MANILA: Wayne Chism had a very mediocre stint with Rain or Shine last season that most everyone was left wondering why coach Yeng Guiao kept chasing him all this time.

After two games in his latest PBA Commissioner’s Cup stint, Chism is showing everyone what the fuss is all about.

The 6-foot-8 import, coming over 20 pounds lighter and a lot better, led the Elasto Painters to their third straight win, a 103-91 ripping of Barako Bull that meant a piece of the elimination round lead on Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Chism came in to replace the behemoth Rick Jackson, who didn’t do a bad job in leading the Painters to a 3-2 record.

“It’s been good with Wayne, that’s what we expect of him,” Guiao told reporters shortly after Chism finished with 32 points built around seven triples as he led the Painters to a 5-2 record that is now tied for the pace.

Meralco dropped out of the solo lead later in the night after an 89-76 loss to sister squad NLEX.

The Bolts welcomed back import Josh Davis but lost for the second straight time just the same after KG Canaleta scored 13 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the rampaging Road Warriors.

Paul Lee, the former Rookie of the Year who is Rain or Shine’s leader, also came back from a three-game absence and shot 16 points for the Painters, who bombed out of the Final Four last season with Chism.

"(Rick) Jackson is not a bad import, but we're a lot quicker and we have more flexibility on offense in Chism," said Guiao.

Barako Bull, after opening up with three straight wins to hold the lead, lost for the second straight game and is now at 4-3, tied for fourth with idle defending champion Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra.

The Energy got 23 points and 13 rebounds from import Solomon Alabi.

Barako Bull led, 18-13, before the Painters went on a tear that spanned all the way to the middle of the second period.

Rain or Shine outscored Barako Bull, 29-9 from there, including a 12-0 bomb to open the second as the Energy never got back into the game the rest of the way.

“We’re looking at a two-week break and it is just important for us to get a win,” Guiao said of the long lull that will include the All-Star Week slated in Puerto Princesa in Palawan.

“We knew that coming into the game that Barako Bull is the best defensive team in the league (because of Alabi), that’s why we tried to take him out of the paint (all game),” Guiao said.

Alabi, the 7-footer, came into the contest averaging 4.6 blocks a contest.

With the Rain or Shine ploy of taking him out of the sweet spot working the whole game, Alabi didn’t have a single rejection against the Elasto Painters.

Meanwhile, the tournament has scheduled two games in Dubai in May where three teams will go to play official Governors’ Cup games.

Rain or Shine is slated to clash with Barangay Ginebra and Globalport in the oil-rich nation, which will host games on May 21 and 22.

Al Thornton, the NLEX import who was a member of the NBA’s All-Rookie Team in 2007 together with superstar Kevin Durant, finished with 38 points for the Road Warriors, who are sustaining a run at making the eight-team playoffs after a very slow start.

“Our defense was the key tonight because the players are starting to get a grasp of our (defensive) system,” NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez said.