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| "Here's the ball rook, run with it" (Photo credit to the owner) |
Honestly, this year's draft made the most sense for all the teams involved since most went to address their immediate needs rather than just blindly bobbing for apples. A few surprises/highlights include the Sinag/ Gilas Cadet alumni being picked early, Coach Yeng Guiao's "we need a big/ wing but we'll draft a surprise PG pick anyway just to mess with you mock draft nerds," and above all-- Roi Sumang "dropping" all the way down into the 3rd round after being projected as a possible and legitimate first round talent.
Because the 2015 PBA Draft went all the way down to the 6th (!) round and we, admittedly, have little to no idea about some of the names chosen, we'll stick with handing out grades for the 1st round selections.
1. Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters - Moala Tautuaa
When Tautuaa opted to throw his hat into the PBA D-League last year in hopes of joining the 2015 PBA Draft, TNT basically moved some parts to ensure that they will be able to acquire his services (or Bobby Ray Parks, Jr.'s, who opted not to join). Looking at the 6"7 Fil-Tonggan, it's easy to understand why TNT would go for him at this spot after losing Ali Peek to retirement and now Kelly Williams to injury and Jay Washington to a trade. He looked pretty solid while playing in the ABL and D-League, he has the size, speed and strength to combat any PBA big man, 2x PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo included.
Grade: A
2. Mahindra Enforcers - Troy Rosario
In reality, Tautuaa and Rosario are 1a and 1c. Tautuaa is proven and more polished, while Rosario has shown glimpses of the superstar caliber player that he can become. Add some post up game and he can live up to the Ranidel II hype. Add some handles, he can even reach Jun Limpot II sacred ground owing to his speed and shooting. Mahindra is looking at a gold mine in Rosario, but the latest reports have it that he's on his way to TNT-- hopefully, they get someone meaningful in return.
Grade: A
Bloody hell. Messed up everyone's mock draft. Ahanmisi is skilled, but not enough to really gain media attention IMHO. If he were THAT good, he'd make a bunch of highlights and even blow up on Twitter for a day. But he didn't. Solid, all-around point guard who looks like RoS wants him or expects him to be their version of TNT's Ryan Reyes or even better. Honestly, this feels like a big gamble overall for RoS. They've had a bunch of local 1st rounders before, and the track record says they're good but not great. So maybe adding a Fil-foreigner like Ahanmisi could take them over the hump.
Grade: B
Homer pick? Sure. But considering Newsome can light up the scoreboard while also gobble up rebounds despite his 6"1 frame should give Bolts fans a bit of that Calvin Abueva feel... minus the crazy. Newsome can develop his offensive game playing behind Gary David, or just continue being his all-around self at the 3 spot.
Grade: B
Best all around talent in the Draft, hand picked by the best coaching mind in the PBA. Though Coach Tim isn't that fond of playing rookies, we have a feeling that Thompson will get his minutes and supplant either Jayjay Helterbrand or Mark Caguioa before the season ends as a true disciple of the Triangle Offense.
Grade: A
A shooter who was able to learn the intricacies of playing the point. Think JVee Casio but bigger and better defense. Oh, wait. Think JVee Casio with defense AND not hesitant to shoot the ball. Can play PG and SG, two areas where NLEX is pretty weak-- PG Jonas Villanueva is injury prone while SG Mark Cardona is getting up there in age.
Grade: A
Suddenly, the Bolts now feature an awesome point guard combo in "re-instated" veteran Jimmy Alapag and rookie Amer. Having watched Amer learn the ropes in college, he has the same approach and feel for the game as an "old" Ronnie Magsanoc-- not as quick, but very smart with the basketball, recognized and reads in-game situations and, when needed, can knockdown the three ball with relative ease. He's the perfect fit for an "interchangeable" team like the Bolts who have a bunch of hybrid forwards that are more "finishers" than "creators" by trade.
Grade: A
It's all about keeping it in the family. Honestly, if Barako Bull had a higher pick in this year's 2015 PBA Draft, we fully expect them to tab Torres just to keep him in the SMC fold. While the former DLSU Green Archer is equipped with a wide body, he'll find that there are guys even bigger and stronger than him in the PBA. As an athlete, Torres is an agile big man who can run the length of the court. Skills-wise, Torres is as raw as they come. There are glimpses, but he has yet to put 2 and 2 together to be truly effective. Would be interesting who gets over first: him or Barako Bull and former DLSU teammate Philip Paredes who was quite impressive last season as a Doug Kramer-in-training (big man who can set sturdy screens, rebound and hit the open jumper). Over at STAR, Torres relatively "soft" demeanor will be tested by veteran Marc Pingris while he can learn the ropes being the recovering Ian Sangalang's (and his fresh, 3 year contract) practice buddy/ dummy.
Grade: C
So maybe the Elite are interested in building a winning team after all. Dela Cruz by himself is an instant upgrade over current Elite "star" forward Reil Cervantes on all fronts. He works within a system, plays hard-nosed defense and hey, is a willing rebounder to boot. If Coach Leo Isaac plays his cards right, we wouldn't mind a Dela Cruz-Cervantes frontline for the coming PBA Philippine Cup at all.
Grade: A
Did the Road Warriors really need another stretch four? Nino Canaleta, Mark Borboran and Aldrech Ramos. There are other names on their roster, but basically they're guys who are tall, can shoot and have little to no post game. Khobuntin's a better perimeter defender (from what we've seen of him in college, hard to tell against PBA competition until the season starts) so Coach Boyet could probably utilize him as an "upgraded" version of old Santa Lucia ward Bitoy Omolon who did a lot of the dirty work from playing lockdown defense to scoring inside on drop passes and putbacks.
Grade: B
Two-way player, can make shots and play defense. Yep, pretty much another candidate for the annual "Who is going to replace Tony dela Cruz" tryouts. Racal's been solid for Letran, but he was never really the "face" of it or "alpha." When Kevin Alas left, we expected him to ball out. Well, what round draft pick 5"5 Mark Cruz took that spot from under his nose-- literally. Solid rotation player that needs to put in the work with aging stars dela Cruz, Cyrus Baguio and Dondon Hontiveros and fellow youngster Rome dela Rosa as his main competition.
Grade: B
A lot of folks are happy with Nimes going to RoS because 1. he looks the part of being a Yeng Guiao Guy (swag, ink) 2. he is actually a thinking man's basketball player who doesn't rely on athleticism 3. he can play small forward right away for RoS as Gabe Norwood's chief backup. As an RoS fan, we're worried about his nagging injuries. Also, we're not quite convinced that he can really "run" with the PBA's collection of athletic wings. We're getting a Ronald Magtulis-Mac Baracael vibe from Nimes, which isn't all too bad. It's not like anyone could get a game changer this late in the Draft right. Right? (Roi Sumang smh)
Grade: B
Well, there's our grades for the 12 teams and their respective draft picks. Who do you think won and is your best to have a breakout, Rookie of the Year season? Smart money's on Tautuaa, but then you 'll have to remember that TNT's focus is on team play and that the alphas are Jayson Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo. Rosario? He might end up on the same team. Ahanmisi?
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