PBA Import Watch: Week 3

We had some great games from our imports this week! And we also has some games that could put them on the brink of maybe being sent home.

How did your favorite team’s reinforcement do these past seven days? Who wins the SLAM Import of the Week? Find out in this week’s edition of PBA Import Watch!

Dior Lowhorn – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
29 pts, 18 rebs, 1 stl, 1 blk, 3 TOs, 13/25 FGs in loss to San Mig Coffee

His stats say it’s been a good week for Dior Lowhorn. But a loss in their only outing makes it a bad week. As the conference format implies, one loss can hurt a team really bad. Ginebra currently sits at the border of the quarterfinal picture. So they cannot afford another loss. And with Japeth out, Dior is gonna have to impose more muscle in the paint.

Arizona Reid – Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
22 pts, 9 rebs, 2 asts, 3 TOs, 9/22 FGs in loss to Meralco
34 pts, 10 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls, 14/29 FGs in win over Barako Bull

AZ started out the week shaky. He had a hard time finding his touch. That led their downfall against Meralco. But he more than made up for it against Barako Bull. He led the way with his 34 points and just powered his way past Barako’s defense. Classic Arizona Reid right there.

Tony Mitchell – Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters
30 pts, 12 rebs, 3 asts, 3 TOs, 12/31 FGs in loss to Alaska
7 pts, 2 rebs, 3/14 FGs, 21 mins in loss to Petron Blaze

Only 7 points against Petron? Man, what a terrible week it was for Tony Mitchell. And we’re talking about the best scorer in the league this conference.

When you’re an import and you get benched, something went bad. Really bad.

Zach Graham – Air 21 Express
(No games this week)

Weird but true. Air21 went a whole week without a game. Oh well, moving on.

Mike Singletary – Barako Bull Energy Cola
43 pts, 12 rebs, 5 asts, 1 blk, 4 TOs, 17/32 FGs in win over GlobalPort
31 pts, 13 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls, 8/19 FGs in loss to Rain Or Shine

Again, the keyword when talking about Mike Singletary is consistency. And he fits the Barako Bull system because that is exactly how they’ve racked up wins this conference. Consistency.

Mike presents himself as a solid case for Best Import. He puts on the numbers. Now, what he has to do is get his team as far as possible.

Wendell McKines – Alaska Aces
38 pts, 16 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blks, 13/28 FGs in win against Talk N Text
32 pts, 15 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 blks, 11/22 FGs in loss to San Mig Coffee

How much does Wendell McKines want to play? We took the MRT after being stuck in traffic for hours, just to get to the game against San Mig Coffee. The problem? There was a bigger mess inside the Araneta Coliseum then on EDSA.

McKines did everything that he could to will his team to a win. He had some great numbers. But, the rest of the Aces were not able to help him out.

In the words of Jerry Maguire, “Help me help you. HELP ME HELP YOU.”

Elijah Millsap – Petron Blaze Boosters
25 pts, 10 rebs, 5 asts, 2 stls, 8/20 FGs in win against Talk ‘N Text

When it comes to Elijah Millsap and the rest of the Petron Blaze Boosters, what is scarier? The fact that Millsap threw up some LeBron-esque numbers? Or that the rest of the team combined for 98 points against the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters? Whichever one you pick, it is going to scare the pants off of you if you are a team getting ready to play Petron.

I honestly think that this team has turned a corner and are now on the way to being the powerhouse that they were built to be. And for Millsap, that just makes his life a whole lot easier out there.

Mario West – Meralco Bolts
17 pts, 6 rebs, 3 asts, 3 stls, 4/12 FGs in win against Rain or Shine
22 pts, 8 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls, 1 blk, 8/27 FGs in loss to GlobalPort

Mario West scores 17 points on 4/12 shooting and Meralco beats the Elasto Painters. The next game, West scores 22 points and the Bolts drop a game to GlobalPort. What in the world is going on?! How did that happen?

The one thing that is for sure though is the fact that West took a big hit in his scoring this week. With the lack of scoring from the rest of the locals at times, you’re not going to win that many games when your import barely gets over the 20 point mark. Hopefully for them, Mike Cortez can work his way into the rotation faster out there.

Markeith Cummings – GlobalPort Batang Pier
40 pts, 8 rebs, 5 asts, 1 stl, 14/18 FGs in loss to Barako Bull
32 pts, 12 rebs, 6 asts, 11/15 FGs in win against Meralco Bolts

Markeith Cummings has been going under the radar ever since he dunked on Calvin Abueva. He realized that the highlight reel plays wont necessarily give you a win. Doing everything on the floor will give you a W. And that is what Cummings has been doing.

Shooting great from the field, hauling down rebounds, dishing the rock, Markeith has been great this week. If only he can just get some consistent wins, he could’ve won the Import of the Week award.

Marqus Blakely – San Mig Coffee Mixers
SLAM Import of the Week
30 pts, 10 rebs, 3 asts, 4 blks, 9/16 FGs, 11/18 FTs in win against Barangay Ginebra
22 pts, 28 rebs, 8 asts, 1 stl, 1 blk, 7/20 FGs, 8/22 FTs in win against Alaska

What a week it was for Marqus Blakely. First, he gets that Manila Clasico win in dominating fashion. Then, he has another monster game, while at the expense of the Alaska Aces. If it weren’t for his free throws, there would be absolutely nothing bad that I can say about his performance this week.

If he can become a consistent free throw shooter, I don’t know if there is a doubt in my mind that he is the front runner for the Best Import award at the end of the conference.

Photos by Paul Ryan Tan, Paolo Papa, Pranz Kaeno Billiones of InterAKTV

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