Point Blank

Asi is a lot of things for Air21,
but playing point guard is not one of them
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Four games into the PBA Philippine Cup and the somewhat retooled Air21 Express find themselves in familiar territory: 0-4, bottom of the 10-team race.

Despite the key addition/ renewed commitment of "immortal" Asi Taulava and spitfire guard Joseph Yeo (prized off-season recruit Mac Cardona is coming off injury), the Express are struggling to put together solid games (even the "moral victory" ones) and have lost no less than 11 points per outing.

A quick look at the roster and statistics reveals that the Express are in need of a point guard. While Yeo has done a superb job in trying to fill both guard roles (19 ppg, 5 rpg, 5 apg) with Taulava (12 ppg, 10 rpg, 2 apg) also orchestrating from the post, the Express are still lacking in really setting the table and making the game easier for themselves.

Bon-Bon Custodio, who has fallen into the depths and doldrums of PBA mediocrity after a superb collegiate career, dabbles in playing the key position but fails miserably. Veteran Wyne Arboleda is no longer as sharp as he once was defensively, which is the biggest and key reason why he got minutes on the floor over his "acceptable" orchestrating early in his career.

And for all things Simon Atkins, and how he was supposed to be demoted to the PBA D-League to learn to the play professionally, the guy just isn't ready (yet) to play on this level.

This brings us back to the 2013 PBA Draft and why the team opted for a raw athlete like Joshua Webb over point guards who are ready to play right now. Daresay the team didn't help their cause when they went for Eric Camson early (solid power forward, misused on the rotation and can't play ahead of sophomore Vic Manuel) when sturdy, quality point guards were still available.

With Cardona all set to come back full time, the rotation, maximizing possessions and "spreading the wealth" is going to get even trickier.

Playing armchair sports analyst, Yeo is better suited to be the de facto "star guard" of this Express team despite his "Robin: Batman" role to Cardona in college. Taulava patrols the paint while small forward Nino Canaleta, who has cooled off somewhat from last year's shooting renaissance, serves as the resident sniper. Cardona, with his unorthodox style and iso-heavy play, can put up all the shots that he wants with the 2nd team.

Which brings us back to the Express primary concern:

Who plays point guard?

(Author's note: the Express are reportedly trading for Rain or Shine's Ronnie Matias... when they should really be dealing for back-up point guard TY Tang. Boss Alvarez naman!)