PBA standings not true picture

MANILA, Philippines — NLEX coach Yeng Guiao said the other day the current standings of the PBA Governors’ Cup do not reflect the true picture of the competitive level of each team, noting that it’s still too early to pick the top guns. For a while, the Road Warriors were on top of the heap with a 4-0 record but after losing to Phoenix last Christmas Day, are now in third place behind unbeaten Magnolia (3-0) and Meralco (2-0).

“Teams are just starting to jell because of delayed preparations and the change of imports,” said Guiao. “We have yet to see the true capabilities of some teams. Take San Miguel Beer, they lost their first two but won their last three. The import is crucial in this conference. KJ (McDaniels) put us on his back and led us to our 4-0 start, doing what KJ does, scoring, defending, rebounding. When we lost to Phoenix, it wasn’t KJ’s night. It was a wake-up call. I’ve talked to KJ, told him we’ll design plays to get him better scoring positions. He’s been scouted so he’ll need to upgrade, too. Actually, it was a humbling defeat but we’ll be better.”

Guiao said defining roles for each player has sped up the process of creating chemistry. “Calvin (Oftana) isn’t playing like a rookie,” he said. “Tony (Semerad) has a new role as our import stopper, playing four, and we’re encouraging him to take his shot when he’s open. I’m familiar with Don (Trollano) whom I drafted when I was with Rain or Shine. With Kiefer’s (Ravena) absence, Kevin (Alas) has taken on more responsibilities. Kris (Rosales) and Philip (Paniamogan) are also contributing quality minutes to fill the gap at point guard.”

Guiao said the team has undergone a lot of trials and he’s asking fans to be a little more patient. “We’ll try to keep getting better, ‘yan ang sukli namin sa pasensya ng NLEX fans,” he said. “We’ve had bumps along the road. We lost Poy Erram and we could’ve gotten Mikey Williams in the draft. Then Kiefer left. Those were big setbacks for us. It’s not easy racing to the top. We’ve lost only once so far but I expect there may be more coming with other teams getting better.”

So far, four teams have made import switches. San Miguel Beer brought in Orlando Johnson for Brandon Brown while Blackwater has replaced Jaylen Bond with Shawn Glover who’ll be done with quarantine in time to practice on Tuesday and make his PBA debut against Magnolia the next day, barring schedule adjustments. TNT signed up Aaron Fuller to take over from McKenzie Moore. NorthPort is awaiting the arrival of Cameron Forte’s replacement but it’s not certain if the former Orlando Magic guard from the University of Pittsburgh will be able to suit up in the Batang Pier’s next game against TNT on Thursday.