STAND UP & DELIVER
THIS could be a make-or-break game for Meralco Bolts import Brian Butch – unless he puts up 20-20 numbers again when they take on the defending champion Alaska Aces Wednesday.
Yet even that may not be enough to save him.
Largely on faith accorded him by Bolts coach Ryan Gregorio, and in no lesser part due to his 29 points, 21 rebounds debut performance in a 94-76 blowout loss to San Miguel Beer in their first game, Butch will continue to suit up for Meralco when it faces Alaska at 5:45 p.m. in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
But the 6-foot-10 NBA D-League All-Star MVP has to be able to rally his teammates around him to avert another shellacking and steer the Bolts away from the harrowing fate they suffered in the Philippine Cup.
“The import is not yet an issue,” Gregorio told veteran sports columnist Quinito Henson after the Beermen game.
What is, according to Gregorio, is the need for their local players to stand up and deliver.
While Butch, who also had 3 steals and 2 blocks in 42 minutes, provided numbers others ballclubs could only wish for from their imports, his teammates, other than Gary David, fared miserably.
An ailing Jared Dillinger was scoreless in 25 minutes, Cliff Hodge was 0 for 5 from 3-point area, and the entire Meralco team shot just 34 percent from the floor, getting outrebounded, 56-49, and outrushed in fast breaks, 16 points to 6.
The assist difference was lopsided: 27-8, with no Bolt player issuing more than 2. And bench scoring was a mauling: 40-12.
Without top playmaker Mike Cortez, who tore a knee ligament last conference and could be out for at least two more weeks, the Bolts’ offensive flow choked at various points.
It is a handicap the Aces will most certainly exploit.
Back with Robert Dozier as import, the Aces are coming off a morale-lifting 93-78 rout of GlobalPort after dropping their first game to Talk ‘N Text, 85-72.
He had 25 points and 15 rebounds against the Batang Pier, hitting 11 of 13 free throws and firing up his teammates no end.
“When the going gets tough, Robert Dozier gets going,” said Aces Luigi Trillo after the GlobalPort game Saturday. “We’re proud of him. Every time he went down, he got up. When Dozier gets going, everybody gets going. It’s a war of attrition for him.
Named Best Import last season after leading Alaska to a 3-0 sweep of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the best-of-5 championship series, Dozier will make life hellish for the shorthanded Bolts, who, in turn, will be looking to Butch to bail them out of trouble.
That could be an issue, if Brian Butch fails to do so. (WJRHT)
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