TO say the tourney kicking off the pro league’s 49th season is uncanny is an understatement.
The PBA Governors’ Cup, usually the season-ending tilt, will come off the wraps on Aug. 18 as the first conference this season to be followed by the Commissioner’s Cup–still the mid-season meet–and will wind up with the prestigious Philippine Cup, just in time for Asia’s first play-for-pay league’s golden anniversary in April next year.
The Govs’ Cup will also feature the return of the old two-group format that was last held in the import-less joust in 2014.
Under the new setup, each squad plays each member of its group twice, with the top four teams in the groups advancing to a best-of-5 crossover quarterfinal.
The groups’ top seeds clash with the other group’s lowest seeds while the No. 2 battles the other No. 3 seeds also in a race-to-3 series.
The semifinals and Big Dance will be best-of-7 duels.
Teams are only allowed to tap imports no taller than 6-foot-5.
Philippine Cup champion Meralco banners Group A along with defending titlist TNT, Magnolia, NorthPort, Converge, and Terrafirma.
Fancied quintets Ginebra and San Miguel Beer lead Group B that also has NLEX, Rain or Shine, Phoenix and Blackwater.
The Governors’ Cup was scrapped last season due to the country’s co-hosting of the FIBA World Cup and staged only two conferences.
Resident Kings reinforcement Justin Brownlee and Bolts counterpart Allen Durham, along with Aaron Fuller of the Elasto Painters are set for another tour of duty.
Newcomers set to test their mettle are NBA veteran Glenn Robinson III for the Hotshots, the Bossing’s Ricky Ledo, the Road Warriors’ Myke Henry, and Jayveous McKinnis of the Fuel Masters.
The Beermen linked up with Lithuanian Tauras Jogela, while Brandon Edwards will beef up the Dyip.
The FiberXers tapped NBA journeyman Scotty Hopson, leaving only the Batang Pier as the only squad without an import at press time last night.
The Tropang Giga, who acquired flamboyant guard Rey Nambatac earlier this month from Blackwater for Kib Montalbo, Jewel Ponferada, and a second-round pick in the pro league’s 53rd season, will bank on former Houston Rocket Darius days.
A product of the LSU Tigers, Days briefly saw action for the Rockets in the 2022-2023 season, appearing in four games and averaging 3.8 points and 1.5 rebounds.
TNT failed to land reigning best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for a return stint with the ballclub due to commitments in Puerto Rico.
Meralco ruled the last cage wars at the expense of powerhouse SMB and the annual rookie Draft five nights back that saw Converge tabbed 6-foot-9 center Justine Balatazar further raised new hopes of having winds of change in the PBA.
A spicy and modified format won’t hurt, too.
True-blue fans now pray these are not just one-stop changes.
