The Kraken: The Next Big Thing in the PBA

Most PBA fans in some basketball forums already talking about the PBA Draft 2012, where one person than can change the aura of the team whoever draft him next year. I am talking about Junmar “The Kraken” Fajardo.

Fajardo, a 6’ 10” behemoth from Cebu, is one of the possible players that may apply for the PBA Draft next year. He is playing for the University of Cebu in the PCCL and soon to unleash his “beast mode” in January, playing for the San Miguel Beermen in the ABL.

Is he the next big thing in the PBA?

The answer is YES! Why? Aside from his superb basketball resume while playing in different Cebu leagues where he averaged from 30 to 40 points per game, the 37-year old league is very hungry when it comes to “height-given” players. The likes of Don Ramon Fernandez, Abet Guidaben, Venancio Paras, and Jerry Codinera really dominate the PBA during their prime and established some record breaking stats in every statistical category. The league also witnessed the new breed of giants in the likes of Samigue Eman, Yancy de Ocampo and EJ Fiehl, but the only impressive stat in their resume is they are picked not lower as third pick in the draft.

Asi Taulava is still a force to reckon despite of his age, and Japeth Aguilar, the newest giant on the block, is still raw and needs more improvement in terms of basketball experience, this is the best time for Fajardo to grab the opportunity to be the next big star in the PBA.

Fajardo is also being trained and guided by no other than, Ramon Fernandez. No wonder that in his young age (21?), he is equipped with superb basketball skills and good footwork which resembles the El Presidente during his prime. His passing skill is also respectable (credit to Don Ramon again), and his basketball IQ is also not questionable.

One of the few things that Fajardo must work on is his free throw shooting. Most of the PBA centers had low FT percentage, except EJ Fiehl which is more reliable in the free throw line rather inside the paint. Another thing is Fajardo must learn how to be a low post threat. Fernandez and Patrimonio is a very good low post player despite of being undersized in terms of height. If Fajardo will learn the basics of posting and with a little bit of elbow crushing ala Ranidel Ocampo, no one can stop him inside the paint. One last thing, Fajardo needs to bulk up. A Junemar Fajardo with an Eric Menk or Ali Peek or Dorian Pena frame with speed is a very dangerous player especially in international games.

We will see this January if Fajardo will rule the ABL once their season starts.

Another question is: Which team in the PBA has the edge in getting him in the draft next year?

Petron Blaze Booster acquired two first round picks in the 2012 draft, coming from Barako Bull and Shopinas Clickers, the first team to be eliminated in the Philippine Cup.

Now you know the answer.

Revisiting the Forecast

It was the 9th of September when I posted my fearless forecast about the PBA Philippine Cup 2011. And we are now in the verge of finishing the eliminations with two or three games remaining for each team. According to the PBA Office, the start of the playoffs will be on December 14, 2011.

So let me revisit those forecast and evaluate it whether it happened or may not after all.

1. Talk N' Text and Petron Blaze Boosters will again advance to the semi finals and will have their "finals showdown III" to determine which of them is more superior in terms of championship run.

Yes, they are now the top 2 teams in the standings, Petron with 9-3 win-loss card while Talk N Text with 8-3 win-loss card. But Petron still have two games left (BGK and TNT), while Talk N Text will have also two games against Petron and BGK. BMEG Llamados is catching up in the standings, so if BMEG and Petron will continue to sweep their remaining games, Talk N Text might fall in the third spot if they will loss a single game.

2. Coach Tim Cone will return to the PBA. He will formalize a deal to handle the BMEG Llamados in the start of Commissioner's Cup.

Yes, he returned to the PBA too early as predicted. He was appointed as the head coach of BMEG days before the start of the Phil. Cup. He steered the Llamados on a 6 game winning streak as of this moment.

3. Alaska will face a downfall in their campaign in this conference. Coach Joel Banal won't be able to execute the triangle system effectively and might change their strategy in Commissioner's Cup.

They are in the bottom of the standings. Having a 3-9 win-loss card, they might join Shopinas in an early vacation. The team is on a slump after posting 2 consecutive wins. Even though the team is armed with a very balance line-up, but still Joel Banal won’t able to solve the right formula for the Aces this Phil. Cup.

4. Paul Lee will dominate among the 2011 Rookies in statistical points. Coach Yeng Guiao will fully utilize Lee in every games. He might be the face of the Rain or Shine Franchise.

With Chris Lutz being sideline with hamstring injury, JV Casio is still struggling to fit in the Powerade system and even Marcio Lassiter and the rest of Powerade is on the verge of facing early exit in this conference, Paul Lee might dominate the rookie scene this playoffs. Lee is 3rd in the statistical points with 14.92 points, behind Lutz’ 18 ppg and Lassiter’s 15.67 ppg.

5. Cyrus Baguio and Gabe Norwood will be traded to each other.

This trade might happen after the eliminations or before the start of the Commissioner’s Cup. Cyrus Baguio is not the Skyrus anymore after the team lost their head coach, while Gabe Norwood is playing below par of his game recently. We all know that Baguio is the “Yeng Guiao” type of a player and Norwood might be the missing piece that the Aces is looking for after the departure of Joe Devance last season.

6. Willie Miller will lead the league in statistical points.

Gary David’s 21 ppg made him the number one leader in SP’s. Willie Miller, however, is in the 15th spot with 14.55 ppg.

7. Arwind Santos will win the Best Player of the Conference Award.

As of this moment, Arwind Santos is the leading candidate for the BPOC award.

8. Joseph Yeo will be traded to Shopinas Clickers in the middle of the season for future picks.

Joseph Yeo redeemed himself when Chris Lutz was sidelined because of injury. Since the team is winning and Yeo is playing good basketball compared to his performance last season, there is no reason to trade him to Shopinas.

9. Shopinas Clickers will be the first team to be eliminated.

With a 0-12 record, coach Franz Pumaren might take an early vacation to regroup his team and find the best import available for the next conference.

10. The Final Four: Talk N Text vs. Rain or Shine, Petron Blaze Boosters vs. BMEG Llamados

If Rain or Shine will end their slump in their remaining games, the chances are high for this scenario will happen. If not, Meralco Bolts might spoil the party and it will be RSA vs MVP Final Four this conference.

11. Alex Crisano will be cut by Powerade after the elimination round.

Alex Crisano is considered as one of the energetic players in the Powerade camp, second to Mr. Pure Energy, Gary David. Crisano displayed a good behavior this conference, he might continue wearing the Tiger’s jersey this season.

12. Noli Eala and Snow Badua will end their fight, and Snow will greet Noli Eala most of the time in his TV Show.

They must settle their issues. Next…

13. Japeth Aguilar will get injured during the semi-final round because he cannot stand the banging inside the paint.

His team is already been plagued with various injuries. I hope he will be free from any injuries because Ali Peek is still recuperating from an accident.

14. Jason Castro will be the face of Talk N Text.

Yes, indeed he is. He is averaging close to 16 points per game and registered some 20 plus points in some of their games. The lone star of TNT is carrying the team and he is the biggest asset of Chot Reyes.

15. Jayjay Helterbrand will retire after the Philippine Cup.

We will see if this going to happen. However, Jayjay still got the handles and might re-consider his decision and finish the season with another championship.

Sweet November

We are nearing the Playoffs and most of the teams are fighting for their rightful spot in the team standings. The month of November is indeed a very memorable one for us PBA fans. This is the month where all PBA teams exposed their abilities to counter each of the opposing team to have a safe place when the playoffs come.

So let us have a rundown on how November played a vital role for the PBA:

1. Petron Blaze Boosters and BMEG Llamados: “Perfect November”

After suffering consecutive losses, both Blaze Boosters and Llamados posted 6 game winning streaks this month. Petron is on the top of the standings with 9-3 win-loss card, while BMeg is on a solo third with 8-4 card.

After three consecutive losses, Coach Ato and the rest of the Boosters regroup and restarted their engines to continue their high octane offense and suffocating defense to climb all the way to the top of the standings. Arwind Santos continue to play consistently, Alex Cabagnot showed maturity and excellent decision making, Denok Miranda is beasting the other point guards and posted some high numbers during the month. Although the team is not playing Chris Lutz in most of their games this month, Joseph Yeo miraculously “risen” and proved once again that he is still the “Ninja”.

Coach Tim Cone and the Llamados defy all odds in learning the triangle, and their hard work resulted to another 6 game winning streak for the team. James Yap is arguably the best player in the league for this month. He averaged 22 points per game (all in 6 games) and a whopping 85% FT percentage.

2. The slump of Rain or Shine

After posting 7 wins in 8 games, they are on a 4 game losing streak this month. One of the missing links for the team is Gabe Norwood. If you remember an ROS game, Yeng Guiao “benched” Norwood in the last quarter. Well, since Paul Lee is emerging as one of the stars in ROS and Jeff Chan is on a roll, maybe it’s time for Norwood to go. Hmmm Baguio-Norwood trade?

3. Allein Maliksi, SOLD: Barako Bull

As expected, Barako Bull traded Allein Maliksi to Ginebra in a three team deal which also involves BMEG. The Barako Bull received 2013 picks and BGK’s benched star, Jimbo Aquino. So, let us cross our fingers for Dylan Ababou that he will last as a Barako for at least one year.

4. Barangay Ginebra’s Business

After acquiring two gifted players which can be their savior this conference, Allein Maliksi and Rico Maierhofer is now on the injured list. The blockbuster trade made in the mid-November raised some eyebrows of their fans because those two players whom they acquired are considered as “damaged goods”. Both of them had a history of ACL injuries and still not 100 percent to play after they have been acquired.

Mark Caguioa’s comment about their role in the team also ignited the BGK fans especially on the part of their head coaches, Jong and Siot. Mark is questioning the player rotation and the playing time given to them by their coaches.

And lastly, before the month ended, Rudy Hatfield expressed (once again) that he will come back and play for the Gin Kings. Enough of that Rudy! Just leave BGK alone…

5. Talk N Text’s injuries

Not bad for a team that is in the second in the team standings, and yet most of their players are in the injured list. The only bright spot for the team are Jason Castro, Harvey Carey and Kelly Williams. We do pray that TNT will have their complete roster when the playoffs come for Chot Reyes to stop tweeting that they are the underdogs and the reason why they lost every single game is because of injuries.

Bubbling under:

6. Shopinas on a roll (of being eliminated)

7. Alaska Aces facing a worst record this conference.

8. Powerade Tigers will to survive.

Second Round Gems in the Last Decade

In the PBA, finding a diamond in the rough after the first round of draft is a rare occurrence. Most of the value falls within the first 10 choices in most basketball drafts, so adding a valuable player near the end of the draft is something to be proud of in this league.
From the year 2001 to present, I'll list the top PBA players who were drafted in the second till the last team decided to pass on the draft(keep in mind some of these players did not remain with the team that drafted them).
2001 – Peter June Simon (Sta. Lucia 43rd pick)

He earned the moniker “Super Sub” because playing second fiddle to James Yap in the BMEG rotation. During the time when James Yap is out due to injuries, Simon carried the team on his shoulders and heralded as one of the best sixth man in the league today and became the PBA 2007-08 All Star MVP.

2002- Celino Cruz (Talk N Text 19th pick)

Former Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao did not hesitate to sign this man to be his back-up point guard in his team. His clutch three point shot earned him a spot in the Red Bull team and became one of the coveted guards during the 2007-2008 season, where he averaged 8 points per game.

2003- Cyrus Baguio (Red Bull 14th pick) and Ronald Tubid (Shell 16th pick)

Coincidentally, these two players were once teammates in the Barangay Ginebra Kings. Cyrus played supporting role to Willie Miller and Lordy Tugade in his Red Bull days. But when the management decided to trade those players, Yeng Guiao set his eyes to this man to carry his team. “Skyrus” got traded to Burger King (formerly Air21) and traded again to Barangay Ginebra and dealt to Alaska in one of the blockbuster trade in the PBA for 2 time MVP Willie Miller.

Ronald Tubid, from being “The Saint” to being “fearless”, he was drafted by the Shell Turbo Chargers. After the team disbanded, he joined the Air21 Express. Acquired by Ginebra in the 2006 season, he became the third man of the BGK’s Big Three joining JayJay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa.

2004 – Willy Wilson (Alaska 15th pick)

He was dropped by Tim Cone in the Alaska roster because they already reached the maximum Fil-Am players in the squad (maximum of 5). But he asked Chot Reyes, the coach of San Miguel Beermen then, to pick this player because of his wonderful work ethics. Now, he is considered as one of the top undersized power forward in the league today.

2005 – Larry Fonacier (Red Bull 14th pick)

The Baby Face Assassin was the PBA Rookie of the Year in 2005 while playing for the Red Bull franchise. During the draft, teams didn’t bother to pick him up in the first round despite of his good credentials way back in Ateneo. During an interview with Yeng Guiao, he was surprised when his team will pick a player in the second round, he noticed that Fonacier is still available, that’s why he picked him up. One of the reasons why he was not picked in the first round, he suffered an ACL injury while playing for the Ateneo, which his “stock” dropped during the draft.

2006 – Chris Pacana (Coke 15th pick)

Reason: No any other player noticeable in that round. But he was once a good player during his time with Coke.

2007 – Ronjay Buenafe (Sta. Lucia 11th pick)

He is considered a “steal in the draft” because of his uncanny plays and gravity-defying acts during his stint with Coke, earning him a spot in the All Rookie Team. He is one of the trusted player of Yeng Guiao in Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

2008 - Jeff Chan (Red Bull 17th pick)

To some PBA fans, he is the second coming of Allan Caidic because of his three point percentage. He is now the leading scorer of Rain or Shine and the early candidate for Most Improve Player.

2009 – Josh Urbiztondo (Undrafted)

Because of the need of a back-up point guard, Sta. Lucia signed Urbiztondo as an undrafted free agent. He became one of the popular rookies in his class, where he was named as best player of the game in some games for Sta. Lucia. He is now playing for BMEG and one of the “orchestrator” of the triangle system.

2010 – Robert Labagala (Ginebra 12th pick)

It was so suprising that Labagala earned a spot in the BGK roster despite of the “surplus” of guards on the team. Because of the injuries of Helterbrand and Cortez, Jong Uichico placed him to the starting line up. He was the second coming of Bal David, because of his speed and shooting accuracy.

2011 – Magi Sison (Shopinas 11th pick)
It’s too early to say that Shopinas.com found a gem in the second round, but if this young center from UP will elevate his game to a higher level; we might see another “Danny Ildefonso” in the making.

Let’s play “Thoss-Coin”

Alaska Aces is on the verge of getting an early elimination in the Philippine Cup 2011 this 37th season of the PBA. Having a win-loss card of 1 – 7, the second most number of championships (with 13 among the active PBA teams right now) is having trouble in their system even in the start of their campaign.

Last off-season, Tim Cone expressed his sentiments on leaving his team because of some personal matters and team owner, Fred Uytengsu gave Cone the signal to leave and quickly appointed Assistant Coach Joel Banal to take over the team.

Adding insult to injury, after a week or two, we saw some photos of Tim Cone handling the drills of the BMEG Llamados and before the season opening of the PBA, the management made an announcement that Tim Cone is the BMEG’s new head coach.

Without their “original” mentor, the Aces find it too difficult to climb up to the top of the standings. I think this is the worst record of this team since Tim Cone handled the team for almost two decades.

The latest buzz about the team is that Mr. WSU called an emergency meeting to discuss about the team’s performance after eight games. One of the agenda on this meeting is to convince one of their franchise players to stay with the team and according to some insiders, that player is “The Boss” Sonny Thoss.

Thoss, is one of the backbone of the Aces since drafting him 5th overall by the Alaska Aces in 2004. One of the pillars of the triangle offense in the team, he is one of the coveted players of every team in the PBA. In the Philippine Cup 2011, he is averaging 16 points and 8 caroms per game, and one of the consistent players in the Aces’ roster.

With trade issues evolving in the Philippine Basketball Community, Barangay Ginebra would like to add Thoss in their lineup. Also, Thoss’ former mentor, Tim Cone, expressed that he also want him to be in the team but there are no discussions or talks made by him and Thoss as of this moment.

Game Face

According to Snow Badua’s tweet, Plan B is on the review phase.
Before the trade between the triple B’s (BGK – BBE – BMEG) was approved, another trade is in the making which involves BGK, Petron and Alaska. There are several names floating and it includes Sonny Thoss.

So, which is the best destination for The Boss if ever the trade will push through?

For Barangay Ginebra, this is the upgrade that they are looking for. It’s been a long time since the Kings have a decent Center after Eric Menk. They already have Rico Maierhofer, and adding Thoss will make the front court of the Gin Kings more deadly.

I don’t see Petron joining the tug of war in order to get Thoss. Ato Agustin is set to acquire his beloved player any time this season.

The only hindrance for this trade to push through is the willingness of Mr. Uytengsu to transact with SMC. After the “Tim Cone Piracy”, maybe WSU will think twice in dealing his player to SMC and might go to MVP to seek some “offers”.

Dissecting the Ginebra - BMEG - Barako Bull Trade

Yesterday, the trade proposal from Barangay Ginebra, Barako Bull and BMEG Llamados was received by the Commissioner’s office around 2-3 in the afternoon, but the day before the submission of the proposal, a lot of PBA fans knew already what the trade is all about and who are the players involved in the trade.

It was Allein Maliksi (Barako Bull) and Rico Maeirhofer (BMEG) to Barangay Ginebra, Jimbo Aquino (BGK) plus 2014 and 2015 second round pick (BGK) to Barako Bull and Yancy de Ocampo (BGK) to BMEG.

For Barangay Ginebra, I think this trade will improve their front court rotation by acquiring Maierhofer, which can play the PF position, vacated by Rudy Hatfield. This will also give Rico the chance to prove himself and will earn more playing minutes in the Ginebra camp.

For Allein Maliksi, BGK will have a log jam in the 3 position where JC Intal, KG Canaleta and even Ronald Tubid play similar position.

But the drawback of this trade is both players acquired by BGK are coming off from ACL injury.

For BMEG Llamados, adding Yancy de Ocampo will give their line up with more flexible shooters in their triangle offense. De Ocampo, the top pick in the 2002 PBA Draft, is considered a journeyman in his 9 year as a pro.

For Barako Bull, they will add another scorer in the mold of Jimbo Aquino. Aquino, drafted in the first round by BGK in the 2010 PBA Draft, spent most of the time in the BGK’s bench because of the surplus of guards in their lineup. They also received two second round picks (2014 and 2015)

Game Face

I think this is the first part of the trade for Ginebra. Adding Rico and Allein will not solve their problems in their front court rotation, although I would pick Rico any day for Yancy. Noli Eala also confirmed that in order to upgrade the lineup of BGK, they cannot do it with one move, meaning another trade is on our way.

I feel sad for Barako Bull, no more "Espana Express". Dylan Ababou might be the next victim if he continue to play well in this conference. For Jimbo Aquino, Noli Eala made a good move by trading him to Barako Bull. This is the only way for Coach Ato Agustin to acquire his beloved player from college. How about the two second round pick given to them? Forget that, by 2014, this team will be disbanded if they will continue to sell their players.

For Yancy de Ocampo? Well goodluck! I hope Tim Cone will unleash your potentials that you've been hiding for almost a decade.

and for the PBA fans, just wait for the next trade. It might be the trade that will broke the hearts of the fans of the teams involved.

Clue? A trade between A - P - G...

An Eye Opener for the People's Champ

Once again, Manny Pacquiao edged Juan Manuel Marquez yesterday to end their trilogy at the MGM Grand Studio in a very controversial win. The defending champion defeated the “Dinamita” in a majority decision. The score cards: 114 – 114, 115 – 113 and 116 – 112, in favor of the People’s Champion.

But most of the viewers were not convinced on how PacMan sealed the win and Marquez is silently shouting “For the third time, I was robbed!”.

PacMan’s trainor, Freddie Roach, said that the fight is close, but still Manny won the fight. If Marquez wants another rematch, Manny will do it in May 2012.

In some boxing forums, they said that Manny was exposed during the fight with Marquez. Yes, indeed he was exposed; he was exposed to politics and entertainment before the fight. TV show appearances, commercials and even singing engagement deter PacMan to fully concentrate on his training. Another thing is his political ambition, he was too busy on his commitments in the Congress and the preparation for this fight was cut short in terms of focus and attention on his training.

I watched the replay on GMA 7 because I think it was unfair to Manny and Marquez to judge their fight by reading the comments on some social networking sites. If you will watch every round, it was obviously Manny won the fight but with a very slim edge on Marquez. So I will congratulate Manny for the win.

But one thing I observed from Manny is he is not in his usual form, or should I say he was a little bit “lost” in the ring. Marquez is very aggressive especially in the middle rounds, but Manny is not the “animal” in the ring yesterday. I can sense that he is a bit nervous about JMM.

Some of the critics said that Manny is on the verge of declining. Well, he is in his early 30’s, I think Manny cannot be a part time boxer at this time. Too many distractions on his side and the training is not as intense compared to his fight against Morales and Larrios. If he will continue to fight alongside with his political and entertainment disturbances, he cannot defeat Floyd Mayweather at any given time.

To sum it up, my respect for PacMan is still there, and I also want to congratulate Marquez for a very tough fight and for making PacMan realized that he ain’t no Superman.

To Manny Pacquiao, if you are very serious in facing Floyd Mayweather, you must start training now. I'm telling you, Mayweather has faster hands and definitely much bigger than Marquez. His counterpunching skills are in par or above the level of Marquez. If you can't even land one solid blow on Marquez, what more on Mayweather the defensive genius?

What Went Wrong, Petron?

If you remember guys, I wrote an article about the high octane efficiency of Petron Blaze Boosters after the team winning their first three- game assignment in the 37th season of the PBA.

But after that, they dropped their last three games against the two MVP teams: Meralco Bolts and Talk N Text Texters (both with a 10 point margin), and Powerade Tigers, after allowing Gary David scoring 42 points in that game.

So, the fans are asking…Petron, what went wrong? The killer instinct of the team is the missing link in this conference.

Before the season opening of the PBA, the team acquired valuable players via draft, trades and free-agency. They got back Dondon Hontiveros, but got injured on his first game as a Booster, alongside with Carlos Sharma, who played well in the first two games, but suddenly, he fell in love on his new found arsenal (outside shooting). Chris Lutz, the third overall pick in the 2011 PBA Draft, although playing marvelously this conference but the drawback; he is playing on an average of 38-40 minutes per game and he is not an import huh. Rob Reyes, acquired via FA, is still need to find himself in the rotation of Petron because of the presence of Santos, Baclao, Sharma and Ildefonso. The latest acquisition, Axel Doruelo, will be the third PG of the team and I have no idea about this player.

Game Face

So Petron, what went wrong?

One of the things to be considered on this team is they are undermanned. Jay Washington, Rabeh Al-Husseini, Dondon Hontiveros is still nursing with their injuries. If these guys were healthy at the start of the conference, the team might be on the top of the standings.
Alex Cabagnot and Denok Miranda playing together will hurt the team because there are no available PGs that will complement the team if one of them got injured (like what happened in the PBB – TNT game where Denok did not play). I don’t think that Doruelo will give Acab and Denok substantial minutes in the bench.

Too bad that Penissi, Hubalde, Duncil and Salvacion is now gone on the Petron side. They are the type of players that will give the team the suffocating defense that they needed in their last three games.

Coach Ato Agustin must trust his bench every game. Their first five is averaging 30 plus minutes every game and it is not a good sign for the team come play-offs. Joseph Yeo, Rey Guevarra and Noy Baclao must step up every game.

If the team will engage in some trades with other team, they must do it now. Jay Washington might return in the second conference while Hontiveros might be back in the third conference, or worst, next season.

Their next game is on Saturday against Alaska Aces. They need to end their three game slump.

God bless Petron!

The PBA Monthly Report (Winners and Losers)

It’s been one month after the season-opening of the first “pay for play” basketball league in Asia, the PBA. The ten teams already played a maximum of 5 games in the entire month and gave us shocking result in which we didn’t expected to happen. So let’s have a trip down the memory lane and decide which team performed well in this conference.

WINNERS

Barako Bull – Surprisingly, they are on the top of the standings (tied with Rain or Shine and Talk n Text with 4-1 win-loss card). Willie Miller came out strong for his team by averaging 13 points per game. The team is already known as “The Giant Killer” for beating powerhouse teams like Barangay Ginebra, Talk N Text and their latest victim, the BMEG Llamados. I admire Coach Junel Baculi because of his excellent player rotation and for injecting composure on this team. Not to mention their super rookies, Dylan Ababbou and Allein Maliksi, both late picks in the first round, averaging double figures for the team. This team believed that “age is only a
number”.

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters – The wonders of Yeng Guiao is properly working. From being a cellar-dweller team upon entering the PBA, they are now one of the deadliest team in the league. With a 4-1 record, opposing teams now is trying to figure out on how to defeat this young team composed of defense specialist Gabe Norwood, sweet-shooting Jeff Chan and the lethal Paul Lee. This trio helped the team to accomplish such feat in the early part of this conference.

Talk N Text Tropang Texters – despite playing with a depleted line up in the start of the conference (Gilas member Jimmy Alapag, Ranidel de Ocampo and Kelly Williams is out for a vacation), this team proved that they are the defending champs. With the addition of Japeth Aguilar, this team is now complete in every position. Harvey Carey and Jason Castro are playing a hell of a ball game. Chot Reyes is very serious to try another run for the grand slam this season. And once the team is complete and healthy comes play-offs, opposing teams must start thinking a way to prevent a back to back championship from happening.

Meralco Bolts – what will happen if the main core of the team is beleaguered by injuries? From the start of the conference, the Bolts are playing without their two main scorers, Sol Mercado and Mac Cardona, while Asi Taulava is tired because of the Wuhan FIBA Championship. Chico Lanete, Gabby Espinas and Mark Macapagal, shouldered the needed offense and defense for the team and that’s why they are on the second spot in the standings. With Sol Mercado back on the team and Gabby Espinas is playing an excellent game with a double-double average, this team is on a mission: to enter the play-offs.

LOSERS

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings – coming from a two game winning streak, but those win was decided in a matter of seconds only. Against Powerade, Mark Caguioa’s shot gave their second win (73 - 72), thanks for the poor free throw shooting of the Tigers. For Shopinas.com, the team got carried away and celebrated too early, thanks to JayJay Helterbrand for the win.
Despite of their winning streak, I placed them in the losers’ column because this team needs an upgrade on their front line. This team must not rely on “miracles” or “bad game of the opposing teams” just like what happened to Powerade and Shopinas.

Petron Blaze Boosters – after a 3-0 start, here comes 0-2, two losses with a 10 point margin against Talk N Text and Meralco, both from MVP teams. We thought that this team is invincible in terms of talent and defense, but their main weakness after their last two games is the manpower. Last Friday, we’ve seen Chris Lutz and Alex Cabagnot played the entire game without rest. The team already signed their 3rd PG, Axel Doruelo, but he won’t play against Powerade because he must wait for the “go” signal from the Commissioner’s Office.

Powerade Tigers – same with Petron, from 2-0 start, they dropped their last three games. Marcio Lassiter is playing a good game in his rookie season, averaging 14.20 points per game. Gary David is still their number one option for scoring but the team needs another scorer to complement with David because Lassiter, Anthony and Kramer is focusing more on defense. JV Casio, playing with limited minutes coming from an injury, is slowly getting his game to harmonize with the team.

BMEG Llamados – After six games this conference, they found themselves at the bottom of the standings. Despite of having a great coach in the person of Tim Cone and talented composition of roster, the main problem of the team is how to absorb the triangle system. If you will able to watch their previous game, they started their game with the triangle and ends up with isolation/one-on-one game (the Ryan Gregorio system). They need to master their system or else we will see Wilfred Uytengsu with a great smile on his face.

Alaska Aces – I think this is the first time in this franchise to start a conference with a 0-5 record. They were abandoned by Tim Cone before the start of the season, and replaced by Joel Banal as head coach of the team. Jay R Reyes and Sonny Thoss are playing their best game this season (especially Jay R Reyes), but LA Tenorio and Cyrus Baguio is still “missing in action”. Why does Banal giving Brandon Cablay too much playing time when you have Eric Salamat, Julius Pasculado and Ariel Mepana on the bench? Sam Eman is a freaking bust!

Shopinas.com Clickers – this team is very promising, despite of being the new kid on the block in this league. I hope that if ever they will be eliminated early this conference, they will be able to find a very good import to reinforce them in the Commissioner’s Cup. One thing, I hope Ms. Sheila Lina will watch their game always. It is quite inspiring for the team to see her watching the team.

The Most Controversial Player/Non-Player in Every Team in the PBA

As much as I love watching the PBA, it’s easily the league that has had the most controversy surrounding in the recent years, from Tim Cone’s decision leaving his Alaska team last off-season to the infamous quote by Jason Castro of Talk N Text that the reason why Petron spoiled their grand slam run it’s because of injuries suffered by his team during their Finals showdown, in which ignited the fans and calling him “ampalaya” for his bitterness towards Petron team.

At the same time, however, some of this controversy fuels the fans' interest. Some of it is born out of team rivalries, while at other times it is brought on by a good old-fashioned bad decision. Either way, some players' careers are made or broken by controversy.
That being said, let's dive right in as we take a look at the most controversial figures, both players and non-players, in the history of the PBA.

Wynne Arboleda of Barako Bull

He is considered as the “untouchable” on the team not because of his Michael Jordanesque basketball abilities but he is the husband of the owner’s daughter. Makes sense huh?
Aside from that, he was involved in an incident where he assaulted a spectator, Alain Katigbak, after Katigbak shouted some profane words after his flagrant foul against Mac Baracael of Smart Gilas team.

Yeng Guiao of Rain or Shine

He is one of the greatest tacticians in this league today. He led his Red Bull team to three (3) PBA championships from 2000 up to 2009, where he handled the team.
Some fans criticized his coaching style because it is more of a physical game, and asking his players to play “dirty” every game as one of their defensive strategies. One of the incidents where Guiao participated is when he was ejected in the second game where he and San Miguel Beerman Dondon Hontiveros had an altercation in which Guiao elbowed Hontiveros after the latter hit a three-pointer.

He is also one of the coaches in the league who give instructions to his players in an insulting manner like he said to one of his players “Bantayan nyo yan maigi, magaling yan adik nga lang” and many others.

Indeed, Coach Yeng Guiao is one of the most controversial non-players in this league.

Alex Cabagnot of Petron Blaze

He was the second over-all pick of Sta. Lucia Realtors in the PBA 2005 Draft, where he was doubted as the next big thing in the PBA because he broke the scoring record of Barangay Ginebra Gin King’s Mark Caguioa when he played for Eagle Rock High School.
But after two seasons playing under the Realtors, he was dealt to Coca Cola Tigers, Burger King Whoppers/Air 21 Express and lastly to San Miguel Beermen/Petron Blaze Boosters. The main reason why the Realtors traded him because of the incident where he was charged with AWOL and was very vocal that he doesn’t want to play for the Realtors anymore.
With his stint with the Boosters, he is now a different player. He led his team last Governor’s Cup against the Talk N Text Texters and now touted as one of the premiere guards in the PBA.

LA Tenorio of Alaska Aces

He was touted as the heir apparent to Olsen Racela’ throne as the next court-general of the San Miguel Beermen when he was drafted 4th overall in the PBA 2006 Draft. But with a surprise move by SMC, he was traded along with Larry Fonacier to Alaska for Mike Cortez and Ken Bono, and the rest is history. He may not be Olsen’s successor but he turned out to be Johnny Abarrientos’ descendant in his current team.

Homer Se of Shopinas.com

He was an enforcer to Yeng Guiao’s Red Bull team and was exposed to “dirty plays” as one of his defensive arsenal, earning him as one of the “bullies” in the league.
His latest incident occurred against the Barako Bull with an altercation with Coach Junel Baculi and the rest of the Barakos, and was thrown out of the game along with Dorian Pena.

Mark Caguioa of Barangay Ginebra

He is one of the most controversial players from Ginebra, aside from the legendary Robert Jaworski. Here are some of his hullabaloos during his career: Failure to appear in the 2006 PBA All Star Game because of his injury but came out strong after the All Star Game scoring 30 plus points in that game. No show appearance on the PBA during the 2006 PBA Annual Awards where he was included in the Mythical Second Team and vowed to run naked along Shaw Boulevard if his team failed to defend the title.

Mark Yee of Meralco Bolts

I would like to put Asi Taulava here because of his “nationality” issues before that he made a controversial one, but Mark Yee is one of the promising candidate here. During the Finals Showdown against Petron Blaze, Yee was assigned to guard Petron import Anthony Grundy. He defended the import during one game using his “finger poking” defense that made him as one of the promising medical specialist about hemorrhoid.

Joe Devance of BMEG Llamados

He is the premiere scoring leader of Alaska Aces before, but demanded a trade to get out of the Alaska camp and hoping to get better compensation somewhere else. He got ripped off by Wilfred Uytengsu, Alaska owner, questioning Devance the difference between his salary (earning maximum) to other team’s salary. But Devance opt to remain silent on the issue.

Alex Crisano of Powerade

Drugs, sex scandal, and attitude problem, Nuff said! But with the second chance given to him by Powerade, I hope that he will choose the "Daang Matuwid".

Jason Castro of Talk N Text

Heralded as the “Other MVP” last season due to the absence of TNT’s main PG, Jimmy Alapag, displayed his offensive prowess and playmaking skills during the Finals against Petron Blaze. Despite of his injury and an expired contract, he took part in the team’s quest for a rare grand slam feat but came up short in Game 7 where Arwind Santos and the gang slam the grand slam dream of TNT.

What made him controversial? Aside from his basketball skills, during his interview in their game against Meralco Bolts, he mentioned that the reason why his team lost to Petron because injuries. This earned him the hatred of Petron fans because Castro didn’t notice that even Petron has players down with injuries like Jay Washington, Lordy Tugade, Rabeh Al-Husseini, Joseph Yeo and even Danny Ildefonso.

Colliding with the Barako Bull

No one expected that this cellar-dweller team, the Barako Bull, will display an unstoppable dominance in the 37th season of PBA.

Despite losing their first game against the Petron Blaze Boosters, this team is on a three game winning streak, defeating the crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra, the defending champions Talk N Text, and the new comer and their sister, Shopinas.com, and found themselves on the second spot in the team standings.

This team (formerly Air 21), led by the two-time MVP Willie Miller, with his veteran supporting cast of former San Miguel Beermen/Petron Blaze Boosters Danny Seigle, Dorian Pena, Mick Penissi, Paul Artadi, Sunday Salvacion, former BMEG players Don Allado and Jondan Salvador, original Barako Leo Najorda, Leo Avenido and their super rookies Dylan Ababou and Allein Maliksi, defied all odds and starting to get their rhythm to play basketball in it’s true definition.

Living up to their tagline, “Ang Bumangga, GIBA!”, the Barako Bull is now showing no mercy with every opposing teams that they collide every game. Just in their recent game against Shopinas.com, Homer Se and Dorian Pena was thrown out of the playing court because of an altercation leading to numerous technical fouls that lead both players to their dug-out.

Willie Miller, Barako Bull’s leader, put on a show in their last game against Talk N Text, toying Jason Castro and PBA 2011 MVP Jimmy Alapag by scoring 27 points on a winning output.

The super rookies, former PBA D-League MVP Allein Maliksi and former UAAP MVP and Smart Gilas member Dylan Ababou, showing no rookie jitters in the PBA by averaging on their last 3 games with 12 points and 20 points respectively.

Game Face

Just a reminder to other PBA teams, please never under estimate the Barako Bull because they are very tough team (in both offense and defense) to beat. They are now “playing the game” and no one can question their capability to win games, as they proved already what takes to be a Barako.

To coach Junel Baculi and the rest of his coaching staff, congratulations for giving the team its “new identity”. We, the PBA fans, are very happy to see this team winning games and giving a hell of a basketball every game.

One wish, to those teams that are planning to “raid” again the talents of this team, please LEAVE THIS TEAM ALONE. Let Maliksi and Ababou be the cornerstone of this franchise.

Enough of those lopsided trades!

PBA Power Rankings V.2.0

It’s been more than 3 weeks since the opening of the 37th season of PBA last October 2, 2011. All the 10 teams already played three games and Petron Blaze Boosters is on the top of the standings with a 3-0 win-loss card, while the Alaska Aces and the newcomer Shopinas.com Clickers are on the last spot with a 0-3 card.

So let us evaluate the performance of the 10 PBA teams after their first 3 games:

SHOPINAS.COM CLICKERS (0-3)

Many of us predicted that this team will be the new “whipping boys” of the PBA. Although they are still on the verge of getting their first win after their three successive losses, this team is very promising. But we know that Franz Pumaren is a very patient with his team, and in a year or two, this team will be on the winning column in the league. Just add another scoring option and a center and it will be a complete team.

ALASKA ACES (0-3)

After Tim Cone left this team, Coach Joel Banal took over and after three games, they've found themselves in the bottom of the standings. Mac Baracael is showing his A-Game as a rookie and provided the much needed offense while Cyrus Baguio and LA Tenorio still finding their game. Also, Jay-R Reyes is a "revelation" in this conference, averaging double-double in both points and rebounds per game. The only consistent Aces as of now aside from Baracael and Reyes, is Sonny Thoss.

I hope Banal will let Pasculado and Mepana to play in their next games.

BARANGAY GINEBRA GINKINGS (1-2)

This team is very much in need of an "inside presence" in the absence of Eric Menk due to injury as well as the departure of Rudy Hatfield. Mark Caguioa shouldered the scoring responsibility by averaging 18 points per game. I hope this team will finally get what they need to bolster their front court (but not to the extent of raiding the Barako Bull's roster)

BMEG LLAMADOS (1-2)

It is very clear that after three games, the Llamados still finding themselves in the triangle offense anchored by their new coach, Tim Cone. They were beaten by their sister Petron and incomplete Meralco Bolts, but able to snatch a win against the Alaska Aces. One key factor why the team lose their past two games is their free throw percentage.

Tim Cone is in the process of picking the right combination for his system, that's why, as per request, the team is practicing everyday just to familiarize the triangle system.

MERALCO BOLTS (2-2)

Surprisingly, this team is on a roll. After dropping their first game against Talk N Text, they able to win the next two games. With Mark Cardona and Sol Mercado still recuperating from injuries, the Bolts turn to Mark Macapagal and Chico Lanete as their main scorers for the team, as well as Asi Taulava, Gabby Espinas and Mark Borboran took over the rebounding chores.

BARAKO BULL (2-1)

Hey, is this true? Yes! Barako Bull lives up to their tag line "ANG BUMANGGA GIBA!". First it was Ginebra, then yesterday, it was only the defending champs, Talk N Text. Mick Penissi and Willie Miller renewed their "vows", along with their super rookies Superman Dylan Ababou and PBA D-League MVP Allein Maliksi, they helped the team to achieve their best start since... well, past is past and the Barako Bull already moved on to the new chapter of their basketball life.

Next assignment: Shopinas. Hello 3-1 card.

TALK N TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS (2-1)

They started their campaign without their Gilas members (Alapag, de Ocampo and Williams), but still they able to win their first two games with Harvey Carey "beasting" every opponent inside the paint, as well as Jason Castro leading the Texters to an early 2-0 lead. But last night, they were "baptized" by the former cellar-dwellar team, Barako Bull.

Japeth Aguilar, after scoring 27 points in their first game against Meralco Bolts, seemed to be "lost in space" in their last 2 games, and limited to just 2 points last game and spent most of his time in the bench versus Barako Bull.

POWERADE TIGERS (2-1)

They maybe missing the services of their top pick JV Casio, but they won't have to wait longer because he maybe playing his first game in the next few weeks. But the whole story belongs to the Powerade's underrated scorer, Gary David. After 3 games, he led the league in scoring with 23 points per game. Aside from him, Marcio Lassiter, Doug Kramer, Sean Anthony and Josh Vandalingham are helping the team in terms of good offense and sturdy defense.

RAIN OR SHINE ELASTO PAINTERS (3-1)

Coach Yeng Guiao and the rest of the Painters are enjoying their campaign in this conference. Why? Not only because they are on the second spot in the team standings, they also found a gem in the person of Paul "the Lee-thal Weapon" Lee. He averaged close to 15 points per game as a rookie and helped the team to a good start this conference. Paul Lee is one of the promising rookies in this league that displayed a characteristic which is very synonymous to his coach: Being "may angas (not maangas)" and showing no fear in every game he played.

PETRON BLAZE BOOSTERS (3-0)

Bad news: Jay Washington, Rabeh Al-Husseini and Dondon Hontiveros is out because of injuries. You may think that Petron might be in the bottom of the standings. But the good news is, they are on the top of the standings! Without the three key starters of the team, here comes to the rescue: Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot, rookie Chris Lutz and Danny Ildefonso proved that they are the reigning champions last season and they are here to get the coveted All Filipino championship.

Cabagnot is showing the maturity of his game, Arwind Santos is a "rebounding monster" (18 per game), the rookie sensation Chris Lutz is averaging 17 per game (team best) and Danny Ildefonso, showing no signs of aging, is averaging close to 7 per game.

No Washington, Al-Husseini and Hontiveros? Fear not...

The Dilemma of Petron Blaze Boosters

After sweeping the first three games of Petron Blaze Boosters, they found themselves at the top of the standings together with their arch rival, Talk N Text Tropang Texters.

Of course, behind the success of the team are the players who fought hard in order to finish their first three assignments in this conference. Leading the team per scoring average is the rookie Chris Lutz, averaging 17 points, Alex Cabagnot with 16 points and Arwind Santos with 15 points and 18 rebounds, including the monstrous 21 rebounds against Shopinas. To round it up, Denok Miranda averaging 9 points per game, Danny Ildefonso and Carlos Sharma with 7 points apiece.

If you will observe the team roster, it is very balance from SF to C position, except in the SG and PG position where Denok Miranda and Alex Cabagnot alternating the said positions.
Dondon Hontiveros, the team’s main SG, is sidelined with ACL tear (I don’t know the correct term) and might be out for 6 months, together with Jay Washington and Rabeh Al-Husseini. To fill the void left by Hontiveros is the “Ninja” Joseph Yeo, but most of the time Denok Miranda took over his place. Because of that, Alex Cabagnot is now the lone point guard of the team, whenever Miranda is playing the SG spot.

According to some sources, because of the time frame where Hontiveros won’t play this conference, the plan of Petron seems to change; they are now in search of a shooting guard right now.

The name of Jimbo Aquino, a sophomore from Barangay Ginebra, is floating around the camp since he is the “apple of the eye” of his former coach Ato Agustin. The former NCAA Finals MVP is still looking for his playing time in his current team which is heavily armed with guards and has to play his first game in this conference.

If ever Petron will get the services of Jimbo Aquino (with conduit, Hello Barako Bull), it might solve the problem of Petron in the PG position because Miranda will be playing as back up PG for Cabagnot.

Another dilemma which Petron facing is when the time Jay Washington and Rabeh Al-Husseini return from injury. How will Ato maximize his players in terms of playing minutes when his former starters will be inserted in the lineup? Will Arwind Santos and Jay Washington be able to co-exist with each other and win the most coveted title in the league today?

Game Face

I think Jimbo Aquino will fit in the system of Petron, since his former coach knows how to handle him to be effective within the system. But who will be traded? Joseph Yeo? Or the worst is Noy Baclao?

Petron team is NOW a very good team without Jay Washington. I think it’s time for him to let go (to another SMC team, Hello Ginebra). We must admit that he and Santos will never co-exist with each other, and it might affect the development of Chris Lutz, as he will battle for playing minutes with Jwash . Arwind Santos is playing his MVP form this conference and Lutz is having an excellent game in his rookie season.

And with the team having two (2) first round picks this 2012 PBA Draft, the best solution for Jwash is to play for another SMC team and be their new leader.

NOW AVAILABLE: Allein Maliksi and Dylan Ababou

When we talk about Barako Bull (formerly Air21 Express), we cannot deny how powerful their line-up could be if not for the bogus trades that they entered since coming into this league.

Let’s have a quick rundown on the list of players that they acquired during the draft since 2002, the year that they entered the league.

2002

Yancy de Ocampo – 1st pick (now with Barangay Ginebra)
Renren Ritual - 8th pick (now with Shopinas.com)

2003

John Ferriols – 12th pick (now with BMEG Llamados)

2004

Marc Pingris – 3rd pick (now with BMEG Llamados)
Ranidel de Ocampo – 4th pick (now with Talk N Text Texters)
Wesley Gonzales – 9th pick (now with Alaska Aces)

2005

Jay Washington – 1st pick (now with Petron Blaze Boosters)
Mark Cardona – 5th pick (now with Meralco Bolts)
Nino Canaleta – 6th pick (now with Barangay Ginebra)

2006

Arwind Santos – 2nd pick (now with Petron Blaze Boosters)

2007

JC Intal - 4th pick (now with Barangay Ginebra)
Doug Kramer – 5th pick (now with Powerade Tigers)

2008

Mark Borboran – 6th pick (now with Meralco Bolts)

2009

Japeth Aguilar – 1st pick (now with Talk N Text Texters)
Chris Ross – 4th pick (now with Meralco Bolts)
Rogemar Menor – 7th pick (now with Shopinas.com)
Ronnie Matias – 9th pick (now with Rain or Shine)

2010

Noy Baclao – 1st pick (now with Petron Blaze Boosters)
Rabeh Al-Huseini – 2nd pick (now with Petron Blaze Boosters)
Rey Guevarra – 3rd pick (now with Petron Blaze Boosters)

2011

Allein Maliksi – 8th pick
Dylan Ababou – 10th pick

If you will take a look at these players that they drafter, numerous championships is up for grabs for this franchise. But what happened? They entered some trades in order to give away their talents in exchange of series of draft picks and cash considerations.

And in this 37th season, Barako Bull’s roster is consist of washed up veterans like Willie Miller, Danny Seigle, Dorian Pena, Jondan Salvador, Don Allado, Mick Pennissi, Sunday Salvacion, Wynne Arboleda and Paul Artadi. They are once the pride of their former teams, but because of the injuries they have encountered from the past years, I doubt majority of them can complete a whole season without missing a one game.

Last night, Barako Bull won its first game in two outings, defeating the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings. Dylan Ababou, after being benched during their first game against Petron, led the team with 20 points. Allein Maliksi scored 13 points also and grabbed 8 rebounds (Maliksi averaged 14 points per game).

Because of the sturdy offense displayed by these rookies in their last two games, I’m afraid that after five more games, we will see them playing to another team.

If this will happen again, Barako Bull must change their name to AMAZON.COM or SULIT.COM…

The Art of Giving: The tale of the sisters (Petron, Ginebra and BMEG)

The battle cry of BGK fans: “TO SMC: Please improve our line-up!”

Of all the three sisters, only BGK is left without improvement in the last off-season. With a lone first round pick in the recent draft (Reil Cervantes) and dropping James Martinez to Powerade Tigers’ D-League Team, there are no significant changes in their roster despite of the departure of their resident “do-it-all” forward Rudy Hatfield, the retirement of their court-general JayJay Helterbrand after the Philippine Cup and the endless injuries of Major Pain Eric Menk.

On the other hand, Petron Blaze Boosters, after winning the Governor’s Cup last season and slamming the grand slam run of the Talk N Text with their “fashionista” and “tele-serye wanna-be” coach Chot Reyes and the cry baby Jason “We lost against Petron because I’m injured” Castro, is handed with a third-overall pick from the 2011 PBA Draft in the person of Chris Lutz, and embraced the return of the “Cebuano Hotshot” Dondon Hontiveros alongside with Carlos Sharma.

On the BMEG camp, with majority of their players is nursing with injuries during the last season, here comes to the rescue: Joe Devance, the scoring leader of Alaska Aces, who requested to be traded to another team, in exchange of KG Canaleta and Jondan Salvador in a 3 team trade with the ever helpful Air21. Their major acquisition in the off-season, aside from getting the Smart Gilas guard Mac Barroca in the recent draft, they acquired the services of another Alaska Aces, Coach Tim Cone.

On Ginebra side, aside from picking Cervantes in the draft, they lost Johnny Abarrientos to BMEG in exchange of Art dela Cruz as one of their assistant coaches, Jong Uichico and Siot Tancquincen will handle the team this season as co-head coaches. Aside from that very minor changes compared to their sister teams; Robert Non is still idle with the status of the team regarding the team’s roster.

BGK’s line up, aside from being surrounded by guards, is a team that is aging. Only sophomores John Wilson and Jimbo Aquino are in their late 20’s. Their resident center, Eric Menk, is battling an injury that keeps on haunting him. Yancy de Ocampo, a 6’ 9” player who is a liable inside the paint and loves to take outside shots, Billy Mamaril, with his 6’6” frame is not given quality minutes by their coaches and Enrico Villanueva is still recuperating from his injury and he is the shadow of himself during his Red Bull days.

The only fighting player who can give muscle inside the paint is Willy Wilson. He is very undersized compared with Sonny Thoss, Asi Taulava, Noy Baclao, Japeth Aguilar and others. But still, he can’t do it all alone. The team needs a Center right now.

Game Face

In order to help their sister, Petron may give up Noy Baclao. Why Baclao? Noy Baclao’s minutes diminished from time to time and he is still lost in the system of Ato Agustin. While Carlos Sharma is enjoying his playing time in Petron, Baclao is relegated from the bench most of the time. If Rabeh and JWash will return, expect Baclao’s minutes to hit an all time low in Petron, especially in the Commissioner’s Cup where every team can select an import with no height requirement.

Aside from that, Petron holds two first rounder in the coming 2012 PBA Draft from Shopinas and Barako Bull, and with the entry of Junmar Fajardo, Aldrech Ramos and maybe Greg Slaughter, Baclao needs to find a new home and that is Ginebra.

On BMEG side, their “Sampayan Brigade” is very useful against the Blaze Boosters last week. With the likes of Rafi Reavis, Marc Pingris, Kerby Raymundo, Joe Devance, John Ferriols, the ceiling of BMEG is unstoppable. So maybe Rico Maierhofer can give Ginebra an added ceiling to their weak front line.

I hope this will solve the problem of Ginebra in terms of a legitimate Center.

The concept of "bigayan" is a good trait among Filipinos.

The Possibility of “Blaze Boosters – Tropang Texters III”

Hold it PBA fans, I know it’s very too early to tell whether this trilogy will happen or not, but I’m pretty sure (not to offend the other teams) that this trilogy must end now, not in the Commissioner’s Cup or even in the Governor’s Cup.

The idea of this trilogy came up when Talk N Text star, Jason Castro, said on his interview that Petron managed to slam the grand slam run of his team its because they (Castro, Alapag and Carey) is injured.

Whoa! Is that so? How about Jay Washington? Lordy Tugade? Joseph Yeo? and Rabeh Al-Husseini? Or even Danny Ildefonso? All of them, except Ildefonso, did not play in the Finals because of injuries.

Because of his statement, maybe accidentally or intentionally, ignited the fuel of Petron fans all over the basketball community and can’t wait for another showdown in the Finals to end this endless debate about who’s who in terms of basketball supremacy.

Let us enumerate the possible reasons why this match up becomes a reality for this conference.

Roster Comparison

Of all the ten teams in the PBA, the Boosters and the Texters has all the tools to become a certified champion in terms of roster. From Center up to the Point Guard position all the way to their bench and even their coaching staff, both teams are very competitive.

Boasting for the Texters are 2011 PBA MVP Jimmy Alapag, 2011 Most Improved Player Jason Castro, former PBA Rookies of the Year Ryan Reyes, Larry Fonacier and Rich Alvarez, former PBA MVP Kelly Williams, Ranidel de Ocampo, Ali Peek and Gilas Center Japeth Aguilar.

For the Boosters, they have PBA 2011 Finals MVP Arwind Santos, 2 time MVP Danny Ildefonso, Alex Cabagnot, Cebuano Hotshot Dondon Hontiveros, 2011 PBA Draft 1st pick Noy Baclao, Denok Miranda, Carlos Sharma, Rey Guevarra, Joseph Yeo and top rookie Chris Lutz.

Based on their line ups, it’s all about offense versus defense. TNT is one of the great offensive teams in the PBA averaging more than 100 points per game, on the other hand, PBB is known for their choking defense, allowing their opponents to score 70 points or less per game.

Coaching Philosophy

Coach Chot Reyes, aside from his fashionable get ups during games and his “teleserye” scripts whenever the team loses, is one of the great X’s and O’s in terms of coaching strategy. He firmly believes that once a system is installed within the team and familiarized it, no one can ruin it except for the players itself. We enjoyed his reactions about how their import sucked during the finals and replaced by their original import, how Ali Peek and Kelly Williams “disappeared” in the game, and his press conference that Jason Castro will be out for the series because of injury and yet he appeared in the next game and whooped the Boosters in one game in that series.

Ato Agustin is somehow the opposite of Chot Reyes. His system is patterned on how the players’ rhythm and composure. His signature statement “Go Hard lang Kami”, is very evident especially in the Governor’s Cup. Agustin is also a type of the coach that pays a lot of attention in installing defense to his team.

Great offense versus tight defense, a must see in this trilogy.

Bragging Rights

We all know that in PBA, it’s all about SMC vs. MVP, Ramon S. Ang vs. Manny V. Pangilinan. This trilogy will make a statement about who’s the best in the league, which dynasty will prevail this time.

The bad blood still exists for both teams. Remember the “word war” between Agustin and Reyes, which the former wanted to end the series with a fist fight and calling the latter as one of the “bekimons” in the league because of his fashion statement and not accepting Agustin’s offer?

How about the statement given by “The Blur” Jason Castro that Petron won the Governor’s Cup because of the injuries suffered by the team? To think that Petron’s key players like Husseini, Washington, Yeo and Tugade are also injured.

So this is it! This trilogy must end this Philippine Cup.

The high octane efficiency of Petron Blaze Boosters

Despite of all the issues regarding oil price hike, oil deregulation law, E-VAT on oil, Petron Blaze Boosters’ fans will separate this for the sake of basketball because there’s a reason to celebrate.

Why? Because, the Governor’s Cup Champions last season is scorching hot this 37th season of the PBA Philippine Cup. They are on the top of the standings with a commanding 2-0 won-loss card.
We all know it’s too early to celebrate because the PBA had just opened the season less than one week last October 2 only.

Coach Ato Agustin did a wonderful job last off-season by providing the “missing pieces” in the team with the likes of Chris Lutz, Dondon Hontiveros and Carlos Sharma.

Arwind Santos, when he is activated to “beast mode”, no one can stop him from delivering. In 2 games, he averaged 15 points and 16.5 rebounds per game. Alex Cabagnot, Petron’s court general, is averaging 19 points and 3.5 assists per game. Danny Ildefonso, who went double-double last game against Barako Bull, might be drinking from the “fountain of youth” and showing no signs of aging. The rookie sensation Chris Lutz, averaged 18 points in two games, with 6 steals against the Barako Bull.

Denok Miranda is also showing his FEU form this conference, playing with Cabagnot, they formed a deadly back-court tandem which dictates the fluidity of their offense as well as in their defense. Agustin discovered the duo of Cabagnot-Miranda during the Petron-Talk N Text showdown last season, and it is working well in the team’s system. Carlos Sharma is another revelation in this conference which is now armed with soft touch from the midrange.

Sophomores Noy Baclao and Rey Guevarra, with less playing minutes, always deliver whenever they are in the court. I hope that Agustin will give them more playing time in order for them to build their self-confidence.

Game Face

With Dondon Hontiveros is out for 7 to 10 days because of his calf injury, Chris Lutz is enjoying more playing time (38 minutes in 2 games) in his absence. Also, Danny Ildefonso is averaging 33 minutes per game in 2 games. I hope Agustin give Lakay more minutes in the bench for him to fully recover his injury. He is needed more comes semis and Petron cannot afford to lose Lakay in that series, remember how he is valuable during the Governor’s Cup Championship when Jay Washington and Rabeh Al-Husseini is down with injuries.

Cabagnot’s maturity and decision-making seems to improve this conference. He is showing his play making skills during the game, taking shots at the right place at the right time and his composure in every opponent’s attempt to make a run and cut their lead.

Rob Reyes is set to play for the Boosters in their next game against Shopinas.Com Clickers, this will give the team additional muscle inside the paint. The 6’ 5” Reyes will give Lakay a breath of fresh air and to avoid injuries.

In their two games, we witnessed the chemistry and composure of Petron Blaze Boosters as well as the players’ motivation and hunger for championship. It’s too early to tell, but I can smell a “Talk N Text – Petron Blaze Booster III” this finals, and maybe this time, they will settle their unfinished business with an identical record of 1-1 for both teams.

POST GAME ASSESSMENT: Petron Blaze Boosters beat the BMEG Llamados: 73 – 69

It was a defensive battle between the two teams last night. Blocks here, steals there and tons of turnovers everywhere, but Petron managed to escape Tim Cone and the Llamados, 73 – 69, thanks to the late game heroics of Alex Cabagnot and rookie Chris Lutz.

Former Gilas Lutz, leads the Boosters with 19 points, 9 out of 9 from the charity stripe, 4 rebounds including the last offensive and a three point play in the dwindling minutes of the last quarter. Cabagnot shared 17 points including the last 4 free throw shots, and his game-changing three point shot with a minute left in the quarter. The silent performer Arwind Santos managed to score 11 points and a whooping 19 rebounds (6 from offensive end).

Super Sub PJ Simon leads the Llamados with 21 points and 6 rebounds. The other players who entered the double digit zone James Yap and Kerby Raymundo, with 10 points.

Observations:
- Chris Lutz played a monster game last night. He was in the court guarding Joe Devance, who managed to get 9 points only, and Rafi Reavis. He is now the “Marc Pingris” of the Boosters.

- The tandem of Dennis Miranda and Alex Cabagnot is worth watching for. Cabagnot on the offensive end while Miranda on the defensive side.

- The triangle system imposed by Coach Tim Cone on BMEG is still far from his Alaska Aces. We understand that the system cannot be applied fully in one game only.

- The “Sampayan Brigade” of BMEG worked a lot. The team collected 7 blocks compared to 6 for Petron.

- Rookie Marc Barocca seemed to be lost in BMEG system. Tim Cone used him for 13 minutes only. I hope next game he will be utilized more by Cone.

- I hope Coach Ato Agustin will use Rey Guevarra more often.

- Joseph Yeo is still lost in space in the Boosters’ rotation

Impressive game for both teams. I can see that Llamados, few more games, will be a very deadly team comes to semis. Petron Blaze Boosters displayed a lot of composure especially in the end game, which is considered as a great improvement compared to last AFC campaign.

POST GAME ASSESSMENT: Powerade Tigers beat Shopinas Clickers: 98 – 87

It was expected that Powerade Tigers will notch their first win against the newcomer Shopinas Clickers. But I didn’t expect that they (Clickers) will give the Tigers a tough time in this game.

As always, Gary David shouldered the scoring chores for the Tigers, scorching high with 31 points, with an 81.8% in the 2 point FG. The other Tigers who also shared their double digit scores, Celino Cruz with 15, Josh Vandalingham with 14 playing for 15 minutes only, and rookie Marcio Lassiter chipped in 10 points.

On the other hand, Shopinas Clickers managed to outscore the tigers in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, but failed in the 4th quarter. RainMan Ren-Ren Ritualo, as expected, leads all Clickers with 19 points, 3 out of 8 in the rainbow territory. Late addition James Sena, a former first round pick of San Miguel Beermen, contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds, and ex-Petron Jojo Duncil managed to score 11 points.

Observations:
- Gary David is still the man for the Tigers. He is definitely the number one scoring option of his team, scoring from transition, making his outside shots and played for 34 solid minutes.

- Josh Vandalingham is a great contributor off the bench, scoring 14 points in a very limited 15 minutes inside the court. Coach Bo Perasol must give him a lot of playing minutes in the next game.

- Ren-ren Ritualo, indeed can score. But Shopinas must get another reliable scorer to complement Ritualo. (adding Joseph Yeo and Jimbo Aquino will make this team more formidable)

- James Sena is a revelation here. A double-double performance for him.

- Magi King Sison will be one of the corner stone of the Clickers. He must add more pounds of muscle to battle against the towering centers of the opposing team. He reminds me of the young Danny Ildefonso.

To sum it up, it was a good performance for both Tigers and the Clickers. If the Clickers will fully furnish their system on court, they will be definitely a tough team to beat.

The Mark Borboran Case

This week, we witnessed the opening of the 37th season of the PBA, as well as the performance of Rain or Shine’s second over-all pick, Paul “Leethal Weapon Lee”, exploding for 21 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists and giving the team’s first win.

Now the latest news circulating in Twitter and some PBA forums is the Mark Borboran case. This former Alaska Ace didn’t made up to the Aces’ 16 man line up which the team submitted to the Office of the Commissioner days before the season opening, making him as a Free Agent.

Now, Petron Blaze Booster gave Mark Borboran a “Token Offer Sheet” to play for them this conference. But the Aces are not willing to give away Borboran to Petron, claiming that they still have the rights because he is still a Restricted Free Agent. And because of that, they are willing to trade him to Meralco for a second-rounder.

The Commissioner asked for a revision about the Alaska-Meralco trade involving Borboran. If this trade will push through, the Meralco must match the offer of Petron to Borboran, and if it doen’t push through, Alaska must match the offer of Petron and decide whether they will put him on the 16 man roster of the Aces.

Game Face

This will be the second time that Petron (formerly SMB) and Alaska got into the same scenario, when SMB’s Sam Eman was put on the reserved list (with a live contract with the team and automatically be an unrestricted free agent), accepted the offer of the Aces to play for them. Eman quickly accepted the offer, leaving his team disappointed with his actions.

This also happened to Ginebra’s Homer Se and SMB’s Dorian Pena. When they put on a reserved list, some teams offered them to play for the team, but because of “delicadeza”, they turned down the offer.

The important thing to solve this case is for the Commissioner to consider the following actions: Which of the two submitted first, the Petron’s offer to Borboran or the 16 man line up of Alaska? I think this will solve the case and for the Commissioner to decide which is which.

SISTER ACT: Petron Blaze Boosters will face Tim Cone’s Triangle Offense and BMEG Llamados.

This will be the first sister act this season. Petron Blaze Boosters will face BMEG Llamados this Wednesday as the main event of the night.

Both bolster their lineups and even their coaching staffs, expect a helluva fight between the two teams who is seeking to return to the “promise land” and reclaim the All Filipino Cup Championship.

Coach Ato Agustin will go head to head with Coach Tim Cone first time this season. This is a battle between the Triangle System versus “Go Hard” system.

Petron will be bannered by the Governor’s Cup Finals MVP Arwind Santos, 2-time PBA MVP Danny Ildefonso, Alex Cabagnot, rookie Chris Lutz, sophomores Noy Baclao and Rey Guevarra, and Dondon Hontiveros.

2-time PBA MVP James Yap will lead the BMEG alongside with Joe Devance, Marc Pingris, Gilas member and rookie point guard Marc Barocca, returnee Kerby Raymundo and Raffy Reavis.

Game Face

This will be a very tight game onto the dying seconds of the game. If the Llamados will execute their system smoothly despite of the time constraints in implementing it to the team, they can beat the Boosters.

On the other hand, Petron is a better team today compared to the team that won the Governor’s Cup Championship last season. Their bench is very deep and players now can play defense. The return of Hontiveros to the team will be the barometer of their game and Chris Lutz maybe defending JDV all through the night.

Based on their performance of their pre-season games, Boosters came out strong by pulling games winning by a large margin while the Llamados mostly won games in a close fight.

With a strong chemistry, defensive mind set, and familiarity of the system, Petron Blaze Booster will notch their first win this season.

BATTLE OF THE UNDERDOGS: Debuting Shopinas against the Rejuvenated Powerade

This will be a baptism of fire for coach Franz Pumaren as his troops, Shopinas.com Clickers, will face the much improved line-up of Powerade Tigers.

It is a tough test for the Clickers because they are facing the opponent’s top draft picks in the person of JV Casio, the Gilas’ court general, and defense specialist and three point bomber Marcio Lassiter.

With old reliables Gary David, scoring leader in the last PBA season, sophomore Sean Anthony, former Elasto Painters Doug Kramer and Josh Vandalingham and the sturdy frontcourt duo of Rommel Adducul and Alex Crisano, expect Powerade Tigers to put their claws on Clickers come Wednesday afternoon.

Pumaren will rely on his former De La Salle gunner Ren-ren Ritualo, who expressed to prove again his worth under his former DLSU mentor and now his present head coach. Elmer Espiritu, RJ Jazul, former Petron Blazers Paolo Hubalde and Jojo Duncil will help the Clickers to register their win this coming Wednesday.

Game face

I think this will be an easy game for coach Bo Perasol and the rest of the Powerade Tigers and will notch their first win in this conference. Franz Pumaren must find another offensive option to complement Ritualo (maybe Pong Escobal) because Ritualo alone cannot carry the scoring load of his team.

Talking about defense, Lassiter, Anthony and Kramer will “bully” the bigs of Clickers inside the paint. Magi Sison is still raw and so is Mark Canlas.

Powerade Tigers will win this game.

The Dangerous Paul Lee

I’m expecting Paul Lee will be a good player in the PBA even though I didn’t watch any games of UE in the UAAP, but I’m pretty sure he will be a strong candidate for the 2012 PBA ROY.

But not after their game last night;

Paul Lee exploded for big 21 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. He outplayed Ginebra star Mark Caguioa and the rest of the BGK in their first meeting.

One thing I noticed in Lee’s game is his ability to go strong to the hoop and create his own shot. Another thing is his passing ability, he able to see his team mates even de Ocampo, Villanueva and Mamaril manning the paint.

As coach Yeng Guiao stated, “Paul Lee is a good player. Maangas ang laro pero hindi nakakainis panoorin!”

I hope Lee will continue to play good in the eliminations and carry the team all the way to semis. His tandem with Gabe Norwood is very effective because both players can slash through the basket, nail from the three point area and can dish some assists.

All in all, a very good game for Paul Lee.

PBA 37th Season: POWER RANKINGS

This is it! The long wait is over! This is war!

Today will be the opening tip-off of the 37th season of the first “pay-for-play” basketball league in Asia, the PBA.

With their tagline: “Kampihan Na!”, the fans will surely bet on their favorite teams in their quest for All Filipino Championship. (I don’t think the tagline is related to the banner in the PBA website, where 4 SMC teams and 1 MVP team is featured, or maybe PBA is telling that the both SMC and MVP camp will unite for their quest in the 2014 Olympics)

THE KING

The reigning AFC Champions, Talk N Text Tropang Texters, will try to reclaim their title and aim for another grand slam run this season.

With Jimmy Alapag, Ranidel de Ocampo, and Kelly Williams returning to their line up after their stint in Wuhan, their championship core is still intact. With the latest addition of Japeth Aguilar and the rookie sucker puncher (coined by Yeng Guiao) Pamboy Raymundo, they will add youth, speed and talent to the team.

Who to watch out: Chot Reyes’ drama acts and telenovela dialogues.

THE CHALLENGERS

Petron Blaze Boosters – one of the main reason why TNT didn’t experienced how sweet to win a rare grand slam. Coach Ato Agustin and his seven disciples (most in the league) will again try to sneak in the Finals and reclaim the All Filipino Championship. With Jay Washington and Rabeh Al-Husseini still in the sideline, Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot and Danny Ildefonso, will banner the team this season. Re-acquired during the draft, Dondon Hontiveros might be the last missing piece in the PBB line-up after Duncil and Hubalde return to their mother team. With new recruits, defensive stalwarts Chris Lutz and Carlos Sharma, Petron is a more complete team compared last season.

Who to watch out: Rey Guevarra’s explosiveness and Chris Lutz’ tight defense

Alaska Aces – although they are abandoned by Tim Cone for another team, expect them to prove themselves this season. Armed with four rookies, Mac Baracael, Eric Salamat, Julius Pasculado and Ariel Mepana alongside with their old reliables LA Tenorio, Cyrus Baguio, Sonny Thoss and Jay R Reyes, they are still a championship caliber team. They are no push over this season. Joel Banal, their new head coach, will lead the team and promised to bring back the championship glory in the Aces Camp.

Who to watch out: Julius Pasculado and Ariel Mepana
BMEG Llamados – adopting the triangle system which popularized by Tim Cone in the Alaska’s camp for over 22 years, this might be the year of the Llamados. With a new head coach, Tim Cone and new assistants Johnny Abarrientos and Jeffrey Cariaso, BMEG is on a new mission. James Yap will be the cornerstone of their offense with the help of the returning Kerby Raymundo, Marc Pingris, Joe Devance and the rookie guard Marc Barocca.

Who to watch out: James Yap and Kerby Raymundo

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings – even though Rudy Hatfield left the team (again and again), Jayjay Helterbrand contemplating on retirement, Eric Menk’s injury (as always), and NO PLAYER MOVEMENT/S MADE BY THE SMC COMPARED TO PETRON AND BMEG, no need to worry ka-baranggays because BGK is still capable of whooping some a** every season they played here in the PBA.

With the lone addition of Riel Cervantes in their lineup, Mark Caguioa will still lead the team to the promise land. The never say die attitude of this team is very intact and cannot be questioned by others.

Who to watch out: Mark Caguioa’s MVP performance

THE GATE CRASHERS

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters – last season, ROS proved that they are not the league’s whipping boys. They can win games; they can be also threat to the other teams. With the tandem of Gabe Norwood and rookie sensation Paul Lee, expect something different this season. That difference will make every opponent of ROS in deep trouble. And when you see the game face of Yeng Guiao, you are also in deep trouble, dib a Coach Chot?

Who to watch out: Paul Lee and Yeng Guiao (expect fines)

Powerade Tigers – they are the last season’s big time losers, but no longer now. JV Casio and Marcio Lassiter will prove that this is their time. With a lot of improvement in their rosters by acquiring Doug Kramer, Rommel Adducul, Alex Crisano and Josh Vandalingham and holdovers Gary David and Sean Anthony, they might burst the bubble of the opposing teams. They might say “Goodbye Eliminations, Hello Quarters”.

Who to watch out: JV Casio and Alex Crisano’s court antics.

Meralco Bolts – their line up improved a lot with the addition of Jason Ballesteros, Gilbert Bulawan, Mark Macapagal and Chito Lanete. With Sol Mercado, Mark Cardona and Asi Taulava leading the team, they have a lot of reasons to enter the quarters every conference this season.

Who to watch out: Jason Ballesteros

Barako Bulls –Veterans Willie Miller, Danny Seigle, Don Allado, Dorian Pena, Paul Artadi and Wynne Arboleda must drink from the “fountain of youth” in order to give the first championship of this team (formerly Air 21). Always selected as victim by the SMC and MVP group in terms of hoarding their talents, I hope this season, Allein Maliksi and Dylan Ababou won’t be traded at all. They will serve as the future of the team as their veteran teammates guide them in every game. Nothing to ask for, but they might pull a surprise this conference.

Who to watch out: Willie Miller – Danny Seigle tandem

WHIPPING BOYS

Shopinas.com Clickers – aside from Franz Pumaren’s moustache, I don’t see this team will enter the quarters this season. Whoever owns the Shopinas first round pick next year will be happy.

Talk N Text Superstar

One of the exciting part in PBA season opening is the parade of the team along with their muses. During the parade, you will see your favorite players wearing their new uniforms, new design for each team’s jersey, new faces in the other teams, as well as the beautiful and ravishing ladies holding the team’s banner. These ladies represent the team’s good luck charm for the opening of the new season of the PBA.

The likes of Anne Curtis, The Brazilian Girls, Iwa Moto, Ara Mina, Christine Reyes, Diana Meneses, Isabelle Daza and others who never failed to display their beauty and poise in every PBA season opener.

And this Sunday, we will witness again the team’s “good luck charms” when the PBA open its 37th season.

But all of a sudden, a tweet coming from Snow Badua, stating that the Talk N Text will parade the “Superstar” Ms. Nora Aunor as their muse.

Wait a minute!!!

Nora Aunor as TNT’s muse? Well, I’m not a Vilmanian or Sharonian and definitely not a Noranian, but please… this is Philippine Basketball! This is not the proper venue to stage the comeback of Ms. Aunor in showbiz.

They said that it’s MVP’s choice of having the Superstar as their muse, but Mr. MVP, you can guest the Superstar in Willie Revillame’s show anytime of the day for the promotion of her new show in TV5.

Speaking of muse, I would like to congratulate Powerade Tigers for bringing back the glory in selecting their team’s muse, from Pokwang to Vice Ganda and now Ms. Maricar Reyes.

Now I wonder, will Boy Abunda take a leave of absence in “The Buzz” to show support for his idol? Will Kuya Germs be the one hosting the opening ceremonies? Or the Tuesday Group of That’s Entertainment will provide the intermission number?

Welcome Back Ate Guy!

READY TO RUMBLE: BGK VS. ROS PRIMER

This Sunday, the PBA will open its 37th season with a full blast. Armed with 10 teams with very competitive lineups, the hopes are high to get the coveted All Filipino title this conference.

To begin with, Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings will face the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters as the lone season opening game. What are the chances of both teams?

Evaluating the roster

For the BGK, again they will parade their “security agency” leading by Helterbrand, Cortez, Caguioa, Labagala, and Aquino. The rookie Riel Cervantes will be tested this game as their team is in need with inside presence with the departure (or should I say abandonment) of Rudy Hatfield. With Eric Menk is out with injury and Enrico Villanueva is still in the process of healing on his previous injury, Yancy de Ocampo and Billy Mamaril will man the paint. On the defensive side, Ronald Tubid and The Wilsons (John and Willy) will take over.

On the ROS camp, expect their prized rookie Paul Lee will show his skills in this opening game. After defeating the Talk N Text in their pre-season game, expect a revitalized Rain or Shine this conference. With their talented roster: Gabe Norwood, Ronjay Buenafe, TY Tang, the Extra Rice tandem of JR Quinahan and Beau Belga, Jervy Cruz and defensive stoppers Larry Rodriguez and Ronnie Matias, this is a cohesive lineup for coach Yeng Guiao.

Game face

For BGK, this will be the last conference for Jayjay Helterbrand. Mark Caguioa must prove himself this conference to get the coveted MVP title that always been avoiding him through out his entire career (thanks to the media - Caguioa).

For ROS, no one can stop them in their quest for their first championship. Yeng Guiao and his troops showed last season that this team is on a serious mission. Paul Lee is a very strong candidate for the Rookie of the Year.

Prediction

Don’t worry BGK fans if SMC didn’t do anything in order to beef up the team’s front line for they don’t rely too much on their bigs when they anchored their high octane offense. On the defensive side, expect the Wilsons to do their jobs and leave Ronald Tubid’s acting workshop every game. And if he will display his “acting prowess” this Sunday, Yeng Guiao will serve as his “hurado” and will give his “Vice Ganda comments” during the game.

If the game is a close one, BGK will win it.