Barangay Ginebra slotman Greg Slaughter welcomed the entry of a new player in the Gin Kings-Meralco Bolts trilogy - Raymond Almazan - who will provide additional challenge in the shaded lane in the coming PBA Governors' Cup championship series.
"I think they definitely got bigger, filled the hole in the middle with Raymond," the 7-foot Slaughter acknowledged during Saturday's pre-finals presscon.
Slaughter and fellow Ginebra frontliners like Japeth Aguilar enjoyed the edge in the first two times with import Allen Durham doing the lion's share of big man duties for Meralco.
But the Bolts intend to change that with the 6-foot-8 Almazan now on board coming from a trade with Rain or Shine before the start of the Commissioner's Cup. Almazan is envisioned as a potent partner for Durham inside.
"We were fortunate enough to get Raymond Almazan in the second conference from Rain or Shine. He gave us a young big guy who's very athletic, can run the floor, can score inside and rebound, block shots that has helped us a great deal," said Black of Almazan, who averages 11.24 points and 9.82 rebounds in the conference.
Sponsored content: "It took him a while to blend in with the team but eventually he learned the system and has become a key player for us," he added.
Adjusting with the opponent's new entries works both ways, though.
Slaughter, the Best Player of the Conference in the 2017 Governors' Cup, said while they tackle a big problem in Almazan, Meralco will have to deal with Ginebra's fresh entry in Round 3 - guard Stanley Pringle.
"We also got a new addition in Stanley. So it's really interesting to see how it plays out," said the Fil-Am behemoth.
Pringle, according to Black, added to the firepower of the hot-shooting Gin Kings.
Sponsored content: "Since Stanley Pringle joined them they've become a very, very good three-point shooting team," the Meralco coach said of Pringle, who shoots at a 42.2 percent clip from beyond the arc. (OL)
