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WITH archrival San Miguel Beermen hot on their heels, the AirAsia Philippine Patriots are pulling off a major move to bolster their title run.
The team, leading the AirAsia Asean Basketball League with a 10-2 record, is bringing in 7-foot-1 Chris Alexander to replace Nakiea Miller, who emerged as the league’s best import last year while taking the cudgels for the Westports Malaysia Dragons.
Miller, tapped by the Patriots to beef up their line-up as they bid to regain the crown they first won in the inaugural of the tourney in 2010, has not lived up to expectations and is on the way out, according to a team insider.
Coach Glenn Capacio, whose charges face the Singapore Slingers (5-8) on Sunday, yesterday said he has yet to talk with management regarding Miller’s fate but the insider insisted the die is cast.
Anthony Johnson, the team’s other import, has been coming up with solid numbers spiked by a 24.5-point per game average. The 6-foot-9 Miller has posted averages of 15.67 markers and 11.67 boards, way below what the team expected him to deliver.
"Wala pa akong alam. Hindi pa kami nakakapag-usap ng management," said Capacio, adding Miller will still play on Sunday, a fact confirmed by the team insider.
But Capacio indicated he is not averse to a key import change at this point in the tourney.
"Kung para sa pag-upgrade naman ng team, why not? Sino ba naman ang tatanggi sa isang player like Chris Alexander? Alam naman natin kung gaano kalaki ang mabibigay niya sa team. Tinitingnan rin kasi natin ‘yung mga ginagawang galaw ng San Miguel," Capacio said, admitting the team’s move is geared toward the Beermen.
The Patriots have found the Beermen (10-3) a tough nut to crack, losing their first two meetings this season, including a 66-68 defeat in a fight-marred game last March 4 at The Arena in San Juan.
A former Best Import awardee with Ginebra, Alexander, 31, suited up anew for the Kings in the Commissioners Cup but was later given the pink slip after just three games due to his physical conditioning issues.
Source: Jerome Lagunzad, Malaya Business Insight
