A TRIPLE-HEADER marks the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) return to action with a compact Philippine Cup on Friday at the Ynares Center.
And how game-ready the players from six teams seeing action on opening day are is high on the list of fan interest.
The league’s 12 members hardly had any tune-up game in the last seven months or since after Season 45 which was played with only one conference, the all-Filipino, in the last quarter of pandemic year 2020.
Meralco coach Norman Black, whose Bolts are facing Pido Jarencio and his NorthPort Batang Pier in the 6 p.m. nightcap, could only rely on what he sees in his team in practice.
“It’s hard to know exactly how to answer that question,” said Black when asked if the Bolts would be playing with high intensity on Friday.
“But the evaluation of my team is we’re okay, ready to play, we’re in good shape and we’re healthy,” Black added.
Meralco tweaked its roster early this year, trading point guard Baser Amer and big man Bryan Faundo to Blackwater Bossing for do-it-all forward Mac Belo, who averaged 11.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 11 games at the last bubble season in Clark.
The Bolts also have a legitimate rookie scorer in Alvin Pasaol, their ninth overall pick in this year’s rookie draft, and sophomore 6-foot-4 Michael Cañete.
But for Black, he said he couldn’t say precisely if the Bolts have the power to electrocute the Batang Pier.
“I cannot gauge our team because we haven’t played any tune-up or preseason game,” Black said. “But we just have to wait and find out until we play them. It’s one game at a time.”
Jarencio, on the other hand, said they are ready to play 70 to 80 percent although they haven’t seen 7-footer Greg Slaughter during their practices.
“We are ready to play despite some distractions,” Jarencio said. “I haven’t talked with Greg yet and know about his whereabouts.”
Slaughter was acquired by Northport in exchange for Christian Standhardinger last March. But the behemoth center has yet to report for duty at NorthPort.
Amer, meanwhile, debuts in a Blackwater when the Elite take on the Alaska Aces in the 12:30 p.m. first game that follows a simple 11 a.m. opening ceremony denied of the traditional fiesta atmosphere typical of the league.
Chris Gavina also returns to the league as head coach of Rain or Shine which battles NLEX at 3 p.m.