On import changes, Meralco's backcourt woes and Gilas 2 PG

Vroman will beast the PBA. Bet on it.

Wow. Safe to say that no one outside of the Ginebra camp saw this coming-- Chris Alexander, the Gin Kings' 7"1 import who led them to their last title has been sent home in favor of NBA vet and FIBA champion Jackson Vroman.

Alexander was reportedly sent off the same afternoon Vroman checked in to the Gin Kings' practice-- that's just cold man. Only a no conscience, unsympathetic and cold blooded individual would do something so business-like and calculating.

What's that? Noli Eala's in charge of San Miguel's basketball operations? Oh, okay.

PBA's Vince McMahon is definitely back to what he does best.


From a production standpoint, Alexander was putting up 14 points and 20 boards a game so you couldn't really fault him for that. What the management was looking for however, wasn't a teen-scoring center, but a dominant one like the 25 and 20 Alexander of old and not the one who flew into town a few weeks ago.

Vroman is just that. If he could do it in FIBA and beast guys like Yao Ming, Haddadi and the rest, you can pretty much ride the Gin Kings' bandwagon all the way to the Commissioner's Cup Finals (unless Talk 'n' Text, which sent home import Samhan, signs up Chinese Taipei's Tsen Wen Ting or some other great FIBA Asia or Europe center).

KKS

This can't work.

Meralco cannot win with Sol Mercado AND Mark Cardona. They'll win games, but never win big. Mercado and Cardona are the same players, with the same tendencies on the floor. They need to dominate the ball to be effective, and both can't shoot from outside with any consistency to save their lives.

Coach Ryan Gregorio believes that he can make it work just like he did with PJ Simon and James Yap at Purefoods/ B-Meg. But he's forgetting that not only can both players shoot, but Simon is also a great Rodney Santos-like slasher which compliments Yap's outside shooting whenever they are asked to play together.

When Cardona and Mercado are both on the floor at the same time, one guy simply gets out of the way and loses any role/ contribution to his team.

They can still make it work, but only if they get a PG who can shoot and isn't another slasher like the ones they have on the team (Paul Artadi, Chris Ross, Chris Timberlake). This team needs a Celino Cruz, or better yet, a Roger Yap who can light it up from the outside while still distributing the ball and keeping his guys happy.

Better yet, why can't Team MVP try and pry L.A. Tenorio, an Atenean, away from Alaska and just get it over with?

KKS

Castro: Oo tangina inagawan
ko si Chris Paul. TWICE!

Snow Badua recently tweeted about who people think deserves a spot as SMART Gilas 2 point guard. His choices? L.A. Tenorio and Gabe Norwood. Speed and height.

If only it was that simple.

Tenorio can't move quick enough laterally to escape long defenders. This was the ploy that shut him down and Alaska's title hopes some Finals series back against Purefoods when coach Ryan Gregorio stuck Marc Pingris on him. Not only was Tenorio too short to get away from Pingris, but his lack of footspeed moving side to side cost them the series.

Norwood?

What for? To watch him take fancy dribbles and crossovers, drive to the rim only to double pump it when challenged and throw a Hail Mary brick like the allergic to contact athlete that he is?

No thanks.

Jayson Castro.

Alex Cabagnot.

Case closed. Ryan Reyes as the 3rd string back-up.