In what could be the most surprising (and entertaining) game so far this Commissioner's Cup, the undermanned/ injury-riddled B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados handed the Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team its first loss in six games, winning 98-90 in overtime.And while you could easily say that SG lost due to naturalized center Marcus Douthit's 3rd quarter ankle sprain which led to big boy minutes for 6"9 beanpole Greg Slaughter, consider that B-Meg was playing without top gunner James Yap, point guard Jonas Villanueva and enforcers/bigs Rafi Reavis, Don Allado and Jondan Salvador.
That being said, here are a couple of things I've picked up from the game:
Smart Gilas cannot play shutdown defense.
- yes they play excellent team defense, rotate and hustle. But SG couldn't even force the ball out of the hands of B-Meg's big men Kerby Raymundo and import Jamari Spears who both scored from the same side of the floor xx amount of times.Smart Gilas' only post presence is Marcus Douthit.
- The minute he was out of the game, we were treated to an extremely raw Greg Slaughter (who tried his best to hold his own but could only do so much with what little skill he has) and no one else. Of all the bigs on the roster, not one is an accomplished/ promising back-to-the-basket post player.
Kerby Raymundo, when healthy, is the PBA's marquee post man
- by no means am I a Raymundo fan. But you have to hand it to the "Kid." He knows his limitations dribbling-wise, doesn't force the issue, knows when to pass the ball, and has some nice footwork and go-to-moves in the post. Eric Menk is on-and-off, Sonny Thoss is more rebounder than scorer, Rabeh Al Hussaini prefers playing with his face to the basket, and Dennis Espino is well on his way to retirement.
Chris Tiu is the Alaska Milkman-version of Jojo Lastimosa, with more rebounding skills
- He is not athletic. A little over-rated. But Tiu plays smart basketball, scores when he has to, and is not afraid to get inside the paint and grab rebounds-- which I absolutely like. Great improvement from his UAAP days.
Mac Barracael is Ronald Tubid 2.0, with less BS/flopping and more scoring
- Back in his UE days, Ronald Tubid was actually a solid star player who just lacked the physical aesthetics of teammate James Yap. He hit fadeaways, had fancy crossovers, and played tenacious defense. But once he got into the PBA, Tubid started to fall in love with the theatrics and was content on being a back-up scorer. Hopefully, Barracael continues to stay focus and utilizes his gifts the right way. Right now, I'd say that the ex-FEU main man is SG's Most Valuable Player.
Rajko Toroman doesn't trust Japeth Aguilar
- Sure he started the dunk-loving Aguilar. But there's a reason why he opted to stick Greg Slaughter in the game even if he was considerably raw and was being burned over and over by B-Meg's import Spears. It's because Aguilar sucks on defense (picking up bad habits probably in the US, opting for weak side helps and highlight-worthy blocks instead of simply staying in front of his man). On offense, Toroman can also only call a few plays for Aguilar-- if any at all. The "Japeth move set list" still remains the same: open threes, slam dunks, flashy crossovers that lead to turnovers and well, nothing else for the time being. Seriously, this guy needs to train with a coach.
Smart Gilas knows how to spread the floor
- If anything, Coach Rajko has opened the eyes of many Filipino basketball fans to corner pocket three pointers usually seen, well, from the San Antonio Spurs (Bruce Bowen's specialty) or Phoenix Suns (of old). They rotate the ball and never forces anything on offense (which may just be a byproduct of them not having an A-lister shot creator, say a role that Paul Lee could've played *again, Andy Barroca is more slasher than scorer*)
Smart Gilas bigs, slow to develop
- It's been three years now, and still we haven't seen any development from Aguilar or Slaughter. Jason Ballesteros, another SG big, is more SF-size than PF/C. Aldrech Ramos, the team's primary PF, will be outsized and pushed around by international players and is best fit to play the wing position. If anything, we're putting a lot on Marcus Douthit's shoulders-- which shouldn't be the case. Or if it is, should only be for short term. The problem here is that, there seems to be no effort to get Slaughter and Aguilar into the mix of things and are only in games to grab rebounds, block shots, and catch open passes to dunk.
Am I disappointed with the loss? No, because it was only time before a PBA team wised up and played Smart Gilas head on. But for a National Team, excuses should be thrown out the window and guys should be held accountable to be ready to play. No excuses, no "ngayon lang nakalaro" comments from the TV guys. That's an alibi best reserved for role players of PBA teams who don't get the lion' share of the money. But in a National Team, everyone should be ready to play at all times.
More power to Slaughter. Hope he gets more minutes, gets ready, gets hit hard and fights back.
To Greg Slaughter, you should move strongly at the low post wag maglampayatot, used your long arms to defense and block the ball, move faster that's the way you should play. Your game against B-Meg last Wednesday was a little error in ball rotation and chemistry of players, supposedly Aguilar should be filled in with slaughter, baracael, lassiter and casio.
ReplyDeleteNakakahiya ang Gilas. Tayong mga pinoy na naturingang addict sa basketball, kailangan pang humingi ng tulong sa isang katulad ni Douthit? Kahit na ni-naturalize na siya, wala siyang katiting ng dugong Pinoy sa kanya. Kulang pa ba ang halos 100 taon na basketball ang nilalaro natin? Bakit kailangan pa natin si Douthit?
ReplyDeleteWell, they now have Powerade's scalp in the bag (which is really nothing to crow about in the first place). But to SG's credit, Powerade does boast of rather prolific sweet-shooting import, and the biggest local gunner in the land Gary David.
ReplyDeleteI saw some good things and bad things in that game.
Good things:
1. SG has the poise and grit to negate a 21 point deficit under time duress. I read somewhere that they've done this many times before against bigger teams abroad.
2. Chris Tiu has enormous heart. Though plagued by a horrible shooting night, he still contributed rather heftily in rebounding and assists (7pts 8 rebs. 9 assts). That's flirting with a triple double. He also had enough fight in him to buck a bum shoulder (courtesy of Espino) to drain a crucial game-changing trey. Gotta give it up to the kid ... that takes cujones.
3. JV Casio can turn on the jets and slice through the trees with surprising ease. Although I doubt if he can do this against bigger forwards and centers, it was still a thing a beauty to watch.
4. Japeth showed flashes of brilliance that I'd never seen before. Protecting the paint, blocking shots, clogging the middle, and getting his points by staying busy. Before, he was only good for chucking ill-advised threes and highlight reel dunks. Spectacular yes, but not really substantial. This game was different.
Bad things:
1. why did they have to trail by as much as 21 points in the first place? Naunahan na nga, pinabayaan pa mamaga yung lamang. They really didn't need to work that hard against a Powerade team that really only had two offensive weapons in its arsenal (David and Zeno).
2. Japeth still has butter fingers.
3. I wanted to see JBalle more. He was yanked out of the court after a defensive miscue.