Blackwater interim head coach Aris Dimaunahan explained why he and the Elite decided to acquire KG Cañaleta and Mike Tolomia from the Meralco Bolts in a deal that underwent a revision before being approved Friday.
Of the two players they have received in exchange for Allein Maliksi and Raymar Jose, Cañaleta is no stranger to Blackwater. He played for the franchise back in 2017 until it shipped him to the Bolts that same year.
For Dimaunahan, he has always believed in the 37-year-old, 6-foot-6 forward’s abilities on the court.
“Personally, I always believed in KG’s game. I always believed na si KG may advantage dito sa liga natin, sa tagal niyang naglalaro rito,” he said.
“The guy could play down low and obviously, he can shoot from beyond the arc.”
With Tolomia, Dimaunahan said that they are looking for a guard who can create for himself and his teammates.
“With Mike naman, I’ve always believed that guy could make an impact sa liga. Kailangan lang niya ng exposure. The guy could create offense, create shots not only for himself but also for his teammates as well,” he said.
“Wala kaming slasher ngayon eh. Added weapon si Mike kapag nag-settle down na siya sa sistema natin.”
Cañaleta and Tolomia both made their debut with Blackwater on Saturday, but Jeron Teng and the Alaska Aces spoiled their welcome, 91-101. The Elite also suffered their sixth loss in eight games in the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup.
Cañaleta immediately showed up with 18 points on 5-of-5 triples, while Tolomia had two points, a rebound, and a dime.
“Adjustment period pa rin dahil kahapon lang sila umattend ng practice,” said Dimaunahan. “So we’ll give them and we’ll give us time to really know each other quickly.
“Sadly ‘di namin nakuha ‘yung panalo na hinahanap.”
The deal with Meralco was Blackwater’s second deal trading Fil-Italian sharpshooter Mike DiGregorio to the TNT KaTropa for Brian Heruela exactly a week ago. Now, will there be any more movements soon?
“With regards to that, wala pa namang napapag-usapan about that,” said Dimaunahan. “Basta ang usapan ngayon is to get wins para maka-advance kami sa next round. Nasa ilalim kami ngayon eh (tied dead last with Phoenix).
“Kailangan namin ay three wins pero, we cannot look agad sa tatlong panalo. We have to look kung ano nasa harapan namin, which our next game is Ginebra. ‘Yun lang muna kami kasi mahirap isipin mo ‘yung tatlong laro na ‘yun.”
