By REYNALD MAGALLON
Diamond Stone failed to shine bright in his first three games and the San Miguel Beer management decided to tap Devon Scott in his place and as the team’s third import so far in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Stone, who came in as a late replacement for the Beermen’s original choice in Thomas Robinson, couldn’t live up to the expectations as SMB stumbled to a 1-2 record.
Although he showed glimpse of what he can do in SMB’s 113-105 victory over Rain or Shine, finishing with 42 points and 13 rebounds, Stone failed to take charge and deliver when it mattered the most as he only mustered 11 points and 14 rebounds, including a measly 0-of-7 clip from beyond the arc as the June Mar Fajardo-less Beermen suffered an embarrassing 113-87 loss at the hands of the Bay Area Dragons.
His performance along with the injury situation of Fajardo who is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks after undergoing a procedure to repair his injured throat, prompted the Beermen to make the adjustments ahead of the team’s grueling schedule where it is set to play five games in an eight days span.
Scott who previously played for teams in Canada, Brazil, Israel, Dominican Republic and recently in Korea will be put under the microscope in his first few games especially with SMB still not completely closing the doors on the possible return of Robinson who was initially asked to rest for at least two weeks prior to the start of the conference due to a nagging back injury.
Pressure will also be on Scott as the defending champions Beermen hope to reach the playoffs where they were expected to welcome Fajardo back into the fold.
Scott is already in the country and is set to make his debut when the Beermen lock horns with the Converge FiberXers on Friday, Oct. 21.
