Commissioner’s Cup unfolds

Red Bull, armed with a pair of tried, tested and towering imports, launches its title-retention bid in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup today when it collides with crowd-drawer Ginebra in the featured match of a scheduled doubleheader at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Thunder, who won the Commissioner’s Cup title barely a year after joining the league in 2000, are bringing in former imports Antonio Lang and Julius Nwosu with coach Yeng Guioa also hoping for the same kind of result.

"I think this is our main asset – having two imports who are practically at home with the PBA," said Guiao, referring to Lang, a part of the champion team last year, and Nwosu, a former Purefoods import who joined Red Bull this season.

Lang, at 6’7, and Nwosu, at 6’8, also provide the tallest import combination in the conference, just three inches short of the allowed combined height ceiling of 13 feet and six inches. FedEx’ plans of bringing in a 7’3 import to team up with Jarmaine Walker had fizzled out.

The game is set at 5:45 p.m. and will be preceded by the 3:45 p.m. curtain-raiser pitting Shell against Talk N Text.

Shell, like Red Bull, is bringing in imports with PBA experience in Askia Jones and Cedric Webber while Talk N Text, which just fell short of a finals stint in the Governors’ Cup, will be reinforced by Jerald Honneycutt and newcomer Danny Johnson.

The Thunder will also have Fil-American Davon Harp back in the lineup after trying it out with the national team bound for the Busan Asian Games in September. The nationals will see action in the conference where they are tipped to do better than the previous conference.

On the other hand, expected to carry the load for Ginebra are imports Silas Mills, formerly of Mobiline, and Ben Davis, a former NBA player. Davis was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 1996 and also had a brief stint with the New York Knicks.