Opening to controversy

What better way to open the league's second conference following a highly successful Philippine Cup than with hints of controversy. From a "denied on all fronts" sale, a trade that has been put "on hold" to threats of a possible "product/ franchise pullout"-- and we haven't even touched on the giants that have been flown into the country at that!

Hold on, Tigers 

San ba talaga kuya?

"Hindi naman ako tanga" is what PBA commissioner Chito Salud was quoted as saying in regards to the trade involving Powerade's Marcio Lassiter for Petron's "forgotten" 2011 picks Noy Baclao and Rey Guevarra. The thing that doesn't make sense is that, Powerade is letting go of a budding superstar for two guys who have struggled since making it into the pros-- it would've been easier to digest had Powerade struggled as a team but they're coming off a Finals run with Lassiter at the forefront. Or, if there were reports about Lassiter ruining team chemistry-- and if you follow these guys over on Twitter, you'd pretty much know that they like playing together so...


We've written about this topic on two earlier entries now, and chances are it's going to go down one way or the other. We only pray that when it does, both teams involve succeed and the players become stars. Baclao and Guevarra are bound to benefit from playing with Powerade given their lack of Grade A depth, while Lassiter might find himself trying to steal minutes from Arwind Santos-- the best player in the PBA today at small forward, and SMART Gilas buddy Chris Lutz (things are going to get tricky once Jay Washington comes back as well).


Pullout?

Is this what the league has come down to? Two powerhouse squads buying out the competition and pretty much whining on live television, print, online and social media whenever they don't get their way?

This writer has always been wary of San Miguel Corporation's sudden interest in the ASEAN Basketball League. Are they testing the waters? Big, international markets will always be a priority for most of the teams, so perhaps there's some truth in the rumors.

Still, a PBA without a San Miguel franchise would do just fine in the end. It's the country's oldest basketball outfit, and is now enjoying heavy financing from Team MVP-- whose vast riches we still find mind boggling.

Idikdik nyo sa ilalim!

Alaska Aces to nix triangle?

Coach Joel Banal thinks they're better of dropping the Triangle and opting for a more traditional, uptempo style of play to free up guards Bonbon Custodio and Cyrus Baguio.

Question is, is this really the way to go for a team that has the league's brightest 1-2 Twin Tower combination in Sonny Thoss and Jay-R Reyes? Thoss is a great role player, while Reyes is immensely talented on the offensive end. Perhaps Banal can consider running more pick and rolls-- while they still have L.A. Tenorio on the payroll.

KKS picks for sleepers

Powerade will fall and be unable to duplicate their Philippine Cup regardless if the trade pushes through or not.  The off-season distraction will prove to be a bit too much for a team with an aging super-duper-star in KKS Bataan Bomber Gary David and young JVee Casio and Lassiter. They'll win a couple of games, but don't expect them to dupe opponents in engaging them to a full-on shoot-out like in the previous conference.

That being said, KKS' picks for the Commissioner's Cup are the Rain or Shine Elasto-Painters (Paul Lee man-crushes aside) and the Barako Bull Energy.

While both have drawn headlines for their odd import choices (Rain or Shine opted to replace NBA veteran and legit 7 footer Jake Voshkul with 6"8 Duke Crews while Barako Bull went with NBA wing man 6"9 Dermarr Johnson), these two could very well make another deep playoffs run.

Kung ung isa sana ung nakuhang
import ng BB, uwian na.

For Rain or Shine, Crews is reportedly a gritty inside workhorse which could complement bigs Beau Belga and JayR Quinahan who can now slide to their natural, power forward positions. Really, what good is a 6"11 or 7"0 import when he would rather shoot jumpers and try to outdunk/jump the opposition.

For the Energy (they're really not the Bulls right? Because the product, wherever the hell it is being sold, is called Barako Bulls? Or is it really, Barako Energy? Barako Energy Bulls? Who gives a sh*t about their name at this point really? More like Trade-a-Bulls), the Johnson choice was probably made to make up for the Allein Maliksi, Dylan Ababou trades. But consider this, a line-up that has Wyne Arboleda, Willie Miller, Ronald Tubid and whatever life you can squeeze off Don Allado, Danny Seigle and Dorian Pena plus an import- wow, that's still pretty scary (and not just on paper).

Between the two, look for RoS to continue growing as a team while BB to probably look for a taller, more traditional center for import come mid-conference.