Author: John Michael Decierdo Agustin
Photo Credit: MPBL
Manila SV Batang Sampaloc’s superstar big man, Greg Slaughter, will not be playing in game 2 of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Season 6 North Division quarterfinals matchup against Caloocan Batang Kankaloo. Following his two flagrant and unsportsmanlike fouls in game 1, which led to an automatic ejection, the MPBL handed Slaughter a 1-game suspension, which means Manila will be missing a key piece to their roster in a do-or-die battle against Caloocan to even up the series.
No.5 Batang Kankaloo narrowly beat No.4 Manila, 79-78, last Saturday to take the 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. Slaughter did finish with 16 points and 10 rebounds, but was ejected early in the fourth period after slapping Rommel Calahat in the face during transition. Earlier, the 7-foot center was also caught elbowing Joshua Flores in the second period.
Despite the appeal made by Manila’s front office, the MPBL management decided to continue with the suspension, considering that Slaughter’s heated and physical altercations wouldn’t go unpunished. As per the handbook, only technical fouls-not flagrant fouls-are appealable where suspensions can be lifted.
What does Greg Slaughter’s suspension mean for the Manileños?
After joining the Manila SV Batang Sampaloc, the team exponentially became better. Last season, they were only able to win 4 games and were at the bottom of the league. This year, they’re suddenly the fourth seed in the North and are even a championship contender, with Gregzilla anchoring the paint.
The 36-year-old star and former PBA Best Player of the Conference is even an MVP candidate if you look at how well he’s been playing this year. With his 16 PPG, 10 RPB, and 1.1 BPG in the regular season, he’s easily in the top 5 in scoring and rebounding, and well within the top 10 in blocks. Slaughter is still a solid contributor both on offense and defense. His presence will be deeply missed, especially in the tense quarterfinals battle.
This would also mean that other players must step up in the absence of Greg. We might see coach Gabby Severino finally utilize Rabeh Al-Hussaini, the former Blue Eagle standout and UAAP MVP, to man the painted area. Obviously, Jorey Napoles, Carl Bryan Cruz, and Joshua Torralba will carry most of the scoring load, but they’ll have to go up against a hungry Caloocan. Winning game 2 would give them a chance to win the series in game 3 when Slaughter returns.
Manila and Caloocan will face each other again on October 12 at the San Andres Sports Complex, Manila.
