PBA Pass-Through: May 11, 2015
Updates from around the association:
Sanchir left disappointed after benching
Ginebra’s Asian import Sanchir Tungalag finished with 8 points on 1-for-6 shooting during his debut against Alaska Friday night. If you thought that was bad, well, he was DNP-CD’d by Kings head coach Frankie Lim Sunday as the team fell to the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters.
Members of the media were not able to get any word from Lim on his decision to not field in Sanchir nor any comments on the game but learned through Sanchir’s interpreter that the Mongolian wing man did not have injury and it was purely a coach’s decision.
McMorrow gets help from Forrester
Barako Bull import Liam McMorrow, a Canadian native, told media James Forrester was able to ease his transition from his previous league to the PBA as they were both from Toronto, Canada.
“Me and James were from the same city. It is nice because we have the same city,” he said.
McMorrow also trained with JC Intal at Impact last summer, making the import more comfortable with his new teammates.
The new ball is a problem
The new Molten GL7X, which will also make its appearance in the EuroBasket 2015, is definitely posing a problem to the league, at least according to a handful of PBA players which includes Sam Daghles of the Tropang Texters.
In his post-game interview, Daghles claimed the new basketball used gets wet easily and feels like plastic.
“It feels good to win the first game although the biggest problem wasn’t the actual game, it was the new basketball we were playing with. The material is different,” he said.
Some PBA players also took to Twitter their disappointment with the ball change.
Why did the pba change the ball? The new one is absolutely HORRIBLE
— Chris Ross (@cmross6) May 10, 2015
It feels like it's plastic https://t.co/owKm7eg7q0
— Chris Ross (@cmross6) May 10, 2015
See what would the fans rather see there? A pretty ball, or @DouthitMarcus catching it and dunking it?
— Rob Reyes (@theREALrob22) May 10, 2015
We all know @DouthitMarcus can catch, but with that slippery thing you're going to see more and more of the miss catch and less finishes
— Rob Reyes (@theREALrob22) May 10, 2015
@theREALrob22 @DouthitMarcus the worstest! Might be a little better if it wasn't brand new
— Solomon Mercado (@M3rcMyWords) May 10, 2015
Player injury updates
Talk ‘N Text forward Ranidel de Ocampo (knee) and guard Jayson Castro (achilles tendon) are both day-to-day, while rookie Kevin Alas (torn retinaculum) will be out for about a month.
All three were instrumental in the Tropang Texters’ championship run against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
For Ginebra, Greg Slaughter (fracture in right ankle) will not be on the floor any time soon while Japeth Aguilar, whose hamstring injury has not yet fully healed, is expected to miss two weeks of action.
