SMART Gilas 2: PG candidate heavy

Don't look now, but there might be
no room for Alapag w/ SMART Gilas 2

Here's a tough nut to crack, do you drop Alapag to make room for younger PGs? Don't bet on it. Not with Alapag playing like the MVP he is this season, and definitely not with his Talk 'n' Text head coach Chot Reyes manning the helm for SMART Gilas 2.

Still, would it really be that much of a problem if we were to take Alapag, future Hall-of-Famer, out of the SG2 PG list?

This writer thinks and believes that we'll be just fine with the younger guys listed below who are just as SMART Gilas 2 worthy as the Pinoy Basketball Icon (when it's all said and done, Alapag should be mentioned in the same breath as Abarrientos, and just a notch above Hector Calma):

Castro leads the PG pack with his
stellar blink-and-you-miss play

Jayson Castro
Arguably the best in the business right now. The kind of fighting, blitzkrieg point guard who reminds you of Johnny Abarrientos. His shooting is widely inconsistent though which could hurt us in the FIBA much like JJ Helterbrand did a few years back.

Don't worry Casio, KKS won't even consider
calling you that stupid  moniker Mico Halili
tries desperately to tag you with

JVee Casio
Can shoot and run plays designed by his coaching staff. Struggles when bottled up by larger, longer defenders but makes up for it by hitting clutch shots. Fights on defense but is often undersized, the modern day Ronnie Magsanoc (sorry L.A. Tenorio, you need to come up big for Alaska this season to make it back to the PG race) to Castro's Abarrientos.

Pusangama! Injured ka na naman?!

Ryan Reyes
To this very day, people are still unconvinced that RR can carry a team as a point guard and this writer doesn't blame them. Not when Talk 'n' Text head coach Chot Reyes continues to play Reyes at SG (or even SF when paired with Castro and Alapag on the floor). But before everyone forgets, this is the same guy who literally stole the recent Philippine Cup from the clutches of Petron with a stellar, one-for-the-books display of 10 steals in a single game. He's also the guy who was supposed to man the position in 2009 but was sidelined (a re-occurring concern with RR) and we were stuck with Willie Miller (who to his credit, was a hero on all fronts but wasn't a PG by nature). When you talk about running the point, RR can deliver. Defense? That's his calling card. He'll even throw in 6-7 rebounds a game just for kicks and about 2-4 hard, Jaworski-esque fouls for safety.

Barocca's last time out
with SMART Gilas: Anyare?

Mark Barocca
I've got a question. What the hell happened to Barocca the last time out with SMART Gilas? Who was that nervous, indecisive and inconsistent impostor who lost PG playing time to *gasp* traditional SG Chris Tiu? Lately he's starting to blossom under the tutelage of Tim Cone and Johnny Abarrientos with the PBA's BMeg Llamados, but his shooting still remains erratic at best. It's hard to make an argument for Barocca right now since the speed that he could bring to the SMART Gilas 2 table, isn't even on the same field as Castro's. In case you'd like to argue otherwise, don't forget that Castro is the guy that was rightfully christened "The Blur."

Alex Cabagnot

Will SMC even let Cabagnot
play for SMART Gilas 2?

Oh KKS Wizard. What is going on? Is it all that Showbiz action you're getting lately? Is that why your performance has been dropping back to Coca-Cola era Alex? Whatever, when it all comes down to it, there's no one better than Cabagnot in the PBA right now who can run a fastbreak and create plays out of thin air (thus our new moniker for him). There hasn't been a single player in the PBA who can throw solid lobs to Kelly Williams since you guys ran together that one year in Santa Lucia (shoutout to all us diehards!). If there's one thing I'd like to see our SMART Gilas do more of, it's to run. Rajko Toroman was right in slowing the game down a bit, but our strength still lies in the running game because of our size and advantage in one-on-one skilled players. Cabagnot fits in perfectly in the FIBA game because he can make short and long passes, knockdown shots and pushes the tempo at all times. A concern of course would be on the defensive end, and between him and Castro, we could suffer a small setback (Castro has always been foul prone which could put Cabagnot out there for longer stretches). And, before we forget, Cabagnot is Team San Miguel. So good luck with trying to get him aboard.

Personally, KKS' money is on Castro, Reyes and Casio all making the cut with Alapag probably getting an invite out of respect and recognition. But if we're trying to win big, then we should get the best available talent regardless of age.

One dream, one country.