PBA: Purefoods saving Marqus Blakely for championship bid in Governor's Cup

Standing in for original import Daniel Orton, Marqus Blakely had a good short run for Purefoods, leading the Hotshots to a 3-0 start in the elimination round of the Commissioner's Cup.

Orton arrived with a swollen shooting hand coming from his stint in China, prompting coach Tim Cone to tap the services of their three-time import Blakely until he recovers from the strain.

The 6-foot-4 forward, easily the shortest of all imports in the conference, played the part brilliantly as he averaged 22 points and 14.3 rebounds in three games.

With Orton's condition starting to improve, Blakely is set to exit the stage and tend to his own injured shoulder as he prepares to come back for the Governor's Cup. The former Best Import popped his shoulder in the opening game against GlobalPort, but fortunately, it popped back in and allowed him to play the next two games.

"We need to get Marqus' shoulder looked at," said Cone. "That's a concern for us because we wanna get him back for the third conference."

After the team got eliminated in the quarterfinals last conference, the two-time Grand Slam coach is once again preparing Purefoods for another title quest in the season-ending Governor's Cup.

"We got a real good shot of that championship so we wanna make sure he's healthy and ready to go," he said.

A doctor suggested surgery for Blakely's shoulder, but the import is opting to get a second opinion in the country and another one possibly in the United States. - RAF