Waiting on Gregzilla

Barangay Ginebra frontliner Japeth Aguilar said the other day that injured teammate Greg Slaughter is about two weeks away from reactivation and is now practicing with the team to get ready for action in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. The 7-foot center is recovering from a bad left ankle sprain that caused him to sit out 11 contests in Ginebra’s 18-game schedule in the recent Philippine Cup.

If Aguilar’s estimate is correct, Slaughter should be in uniform when Ginebra takes on Meralco on June 1 and San Miguel Beer on June 3, both at the MOA Arena. Ginebra’s next game is against Blackwater on Friday at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan. Both Ginebra and Blackwater are winless in the second conference. Then, Ginebra battles Phoenix on May 20 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.        

For Ginebra, the big question is when to bring in Justin Brownlee. Obviously, import Chuck Garcia won’t do. Coach Tim Cone said the team is “committed” to Garcia but that was for the game against TNT last Sunday. How long is the commitment for isn’t certain. Perhaps, Ginebra can still afford to play Garcia against Blackwater whose import is the rangy Jarrid Famous. But down the road, Garcia isn’t expected to take Ginebra far.

Brownlee is in town, waiting for a call-up. He’s undersized at a shade under 6-5 in the Commissioner’s Cup which has a height limit of 6-10 for imports. But if Slaughter is back in harness, Brownlee’s lack of ceiling wouldn’t be much of a handicap. Aguilar said Cone has experimented with a big lineup at practice, deploying Slaughter at five, Garcia at four, himself at three and Joe DeVance at two. If Garcia gets the boot, Cone could move Aguilar to four and bring in Brownlee at three.

Aguilar said Garcia and Brownlee are unlike each other. “Justin’s a tested scorer,” said Aguilar. “Chuck is a different type of player. He’s more of a rebounder and defender. With Chuck, we alternate at four or five. I’ve gotten used to playing different positions. In coach Tim’s system, we move around a lot so there’s really no difference playing either three or four. I’ll do whatever coach Tim thinks is best for the team. I got excited when coach Tim used a big lineup at practice. When Greg comes back, we might do that in a game.”

Aguilar declined comment on whether Brownlee would replace Garcia. “Let’s just wait and see,” he said. Garcia probably wore out his welcome in his second sub-par performance against TNT. In his PBA debut against Rain Or Shine last April 29, Garcia collected 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists. He hit 8-of-18 from the field and 3-of-7 from the line as Ginebra lost, 108-89. Garcia’s excuse was he’d practiced only once with the te2m after flying in as a late replacement for original pick Shane Edwards.

Against TNT, Garcia was far from impressive, finishing with 15 points on 3-of-11 field goals and 9-of-11 free throws, nine rebounds and two assists. TNT won, 96-92, even as import Jeremy Tyler had only two points in 34:04 minutes. Garcia looked lost on the floor, often not knowing where to situate himself in Cone’s triangle formation. This time, there were no excuses for his showing as he had a week of practice. Before the game, Garcia said he’s slowly getting used to the PBA’s style of play which he described as physical and up-and-down. In previous leagues where he played, Garcia said it was either up-and-down or physical but never both. 

When Garcia played his one and only season at Seattle University, he compiled eye-popping stats and was touted to be a high draft pick in the NBA. However, he went undrafted. NBA scouts must have seen something deficient in Garcia’s game to leave him out in the cold. That something was evident in Garcia’s first two games in the PBA.

If Cone is worried that Brownlee may be too short for the second conference, why not consider Renaldo Balkman? Brownlee and Balkman were teammates on the San Miguel Pale Pilsen Alab squad that recently won the ABL title. San Miguel Beer holds Balkman’s rights but there’s no rule prohibiting the transfer of an import’s rights to a “sister” team. Balkman is in town like Brownlee and according to Alab team manager Charlie Dy, is waiting for an offer to play in China. If given a chance to return to the PBA, Balkman would surely grab it instead of taking an offer from China. 

Ginebra’s decision on whether or not to stick with Garcia depends on who’s available and Slaughter’s condition. If Slaughter still can’t play, Cone might stay with Garcia or bring in an import who’s taller than Brownlee like Balkman. If Slaughter is cleared to play, Cone might reenlist Brownlee who’ll see action for Ginebra in the Governors Cup. With a 0-2 record, Ginebra has to make a decision quickly before it’s too late to turn things around.