By Adrian Stewart CO
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings had added depth to its frontline ahead of its title defense in the 2021 PBA Governors’ Cup, which will kick off later this month at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
In a trade deal that was approved yesterday, the Kings have acquired the services of Sidney Onwubere from NorthPort Batang Pier in exchange for injury-riddled Arthur dela Cruz.
Onwubere, a former standout of Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, is a welcome addition to the Kings, which is aiming to rebound from its quarterfinals exit in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup.
Onwubere will share minutes with the Kings’ frontline which is led by Japeth Aguilar, Christian Standhardinger, Prince Caperal, Raymond Aguilar, and Aljon Mariano.
Onwubere’s numbers are on the rise the past two seasons as he normed 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup before being traded to Batang Pier.
Onwubere continued his improvement with NorthPort where he averaged 9.45 points, 5.82 rebounds and 1.27 assists in 28 minutes as the starting power forward in the 2021 All Filipino conference.
The Batang Pier, on the other hand, got the services of former collegiate standout Dela Cruz, who was in and out of Ginebra roster the past few seasons due to various injuries.
The 6-foot-4 Dela Cruz arrived at the Kings via a trade from Blackwater in 2017. He was part of Ginebra’s four championship runs despite only playing a total of 39 games for the team in five years.
This was the second trade deal entered into by the Batang Pier in the last two days after sending Vic Manuel to the San Miguel Beermen last Monday for Arwind Santos./ASC, WDJ