Meralco lands ‘built for PBA’ import for Govs Cup

MANILA, Philippines – As early as 5 games into the eliminations of the 2015 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, the league-leading Meralco Bolts already enlisted the services of veteran Andre Emmett as import for the season-ending Governors’ Cup.

Meralco, who is still unbeaten and sits at solo first place, received the signed contract from Emmett on Sunday, February 15, a day before he was named Most Valuable Player of the NBA D-League All-Star Game, team manager Paolo Trillo said.

The 6-foot-5 swingman, who has played in 9 different countries throughout a fruitful 11-year career, is currently seeing action with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA D-League where he is the 5th leading scorer of the league.

“When we were there we were looking at players under 6-foot-5 who we felt could fit our team and he was one of the guys that really impressed us because he’s built for the PBA,” Trillo told Rappler.

“We feel that he can handle the physicality and at the same time he is a cross between a guard and a power forward.”

Emmett is averaging 21.3 points a game to go with 5 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He was selected in the second round of the 2004 NBA Draft and played for the Memphis Grizzlies (2004-2005) and New Jersey Nets (2012).

“Even if he has guard skills, he is also good with his back to the basket. And he has a lot of post moves. So we feel that he’s a versatile player, someone that can play multiple positions for us,” explained Trillo, who scouted Emmett, among other prospects, together with head coach Norman Black during the D-League Showcase last January. 

They have been trying to sign him since the Showcase.

“He can play and guard a 2, 3 or a 4. At the time we were [at the D-League showcase], he was leading the league top 5 in scoring, which is pretty impressive because it’s a very competitive league.” 

The 32-year old is well-traveled and has played in 9 different countries and 18 different teams. His basketball world tour included countries such as Lithuania, Belgium, France, China, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, and Lebanon. 

“He’s been around. We know that he can adapt to different styles of play,” Trillo said. “We really like the fact that he’s versatile. At the same time, we’re not really known to have a post-up player so we feel that’s one dimension that he can help us out with.”

The current D-League season is likely to end some time in April and, depending on how deep into the playoffs Emmett’s team goes, the Bolts expect to have at the very least two weeks with him prior to the Governors’ Cup, which tips off in May.

The earliest time Emmett could be available, assuming he does not get called up to the NBA, is about a month before the last conference. His team the Mad Ants won the championship last season.

This Governors’ Cup the top 8 teams of the Commissioner’s Cup should have an import with a height limit of 6-foot-5. While the bottom 4 are allowed reinforcements of unlimited height.

The expecations – and the criteria Meralco used in their selection – for Emmett, just like any other PBA import, are basically “to be able to take contact, play 40-plus minutes in the game, and handle the non-calls of the referees.”

“And we also look at their demeanor on the court, how do they get along with their teammates because let’s face it, when you bring an import here he’s a totally different nationality compared to our locals so they have to be able to mix well,” Trillo added.

Following the lost deal over Ginebra’s current import Mike Dunigan, Meralco is not taking chances anymore.

Trillo admitted that while they did not specifically sign an import early to avoid last-minute surprises, the goal was to be ready for any contingency, whether it be injuries or imports backing out to go elsewhere. 

“Preparation is key in the PBA,” said Trillo, who has a list of back-up imports ready to call in case something unexpected comes up. 

“It definitely helps us a big deal when you’re able to get an import early because aside from adjusting to the weather and the country as a whole, he can adjust to the system of the team and the PBA style of play.”

“I guess for us, it’s just a matter of always being prepared,” he added. – Rappler.com