Hong Kong Eastern power forward Hayden Blankley said his current team is a totally different ball club compared to the Bay Area Dragons that went on to finish a strong second place behind eventual Commissioner's Cup champion Barangay Ginebra during the 2023 PBA season.

The 6-foot-9 former stalwart of West Texas A&M noted that the Dragons that he played with during the PBA's 2022-23 season had a number of veterans that played in the Chinese Basketball Association, compared to the HK Eastern players who mostly competed in Hong Kong's domestic league.