Paul Lee

Even KINGS bow down to Lee

Ganun katindi si Paul Lee. Wag na natin lagyan ng title. Wag na monicker. Paul Lee na agad. Tapos. Alam na.

In recognition of this praise-worthy piece by Mr. FireQuinito.com who is now part of the AKTV team, this writer would just like to further point out why Rain or Shine's Paul Lee rightfully deserves all the hype that has been thrown him- if not more.

Non-RoS and non-Lee fans have dismissed any write-up about the rookie guard as pure hype, despite not being there to actually see the young star's rising greatness and his on court demeanor. The more shallow fans think that he's just another Mark Caguioa or Mark Cardona- great players with swagger to the hilt, but this writer begs to disagree.

You don't see Lee making faces at anyone (but himself when disgusted with a boneheaded play *usually of his doing*) like Caguioa, or addressing/bantering/interacting with the crowd after a made basket ala Cardona- hell, the guy doesn't even really get into it with other players even if they're after his bald head. He just balls the way he knows how even if he's off his game until coach Yeng Guiao yanks him off the floor.

In today's social media heavy world where stars and fans are able to communicate more often, we've put an onus on players to play and act a certain way. Some, if not most, pander to fans-- which is well and good. We all love a little interaction, a little recognition. But I surely don't mind a guy who just goes out there and busts his ass and is not a fan of signing autographs and posing for pictures- as long as he's good at what he does, he'll have my vote.

King Warrior. Cobra Commander. Lethal Weapon. Manila Kingpin. Angas ng Tondo.

Monickers used to describe the stellar play and approach. Always the leader, always cerebral.

On offense, Lee commands the floor like a 10 year veteran. You'd often see young guards running up and down the floor, plenty of wasted movement due to heightened activity and understandable over-reliance on athleticism-- but not Lee. When asked to play PG, Lee approaches it slowly, almost methodically.

Either he sets the table up and calls certain plays (he's not gifted in the mold of a Cabagnot or Tenorio in terms of making adjustments on the fly) or drives to the lane where he is almost unguardable. He protects the rock with his body (arguably the best in the business) and knows how to finish. When defenses collapses, he kicks it out to whoever is wide open. On TV land, it looks easy- but ask anyone who plays basketball and they'd tell you that finding the open man while driving hard to the rim against two or three defenders- that takes a lot of skill, timing and luck.

We're not saying that Lee is invincible and God's gift to Philippine basketball, but simply, the kid is good. 

Damn good.

People talk about Chris Lutz' efficiency, Jayvee Casio's clutch shooting (which isn't on display since he has Gary David as a teammate at Powerade) and Marcio Lassiter's tenacious "Pinoy Pippen" ploys (see what we did there?) but they are quick to forget that all three were tried and tested players who have played in CHAMPION programs and trained internationally (DLSU, SMART Gilas, US NCAA).

Oh, and they'll be 27, 26 and 25 by the end of this year.

Lee?

23.

Defensively, Lee still has a lot to learn (as shown by his silly gamble against Gary David in Game 3 which cost them a possible 2-1 lead at the time). The weight has helped him cope in the pros offensively but the payoff is exposed on defense. Lee has become albeit flat footed and struggles to stay in front of kiti-kiti guards. Great thing for him of course is, he has guys like Ryan Arana, Jireh Ybanes, shotblocker JayR Quinahan and on and off Gabe Norwood to cover for him on defense.

Another (unforeseen) weakness is his three point shooting. He's made a few clutch ones this semifinals, but overall he's not at par with his UAAP/PBL self. Hopefully he'll get his form back in the coming years (he's young, if Ali Peek and Nic Belasco could turn into jumpshooters, then there's no excuse for Lee).

O 'nak, suotin mo jacket. Wag papaulan ha?
 (Lee + Guiao: Match made in heaven)

But despite his flaws, we celebrate/hate Lee for the quiet arrogance. Like he's telling/ showing everyone that "he's been there, done that." It's a maturity level lost among the Crisanos, Tubids, Cardonas and is even, daresay, "man love" worthy.

Hell, now we understand the almost bizarre man-love relationship he had with UE coach Lawrence Chiongson. Lee's the only player in recent memory that has made Yeng Guiao sound like a fanboy every time he's asked about his rookie guard  (and he's coached A-listers like Vergel Meneses, Willie Miller, Arwind Santos, Junthy Valenzuela and Gary David to name a few).

And you know the best part of it all?

Love him or hate him, he'll just keep playing his game and worry about what you think of him later.