Room for Tiu

Mabait, pero mabagsik

We would like to think that we've successfully come to peace with our testosterone-driven insecurities in relation to the Rain or Shine Elastopainters' prized pitchman/ rookie Chris Tiu. After all, he is playing for our favorite team, under the tutelage of our favorite coach, and devoid of any diva mentality rampant among most of this era's TV-basketball stars.

So allow us to once again write about Tiu, his recent heroics and how he continues to open our hearts and minds to the fact that underneath the good looks, ever-flowing charm and unwavering charisma that wins over even the most rabid of James Yap and even die-hard Ginebra fans lies a ruthless competitor who puts his team before himself all for the sake of the coveted "W."

Tiu has been playing a lot of combo guard for the Elastopainters under head coach Yeng Guiao, earning 17 minutes a night and averaging 5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists which are paltry at best but it's the little things he does on the court that has proven to be invaluable. Also, Tiu did have those two games first versus Yap and the rest of San Mig Coffee wherein he tallied a superstar-like 15 points and 8 assists and then just yesterday afternoon when Tiu put his "clutch" cap on and drained threes and make plays enough to help his team win in a hotly contested battle versus GlobalPort.

In our minds, Tiu has found a niche in the pros. He's not on the same plateau as a Mark Caguioa or even James Yap in the sense that he's not a superstar shot creator, but in a system as freelancing such as Guiao's, he knows what to do and always makes the correct plays as a Shane Battier would for the NBA champions Miami Heat. To our surprise even, Tiu has been effectively playing some point guard and (fortunately) has more than held his own against the speedbugs of the PBA.

But anyone can score or make an assist, specially those who have made it on to the professional ranks. What we love about Tiu, other than him being a TV personality which all but guarantees a longer PBA career than some of his draftmates, is that he plays defense.

See, most rookies come in as scorers-- excited, eager and always wanting to contribute right away. It's the best way to become an instant household name and win over fans. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's not what helps keep you in the league in general. Take for example Val Acuna now of the ASEAN Basketball League but drafted by San Mig Coffee Mixers a few years back. Compared to Tiu, Acuna is a more explosive creator who can finish at the rim with the best of them. His problem other than playing with superstar guards James Yap and PJ Simon, was that he played lackluster defense. It's bad enough that you have to earn your spot behind two of the league's best and brightest, but to be unable to offer anything when you sub in?

That's why the Alaska Aces' Cyrus Baguio spent much of his career in the Yeng Guiao Red Bull doghouse despite Guiao's penchant for shuffling his bench. Yes, they had Larry Fonacier and a few other key guards playing in front of Baguio, but the man now known as "Skyrus" was all offense with little to no defense.

Now, not only is Baguio one of the league's top notch scorers/ finishers, he also has the quickest hands outside of Talk 'n' Text's Ryan Reyes when it comes to stealing the basketball.

Back to Tiu and his defensive chops. No, he doesn't have as quick a hands/feet as other lockdown defenders in the PBA. But the guy is pesky and subtly dirty. He uses his hands to grab at jerseys/ shorts, elbows to annoy his assignments and even bodies up on guards like Simon and Baguio. He's even unmindful of the retaliation that may come, often sacrificing his body if it translated to helping keep his man on check. In our safe estimation of Tiu, he's the non-slashing counterpart of fellow Ateneo alumni Larry Fonacier or a bigger version of his Xavier HS buddy TY Tang (minus the FT stop and pop).

Of course, compared to the explosive and Rookie of the Year shoo-in Calvin Abueva, Tiu is already "mature" as a basketball player having played on bigger stages such as the FIBA tourneys under Serbian coach Rajko Toroman. But even then, he would knock down clutch baskets and even play point guard over speedy Mark Barroca (which was big, considering their college resumes- Barroca being the star on court while Tiu a star off it).

We hope that Tiu improves on his numbers (although he'd probably be quick to say that he's content as long as they keep winning) and further learns the PG spot. Right now, he's as solid a backup to star teammate Paul Lee and is helping the Elastopainters win big in the ongoing Commissioner's Cup.