NBA vet carries load for TnT

MANILA, Philippines - With the All-Star Week over, PBA teams are now getting ready to rumble for the season-ending Governors Cup with Talk n Text going all out for the final jewel to a grand slam bid.

An out-of-town match on June 11 in Tacloban, Leyte between B-MEG Derby Ace and Air21 could well serve as the conference’s opening game with the supposed back-to-back games in Dubai on June 2 and 3 likely to be moved to the last week of June.

PBA commissioner Chito Salud and his management committee meet today to finalize details.

Maurice Baker, an Oklahoma State U product who spent some time with the LA Clippers and the Portland Trailblazers in the NBA, has been tapped to help the Texters in their quest to become only the fourth team in league history to complete a Triple Crown after Crispa, San Miguel Beer and Alaska Milk.

Talk n Text stalwarts Jimmy Alapag and Kelly Williams have opted to stick it out with the Texters while also training with the national team bound for the Fiba Asia championship in Wuhan, China in September.

Meralco, meanwhile, is letting Asi Taulava concentrate on his stint with Smart Gilas Pilipinas while Air21 has yet to decide on Dondon Hontiveros’ status.

SBP’s original request is for the PBA to loan to them the four players on a full-time basis from June to September.

Imports already in town include Meralco’s Champ Oguchi and Derby Ace’s Courtney Beasley.

“Beasley says he has an unfinished business in the league,” said Derby Ace team manager Alvin Patrimonio, hinting at their import’s determination in the upcoming tourney.

It will be recalled that the Llamados took an early exit in the second conference with Beasley thrown out of an important game early due to a flagrant infraction.

Other imports slated to play in the third conference are Curtis Stinson for Ginebra, Alpha Bangura for Air21, Arizona Reid for Rain or Shine and Ricky Harris for San Miguel Beer.

Harris churned out a sterling collegiate career with University of Massachusetts, piling up 1,960 points to finish at third place (ahead of Marcus Camby with 1,387 and Julius Erving with 1,370) in the school’s all-time scoring ladder.

He also wound up second in career three-pointers made (276), third in field-goal attempts (1,534), fourth in steals (148), fifth in career games (129) and sixth in career free throws (398).

Harris, who twice made the Atlantic 10 Third Team, finished with collegiate career averages of 18.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals.

Reid, meanwhile, carved a great niche for the High Point Panthers before playing pro hoops in Italy, Australia and Lebanon.

In his senior year at High Point U in 2008, Reid captured the Big South Conference Player of the Year honors for the second time, only the third player in the conference to win it in consecutive seasons.

He led the conference in rebounds (11.0) and ranked second in scoring (23.9) to easily make the First Team All-Big South for the third straight year.

The previous season, he became the first player in Big South history to reach the 1,800-point/900-rebound club.

He ranked first in BSC in rebounds and was the second leading scorer, emerging the only other player outside of Kevin Durant to average at least 21 points and nine rebounds.