Payong Kaibigan: A Tale of Two Eagles Part 2

Ako ba pinag uusapan nila?

Author's note: While there are thousands of basketball bloggers out here on the Internet world, this writer wishes to separate himself somewhat by coming up with this small space we'd like to call Payong Kaibigan (first effort was to refrain from immature heckling/ cat-calling and posting any showbiz-oriented/ malicious). We will touch on certain professional basketball players plying their trade in the Philippines and critique their overall game-- identifying what we see as their strengths and areas of improvement.

Of course, we could easily and unimaginatively just go with tagging them as being "one-dimensional" or even bano, but we're not that great a basketball player or legit coach to be in the position to do so. We could only call them out, in hopes of them improving in these areas to further their careers. We'll try our very best to keep everything constructive.


With the operating word being "try."

Here we go again.

The second of two Eagles that haven't really "spread their wings" to the fullest recently made the local basketball news scene after demanding that he be traded from his estranged mother team. This, just days after speaking with team executives and expressing his desire to make a PBA come back, suit up and possibly help in the team's quest for another title run.

Our gripe here is that, where is this sense of entitlement coming from? Because he "played" in a US collegiate league where he spent most of the time as a practice player, side show dunker and constant on the injured list? We understand and support his decision to jump at the opportunity to "study" overseas and dump his champion college team-- we would do the very same thing. But really, just how much has he improved overall?

He became the PBA's number one overall pick and demanded a trade outright-- which he was even before he played his 2nd game. He (or his handlers) wanted to play heavy minutes, to be part of an actual rotation and probably have plays called for him like the star that he thinks he is.

But here's what we've seen so far in his PBA career:

Positives

- Accurate jumpshooter

- Has okay handles for a big man moving forward/ up and down the court

- Active on the floor and always looks to run

- Excellent weakside help defender (looking for the shotblocks)

Negatives

- Wants to play small forward but can't dribble side to side quick enough for the position (you can't just barrel through guys)

- Lacks discipline on defense (bites on every single pump fake by guys at least 3 inches shorter than he is)

- Weak rebounder

- No go-to, back-to-the-basket move

In short, this guy is still raw and developing as a player. He's lost in trying to play small forward, when his height says he should be playing center while his true position would be at the power forward spot as a helper on the defensive end (high post player on offense).

He's been in the league for quite some time now. Has been playing (and quitting) on teams left and right his whole career. Hell, even his former coach couldn't help but reveal his frustrations while still trying to sound as politically, Atenean, correct over social media.

If he doesn't want to play the big man's position, then okay, we get it. He's a small forward through and through. Gabe Norwood looks like shit when matched against quicker, more agile (and smaller) point guards but WTH. He tries. He has legit skills that he's been working on (offense needs to come though). the guy we're talking about can still make that leap, provided that he plays to his strengths. 

Now, if there's one guy that could teach him the game of basketball and "playing the right way" then it's no other than the guy who currently serves as his mother team's head coach: Norman Black.

So you want to play small forward for a 6"9 guy? Learn the ropes from one of the PBA's finest imports who just so happens plays that same position (and more). There's no other way for this guy, you could either try and find greatness at home, or just waste your youth (and bad knees) overseas as a practice player.