Rain or Shine has been in a win-now situation for the past few seasons in the PBA, and on Sunday night, the team paraded a new import with hopes of making it deep in the play-offs of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The Elasto Painters debuted 6-foot-8 Pierre Henderson-Niles, who last played for the Iowa Energy in the NBA D-League. The hulking big man finished with 12 points and six rebounds in over 25 minutes, helping the team beat Blackwater, 118-107.
Some might wonder why the Elasto Painters replaced import Mo Charlo, who was undefeated in four games for the team. Head coach Yeng Guiao, however, thought Rain or Shine was still lacking a legitimate interior presence, and he did not want the team to suffer in its quarter-final match-up.
With the play-offs looming, Guiao said the team is already preparing for a match-up against a team with taller frontliners. Scenarios include clashing with TNT (David Simon) or Barangay Ginebra (Greg Slaughter), both of which have imposing bigs.
“We will have a match against the bigger imports. Defensively, he is there to provide us that match up which we did not have without him. The upside is still good with him. We just need to get the ball to his hands,” Guiao said Sunday.
Henderson-Niles only had one practice session after arriving Saturday morning, but Guiao believes the squad can make the reinforcement gel with the help of a long break.
“I think the potential is there. The upside is good. We have a week or so to get him into game shape and gel him with the team. He is a solid player. I like his post presence. He is quick for his size. He is a little deceptive because you might think he is slow but he is not, and we want an import who can run with us. Running is our game.”
The 28-year-old Henderson-Niles himself thought he could have done better, but he also said he is looking forward to make use of the break to get himself going.
“I could have done a little bit more, but it’s my first game, jet lag, a bit tired, I have to get over it,” he said. “We have a week of practice. We will do a lot and try to get me in better shape for the playoffs.”
The import added the coaching staff has talked to him about his role when he arrived, and he looks forward to becoming a good piece in the system.
“My low-post presence. Get the ball to the post, I get double-teamed, I kick it out to the open man and they knock it down. He (Guiao) just said let me play, play defense, get the rebounds, and have fun,” he shared.
“That’s why they brought me here. They need a post presence and a low-post big man. I think we have a good team. Just looking at the team, we have good guards, good shooters, good big men. You have to put it all together.”
