It took six losses in nine games, but the Converge FiberXers finally moved on from the ineffective Kylor Kelley. After scoring a meager 4 points in the FiberXers’ big win over the TNT Tropang 5G last Wednesday, Kelley was given the pink slip in time for Converge’s game versus the Phoenix Fuel Masters.
Converge Makes the Switch
Former Phoenix import Donovan Smith took the G League veteran’s place, and he made sure the import switch paid off—firing a game-high 32 points on top of 12 caroms in a rousing return to the PBA.
Afterward, Converge coach Delta Pineda told reporters that the decision to switch imports came rather quickly.
“’Yung missing link talaga sa amin ay ‘yung contribution ng import, especially sa scoring,” Pineda said in the aftermath of Converge’s convincing 130-103 win over Phoenix on Sunday. “Naging mabilis po ang desisyon. Talagang kailangan nang magpalit, lalo na we’re in a do-or-die situation. Kailangan namin tulong ng import talaga.”
Pineda’s words are a tacit admission that the Kylor Kelley experiment was a big failure. Coming in with glowing credentials, the 28-year-old center averaged a measly 11.6 points for the conference, which was by far the lowest among the imports. Unsurprisingly, the FiberXers faltered, going just 3-6 with Kelley in tow.
Is It Too Late, Though?
Now that Converge has made that import switch, the question is: Did the FiberXers do it just in time—or is it a little bit too late?
Given Smith’s explosive debut, one can argue that Converge took one game too long to bring in the former Fuel Master—that is, if he was the first choice to replace Kelley. But, believe it or not, Converge might have brought in Smith just in the nick of time, as the Pineda-helmed squad is still mathematically in the running for a quarterfinals seat in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
However, the FiberXers will need several things to break their way. First, they will have to win their remaining games: against the NLEX Road Warriors on May 2 and against the Blackwater Bossing on May 9.
If they nail both wins, the FiberXers will move up to 6-6, which could be good enough for the eighth or even seventh seed depending on how Phoenix, the San Miguel Beermen, and the Magnolia Hotshots round out the eliminations.
Put simply, Converge will be hoping that one—or even two—of Phoenix, San Miguel, and Magnolia loses their remaining games to open up a backdoor to the playoffs.
Meaning, Converge’s import switch might not have been too late after all.
