THE WISDOM behind the trade of veteran swingman Jeff Chan is now beginning to pay off for Rain or Shine.
For two straight games, the Elasto Painters were able to notch a win to put themselves back in contention for a playoff hunt and their rise has something to do with the acquisition of Mark Borboran.
Mr. Borboran has been making key contributions for the Elasto Painters. He has stepped up in the absence of Gabe Norwood and Raymond Almazan, two key players who were loaned to the Gilas Pilipinas team and the failure of Jay Washington to play due to a hamstring injury.
With their lineup decimated, the Elasto Painters were able to make full use of the potential of Mr. Borboran, a journeyman who found a home in Rain or Shine. He was part of the deal in the Chan trade, but in the last two games, the Asian Coating franchise is proving to everyone that it made a wise decision in trading the many-time All-Star, former Gilas player and ex-Finals Most Valuable Player for a hardly utilized front liner.
“Now we can see how good a player Borboran is,” Rain or Shine team owner Raymond Yu told BusinessWorld.
Since getting Mr. Borboran, the Elasto Painters had won back-to-back games to improve their win-loss record to 3-2.
Mr. Borboran has averaged eight points per game, but has provided the intangibles aside from scoring.
“Mark seems to be fitting well. One of the reasons why we made a trade to get him is because Jay Washington will be out for the rest of the conference and Gabe Norwood and Raymond Almazan were loaned to the national team. We need somebody who can help us in rebounding,” said Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia.
“Mark is a very basic player. He doesn’t waste any move. Defensively, he’s long.”
Mr. Borboran will be utilized more in the next game as Beau Belga will serve a one-game suspension following a flagrant foul called on him during the Elasto Painters’ previous win against Kia. — Rey Joble
