The finalists of PBA Season 49’s Governors’ Cup and last conference’s Finals combatants—Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and TNT Tropang 5G—will make their tournament debut later tonight. And, without playing a single game, both teams are already staring at a daunting challenge.
Ginebra and Its Gutted Big Three
Ginebra will be facing the Phoenix Fuel Masters in the main game later tonight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. And while Phoenix itself provides a formidable challenge, especially with the recent acquisition of Gian Mamuyac, the barangay appears to have bigger, more long-term problems.
The biggest of these is the absence of longtime resident reinforcement and reigning Commissioner’s Cup Best Import Justin Brownlee. The now seven-time PBA champ is reportedly out for four to six weeks to deal with a bevy of injuries—the most notable of which was the hamstring strain he suffered in the Commissioner’s Cup playoffs. Taking his place will be Riley Grigsby, an NBA G League veteran with a smooth stroke.
Compounding matters is the expected prolonged absence of Scottie Thompson. The newly minted PBA Finals MVP is also dealing with a hamstring issue and has no clear timetable for his return.
“Hindi pa ako nagpa-practice, shooting-shooting lang muna ako,” said the former league MVP. “Nagte-therapy pa rin ako. Bale day-to-day ako ngayon.”
With Brownlee and Thompson sidelined, reigning Commissioner’s Cup Best Player of the Conference RJ Abarrientos will have to do some very heavy lifting.
TNT Battles Injuries
TNT, who beat Ginebra for the Governors’ Cup title last season, will also be starting the conference with an ailing lineup. Notably, Calvin Oftana is expected to miss time as he recovers from a calf strain, while Jayson Castro has been relegated to unrestricted free agency as he deals with a knee issue. Big man Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser is still recovering from a sprained ankle but is expected to play later against the Macau Giant Pandas.
Adding to the Tropa’s woes are Kelly Williams leaving for the US to deal with a personal matter and import Darius Days coming in overweight. With these unfortunate developments, all TNT coach Chot Reyes is hoping for is for those in uniform to keep the Tropang 5G boat afloat—until the big guns return, so to speak.
“Mahaba-haba pa bago makabalik sa playing shape niya [Days],” Reyes bared in an interview. “We’re far from competitive at this point. I just hope we get a lot of good performances from our second- and third-stringers. Iyun lang ang pag-asa namin to be competitive in at least the first round or first month ng conference na ito.”
With Ginebra dealing with the same injury and import concerns, Cone and the barangay are probably hoping for the best as well.
