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[av_heading heading=’ Standhardinger-reinforced SMB ‘not so solid’’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]
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Friday, November 3, 2017
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MANILA – San Miguel Beermen may have become even more formidable but that doesn’t mean the team is unbeatable.
Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia believes the rest of the field can still find chinks in SMB’s armor despite the addition of top rookie pick Christian Standhardinger, who now forms a fearsome frontcourt tandem with June Mar Fajardo.
“Anything’s possible,” Garcia said. “Malay mo, it might also be something wrong, ’di ba? Malay mo, biglang hindi mag-work iyong tandem nila.”
“There are a lot of possibilities,” he added. “Like in an import conference, what would (SMB) do?”
While having twin towers is a blessing – especially in the Philippine Cup – it could also be a curse, implied Garcia, who feels Beermen is going to find itself in a tricky situation with regard to the kind of import it is tapping in the Commissioner’s and Governors’ cups.
“Magkaka-problema rin sila,” Garcia said. “I think the most important conference for them is the all-Filipino, kasi doon talaga sila makikitang solid e. Pagdating sa import conference, doon makikita ngayon kung how well they will play with an import.”
“That’s the only problem that I can see that they can have,” he added as he turns to his own frontline of Raymond Almazan, Beau Belga and Jewel Ponferrada in trying to stop their SMB counterparts.
Standhardinger is expected to the miss the all-Filipino conference and a portion of the Commissioner’s Cup as he fulfills first his duties with Hong Kong Eastern Sports Club in the ASEAN Basketball League.
Acknowledging the lopsidedness of the SMB-Kia trade that further disrupted the balance of the league, Garcia – and the rest of the coaches – will just have to think and work harder to figure out how the stop the SMB juggernaut.
“In the people’s eyes, it’s really unfair, because iyong malakas, pinalakas mo pa,” Garcia said. “Pero we think it’s within the rules of the league. We just have to abide by the rules.”
“We have to find ways to stop them kasi San Miguel’s already a grand-slam team, and with the addition of Christian, I think it’s going to be harder to stop,” he added. (SPIN.ph)
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