2014 PBA Rookie Draft - 1st Round Reactions

Easy, ladies. Easy.
Photo courtesy of Philippine Star SUPREME

It's been a few days now since the 2014 PBA Rookie Draft and while just about every other sports writer has offered his two cents' worth of "grading PBA teams" in general, we'd like to take a different route and chip in a few words on the players.

Here we try to discuss the players selected in the 1st round, their possible strengths and weaknesses (based on what we've seen of them and some online statistics) and where they fit in their newfound PBA teams.

And just for kicks, we'll also throw in some grades to the PBA teams: A, B, C or D with A being the best/ wise decision and D the WTF?!? grade.

12. Blackwater Elite - Juami Tiongson, PG
With their rumored original pick Jericho Cruz going early, the Elite went for a projected starting point guard and possible "face" in the Atenean. While there were other, more potent players left in the pool, Tiongson is considered as a proven commodity in most circles owing to his championship pedigree which doesn't come easy. Skills wise, Tiongson has room to improve specially with his outside shooting which is a must for under-sized PBA guards. How he fares against the league's bigger, explosive guards is going to be an issue on defense though. A possible Tiongson-Alex Nuyles would be fun to watch, with the team's "backcourt tandem of the future" being quite easy on the eyes for the ladies as well.

Player comparison right now: No stop and pop TY Tang
Grade: B, a safe pick for the Elite

11. Kia Sorento - Manny Pacquiao, PG
At day's end, "Pacquiao" is a brand that almost guaran-damn-tees ticket sales for any other brand or institution. The PBA could just easily hold a "fans day/ guaranteed you'll-get-to-shake-his-hand meet and greet" for Pacquiao and chances are it's going to outsell any and all PBA games not Manila Classico or a PBA Finals Game 7. As an athlete, there's little room to doubt Pacquiao's conditioning. As a basketball player, the release is almost as ugly as that of former PBA imports Terquin Mott's or Damian Owens. Puro braso. E boksingero nga naman kasi. The Metta World Peace as a possible import for Kia in the 2nd or 3rd conference? With Pacquiao's immensestar power, who wouldn't want to be part of the Pacman's entourage?

Player comparison right now: Jayson Castro build, Noli de Castro game
Grade: A for all the other, non-basketball things he brings to the table

10. Barako Bull Energy - David Semerad, PF/C
Semerad joins his San Beda brethren and senior Dave Marcelo as the Energy try to either stockpile on tradeable assets or, heaven forbid, actually build a contender by adding younger pieces to eventually supplant veterans Dorian Pena and Mick Pennisi. Though the Energy are not as stellar on the front court, it's still going to be an uphill climb for Semerad with all the forwards and centers signed up on the team. To stand out, Semerad needs to get in the mud and fight for scraps day in and day out. Marcelo, Penissi, Pena, Nico Salva, Willy Wilson, Jondan Salvador, Leo Najorda as well as other rookies brought in via the draft are all standing in front of Semerad so this could very well make or break his young PBA career. Either he transforms into a reliable big man who dominates the boards/ knows his role or develops a jumper and become some hybrid energy guy off the bench like a bigger Sean Anthony.

Player comparison right now: Thinner Dave Marcelo
Grade: B, solid back-up

9. Rain or Shine Elastopainters - Jericho Cruz, SG
Has the size, speed and athleticism for a prototypical PBA 2-guard. Has the range and ball handling skills necessary to excel in the Elastopainters' famed helter-skelter/ dribble drive hybrid offense. And most of all, prior to the "Offseason of Paul Lee," there were already rumors going around that the Elastopainters' prized gunner Jeffrei Chan is being courted by just about every other PBA team off the books (and why the hell not, he's JEFFREI "SHOOT YOUR FACE OFF MAYKASAMAPANGFOUL" CHAN) so Cruz comes in as a possible replacement should the team ever cross that bridge (hopefully not). Basically, Cruz is a "do over" of sorts after the team drafted his Adamson buddy Alex Nuyles but failed to incorporate the high-flying guard owing to his need to have the ball in his hands to initiate the offense. Cruz, having played with Nuyles, has no qualms moving without the basketball which, theoretically, should make him a better fit. Now about that jersey name problem with JERvy CRUZ...

Player comparison right now: Jeric Teng with better handles 
Grade: A, proven scorer who could steal minutes away from Teng and Jireh Ybanessooner rather than later

8. Barako Bull Energy - Jake Pascual, PF/C
What? The Energy didn't TRADE this pick? They actually held on to a 1st round 8th pick? And they actually got an overlooked basketball player who could contribute right away? Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide. No escape from reality... Seriously though, Pascual is a legitimate big man with international experience owing to his stints with the Gilas cadet pool program. How he fared in that system however, well, the famed Gilas dribble drive offense isn't really big man friendly unless you happen to be a 6"11 naturalized center. If he plays his cards right, Pascual could be a rotation player for the Energy right away thanks to his basketball smarts and nifty low to high post moves. He isn't as quick like an Ian Sanggalang, but he's quite fundamental in the paint and could excel playing the weak side. Having a coach like Siot Tangquincen, who has tinkered with a  younger rotation late last season, should also be a plus.

Player comparison right now: Quicker Bryan Faundo 
Grade: B, a steal at number 8

7. GlobalPort Batang Pier (from San Mig Coffee Mixers) - Anthony Semerad, PF/C
Also known as "the Better of the Semerad Twins," Anthony enjoys a sweet amount of range which is a hot commodity among most bigs in the PBA. With the Batang Pier, Semerad could be developed into resident star Jay Washington's frontcourt partner in crime-- playing the weak side, helping out on defense and just picking his spots ready to shoot the basket when Washington, Alex Cabagnot, Terrence Romeo, and or his superstar rookie teammate (more on this later) are well covered in game situations. The biggest thing for Semerad moving forward is to not be tempted to do too much too soon and to simply stick to the basics and let the game come to him.

Player comparison right now: Keith Jensen
Grade: B, solid big man pick, range is a bonus

6. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel - Rodney Brondial, PF/C
Contrary to popular belief, Ginebra didn't land itself a potential gold mine in Brondial. Seriously. Just because a guy says he wants to play like someone, doesn't actually mean that he plays like that someone. So enough with the Marc Pingris comparisons already. Brondial is a hard-worker and coachable, he doesn't mind getting hit which is good, but (unlike Pingris) doesn't know how to dish out hits as well. He's scrappy, but not as athletic as you'd need to be if you're to ever be in the same conversation as Pingris (have you ever seen the 6"5 Matt Evans dopple ganger dunk in a game? Yeah, no). Granted, if all Ginebra wanted was a rotation big to one day replace Billy Mamaril, they could've done a lot better with this pick and go for either Semerads or Jake Pascual. Drafted this high mostly out of potential, hype and maybe some Leo Austria connections when in reality, has a long way to go in terms of improving as a legit PBA big man.

Player comparison right now: chubby Rico Maierhofer 
Grade: C, head coach Jeffrey Cariaso and Ginebra management has definitely bought into the Marc Pingris hype

5. Alaska Aces - Chris Banchero, PG
And the Aces just keep on winning in life like a PBA version to the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. Not only were they able to keep their young, champion core intact despite all the nasty rumors late last season, but they were also add arguably the best pass-first point guard in the entire PBA draft via a steal of epic proportions. Banchero, a projected Top 2-3 pick, was surprisingly left on the table for the Aces to pick up with their 5th selection. Banchero is a proven point guard who prefers to set the table for his teammates rather than just keep calling his own number which is starting to become a trend these days among PBA point guards. Having him on board allows starter JVee Casio to go back to his natural SG spot (despite being undersized PBA size wise) and just shoot without the burden of trying to get his teammates going. Defensively, Banchero is about as solid as they come and despite the pretty boy features, doesn't mind battling for the basketball every now and then.

Player comparison right now: cross-fit Chris Tiu
Grade: AAA, all hail the new face of the PBA. FACE as in FACE because, come on. Look at that.

4. NLEX Road Warriors - Matthew Ganuelas Rosser, SF
Something tells us that Rosser will be Pringle's biggest threat for the Rookie of the Year plum should both stay healthy and get the minutes that they deserve. Despite resembling Rain or Shine's Gabe Norwood, Rosser is actually more offensively-gifted and minded. He prefers to drive straight to the hoop rather than dilly dally outside (which is good because he has little to no range as of yet) while his defense is more of a byproduct of him, at small forward, being bigger than the competition which isn't the case in the PBA. With NLEX, Rosser can easily start at small forward while the team tries to build a PBA identity behind veterans Jonas Villanueva, Asi Taulava and Mark Cardona. They'll struggle here and there, but that only means that Rosser has more room to make and learn from his mistakes.

Player comparison right now: Jarred Dillinger
Grade: A, the hair needs to go. We can't take him seriously really. Or turn it into dreds. Or grow a beard.

3. San Miguel Beermen (from Barako Bull Energy) - Ronald Pascual, SF
Let's move on from all things Banchero for a minute and just concentrate on Pascual, the basketball player. Is he worthy of such a high pick? Well, honestly, given his skill set and size, he's a Top 5-7 pick at the very least. He's a proven scorer whatever defense you throw at him, he can slash to the hoop which was his specialty before he got hurt-- after that, he over came all challenges and reinvented his game to that of an assassin's. If that's not impressive enough to do in a span of 1-2 years in college, we don't know what is (other guys fail to make transitions all the way up to the PBA). This guy is fearless, and has played with guys like Calvin Abueva and Ian Sanggalang  so he's used to either being the superstar or 3rd wheel. One thing's for sure when it comes to Pascual that Beermen fans shouldn't worry about: he's definitely NOT larong mayaman.

Player comparison right now: Sunday Salvacion
Grade: B, takot ako kay Ronald Pascual.

2. Rain or Shine Elastopainters - Kevin Alas, PG
With or without Paul Lee, the Elastopainters are in very good hands by choosing Kevin Alas as number 2 over all. He's a perfect fit for their high octane, helter-skelter offense in the sense that he is a "read and react" type of player who has a nose for the basketball. The added Gilas training and international exposure has also helped expand his knowledge of the game in terms of playing point guard and knowing when and where to utilize his teammates. Truth be told, Alas is a natural born scorer and we could only hope that head coach Yeng Guiao gives him free control on offense much like the beloved mentor did with Lee during the "Angas ng Tondo's" rookie year. Kumbaga kung puntusan lang ang labanan, hindi tayo dehado kay Alas.

Player comparison right now: "get buckets, less hang time" Cyrus Baguio
Grade: A for Alas
 
1. GlobalPort Batang Pier - Stanley Pringle, PG
Much like Banchero, Pringle is another battle-tested rookie who has played the game of basketball on an international level both in Asia and Europe. Though it's too early to really proclaim Pringle as Jayson Castro II, it should be noted that Pringle has pretty much started for every single basketball team that he's opted to play in after school-- from Belgium to Indonesia and in between. From what we've seen in the ABL, Pringle is explosive off the dribble but doesn't finish as hard to the hoop. His range is somewhat limited but acceptable. There were times when his ABL teammate Jerrick Canada or Mario Wuysang, would play point and orchestrate with Pringle handling the scoring chores but that's mostly because of the on-court match-ups. With a Terrence Romeo by his side, Pringle's assist numbers will definitely go up and he could be the point guard who ignites the fire in Jay Washington (because we all know that Alex Cabagnot isn't throwing a lob to Washington any time soon).

Player comparison right now: No range Jayson Castro
Grade: AA, all things considered