Intact Brgy. Ginebra seeks best available talent at no. 6

MANILA, Philippines – Unlike last off-season, there’s not much noise from the camp of the crowd favorite Brgy. Ginebra Kings.

After netting the top and fourth overall picks in last year’s rookie draft, Brgy. Ginebra is content with their lone pick at the draft (no. 6) this year and it seems that there is not even a need for that.

“Kukunin lang namin kung sino ang best available talent pagdating ng turn namin. Ang mahirap kasi ngayon, kumpleto kami [sa lahat ng position],” the Kings’ assistant coach Olsen Racela told Philstar.com during the PBA Draft Combine earlier this week.

Aside from new recruit Joseph Yeo, who came in via trade with Air21 before the team was sold to NLEX, the Kings will parade an intact lineup heading into the All-Filipino Cup with the hopes of building on the momentum of coach Jeffrey Cariaso’s first conference where the team finished sixth in the Governors’ Cup.

The Kings are coming back fit and healthy except maybe for Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio, who will be banged up by the time they return from their stints with Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA World Cup and the Asian Games.

Jens Knuttel will slide back to the reserve list as last year’s fourth overall pick James Forrester is now fully recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him for most of his rookie year. Meanwhile, the towering Rookie of the Year Greg Slaughter has put in the work this off-season religiously training under Kirk Collier to work on his mobility, agility and conditioning.

Veterans Mark Caguioa, Jayjay Helterbrand, Billy Mamaril, Jay-R Reyes and Josh Urbiztondo will be back to lead the team along with mainstays Dylan Ababou, Mac Baracael, Emman Monfort and Chris Ellis.

It will take an exceptional training camp performance for this year’s sixth overall pick to even have a chance at cracking the Kings’ active roster.  Aside from sure top pick Stanley Pringle, the names that are expected to go in the top five are Fil-Italian hotshot Chris Banchero, Gilas cadet players Kevin Alas, Ronald Pascual, Matt Ganuelas in no particular order.