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| Will Coach Alex #LetAbuevaBeAbueva ? (Photo courtesy of Sports5) |
Players: Samigue Eman, Chris Banchero, Cyrus Baguio, Calvin Abueva, Sonny Thoss, Ping Exciminiano, Paolo Bugia, Vic Manuel, Eric Menk, Dondon Hontiveros, RJ Jazul, JVee Casio, Tony de la Cruz, Gabby Espinas, Josh Vanlandingham, Rome de la Rosa (R)
After an unexpected divorce with its (now former) head coach, the Aces look to win anew under head coach Alex Compton who is reportedly shying away from the Triangle Offense. This approach is going to prove to be rather interesting, since it wasn't THAT long ago wherein the Aces sacked another former head coach for doing just that-- dumping the team's patented, tried-and-tested offensive philosophy of XX years instilled by now San Mig Coffee Mixers' grand slam coach Tim Cone.
Looking at the roster, the Aces were able to add a few pieces who have that right balance of being an exceptional basketball athlete (which is quite big with the franchise when you look at most of their acquisitions over the years) and quality locker room guy (with Abueva and maybe buddy Espinas being the only firebrands). Veterans Menk and Vanlandingham will address certain needs on the floor-- a quality backup for franchise cornerstone Thoss on the block and a wing defender/ shooter to spell veteran wings Hontiveros and De La Cruz.
Then there are rookies Banchero and de la Rosa, two blue chip recruits who are sure to get minutes on the floor-- specially for Banchero. Gifted with the size of a PBA two guard, Banchero is a natural, pass-first point guard who could very well allow resident starter JVee Casio and his backup RJ Jazul to switch back to their more offensive-minded natures on the floor. How many times did Aces' fans ask for Casio to takeover games-- like he has been known to do back in college, only to find him deferring to his other teammates in a respectable yet futile attempt to masquerade as a pure "point guard?" Jazul is the anti-PBA Casio, coming in games with one thing on his mind and that is to simply drop buckets or die trying. De la Rosa is also a solid pick-up, but he'll have to move heaven and earth to get minutes at the 2-3 spot with all the veterans already locked in to start ahead of him in games. Best way for him is to develop into a hybrid stopper, much like TDLC to find a true niche with the Aces.
If Baguio and Thoss are both healthy, then the Aces will be right in the middle of the title hunt not only for the PBA Philippine Cup but for the entire season as well. On paper, the Aces are arguably one of the more balanced teams in terms of having the more traditionally accepted players in every position...
..and then there's Abueva.
Now on his third year as a PBA player, the former PBA Rookie of the Year has managed to become the Aces' "People's Champion" primarily because while he's not exactly the face of the team, he is the "indie-leader," so to speak, in terms of being that energy guy on the court who could do so many things to win games.
Will Coach Compton actually let Abueva play more than half a game? Will Abueva be disciplined enough on the court to manage his fouls and not be a distraction to his teammates? Will Abueva finally be able to embrace the life of a PBA small forward or will he continue to masquerade as a modern day Terry Saldana with more punk swag and handles and less the stone cold demeanor?
In theory, Abueva is the chocolate to the Aces' otherwise vanilla design. He brings the sexy. He brings the fun. But like chocolate, too much of it can be dangerous to one's health-- something his former coach Luigi Trillo kept in mind until his last day on the job.
Of the 12 PBA teams competing in the PBA Philippine Cup, look for the Aces to finish possible around the 4th-6th spots, all things considered.
Waiting for Abueva to improve his 3 point shooting.
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