RIZAL, Philippines – An inauspicious start to the PBA season has put Rain or Shine in dire need of major changes.
Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao said tough decisions will be made as Rain or Shine remained winless through three games in the Commissioner’s Cup after a sorry 99-98 loss to Phoenix on Saturday, November 18.
“It’s getting more difficult to get back. We need to think of drastic measures at this point,” said Guiao. “We need to start winning if we still want to have a chance at the playoffs.”
Guiao entered the conference with renewed optimism as the Elasto Painters tapped former NBA player DaJuan Summers as their import.
Summers averages a cool 24.7 points on top of 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists, although his performance against the Fuel Masters raised concerns whether he is the right man for a Rain or Shine side looking for more firepower.
A former player for the Detroit Pistons, New Orleans Pelicans, and Los Angeles Clippers, Summers finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds – both conference-low marks.
“There’s always that pressure on imports to carry the team and you will be measured on that standard. Are you able to carry the team? And if you’re losing, that means you’re not able to carry the team,” said Guiao.
“I’m sure DaJuan understands the situation,” he added. “We already talked to him, but maybe we can talk again and make him realize the window for us to make the next round is getting smaller.”
Summers is the oldest among all imports this conference at 35 years old.
While Summers has shown that he is capable of putting the ball in the hole, his work on the boards has been underwhelming as he has yet to breach double figures in rebounds in a game.
“He has the skills. But perhaps the problem is the age factor, he is going up against younger guys. Because if you look at the three games, he has always been outscored and outrebounded,” Guiao said.
“We’re kind of surprised because we know that he can score, he can rebound, he can keep up with our running game. So maybe we’ll give it a last attempt to fix things. We need should always be ready to make decisions.”
As Guiao and the Elasto Painters reflect on their predicament, they are not given any reprieve as they also prepare for a looming clash against defending champion Barangay Ginebra on November 24.
“It’s hard to decide when you’re in a rush. We might go from one mistake to another mistake. Anyway, we will consult the coaches, we will consult the management, and make some decisions,” Guiao said. – Rappler.com
