Myles Powell (Photo courtesy of PBA Images)
MANILA – Myles Powell is set to return to Bay Area after missing much of the PBA Commissioner's Cup playoffs.
The league announced on Tuesday that the six-foot-two combo guard has been reactivated ahead of Game 6 of the finals against Ginebra.
Powell sat out the first two rounds of the playoffs and the first five games of the finals after suffering from a toe tendon rupture during practice, forcing the Dragons to reactivate Andrew Nicholson.
However, Nicholson suffered an ankle injury in Game 3 of the finals against the Gin Kings, which sidelined him for Games 4 and 5.
Forced to play without a world import, Bay Area split its last two games, winning Game 4 and conceding Game 5 as Ginebra now holds a pivotal 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Coach Brian Goorjian has kept on saying that the Dragons are not keen on reactivating Powell so that he could recover faster in time for the EASL Champions Week in Japan on March 1-5, but with the injuries now piling up with Glen Yang also sitting out Game 5 and Hayden Blankley getting hurt late into the said game, they took on the risk and cleared Powell to play.
Whether Powell, who averaged 37.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks a game during his first eight games this conference, remains the explosive combo guard we have seen prior to his injury is something we will find out when Bay Area battles Ginebra anew on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
If the Dragons' risk pays dividends and they win Game 6, Game 7 will be on Friday night at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue.
Based on Bay Area's agreement with the PBA, with Powell, the designated original import, back for the third time this conference, Nicholson, the "replacement", cannot be reactivated again, so the team will be sticking with Powell the rest of the way. (PNA)
