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Import-laced Commissioners Cup opens with Friday doubleheader

Imports take center stage Friday when the PBA Commissioner's Cup opens with a doubleheader at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Powerhouse B-MEG collides with Meralco in the 7:30 p.m. main game, while Alaska takes on Barako Bull in the 5:15 p.m. curtain raiser.

All eyes will definitely be on B-MEG, the Philippine Cup top seed, as the Llamados play their first game in the league after being shown the exit door by No. 8 Powerade Tigers in the quarterfinals.

The game also marks the first time B-MEG will be without star player Kerby Raymundo, whom the team traded during the season break for Ginebra's JC Intal.

"First game. It's a sprint. There's no time to warm up. Slow start in the conference is out of the question. We hope to be ready and raring to go," said Llamados' co

PBA board hopes to resolve rumored Powerade sale to SMC

The PBA Board of Governors will meet Friday, a few hours before the Commissioner's Cup opens to discuss the rumored sale of the Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines-owned Powerade Tigers to San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

PBA chairman Mamerto Mondragon of Rain or Shine said all members of the board to attend the 11 a.m. meeting at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City where the Powerade and San Miguel officials are expected to formal disclose whether or not Powerade was sold to SMC.

"There are no documents and there has been no official word. I have called this emergency meeting so that we can hear from Powerade and from San Miguel what the real score is," said Mondragon.

San Miguel—which already owns Petron, B-MEG and Barangay Ginebra—reportedly bought back Powerade at P

Alaska says goodbye to triangle offense

One tournament after parting ways with longtime coach Tim Cone, the Alaska Aces are also saying goodbye to his trademark triangle offense.

LA Tenorio said the team is ready to dissociate itself from the offensive system, which became the hallmark of Alaska’s championship dynasty in the 1990s.

“Sa palagay ko mas matutuwa dito sina Cyrus Baguio and Bonbon Custodio, kasi ang sistema na gagawin namin, more on takbuhan. Wala masyadong set

Meralco brings in new import; NBA vet McCoy under evaluation

The Meralco Bolts flew in NBA D-League standout Jarrid Famous to give the team a standby import for the opening of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday.

The 6-foot-11 Famous, who averaged 13.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season, arrived in Manila on Tuesday. Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio decided to tap the 23-year-old after seeing him play last month in the D-League Showcase in Reno, Nevada.

Earlier, Meralco signed NBA veteran Jelani McCoy to reinforce the team in the Commissioner’s Cup, which imposes no height limit on imports.

“He went to the Indiana Pacers training camp, but was cut before the NBA season started,” Gregorio said of Famous. “We still have yet to decide whether we will use him as our imp

Sense Of Loss At Powerade

UPDATE: Marcio Lassiter's take on the trade (from his wife's Twitter account @LadyLassiter13): "Although nothing is yet finalaized, I want to thank my teammates, Coach Bo & all the Powerade staff for everything. Also, thank you to the fans for the continuous support. If indeed I am traded, I will miss the Powerade team which has become my 2nd family, but I will be ready to play for which ever team I am assigned."

MANILA,

Texters rarin' to defend crown

MANILA, Philippines - Talk N Text looks forward to defending the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title, barely two weeks since successfully retaining the Philippine Cup championship.

Big men Ali Peek and Harvey Carey said despite the short break the team had since finishing off surprise package Powerade in five games during the All-Filipino Finals, the entire Tropang Texters are again getting ready to stake their title in the import-laden conference that reels off this Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We’re up to the challenge, hopefully we can win more championships,” said Peek, who appeared with Carey for the very first time in yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Ave.

“Winning has always been our ultimate goal,” added Car

Vargas questions Lassiter trade

MANILA, Philippines—The player transfer form request that would send sensational Powerade rookie Marcio Lassiter to Petron Blaze was finally received by the PBA Tuesday, prompting one prominent board member to comment that “it doesn’t make sense.”

Ricky Vargas, the PLDT franchise’s representative to the board, yesterday called on the Coca-Cola management to declare its intentions sinc

E-Painters, Aces to tap new imports

MANILA, Philippines - Alaska Milk and Rain or Shine have dismissed their original import choices without playing a single game with the Aces signing veteran PBA import Adam Parada in place of Jake Voskuhl and the Elasto Painters enlisting Duke Crews for Matt Haryasz.

Meralco is weighing its options with Jelani McCoy nursing a strained calf muscle.

Meanwhile, San Miguel Corp. has reportedly tapped former Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman as coaching consultant.

In another development, Powerade and Petron have forwarded to the PBA Commissioner’s Office the official document for their trade involving Tiger Marcio Lassiter and Boosters Noy Baclao and Rey Guevarra.

“I will consider and evaluate the trade at the appropriate time,” said PBA commissioner

Lassiter for Baclao, Guevarra trade offer sent to league office

The PBA's Twitter account (@pbaconnect) confirmed that the commissioner's office has received the papers for a proposed trade that has the Powerade Tigers shipping Marcio Lassiter to the Petron Blaze Boosters for Nonoy Baclao and Rey Guevarra.

Rumors of a deal between the two sides have existed since last week online, but the two teams only sent the appropriate paperwork to the PBA today.

Lassiter, a Filipino-American graduate of Cal State Fullerton, played for the Philippine national team prior to entering last year's PBA draft, where he was picked fourth.

Together with 2011 top rookie pick JVee Casio and veteran Gary David, the trio had a Cinderella-like run to the PBA Finals, before getting bounced in five games to the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters.

Baclao wa

Peek thought of retirement after being shot

Talk 'N Text's man mountain Ali Peek almost walked away from the game he love most when his life was hanging by a thread three months ago.

"I thought of retiring after I was shot," the 6-foot-4 power forward admitted for the first time since that fateful night November 7, 2011, when he was shot in the nape by a lone gunman at the parking area of the RFM gym.

The gunman was never caught and the bullet meant to kill him remained lodged at the back of his skull since removing it requires a very sensitive procedure.

Peek, the warrior that he is, had a change of heart as he began to miss the hardcourt two weeks after the incident.

"I felt the itch again after a few weeks," he said.

Besides, the robust player born in Hawaii doesn't want to let his team down after