Bono sa PBA

Bono: Waiting for another shot

Update 03/18/12: Ken Bono, according to Avatar Talents which he is part of, has been signed by the B-Meg Llamados under coach Tim Cone

It almost happened.

Air21 Express almost closed in on a deal to bring back former UAAP Most Valuable Player Ken Bono to the PBA after disastrous stints with Alaska, San Miguel, Coca Cola and Barako Bull.

But it didn't push through. Blame it on Internet rumors getting out of hand and crossing the realms of reality, or Bono's long bout with conditioning. Arguably the best basketball talent off the Adamson ranks not named Kenneth Duremdes, Bono is stuck playing in the ABL with the Bangkok Cobras-- a place where only non-PBA level players or those who have yet or have passed their primes should be banished to.



But a 27 year old, 6"5 big man who has the touch of a guard and all the post up, perimeter moves in the book?

Say it isn't so.

During his first (since we're banking on the possibility of Bono coming back to the PBA) run in the league, Bono looked to be overweight and out-of-shape. There's a difference between a big guy (Beau Belga, JayR Quinahan) and a guy who just can't move his ass quick enough to contest shots.

Never the elite defender or even rebounder, Bono appears to be a one-trick pony who only plays offense and forgets the other side of the floor. Most guards get away with it, but not bigs. At 6"5 and 220 lbs., you'd expect at least 5 rebounds from this guy and yet he plays so far away from the basket that you can't blame coaches such as Tim Cone to give up on him early in his career.

In the ABL, Bono has reportedly lost a lot of weight and plays with renewed vigor. Hopefully, he spends the time learning to play like a big. There's no problem with wanting to be a prime time scorer or putting up threes, but anytime you can't be relied upon to play D, well, unless you're a slam dunking athlete a la Nino Canaleta that fans could cheer for and pay to see, then no, stick to the bench/ ABL.

True enough, the only coach that could and would be a good fit for Bono is Yeng Guiao of Rain or Shine. The same coach who took a chance and knew how to best utilize the "Extra Rice, Inc." founders Belga and Quinahan, can pretty much use a guy like Bono.

Quinahan is a shot blocker while Belga is a bruiser by trade, so Bono would be an instant upgrade on offense. We've seen Bono play in the post in the past, not sure if the lost weight would be of much help (his post game was more grind it out, back you with his big ass-type) so there's that.

At only 27 going 28, it's not yet too late for Bono to fulfill his dreams of being a PBA star. It's what he does from here on out, starting with the ABL, that will help him do just that.