The 6-foot-9 Long, a certified NBA veteran, who was in the starting unit of the Seattle Super Sonics during the last playoffs, is coming over to reinforce the Express, alongside the prolific Jermaine Walker in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
But Long won’t be suiting up for the Express’ first game against the Coca-Cola Tigers today at 7 p.m. as he is expected to arrive only tomorrow .
Instead, FedEx will be parading for one game 6-foot-2 Jeremy Robinson, a high-scoring shooting guard who steered the Spring Cooking Oil to the National Interclub Championships in Cebu City where he even upstaged seven-time Best Import Bobby Parks.
Long might be what the Express needs to excel in the PBA. He is agile and has a variety of moves to score around the basket. Long, who averaged 4.5 points and four rebounds while playing for the Sonics is a dominant inside presence that once catapulted him into the starting unit. He became the starting forward for the Sonics when All-Star Vin BAker was injured, leading his team to a six-game winning run.
According to Internet scouting reports, Long is a strong rebounder and is described as an enforcer in the lane by using his above-average strenght in intimidating his opponents which could make him as a perfect complement for Walker.
And, the guy apparently packs a wallop, having knocked down a horse with a single punch while preparing for a pick up game when he was in college.
Walker, who was the second best scorer among the imports with an average of 29 points per game last conference, will be on his second tour of duty with the Epress.
"We certainly think that Art Long is a perfect complement for Jermaine (Walker)," said FedEx president and team manager Lito Alvarez. "Hopefully, he could fit into the team’s system and live up to the team’s expectations. The only problem is that he wants to be back in the United States by October, because a lot of NBA teams are interested in his services."