Who is the Best Pinoy Big Man today?

Where would you rank RDO and The Boss?

One of our friends over at Facebook.com/KiliKiliShot (shoutout to boss Dexter Cumigad and his family, thank you for reading our stuff) asked who we feel are the best big men in the Philippine Basketball Association today. The easiest way out of course is to simply go with the numbers, but contrary to popular belief-- numbers lie.

A guy could average only 6 points and 7 rebounds for his team but still have the most dominating presence on the hard court (think Belga, who makes use of his height, heft and six fouls to the hilt every time). So here's a list of who we feel are the league's best big men- taking one per team of course and ranking them altogether. And just to spice things up, we're not simply going to go with the guy who starts the game at center or is marked as one. We're going to rank the Top 10 bigs who play the position for their teams when the games are tight and shots or stops need to be made.

10. Jay-R Reyes (Meralco Bolts)
How long before we finally give up on the former U.P. Maroon and Gilas Pilipinas campaigner? No matter the extended minutes, international training and exposure, it seems that Reyes just isn't meant to dominate the sport after glimpses of near-Kerby Raymundo potential. He has the post-up moves and range, but as with some players, it comes down to putting it all together and being consistent. The silver lining for Reyes of course is, being a young player in the pros, he has time to find a niche. With all the scorers that the Bolts have on the roster (starting with star guard Mark Cardona), perhaps Reyes can concentrate more on playing defense and grabbing more rebounds (then maybe the offense can come later).

9. Doug Kramer (Barako Bull Energy Cola)
We are big Kramer fans. We fill that he is the most under-rated and under-utilized quality role-playing big man in the PBA today. No, he is not gifted with back-to-the-basket abilities like teammate Enrico Villanueva, but he has found a role in the pros and has stuck to it the last three to four years. Kramer does his best work setting hard screens, boxing out, rebounding and knocking down kick-out/ dump mid-range jumpshots. He's not a guy who'll average 15 and 10 a night, but he'll contribute right away given the minutes.

8. Mark Isip (Air21 Express)

If only Isip were born a few inches taller, he'd be the talk of the town. Or at the very least, be in the Top 5 conversation. Isip is born with a thinking big man's game, mixing in and out. He plays honest defense and is never afraid of getting his hands dirty. Consistency is never an issue with Isip, more like, it depends mostly on if his opponent for a certain game is near his height or not. Say what you will about this guy being more power forward than center, but we doubt that Express coach Franz Pumaren would ever consider James Sena or Rob Reyes over Isip n the clutch.

7. Jondan Salvador (GlobalPort Batang Pier)

Salvador is a bruiser. He has legit, back-to-the-basket and perimeter skills. The man is a shorter, wider Dennis Espino through and through with the difference being Espino is the better/ smarter defender while Salvador is more, well, savage. Why we rank Salvador higher than Kramer is simple: the man knows his role for any and all teams he has ever played for. The points are a bonus and come when it's needed, he knows that it's on the defensive end where he's needed and he is more than willing to throw an elbow (or forty-eight) a game.

6. Kerby Raymundo (Barangay Ginebra San Miguel)
Kerby's got skills. And, as his recent Commissioner's Cup campaign shows, still has it when needed. Though age and injury has caught up with the former National Team standout, Raymundo is still arguably the most polished big man in the PBA inside and out. He has all the moves down pat, can play finesse or force depending on the opponent, and has always had a keen defensive sense on the floor (often outsmarting bigger, stronger opponents). How long he keeps it up however, is another question moving forward.

5. Beau Belga (Rain or Shine Elastopainters)
Think Salvador, only with more footspeed, basketball IQ and range. That's what Belga brings to the game for the Elastopainters. While Salvador is busy literally throwing his bruising weight around, Belga does so with more refinement and skill (re: gulang). The patented flat-footed pump fake? Japeth Aguilar (and that Shanghai Sharks guard) has nightmares to this day.

4.  Junemar Fajardo (Petron Blaze Boosters)

Fajardo will be The Franchise. SOON.

We like what we've seen so far from Fajardo, nay, we LOVE what we've seen from the 6"10 giant and can't wait to see more. The ASEAN Basketball League exposure has obviously done Fajardo good, able to test his mettle against American reinforcements the entire season after playing and dominating against local competition in the amateurs (none of which are near his size save for maybe his slow-footed rival Greg Slaughter). In the PBA, Fajardo is unequalled given his great hands, knack for always being around the basket and just having a great and positive attitude when it comes to knowing his place in the Petron heirarchy. Give this guy another year or two and he'll be his team's focal point-- it would be a great disservice to him and all of Philippine basketball if coach Olsen Racela does otherwise.


3. Marc Pingris (San Mig Coffee Mixers)
There was a time when Pingris was all swag and no basketball IQ. He's come a long way from those years, now gifted with a solid, basic offensive game but with tons of defensive IQ guarding every position on the floor. What's crazy about Pingris is that he is still evolving as a basketball player-- adding a low post game, free throws, jump shots-- he is still improving year after year. A high impact player, Pingris is the guy that his team trusts to anchor their defense when the game is up for grabs. One-on-one, there's no one better than Pingris as a defender (due more to his outstanding footwork rather than hands). The only real weakness when you look at a guy like Pingris is his consistency and confidence on the offensive end. We also haven't seen him play defense on a proper pick-and-roll (where he'll be forced to trap the guard, then hustle back to his man ala the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh).

2. Sonny Thoss (Alaska Aces)

The Boss is getting there and he has worked hard on it. We remember seeing Thoss as ICTSI-La Salle's reinforcement in the now defunct Philippine Basketball League. A 6"7 greenhorn with no skills-- that's what we thought of Thoss and we were not mistaken. He had great hands, but couldn't finish in the paint. He had a quiet demeanor and even more ghostly presence on the court. The numbers were more because of his height rather than his actual skill. But things change whenever you put in the work. Thoss has emerged as a legit low post presence for the Aces the last two to three years, specially when the team decided to slowly shy away from the Triangle Offense (with Tim Cone's departure) and open itself to more one-on-one forays. Thoss started getting the ball more down low rather than out the perimeter and was quick to showcase his vastly improved skillset on the block. Thoss should also be credited for bulking up and strengthening himself to Danny Ildefonso-like levels, able to back down legit 7"0 imports even the previous conference. So yeah, Thoss has made believers out of us.

1. Ranidel de Ocampo (Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters)

Ladies and gentlemen, the reigning, and defending, Best Damn Pinoy Big Man bar none. The recognition and respect came in late, pretty much due to RDO's early inconsistencies and playing behind the shadow of big brother and former teammate shadows of former teammates, brother Yancy  and Asi Taulava. Name a textbook big man move and RDO has it. He has dribbling skills (although robotic), he has range (although slow in release), and best of all, he has all the left/right turn spin moves reminiscent of the Espinos, Ildefonsos, Aquinos and those before them. What makes RDO, though an inch or two shorter than Kuya Yancy, arguably the best today is that he can dominate the game whenever he feels like it. Whenever teammates Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro or Larry Fonacier are having rough nights, RDO takes it upon himself to carry the burden and will his team to victory doing whatever it takes- be it scoring inside and out or throwing those sharp, deadly elbows around for those who dare challenge him on the block.

Who do you think are the league's Top 10 Bigs?