synonymous to winning and their partnership had been very productive, leading to six titles.
He said although other teams now have good chances of winning, the Kings remain dangerous with or without Brownlee, a three-time Best Import awardee.
“With the resources of Ginebra, with the expertise of their coaching staff, and their scouting abilities, they can even afford to get a high-caliber import,” Guiao said, emphasizing that bringing in a super import is very possible for a team like Ginebra.
“Of course, getting a top-caliber import also has a luck factor,” Guiao added.
“But, if you have the resources, expertise and network, which Ginebra have, they can even afford to bring in another Class A import.”
