MANILA, Philippines — The injury bug bit San Miguel Beer ahead of its quest for back-to-back in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup with first-choice import Thomas Robinson bothered by back spasms.
As such, the Beermen brought in Diamond Stone, a former NBA player like Robinson, as reinforcement as they make their much-awaited debut in the import-flavored tournament against Blackwater (1-2) today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Beermen placed Robinson, a No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, on the team’s import injured/reserve list, keeping the option of activating him later in the conference.
Stone, 25, had a stint with the LA Clippers and last played for Taiwan Beer in the T1 League, where he emerged as the scoring leader with 27.5 points. In 2018, the 6-foot-10 American suited up for Meralco in its FIBA Asia Champions Cup campaign in tandem with Allen Durham.
SMB hits the court at 3 p.m. in its first taste of action since wresting back its old turf in the All-Filipino via a 4-3 finals verdict over TNT a month ago.
The Tropang Giga likewise launch their Commissioner’s Cup campaign in the Wednesday double-header, eyeing a winning start against the Magnolia Hotshots (2-0) at 5:45 p.m.
“We’ll do our best to pick up where we left off in the finals,” San Miguel coach Leo Austria, whose charges are looking to repeat their triumph in the last Commissioner’s Cup staged in 2019, said on CNN Philippines’ Sports Desk.