Top-caliber imports for Beermen, Katropa

Manila, Philippines—San Miguel Beer is leaving nothing to chance in its bid to complete the second PBA Grand Slam for the franchise, tapping seasoned Dez Wells for the Governors’ Cup tentatively set to open on Sept. 20, 2019.

After returning to the top of the list of contenders with a strong runner-up finish to the Beermen in the Commissioner’s Cup, TNT, meanwhile, is pinning its hopes on another Houston Rocket and hopefully deny San Miguel its date with history.

Read: San Miguel finishes off TNT in Game 6, wins PBA Commissioner’s Cup crown

The two teams bared their respective import choices for the season-ending conference, with the KaTropa signing up Terrence Jones’ former teammate at Houston, KJ McDaniels, in an effort to end a four-year title drought.

Wells is an American who has had stops in the NBA

G-League and pro leagues in Italy and Greece after playing out a stellar collegiate career with the Maryland Terapins.

This will be the Beermen’s second shot at a Triple Crown sweep in three years after coming up short in 2017 with Renaldo Balkman.

McDaniels will come to a TNT team that is still licking its wounds after losing in six games to San Miguel. And he has one item in his credentials that active consultant Mark Dickel loves so much.

“I expect defense from him,” Dickel said of McDaniels, the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. “He’s a complete player.”

Jones came up just short in leading the KaTropa back to the winner’s circle, and it was just a coincidence, Dickel said, that the team picked Jones’ former Houston teammate as an import for the third conference.

The two imports are set to banner their respective teams when San Miguel and TNT rekindle their rivalry at the Asia League’s Terrific 12 tournament at Tap Seac Multisports Pavilion in Macau, China, beginning Sept. 17.