Bay Area reprise in offing?

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said yesterday with the impending agreement for Hong Kong Eastern to play in back-to-back Commissioner’s Cups starting this season, a Bay Area reprise may be in store for fans.

“Sana maging matibay ang partnership ng PBA at Hong Kong Eastern at maging as successful o kaya higit pa ang participation sa Bay Area experience,” said Marcial, referring to the guest team’s campaign in the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup where the Dragons took Barangay Ginebra to Game Seven in the Finals before a record crowd of 54,589 at the Philippine Arena. Marcial said he’s upbeat that negotiations with Hong Kong Eastern chairman Frankie Yau will come to a mutually beneficial conclusion.

Final checks on player credentials are now being made before the PBA formalizes the deal. PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro said he’s awaiting the submission of the final Hong Kong roster as he just got a message from team manager Oliver Lee that former Bay Area sharpshooter Hayden Blankley will be added to the lineup. If Blankley is confirmed, he will be reunited with Glen Yang and Kobey Lam who previously played for Bay Area in the PBA.

Castro said Hong Kong Eastern will follow the PBA rules on imports. An original import may be reactivated once from the injured/reserve list but a replacement import may not be recalled. He noted that like Bay Area, Hong Kong Eastern will be allowed to include foreign-born Chinese heritage players but only two will be allowed to play at the same time.

Hong Kong Eastern’s EASL roster lists imports Chris McLaughlin and Cameron Clark. Coach Mensur Bajramovic will decide whom to play in the PBA which allows one import each team with unlimited height in the next Commissioner’s Cup. McLaughlin, 32, is a 6-10 Canadian who saw action in Austria and Canada before moving to Hong Kong in 2019. Clark, 33, is a 6-6 forward who has played in Italy, Israel, France, Turkey, Germany, Mexico, Uruguay, Bahrain, Puerto Rico, Taiwan and the PBA with NLEX and San Miguel Beer.