Undersized import is no problem

MANILA, Philippines - Renaldo Balkman is the shortest import who’ll play in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup starting Feb. 8 but Petron coach Olsen Racela said yesterday the six-year NBA veteran won’t be handicapped because he plays much taller than his size.

Balkman, 28, is a 6-7, 224-pound forward who’ll be up against giants like Rain Or Shine’s 7-2 Bruno Sundov, Global Port’s 6-10 Justin Williams, San Mig Coffee’s 6-11 Matt Rogers, Barangay Ginebra’s 6-10 Herbert Hill, Air 21’s Michael Dunigan and Talk ‘N’ Text’s 6-11 Keith Benson.

“Rey’s strengths are his defense and leadership,” said Racela. “He plays the four position but can also slide to five if we go with a small lineup. He arrived early to get in better shape since his last tournament. Balkman already showed that he can guard taller imports like Brian Williams of San Miguel Beer (ABL) and Williams of Global. We’ll find out how he plays against the Alaska and Ginebra imports in Cebu this weekend.”

Assistant coach Gee Abanilla said Balkman is “a good fit” for Petron. “He plays the three and four positions and is a complementary player to any guy even Arwind (Santos) and J-Wash (Jay Washington). Balkman can also play five with Arwind the four and J-Wash the three. He brings a lot of energy and hustle. He’s a silent operator in terms of points. In our last practice game (against Global), he scored a quiet 19 points and (had) a lot of intangibles. I think he will get into better shape as we go along and I think he’s the leader-type that our team needs.”

Santos said Balkman reminds him of Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion. “He’s a fighter and he has leadership,” said Santos. “So far, our team is working hard to prepare for the next conference. Our goal is to lift up our team because in the last conference, we didn’t make it to the semifinals. We want to improve our standing.”

Guard Alex Cabagnot said Balkman played the four and five positions in Petron’s tune-up games. New recruit Ronald Tubid said Balkman is like “a big Gabe Freeman” and he’s not worried about the import’s size. “He’s the shortest import but that’s not a problem,” said Tubid who joined the Blaze Boosters in the offseason. “That guy competes. He plays tough defense, has a good perimeter game and rebounds. He’s not so much of a post-up guy, he’s more of a defensive player but he’ll score if he has to. I think Balkman will play a lot of four with June Mar (Fajardo) and Dorian (Pena) alternating at five.”

Tubid’s addition was welcomed by Racela. “Ronald will play two and three for us,” said Racela. “Both Ronald and Balkman actually give us the energy and toughness we need. The chemistry of the team is slowly coming along.” Santos said Tubid’s hard-nosed defense will be a big boost to Petron. “We all know palaban si Tubid,” noted the Spiderman. “He will be a big help to our team, especially now that Marcio (Lassiter) is still recovering.” Cabagnot said Tubid immediately established his brand of play in Petron’s tune-up games. “He gave us a lot of energy and was aggressive on defense,” said Cabagnot. “I’m hoping he can continue.”

Tubid, 31, is playing for his fifth PBA team after Shell, Air 21, Barangay Ginebra and Barako Bull. The two-time Mr. Quality Minutes awardee from the University of the East was Shell’s second round pick in the 2003 PBA draft. 

“Coach Olsen is experimenting with a lot of combinations at practice,” said Tubid. “What I notice about our team is we have so many superstars which of course is good. I expect to play off the bench, a role I’m used to. With so many good scorers on our team, my main focus is defense. I’m not worried about my minutes. Whatever time I get, I’ll make sure I’m productive. I’ll give it my all. I won’t need to score but if I’m open, I won’t hesitate to shoot. I’ll do what’s best for our team. I’ll be mainly playing the two position but if coach Olsen wants to go small, I’ll be ready to play three. Coach Olsen’s style is similar to coach Jong’s (Uichico). I’m adjusting quickly to what he wants me to do, in offense and defense.”

Tubid said Petron’s depth is highlighted by multiple-position players. “Coach Olsen is playing Alex at two with Denok (Miranda) and Chico (Lanete) at one,” he said. “Joseph (Yeo) and I play two. Marcio also plays two but can also play three and four. Chris (Lutz) can play two and three.  Alex can play one while Chico can also play two. We have many options. I’m excited to play defense for Petron. I think Marcio and I will alternate playing defense on the other team’s best scorer.”

Tubid said he’s found a new home with the Blaze Boosters. “We’re all working hard,” he said. “It’s go hard every practice. We need to win. It’s a big challenge. For me, it’s like a reunion. Arwind and J-Wash were my teammates at Air 21 while I played with Denok at Welcoat in the PBL. I’m also close with June Mar and Chico because we all speak Bisaya.”

Balkman earned over $9.3 Million playing for the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets in six NBA seasons. He saw action for the Puerto Rico national squad at the FIBA World Championships in Turkey in 2010. Balkman finished his three-year collegiate career as the University of South Carolina’s eighth all-time leader in blocked shots. He was the Knicks’ first round pick in the 2006 NBA draft. NBA legend Isiah Thomas once likened Balkman to Dennis Rodman and Ron (Metta World Peace) Artest because they’re all defensive bangers.