PBA: Guiao says replacing DaJuan Summers an option for winless Rain or Shine
Rain or Shine import DaJuan Summers.–PBA IMAGES
ANTIPOLO—Rain or Shine’s 0-3 start in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup has coach Yeng Guiao pondering on making important decisions that could help his team get out of its current hole.
And that includes the prospect of replacing import DaJuan Summers, who had a subpar showing in the Elasto Painters’ 99-98 loss to the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Saturday.
“There’s always pressure on imports to carry the team and you will be measured on that standard,” Guiao said after the game held at Ynares Center here. “And if you’re losing that means that you’re not able to carry the team, and I’m sure Dajuan understands the situation.”
Guiao said Rain or Shine may make that change early next week or prior to Friday’s match against Barangay Ginebra at Smart Araneta Coliseum, stopping short of making direct quotes on finding a potential replacement.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.–PBA IMAGES
But Guiao didn’t mince words about Summers’ performance, or lack thereof.
The 35-year-old averaged 24.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks in three games, numbers that dwindled after facing Phoenix.
Summers only had 15 points after making just three out of 15 attempts while adding seven rebounds and four assists.
“We were very optimistic before the start of the conference because we can see in practice that Dajuan has the skills,” Guiao said in Filipino. “Maybe the age factor is one of the problems. He has always been outscored and outrebounded so we were kind of surprised.
“So maybe we will give it a last attempt to fix things, but we should always be ready to make the big decisions,” added Guiao.
