Lewis and Daniels: PBA’s Brand New Heavies

For fans inside the Astrodome, the game between Rain or Shine and Talk 'N Text last March 26 was a 4-D experience. Whenever two burly, balik-PBA imports ran the floor, fans not only "saw" them run, they actually "felt" every fast-break involving Rain or Shine’s Jai Lewis and Talk 'N Text’s Shawn Daniels. I know Lewis and Daniels stand out because they’re imports in the PBA. But even among this year’s batch of reinforcements, they stick out like NFL offensive linemen lost in a sea of wide receivers.

I sympathized with anyone assigned to box-out Lewis and Daniels. They ate up court space the way their uniforms ate up cloth. So if Caloy Garcia or Chot Reyes barked at players for failing to block out Lewis or Daniels, suddenly under-sized and under-weight power forwards would’ve retorted with sarcasm and surrender. "You’re mad at me for failing to box-out a mango tree, coach?" This is the new heavyweight standard. Once upon a time, height was the prime commodity. Nowadays, heft has become a valuable asset. In an annual arms race to see who brings in the best military tank money can buy, bigger has become better. "We’re hoping Jai’s success last year, since he helped us reach the semifinals for the first time, carries over to this conference," Richard del Rosario, Rain or Shine Assistant Coach, said. "Jai is a perfect fit for us since kasi yun talaga ang kulang namin which is inside presence." As I watched Lewis and Daniels trot on the floor, amazed at how they didn’t step on sub-six-feet guards like Don Dulay and Jimmy Alapag, the thing that comes to mind are match-ups. It’s great that Lewis and Daniels actually canceled each other out in the game even though Norman Black, newly-installed Talk 'N Text defensive consultant, swore Lewis made Daniels look like a supermodel. But what happens when Lewis and Daniels face smaller foes the way huge, furry mascots look down on kids in the mall? "Minsan sa practice, sinusubukan siya sakyan ni Jam Alfad (a player who’s already undersized compared to normal PBA power forwards) pero nadadala pa rin siya eh," Del Rosario quipped. "Para daw siyang kambing na tinutulak ng kalabaw." Courtside reporter Miakka Lim said on twitter that Lewis and Daniels were "cuuuuuute" in, I suppose, a kiddy-party sort of way. Bet you won’t think they’re cute if you suddenly find yourself trapped between these two imports, suddenly gasping for air, life flashing before your eyes, in a rebounding tussle. "Lewis addresses Rain or Shine’s lack of big men while Daniels gives Talk 'N Text someone who can defend and grab rebounds," Andy Jao, veteran PBA TV Analyst, said. So in the end, it’s not the desire to supersize that compels teams to bring in bulk. Rain or Shine and Talk 'N Text are hoping bigger reinforcements lead to better win-loss records in the Fiesta Conference. And no commodity, not even an import’s size, is more valuable in the PBA than winning. – GMANews.TV