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| The Kraken more role player than star? |
1. June Mar Fajardo (Petron)
He's been solid, but obviously still raw. Not to say that he doesn't know what to do with the basketball unlike big guys before him such as E.J. Feihl, James Walkvist and Samigue Eman, but right now it would be safe to say that Fajardo is more on the track to be the next Sonny Thoss than Danny Ildefonso (not that it's a bad thing). Petron's been wasting some of its sets in trying to get the big man ready down low, but they're better off running and Fajardo doing the dirty work.
2. Calvin Abueva (Alaska)
He's PBA ready. He plays both ends of the court and he's willing to take the hit. The way things look at the moment, it seems that Abueva and his "The Beast" monicker will become a household name before the year even ends. The thing with Abueva is, at 6"2, he looks to be already at the height or prime of his career.
3. Alex Mallari (Petron)
He's a scorer and has great handles but his defense is soft at best. Though he seemed like just the guy Petron needed during the draft (a shot creator), this writer believes that the team could've gone with Chris Ellis or Cliff Hodge and just work out the army of forwards dilemma from there. It's not like Mallari's doing anything at the moment for Petron anyway.
4. Clifford Hodge (Meralco)
If Alaska has Abueva, Meralco has Hodge. Just as energetic, fearless and brazen on the court but has that Forrest Gump look to him that reminds you of his age and willingness to learn the game. Range is also continuing to improve.
5. Aldrech Ramos (San Mig Coffee)
He's on the Nonoy Baclao System (read: he's put on weight).
6. Chris Ellis (Ginebra)
Air Force Ellis is just the kind of spitfire wing that Ginebra needs. The future looks bright with Maliksi at the 2 and Dylan Ababou sliding down to 4. Just an awesome pick-up.
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| We're still waiting to be TIU-torized |
Incomplete. Re-injures his hamstring on an uncontested drive to the basket in his first game.
8. Keith Jensen (Ginebra)
Why the hell did San Mig Coffee and Petron pass up on this kid? He's bigger than Rudy Hatfield, but plays just the same AND has three point range. Ababou might find it hard to get minutes with Ginebra once he comes back from injury.
9. Vic Manuel (GlobalPort)
Seems like a Vic Manuel-type of coach like Yeng Guiao was wise enough to stay off Manuel. "The Muscle" is having a hard time against the bigger power forwards and centers in the PBA and has yet to find his niche in his team's system. Perhaps he could consider molding his game around temperamental and mercurial teammate Rabeh Al Husaini the way Udonis Haslem did to Shaq or even a Harvey Carey once did to Asi Taulava. We know Al Husaini's a great scoring big, we also know he doesn't like doing the dirty work. Enter Manuel. That, or another rookie's going to do it for him.
10. Jason Deutchemann (GlobalPort)
We once wrote that JD1 could either be the next Danny Seigle OR Mike Holper. Well, he doesn't have the O like Dynamite Danny, but he sure has good range and is willing to mix it up inside (though he's not a natural at it). He plays with a lot of energy so that's always good, plus he's starting to earn the trust of Coach Glenn Capacio.
Special mention:
11. Yousef Taha (Air21)
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| Mandani |
14. AJ Mandani (GlobalPort)
If Deutchemann is proving to be an ace shooter, then Mandani is starting to open a lot of eyes as a lead point guard. Almost like a more aggressive, scoring (but not much) version of Petron's Denok Miranda. Of course, his basketball IQ level as a PG is still nowhere near half of Miranda's, but you have to like what he brings to the table.
19. Raphy Reyes (Alaska)
Matapang yang batang yan, bigyan lang ng pagkakataon.
Agree on Raphy Reyes's assessment. His minutes are few but he makes the most of it. Quality minutes. Reminds me of another Feyes who played point for Alaska - Jun Reyes.
ReplyDeleteBut I hope he gets more playing time.