Six switches so far

In the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, six of 12 teams have made import switches but three of those who were replaced are still in town and under league rules, may be reinstated. Only an original import may be brought back to the lineup after being cut but he must be reactivated from the injured list. If an original import isn’t relegated to the injured list, he won’t be eligible for re-enlistment in the conference.

There’s also a PBA rule that allows a team a grace period of two consecutive games to play without an import. On the third game, the team is fined P50,000 if it continues to play without an import. The penalty escalates to P100,000 on the fourth game, P200,000 on the fifth and P500,000 on the sixth. The fines are based on cumulative games played without an import. So far, Blackwater and NLEX have played a game each without an import. The Elite’s Alex Stepheson returned to the US for a medical check-up the morning of the game against San Miguel Beer last Friday. But Blackwater team owner Dioceldo Sy said Stepheson will be back here on Thursday. Blackwater’s next game is against NorthPort at the Cuneta Astrodome on Saturday.

NLEX also played without an import when replacement Tony Mitchell couldn’t get his documents cleared by GAB in time for the game against NorthPort last May 25. Curtis Washington played NLEX’ first game against TNT three days before.

The second conference has a limit of 6-10 for imports. The shortest in the cast is Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee whose official height is 6-4 5/8 as measured by the PBA. Here are the official heights of the 11 other current imports – Alaska’s Nino Johnson 6-7 3/16, TNT’s Terrence Jones 6-9 7/16, Rain Or Shine’s Denzel Bowles 6-8 13/16, Phoenix’ Richard Howell 6-7 1/16, Meralco’s Jimmie Taylor 6-9 1/4, Mitchell 6-8 3/8, NorthPort’s Prince Ibeh 6-9 3/8, Stepheson 6-8 5/8, San Miguel’s Charles Rhodes 6-8 3/8, Magnolia’s James Farr 6-9 and Columbian’s Lester Prosper 6-9 1/2.

The early casualties were Magnolia’s John Fields (one game), Columbian’s Kyle Barone (four games), Alaska’s Chris Daniels (six games), Phoenix’ Rob Dozier (two games), NLEX’ Washington (one game) and Meralco’s Gani Lawal (six games). Fields and Barone were unconditionally released. Daniels, Dozier, Washington and Lawal were placed on the injured list and may be reactivated. Washington, however, is no longer in town.

The replacement imports are Mitchell, Johnson, Howell, Taylor, Farr and Prosper. There are indications that Taylor is on a short leash and coach Norman Black may reinstate Lawal. Meralco has lost two in a row, including a 104-91 defeat to TNT where Taylor was badly outplayed by Jones. Taylor struggled with 13 points while Jones erupted for 49. Lawal averaged 28.5 points and 22 rebounds as Meralco went 3-3 before Taylor checked in.

Daniels averaged 20.2 points and 12.3 rebounds as Alaska posted a 4-2 record. Coach Alex Compton brought in Johnson on an interim basis while Daniels recovers from a quad injury. Daniels, 35, is the oldest import in town and maybe, Compton wants to test if the Aces are better off with younger legs. Johnson is 26. But in his debut against Phoenix last Saturday, Johnson compiled only six points and four rebounds. The upside was he had four assists, five steals, four blocks and no turnover. If Johnson had delivered Daniels’ numbers, Alaska would’ve probably won. Phoenix eked out a 78-76 decision.

The Fuel Masters were 1-1 with Dozier in harness. Since Howell took over, Phoenix is 1-2. Howell, 28, isn’t new to the trade. He played for TNT in 2014 and 2015. Against Alaska, Howell produced 24 points and 29 rebounds – a far cry from the eight points and nine rebounds he had in his first game against Meralco last June 7. Dozier, a former PBA Best Import awardee, may be given another crack if he recovers from plantar fasciitis. Dozier averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds in two games before going down.

Of the six remaining original imports still on the active list, Ibeh seems to be the only one whose job is on the line. He’s averaging 14.7 points and 16.7 rebounds while shooting a horrible 15 percent from the line (6-of-40). But NorthPort coach Pido Jarencio can’t really complain. NorthPort is off to a 5-1 start and the single loss to Ginebra was by only three points. Ibeh had a forgettable eight points against Ginebra but collared 24 boards. For as long as NorthPort keeps winning, Ibeh isn’t likely to be replaced despite his below-par numbers. Brownlee, Jones, Bowles, Rhodes and Stepheson look like they’re here to stay for the conference, barring injuries.