Rey Joble joined GMANews.TV full-time a couple of months ago, and since then he’s been banging out excellent breaking reports on the PBA virtually as it happen. Just tonight, he managed to come out with not one, not two, but three quick reports on involving three different imports:

Diamon Simpson. As you may recall, I wrote about the possibility of Simpson being taller than the current PBA height limit. Tonight, PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios put an end to the issue, saying that Simpson’s measurement was final, and the Alaska reinforcement can continue his PBA stint.

But the issue still drew reactions from Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, whose assistant, Allan Caidic, witnessed Simpson’s measurement by PBA staff:

“We were represented by coach Allan (Caidic) and he voiced his opinion regarding the matter. It wasn’t a blatant protest as we respect Alaska’s representative and the import being measured," Uichico said in a telephone interview.

“There was a final measurement made and those who conducted the measurement claimed he passed the test. We can’t make any action because our representatives are mere observers and we didn’t file any protest. But we were able to exchange thoughts with other coaches several times – that Simpson looks big and may not be 6-foot-6," added Uichico.

Also voicing his concern was Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio, who cited Simpson’s US listing, where he was measured, in bare feet, to be about an inch taller than the height limit. (Full disclosure: Since our fateful meeting a few months ago, I have been communicating with him over the course of the tournament, exchanging thoughts on the performance of the team and its import, Cliff Brown. But we never discussed the Diamon Simpson height issue; I have no idea if he got the information from this blog, or if he found it on his own. I wouldn’t be surprised either way.)

As much as I like and respect Jong Uichico, I have no idea why he keeps whining about this considering Caidic had an opportunity to lodge a formal protest after Simpson’s measurement, but didn’t. If anyone is to blame, it should be him.

But all these reactions are mere noise now, as everything’s settled: Simpson stays and, with his dominant performance so far in the conference, he has to be the odds-on favorite to win the best import trophy at the end of the tournament.

Gabe Freeman. Here’s a case that’s even more curious than Simpson’s. Freeman has missed the last two games of San Miguel, supposedly because of “flu-like symptoms.”

But as any astute reader of Basketbawful would know, “flu-like symptoms” is simply euphemism for some other weird shit going on; for NBA players, it usually means they’re nursing a particularly nasty hangover.

People were willing to buy San Miguel’s excuse for Freeman after he missed one game, but when he missed a second straight one, they began to wonder. PBA teams ride imports really hard, and it would usually take a very serious injury for a reinforcement to sit out a game, never mind two. Worse, it came at a crucial juncture in the tournament, with San Miguel slipping fast after starting out gangbusters in the tournament.

Reporters started sniffing around, and rumors started flying that Freeman had failed a drug test, leading to a suspension. Commissioner Barrios was coy about the matter. “Under the current rules, we keep it private between the Commissioner’s Office and the team," he said. “I can’t comment either way.” Meanwhile, San Miguel basketball’s top official, Robert Non, denied the rumor, sticking to the flu story.

During a random PBA drug testing, two vials of urine are collected from a player. If one sample tests positive, the second vial is sent to drug testing laboratories for further tests, while the player serves a mandatory drug suspension. Curiously, Freeman had a meeting with the commissioner today.

This whole brouhaha comes on top of another controversy surrounding the Beermen’s head coaching position. Last Wednesday, assistant coach Ato Agustin took over the coaching chores for the team, relegating head coach Siot Tanquingcen to the sidelines, a move that San Miguel team officials cited as “on the job training” for the former. But this is a story for another blog post.

Freeman, meanwhile, returns to action tonight, but it remains to be seen if he ends up staying for good. San Miguel faces the Rain or Shine Elastopainters, which also has some import news of its own.

Jai Lewis. Rain or Shine has decided to give the pink slip to the former George Mason center, who will be making his farewell appearance tonight. While Lewis led the team to the semifinals in last year’s Fiesta Conference, his performance has slipped considerably this year. Even before the last two games, where he scored only 3 and 10 points respectively, he has looked sluggish and uninterested on the court.

The Elastopainters are bringing in Rod Nealy, an exciting wingman who gives the team a different look. Nealy started in the PBA burning the hoops for Ginebra in the 2007 Fiesta Conference. The Gin Kings brought him back last season, but replaced him midway through with David Noel, a good move considering Ginebra ended up making it to the finals before losing to Freeman’s San Miguel.

Nealy’s entry into the Rain or Shine fold is expected to ease the scoring burden off Sol Mercado, who has been playing like a hero the past two games in losing efforts. Lewis’ departure, meanwhile, hopefully means that Quinito Henson will stop bringing up George Mason’s 2006 Final Four run for the 7,346th fucking time during the PBA broadcast. It was getting a little annoying.