Texters unsure about imports

MANILA, Philippines - TNT head coach Nash Racela said yesterday it’s possible that interim import Lou Amundson will continue playing for the KaTropa in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup or at least until Donte Greene is issued his release papers by the Capitanes de Arecibo club in the Puerto Rico league.

Amundson, 34, is averaging 19.5 points and 13 rebounds after two games where TNT lost to Meralco, 94-89 and won over Phoenix, 134-109. The KaTropa returns to action against Blackwater at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tomorrow.

“There’s a possibility we’ll go with Lou (as we’re) still working on Donte’s papers,” said Racela. “I felt Lou was a positive contribution defensively blocking shots and getting rebounds (against Meralco). He should be more comfortable on offense and will definitely get better with more games in the PBA.”

TNT skills coach and 16-year NBA veteran Alton Lister said Amundson’s numbers were solid in his PBA debut – 19 points and 18 rebounds. But with Greene now in town, it appears that Amundson is playing on borrowed time. Amundson, however, is making the most out of his situation.

Lister said Amundson is coachable and a consummate professional. “I’ve worked with Lou at Pete Newell’s Big Man’s Camp in Las Vegas several years back,” he said. “I think he can play head-up, one-on-one against any import in the PBA. He’s more of a drop-pass kind of scorer who’ll get put-backs from offensive rebounds. He’ll face up first then back down to get low post position. He feeds off his teammates. He’s a legitimate NBA player who’s strong and smart. Lou may not be the big-time scorer or go-to guy that other imports are but he gets the job done on defense and rebounding. Lou’s more of a four than a five. He can do pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop. He’s not exactly a stretch four but he’s accurate from medium range.”

Lister said it’s Amundson’s first stint as an import overseas and he’s still making the adjustment of playing under PBA rules. “It’s different playing in the NBA,” said Lister. “I told Lou the PBA’s strict on hand-checking. Once he gets that first foul, he’ll know how to adjust.”

Greene, 29, played with discredited former PBA import Renaldo Balkman on the same team in Puerto Rico. He was born on the US Air Force Base in Munich and attended school in Germany and Japan before enrolling at Syracuse in 2007-08. Greene averaged 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds with 90 triple connections as a Syracuse freshman then opted out to apply for the NBA draft where he was picked on the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008. Greene saw action in 253 games, including 82 starts, with the Sacramento Kings over four seasons then went to China, Dominican Republic, Dubai and Puerto Rico to continue his basketball career.

Unlike Amundson, Greence is well-exposed to the international game. In 2006, he was on the US team that took the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championships in San Antonio. The next year, he played on the US squad that settled for the silver at the FIBA World U19 Championships in Serbia.

Although the Commissioner’s Cup is dominated by imports, Racela said it was Jayson Castro who led the charge in TNT’s romp over Phoenix last Sunday. Castro delivered 10 points, three rebounds and 14 assists as eight KaTropa players finished in double figure points. “The difference was Jayson,” said Racela. “He established the flow for us and everyone else followed.”