Alexander returns to new-look Ginebra, Kings take on powerhouse Petron

Alexander returns to new-look Ginebra, Kings take on powerhouse Petron
February 11, 2012 9:05pm

The last time Chris Alexander played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), he powered Barangay Ginebra to its last league title.

The 7-foot-1 import returns for another tour of duty with the Kings and the league's crowd darlings hope to achieve the same result.

Alexander and the re-tooled Barangay Ginebra unit make their Commissioner's Cup debut Sunday night, when they take on the Petron Boosters in a potentially explosive main game at the Araneta Coliseum.

The 6:30 p.m. encounter will see Kerby Raymundo and rookie Dylan Ababou suiting up for the Kings for the first time since being acquired in a three-team trade during the season break.

But at the same time, the spotlight will also fall on Alexander, the towering import who steered the squad to the 2008 Fiesta Conference championship, which the Kings won in seven grueling games against the Air21 Express.

Ginebra top gunner Mark Caguioa said Alexander has yet to regain his old deadly form. "Medyo hindi pa maganda ang kundisyon ni Chris. And we all know that the import is the key in this tournament. But we, the locals, will try our best."

But whether Alexander is in shape or not, Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen welcomes the opportunity to play a team as talented as Petron right on its opening game.

"It would be exciting to see how we measure up with one of the league’s top teams," he said. “Cohesion would be crucial for us especially with the new guys we have."

Petron, coming off a heartbreaking campaign in the Philippine Cup semifinals that saw the Boosters squandering a commanding 3-1 series lead against Talk 'N Text, has tapped Nick Fazekas as its import this second conference.

Standing at 6-foot-11, Fazekas last played with the Reno Big Horns in the NBA D-League averaging 18.5 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Aside from Ginebra and Petron, Rain or Shine also makes its debut when the Elasto Painters take on the Alaska Aces in the 4:15 p.m. curtain raiser.

The Elasto Painters will be parading the shortest among the current crop of imports in Willard Crews.

Crews stands 6-foot-8 and is a late replacement for original choice Jake Voskuhl, whom the Elasto Painters said doesn’t have a good offensive game.

The Rain or Shine import last played in Uruguay with Cader and suited up for 21 games, averaging 23.5 points and 10.7 rebounds.

The Elasto Painters and Crews will be up against an Alaska side that will try to bounce back from a 98-78 rout inflicted by Willie Miller and the Barako Bulls.

The game will see Aces import Adam Parada going up against his former coach Yeng Guiao. The two were with Red Bull in 2008 when they reached the Fiesta Conference semifinals. — JVP, GMA News

Source:GMANews.com