HONG KONG Eastern will have to choose between Cameron Clark or Chris McLaughlin as import when it plays as guest team in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup starting Nov. 27.

That’s because the mid-season conference of Asia’s first play-for-pay league allows only one import of unlimited height.

Presently, the 6-6 Clark and 6-10 McLaughlin are playing for the 92-year-old Hong Kong-based franchise in the ongoing East Asia Super League (EASL) Home and Away Season 2.

Both Clark and McLaughlin are the team’s top performers despite a 0-2 start.

Clark, who played for NLEX and San Miguel Beer in two previous editions of the Governors’ Cup, leads the team in scoring with an average of 24.0 points.

Clark also had experience playing against top-notch PBA imports Rondae Hollis Jefferson and Justine Brownlee, who are again expected to lead the campaigns of TNT Tropang Giga and Barangay Ginebra.

McLaughlin, on the other hand is Hong Kong’s top rebounder with a 12.0-rebound average.

McLaughlin’s tremendous presence in the middle could also be Hong Kong’s advantage, especially with the presence of Ricardo Ratliffe (Magnolia), Cheick Diallo (Converge), Akil Mitchell (Meralco), and Ryan Richards (Terrafirma) as imports of other teams.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial earlier said the same rules on import will be applied by the league on Hong Kong.

Under PBA rules, the original import choice can be replaced for any reason, but should be relegated by the team on the injured/reserved list in order for him to be eligible for reactivation.

Failure to consign him in the injured/reserved list meant the team won’t be able to bring him back again.

On the other hand, the replacement import once substituted, will no longer be able to return for the rest of the team’s campaign.

Meanwhile, NLEX Road Warriors announced the appointment of NBA veteran Ed Davis as their import.

The 35-year-old Davis played for eight teams, including the Toronto Raptors, who selected him as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft.

The 6-9 native of Washington DC also played for the Memphis Grizzlies (2013-2014), Los Angeles Lakers (2014-2015), Portland Trailblazers (2015-2018), Brooklyn Nets (2018-2019) , Utah Jazz (2019-2020), Minnesota Timberwolves (2020-2021) and Cleveland Cavaliers (20-21-2022) before bringing his act to the Mets de Guaynabo in Puerto Rico (2023).

His best years in the NBA came in 2012-2013 when he averaged 9.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 45 games with the Raptors; and 20-14-2015 when he averaged 8,3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 79 games with the Lakers.

Davis, the son of former NBA player Terry Davis, also played for 2009 NCAA champion North Carolina, which defeated Michigan State.

The center-forward averaged 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds, including 11 points and a team-high 8 rebounds in the Tar Heels 89-72 win in the championship game.

NLEX coach Jong Uichico hopes Davis will bring an immediate impact to the team, which is looking to figure prominently in the title hunt after absorbing a 1-3 defeat to TNT in the quarterfinals of the recent Governors’ Cup.

“We’re thrilled to have Ed (Davis) on board. He brings a wealth of experience and leadership that we believe will help us. We’re optimistic that he’ll be able to match up against the league’s top big men and make a huge difference in our campaign this conference,” Uichico was quoted as saying recently.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya