What's wrong with Alaska?

The struggle is real for Baguio and co.
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

For all the heat that the PBA Philippine Cup champions San Miguel Beermen are getting for their current pitiful PBA Commissioner's Cup campaign, the team that they beat-- the Alaska Aces, are not doing so well either. The team has been under-performing and uncharacteristically not "fighting" in games that many are starting to buy into the rumors and ask if this team is really going to be sold soon thus their players' lackadaisical approach.

Well, blame it on the import that they started the conference with. After that, blame it on the players simply being tired from that grueling, balls-out of a PBA Finals that was one of the best any Filipino basketball fan has seen in years. Blame it on head coach Alex Compton for failing to better prepare his team this conference. And then, only then, yes, maybe blame it on that ugly rumor that keeps lingering around.

The Aces opted to start the 2nd conference with a defensive-minded import in the 6"9 DJ Covington who played four games and averaged somewhere around 22 ppg and 9 rpg in 29 minutes which resulted in a 2 wins-2 losses record. The knock on Covington was that he wasn't much of a "go-to-guy" for the Aces, but then again he was already long established as a guy who plays defense first, offense second. Basically, he's built for Coach Compton's #wenotme style as another rock solid role player. Plus, 22 and 9 doesn't seem all that bad if you look at the number of minutes he plays versus other imports who go almost without rest.

So out went Covington and in came a more offensively-gifted import in Damion James. Well, he's not getting the job as well as the Aces have continued to plummet down the standings and now carry a 2-5 record (the two wins, as mentioned, are Covington's). So was it really Covington/ James fault?

Then there's Calvin Abueva (currently averaging around 8 ppg, 5 rpg) who is now fast becoming the league's PBA Philippine Cup MVP by default, but then vanishes into obscurity come the 2nd and 3rd conferences. You simply can't blame the guy, he plays the 3-4 position with much gusto and fire, but at the end of the day a 6"1 gung-ho of an athlete will give up a lot to a 6"8 and plus, gung-ho of an athlete of a different breed/ race. We've long said that Abueva needs to keep polishing his guard skills, if only to stay relevant and help the Aces' cause.

Take Abueva out of the equation, and the Aces are as plain as they come. Traditional point guard in JVee Casio who takes so long to figure out when his team needs him to score. Then there's the under-rated Cyrus Baguio, always flying somewhere below radar. Dondon Hontiveros still has it at the ripe old age of 3X, but you can't keep asking him to bail guys out with his Hesus JeepneyHalaga (okay, that was dorky. Don't try to tagalize Jesus Shuttlesworth please) three balls all the time. Gabby Espinas has always been a role player and well, Sonny Thoss has been quite mediocre after suiting up that one time for Gilas Pilipinas (it's true! Not just injuries, but after Gilas, he's been nowhere near as dominant. Missing LA much?).

So the locals are, well, under-performing. Guess every one gets tired at some point, specially after that PBA Finals. But still, Coach Compton has been doing a great job in rotating his bench and developing guys so you'd expect for at least someone to take charge this conference. So far, the #wenotme hasn't worked.

#notatall

The last theory, and perhaps the one that is starting to gain some momentum yet again is the possible selling of the Alaska franchise to, based on the rumors, newly-minted PBA D-League champion Happee Toothpaste. Last season, this was the same rumor that started to spread when the Aces were struggling in the Governor's Cup en route to head coach Luigi Trillo mysteriously resigning and the Aces being beaten by a whopping 40 points owing to a rather surprisingly listless effort.

Now it's back and gaining more ground day by day. It's a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation for the Aces, since if they address the news-- then it would admit weakness inside the fold and you don't want that. If they choose to remain silent and let it die down, well, Internet marks are going to have a feast as long as the Aces are struggling.

For the #GatasRepublic 's sake, we hope that the Aces are able to turn things around and we start seeing that same "new age" fire we've all come to embrace from this team.

Because honestly, we have an eerie feeling that Happee's PBA D League run was funded in some way, shape, or form by a certain "patron" which if they are to enter the PBA, would completely split the league in two (if it hasn't been already).