Games today:
(Philsports Arena)
4 p.m. — Terrafirma vs Converge
8 p.m. — TNT vs NLEX
Two warriors — an old and a new — will be seeing action when NLEX faces TNT Tropang Giga in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup today at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Game time is set at 8 p.m. with the Road Warriors set to parade their biggest acquisition in Robert Bolick together with grizzled veteran Asi Taulava, who was activated to get a fitting send-off before calling it a career.
Meanwhile, struggling Converge collides with Terrafirma in the 4 p.m. appetizer for a victory that will get it out of the cellar of the 12-team tournament.
The 50-year-old Taulava’s activation means that he will see action in his 24th season in a career studded with championships, Most Valuable Player awards and All-Star appearances.
But the biggest attraction will be Bolick.
Barely 24 hours since his transfer was formalized, the Road Warriors are set to parade him in a bid to address the gaping hole created by the absence of injured playmaker Kevin Alas.
The Road Warriors landed Bolick in a three-team trade that sent Don Trollano to San Miguel Beer and Allyn Bulanadi and Jeepy Faundo to NorthPort.
The last time Bolick saw action in the PBA was in the previous Governors’ Cup on 15 May in which he delivered 14 points in 34 minutes of action for the NorthPort squad that suffered a 110-134 setback to the Tropang Giga.
Then, Bolick packed his bags for the Fukushima Firebonds in the Japan B. League but his stint didn’t last long due to the pregnancy of his wife.
“I am excited to start this new chapter of my career. Thank you so much for the trust. I will not let you down. I will do everything and my very best to contribute to the future championship of this team,” Bolick said in a social media post.
TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa expects NLEX to field in its prized recruit, who will be playing a bigger role in the absence of Alas.
“We expect Bolick to play,” said TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa, who also clarified that he will continue coaching the team in the PBA while Josh Reyes will be delegated to handle the squad in the East Asia Super League.
Right now, the Road Warriors are at the bottom of the standings with a 2-5 win-loss card, just a shade above cellar-dwellers Blackwater and Converge.
With that, NLEX made some moves early in the conference as it sent home do-it-all import Thomas Robinson in favor of Stokley Chaffee.
