Star complex or poor coaching?

Should Ato step aside for Rajko?

The Petron Blaze Boosters were once again on the losing end of a crucial PBA Governors Cup semifinals game, this time bowing to their rivals Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters 103-94. Though they made a mini-rally in the third quarter, the game was never really theirs as the Texters regrouped in the fourth to salvage the victory.

Going into the conference, hell, the season even, the Boosters were pretty much pencilled in to make continuous deep playoff runs behind its unmatched roster. While the Texters enjoy a bevy of elite and athletic Fil-Ams, they still have holes to fill as far as getting a true small forward and center are concerned. The Boosters? They have two interchangeable starting units that was only strengthened when they brought in rookie Marcio Lassiter and the returning Dondon Hontiveros this conference.

Head coach Ato Agustin was recently quoted as saying that his guys weren't hustling on the floor. That they weren't making the 50-50, hustle-point plays that determine close games. Watching the Boosters, you could see that the frontline weren't crashing the boards as much. Or even their high-scoring guards-- pushing the tempo as compared to last year when they won it all.

Should the roster be blamed? That they're mostly superstars who think of themselves as being too good to set screens, rebound and bang bodies?

Hate to say this, but yes, that could be the case. Arwind Santos, lost in the rotation now that Jay Washington is back in the fold, isn't pulling down 20 boards a night like he did this time last season. He's mostly just trying to look for his spots on the floor-- which is usually being occupied by Washington or import Marcus Faison. Tough to be an effective, rebounding wing if you can't get to your comfort zones on the hard court.

As good as Washington has been, he's eating up a lot of ball-time despite not having the most polished offensive skill set in the PBA. Plays die around this guy, since he's more iso-oriented rather than someone who can move without the basketball (like Santos). Granted, Washington and point guards Alex Cabagnot/ Denok Miranda make heady offensive plays from time to time, but it's never really something that sustains the flow of the game for the Boosters. Highlight reel worthy yes but those Top 5 plays never really mean much if you're not winning.

Now that we've covered that much about how guys aren't playing to their strengths because of redundancies in terms of floor positioning and spacing, let's discuss another problem that the Boosters could look at: poor coaching.

Why couldn't Ato Agustin make this work? Can rumored replacement Rajko Toroman make it work?

The role players on the Boosters' lot are Miranda, Rob Reyes, Dorian Pena, Danny Ildefonso and even the highly efficient Chris Lutz. These guys contribute even without the ball-- they set screens, call plays, move to get open and so on. Lutz' is one of the team's high scorers, but he's getting his points by moving without the basketball rather than just waiting for it up top ala sub Joseph Yeo.

That being said, there's no reason for Coach Ato to say that this team doesn't have the guys who are willing to take hits. They do. It's just that, they don't really play much together. Pena plays alongside Washington, Cabagnot, Santos and Lutz. Of the group, you could see that they often leave the Big Dawg alone to get the rebound while everyone else starts to get in position to score. That's trouble right there.

Ditto when Miranda and Reyes are used, Reyes gets left alone to fend for himself down low while Miranda is expected to guard whoever has the ball while Cabagnot saves himself for offense (ditto with Santos and Washington).

Coach Ato is at fault for not enabling his role players and putting them up to task. He's also on the wrong side of things if he's convinced that Washington is a better power forward than Arwind Santos (dead wrong, Washington's only advantage over Santos is he's about three inches taller than the Cabalen).

Can Coach Rajko get this team to work?

Yes. He has the pedigree that will command his superstar players' respect. Offensively, he's probably smart enough to figure out how to use Santos and Washington together without them getting in each other's way on the floor. Coach Ato's straight up, grown-ass man, simple-yet-effective style has run its course with this team. It works with undermanned/ young teams but not on a squad that's built to win multiple titles behind several stars. Coach Rajko, having called the shots for superstar-filled National Teams (Iran and Philippines) is the right man for the job going next season.

Given the names on the roster and their high skillset, the Boosters need more offensive sets to make it work. High and low screens, double picks, backdoor cuts and so on which could empower their guys even more.

Let this be a lesson for the San Miguel management that you just can't buy talent and expect them to win titles. Teams need balance, role players and guys who are willing to sacrifice for the team. The Miami Heat did it, don't see why the Boosters can't follow their lead.