The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Robert Andaya
Barely a week after TNT Tropang Giga’s successful title defense in the PBA Governors’ Cup, all basketball eyes now shift to the coming PBA Commissioner’s Cup with teams bringing in another talent-laden batch of new and balik-imports.
Leading the cast are NBA veterans Ed Davis of NLEX Road Warriors, and Cheick Diallo of Converge FiberXers and Akil Mitchell of Meralco Bolts and Donovan Smith of Phoenix Super LPG and balik-import Ricardo Ratliffe of Magnolia Pambansang Manok.
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup is set to tip off onNov. 27.
Davis is clearly the most impressive when it comes to playing experience.
A 12-year NBA veteran, the 35-year-old Davis played for eight teams, including the Toronto Raptors, who selected him as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft.
The 6-9 native of Washington DC also played for the Memphis Grizzlies (2013-2014), Los Angeles Lakers (2014-2015), Portland Trailblazers (2015-2018), Brooklyn Nets (2018-2019) , Utah Jazz (2019-2020), Minnesota Timberwolves (2020-2021) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2021-2022) before taking his act to the Mets de Guaynabo in Puerto Rico (2023).
His best years in the NBA came in 2012-2013 when he averaged 9.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 45 games with the Raptors; and 20-14-2015 when he averaged 8,3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 79 games with the Lakers.
Davis, the son of former NBA player Terry Davis, also played for 2009 NCAA champion North Carolina, which defeated Michigan State. The center-forward averaged 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds, including 11 points and a team-high 8 rebounds in the Tar Heels 89-72 win in the championship game.
NLEX coach Jong Uichico hopes Davis will bring an immediate impact to the team, which is looking to figure prominently in the title hunt after absorbing a 1-3 defeat to TNT in the quarterfinals of the recent Governors’ Cup
“We’re thrilled to have Ed (Davis) on board. He brings a wealth of experience and leadership that we believe will help us. We’re optimistic that he’ll be able to match up against the league’s top big men and make a huge difference in our campaign this conference.,” Uichico was quoted as saying recently.
Converge, on the other hand, will pin its hopes of on the 6-8 Diallo, who played for the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons.
Diallo was a native of Kayes, Mali rose to prominence as a First-team Parade All-American and McDonald’s All-American Game MVP, both in 2015.
In the 2016 NBA draft, he was selected with the 33rd overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers but was traded to New Orleans on the same day.
With Phoenix, Diallo scored a career-high 22 points in a 102-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets on November 24, 2019.
His career averages are 5.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 183 games from 2016-2022.
Although undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft, Mitchell had an extensive playing career starting with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA Development League in 2014-15, , the New Zealand Breakersin 2016-17 NBL season. Boulazac Basket Dordogne in the French LNB Pro A in 2018, and Pallacanestro Trieste in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A in 2019.
He also saw action in Israel,Turkey, Greece, Puerto Rico and China before coming to terms with Meralco in the PBA early this week.
With Meralco, Mitchell finished with a game-high 33 points and 22 rebounds in the Bolts come-from-behind 81-80 win over Busan KCC Egis in the East Asia Super League (EASL) Home and Away Season 2 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig last Wednesday..
Meralco coach Luigi Trillo liked what he saw.
“You look at the other teams, they probably have a little more talent. I think we’ve had our talent. But I think yung PBA Commissioner’s Cup, we just have to be tough,”said Trillo.
“And I think that’s what Akil brings. We know the other teams have added players and we respect that. Some of the teams have also gotten quality imports. But we believe in our guys, we believe in the practices that we have, and he’s going to fit in right to what we do.”
It will be Ratliffe again for Magnolia, another quarterfinalist in the Governors’ Cup.
The 6-foot-8 Mr. Ratliffe has spent most of his time in Korea in between his previous tenure with the Hotshots in 2016 and 2017. Ratliffe had a solid Korean Basketball League career, winning three titles and three Player of the Year honors.
Last July, he suited up for Changsa Wantian Yongsheng in China’s National Basketball League before reuniting with the Hotshots.