Beermen not rushing import decision

San Miguel Beer is not in a hurry to hire a new import for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup that starts on 11 March.

Fresh from winning the Philippine Cup, Beermen head coach Leo Austria told DAILY TRIBUNE that they are keeping a shortlist of three to five players who will serve as their reinforcement in the midseason conference.

He refused to name names but hinted at the possibility of tapping a forward who can stretch the floor with his outside shooting to perfectly complement the inside presence of nine-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo.

Last year, the Beermen had a forgettable Commissioner’s Cup campaign as they struggled to find a suitable import who can lead them to the playoffs. They started with Quincy Miller before replacing him with Torren Jones and Jabari Narcis before closing their campaign with Malik Pope.

All in all, the Beermen finished their bid at the 10th spot with a 5-7 win-loss record while TNT Tropang Giga, powered by former National Basketball Association standout Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, lifted the trophy.

This time, the Beermen is determined to hire a perfect import that will help them win the title that will put them a heartbeat away from completing their franchise’s second grand slam.

“We’re looking at around three to five players. As much as possible, we’re considering 6-foot-9 players because other teams are looking for similar type of imports,” said Austria, adding that negotiations are still ongoing with team manager Gee Abanilla spearheading the talks.

“Until now, the negotiations are ongoing with our manager, Gee Abanilla, regarding these potential imports. But I can’t reveal the names yet because there’s no assurance that we will be able to get them.”

“Probably in the next few days, we will have a clearer decision.”

With the league removing the height restriction among reinforcements, rim protectors and shot blockers are very much in-demand in Asia’s oldest professional league.

In fact, Magnolia already signed 6-foot-10 journeyman Terrell Brown-Soares while NLEX will parade another 6-foot-10 in Cady Lalanne and Phoenix will roll with 6-foot-10 James Dickey, who played with Justin Brownlee at Pelita Jaya in Indonesia.

Of course, Brownlee will make a return and is tipped to be the smallest import at 6-foot-7 while TNT is reportedly pursuing former NBA player Bol Bol — a 7-foot-3 behemoth who can run the floor and terrorize the paint with his shot blocking and rebounding ability.