Gin Kings test Dragons mettle in opener

The Welcoat Dragons will have their baptism of fire in the pro league right in the opening day of the PBA 32nd season on Oct. 1, facing the Barangay Ginebra Kings at the Araneta Coliseum.

But four weeks before the start of its maiden voyage in the pros, the Asian Coating Inc. ball club, which left a winning tradition in the PBL, is still looking for trade deals to form a formidable lineup.

The Dragons are in still in hot pursuit of their former PBL ace player Rommel Adducul although they have yet to make a formal trade offer to Barangay Ginebra which has just returned from its stint in the Sultan Cup in Brunei.

"We’re not trading Rommel although a number of teams are interested in him. Now, if we’re given a good offer, we’ll look at it," said Ginebra team manager Allan Caidic.

Thus it’s not certain at the moment on which bench Adducul sits as the Dragons and the Kings collide in the season opener. The season begins with the All-Filipino tourney with Purefoods the defending the crown.

It will have its opening ceremonies on Oct. 1 at the Big Dome although hostilities start Sept. 22 with an overseas game in Guam, pitting Red Bull and Alaska Milk.

The Bulls are returning with the same lineup while the Aces will feature two new acquisitions in rookie draftees Christian Luanzon and Aaron Aban.

Meanwhile, the season will be ushered in by a series of pre-season games to be played in various gyms around Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The teams may take it more seriously this time, though, since the pre-season series has been transformed into a mini-tourney.

The 10 teams have been divided into two groups to play one round-robin each. The top teams from each group clash for the crown.

Red Bull, San Miguel Beer, Coca-Cola, Talk n Text and Sta. Lucia Realty compose Group A while Purefoods, Alaska Milk, Barangay Ginebra, Air21 and Welcoat make up Group B.

The pre-season tourney starts Friday with the Tigers and the Realtors mixing it up at the New Era College gym at 4 p.m.

The PBA is also scheduled to hold games at the San Sebastian College-Cavite, PUP, RTU, JCSGO gym in Cubao, Tinga Gym in Taguig, Rizal High School, Chiang Kai Shek, CCP, Lyceum, San Fernando, Pampanga, Olivares College-Parañaque, Emilio Aguinaldo College, CEU-Manila, Rizal Memorial Coliseum and Tarlac, Tarlac.