#PlayMeOrTradeMe

Nice shirt.
(Photo credit to the owner)

Indefinite suspension.

That is the punishment handed down by STAR Hotshots' management on their young small forward Allein Maliksi, after the former UST Tiger posted (now deleted) one of Nike's statement shirts on his personal Instagram account.

Let this be a lesson to all millenials: social media is not a platform for you to be ranting about the work place. Specially if your account is public AND more so if you are a celebrity of sorts like Maliksi.

In the clutch

Nobody said it was easy.
(Photo credit to the owner)

Thirty-four minutes played, 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 turnovers all while looking lost in the scheme of things.

Life is not going to be easy this season for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel star guard and former PBA MVP Mark Caguioa- not under coach Tim Cone, the Triangle Offense and his (Caguioa's) brittle 35-year-old knees. But if he truly intends to see his beloved red and white back in the PBA Finals or at least get them by its doorstep, it is a challenge, a sacrifice, that he needs to embrace.

Call it a hot take on yesterday's Manila Classico wherein Ginebra lost to STAR 78-86. Call it a small sample that should not be taken with much ado and fervor. Call it what you like, but we will still call it as we saw it.

Show of force

This image might be a
common thing for years to come
(Photo credit to the owner)

Did you catch yesterday's out-of-town match pitting the defending PBA Philippine Cup champions San Miguel Beermen and darkhorse pick GlobalPort Batang Pier?

It was brutal.

While the final score of 97-86 would hint at a close game (even if you look by quarters: 20-27, 49-37, 71-58, 97-86), what we witnessed on the floor would suggest otherwise. The Batang Pier didn't stand a chance once the Beermen buckled down to work and got into a steady rhythm. 

Back to the one we love

The PBA is BACK!
WOW! Fantastic baby.
(Photo credit to the owner)

Though we were definitely upset over all the drama that still, fortunately, led to a silver medal finish for our Gilas 3, there is no point in denying that we will always be fans of the Philippine Basketball Association by default.

One; because we do not really see another Metropolitan Basketball Association rising out of the woodwork (until of course either Team San Miguel or Team Manny V Pangilinan pulls all of their teams out of the Asia's first basketball league), and two; because Filipinos in general are a fickle, forgiving lot (we are generalizing here, because this basically explains how and why troublemakers and borderline idiots get seats in the government).

So yes, we forgive you PBA for the Gilas 3 drama. But only because we are left with no other alternative (at the moment, once the NBA starts holding Global Games in Manila then all bets are off). Now that you've named a 17-man pool for the Olympic Qualifiers, we kinda, sorta, hate you guys less. We still hate some of the guys in charge, but not as much as before.

And we will forgive you for making up-and-coming emcee Abra look like a complete tool last Wednesday.

On to STAR vs Rain or Shine, NLEX vs Blackwater and Alaska vs Talk'n'Text then.

The PBA is BACK!

All eyes on me

Steal of the 2015 PBA Draft or bust?
(Photo credit to the owner)

With the PBA Philippine Cup (and season) set to open this Wednesday, here is a list of who we feel should be on your radar in terms of delivering "must see TV." We are not simply talking about our picks for any individual awards at conference's end. We are talking about guys who already have storylines written for them, going into the season.

*Special mention* Roi Sumang, GlobalPort Batang Pier
If only because this guy was initially expected to be in the first round of the 2015 PBA Draft, all eyes would probably be on Sumang and how he'll fit in 1) GlobalPort and 2) the PBA. Will he get his minutes on the floor and be allowed to score? Or will he be asked to defer to his veteran teammates, who are also scorers by trade (Joseph Yeo, Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle) and "learn" the ropes of being a role player?

10. James Yap, STAR Hotshots
Was Yap shackled by the Triangle, as most would believe, or is he simply on a slow decline owing to all the basketball mileage? Is STAR still his team, or are they moving to another direction with Mark Barocca and Ian Sangalang?

9. Aldrech Ramos, Mahindra Enforcers
Ramos is to basketball as Myrtle is to local showbiz. Whoever this guy's manager is should get a raise. He's everywhere. EVERY FREAKING WHERE. We haven't seen anything from him that would convince us that he's a solid role player at least, and yet we keep hearing all the hype and hoopla from wherever. Hell, he even made it to the Gilas 3 - Jones Cup selection for crying out loud. Now that he is on a bad team, with no one to compete minutes with (unless Coach Manny Pacquiao  Chito Victolero uses him at the 4 to backup Nino Canaleta), we expect to see at least some semblance of a grown man's game to Ramos this season.

Make or break

"Paul, sa ... maganda daw yung perks"
(Photo credit to the woner)

There is a storm coming.

Allow us to speak on a more personal level, being Rain or Shine Elastopainters fans and all since the Yeng Guiao era (established in 2011). Paul Lee is on the final year of his two-year contract extension. We saw how his manager openly batted that another one of his wards, Roi Sumang, be picked by RoS if only to have them play together buddy-ball style. RoS didn't. They passed on it. They picked an insurance policy in case Lee takes his talents elsewhere in 3rd overall pick Maverick Ahanmisi. Sumang? Pass. Pass. Pass.

Then, RoS barred Lee from playing for Gilas 3.

Don't think that that little incident is all water under the bridge now.

Jeffrei Chan, another Gilas player, was also not allowed to suit up.

Something's amiss.

Young, wild and free

So this is Junemar's league, huh?
(Photo credit to the owner)

Just when you thought that the Talk'n'Text Tropang Texters needed a back-to-the-basket center to combat 2x PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo and champs San Miguel...

... they added a face-up, burly "center" who really plays more like a small forward in 6"7 Moala Tautuaa, another 6"7 rebounding sniper in Troy Rosario, and a 6"4 hard-nosed banger (who is arguably their best low post player outside of star Ranidel de Ocampo) in Larry Rodriguez.

Why play traditional when you can play position-less?

The long and winding road

How far can Asi take NLEX?
(Photo credit to the owner)

While their elders, Talk'n'Text and Meralco, enjoy having youthful bigs to continue building their foundations around, head coach Boyet Fernandez and his NLEX Road Warriors find themselves stuck in the mud with aging frontliners who are an injury away from retirement.

Sure, Asi Taulava (fresh from another tour of duty with Gilas 3) and Enrico Villanueva are still fearsome names and that Asi has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts the last three seasons, but can a team really pin their hopes on a 40+ year old with limited low post offense? How about Villanueva? He hasn't been the same since suffering an injury after a stint with Barako Bull and has played more like a TV-friendly version of 90s role player Chris Bolado than the "Raging Bull" we once knew.

These proud veterans are backed by Rob Reyes, Eric Camson, Mark Borboran and Jeckster Apinan. They are a solid, role-playing bunch, but not in the same area as TNT's Moala Tautuaa and Troy Rosario, and Meralco's returning Rabeh Al Hussaini.

Definitely nowhere near.

Here comes the boom

Welcome to Junemar's world
(Photo credit to GlennMichaelTan.com)

Last season, the San Miguel Beermen were finally able to put it all together.

They brought in a true player's coach in Leo Austria, finally bought into the "less is more" mindset and let go of some more star caliber players for role playing ones and basically streamlined their offense to Junemar Fajardo 1, everyone else 2. 

The end result? Two championships in three conferences.

Nothing to see here

Still waiting for Garcia's break out year
(Photo credit to the owner)

Because really, are there actual fans of the following teams and not just of the individual players who were "carried over" from their idol's former squad?

Barako Bull Energy Cola
If only this team weren't so blatant in being the league's premier farm team, we would actually vouch for this line-up. RR Garcia, JC Intal, Mac Baracael, Jervy Cruz and either the old Mick Pennisi (seriously, this guy should consider retiring soon) or Prince Caperal. Then there are guys like Chico Lanete, Josh Urbiztondo, James Forrester, Emman Monfort and Willy Wilson coming off the bench. Okay, maybe they have a surplus of point guards, but this should make for an exciting run-and-gun squad right?

Right.

Who pads his stats first? Last season, it was Denok Miranda who was able to stat-pad his way out of the Energy camp. Will it be Intal, who is coming off a solid Gilas 3 stint? Will it be Garcia, the former UAAP MVP, who we thought would break out last season after being freed from the burden of having to play with college buddy/ rival Terrence Romeo only to learn that hey, maybe Garcia's not THAT special after all? Or will it be Baracael, who will most likely go back to his stretch four roots and remind us of how special a player he looked back when he played for Gilas I?

Your guess is as good as ours. Coach Koy Banal will make this team compete, but at day's end when they start winning someone's bound to pull the plug. Remember Joseph Yeo last conference? When he started running his mouth about how "free" they were? Yeah, he got traded soon. But not before BB's winning streak fizzled out..

Electric Avenue

The Prodigal Son returns
(Photo credit to the owner)

To borrow a line or two from the great Guyanese-British musician Eddy Grant's hit song, "We(are) gonna rock down to Electric Avenue, and then we'll take it higher (higher)."

Higher, because that is where head coach Norman Black is destined to bring the revamped Meralco Bolts. Last year, the team had to make do with the oft-injured Mike Cortez at point guard and whoever was healthy and available enough to masquerade at center. It got so bad that the Bolts had to play center-by-committee, since no one was fit enough to really play the position.

Their best low post player?

Swiss Army knife Reynel Hugnatan (who was greatly rewarded for his efforts, earning his first PBA All Star selection), who easily gives up about 5 to 6 inches to the likes of 2x PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo, PBA MVP Asi Taulava and Greg Slaughter.

This coming season the Bolts have been rewarded by the basketball Gods with the addition of unretired floor general Jimmy Alapag and big man Rabeh Al Hussaini.

A puncher's chance

Show them who's Boss
(Photo credit to the owner)

Dear Alaska Aces fans, welcome to Rain or Shine Elastopainters territory.

Before you start telling us off about how different our teams our, just hear this RoS fan for a minute. We rose to the top somewhere in 2012, when we beat a champions-in-the-making STAR Hotshots side and continued to reach the Finals the next two to three years only to fail time and again to some established powerhouse. Your team? Well after the Cone Era, you beat Ginebra in the Finals, regrouped with a new coach but the same gung-ho style (although much freer), and reached the Finals again (twice) just last season only to fall to San Miguel.

Welcome to basketball bridesmaid purgatory.

On the offensive

Your team or mine?
(Photo credit to the owner)

How many players does it take to score a basket?

This is going to be Coach Pido Jarencio's biggest challenge as he leads a retooled Global Port Batang Pier squad that does not only feature elite scorer Terrence Romeo and the promising Stanley Pringle, but also veteran assassin-by-trade Joseph Yeo, trigger happy point man Jonathan Uyloan and rookie Roi "I'm not a basketball diva" Sumang. 

Granted, the Batang Pier squad enjoyed some success when they played a three guard unit with Asian import Omar Krayem-- but that was more to Krayem's versatility and efficiency than Coach Pido's Xs and Os. Krayem pretty much covered for Pringle and Romeo, sliding comfortably at the small forward spot.

Yeo? We are not too sure he can play defense like Krayem. We don't think he will have any troubles deferring to the younger guys on offense (having played with Mac Cardona early in his career), but it's on defense where this Romeo-Pringle-Yeo troika might fail. Remember, Batang Pier had Krayem AND Denok Miranda last conference to "save" Romeo and Pringle.

Free Rein

Make or break
(Photo credit to the owner)

It is a great time to be a fan of STAR Hotshots basketball.

Sure, you can look at it from the other end of the spectrum since they recently lost their grand slam coach Tim Cone and the walking mismatch that is Joe DeVance, but then you should consider that no triangle means more running and gunning. More points. More fun.

At the very least, that is what we feel Coach Jason Webb is going for.

adidas showcases 3D printed footwear

The future looks bright
(Photo courtesy of adidas)

adidas recently unveiled the future of performance footwear with Futurecraft 3D, a unique 3D-printed running shoe midsole which can be tailored to the cushioning needs of an individual’s foot. The 3D concept is part of the ‘Futurecraft series’, a forward-looking initiative that places open source collaboration and craftsmanship at the heart of design to drive innovation across all elements of production.

adidas Futurecraft 3D on YouTube

In its 3D concept, which provides the ultimate personalised experience for all athletes, adidas created a unique combination of material and process. The production breakthrough will take the running shoe standard to the next level, offering unprecedented individualised support and cushioning for every foot, to enable athletes to perform at their best.

The Suicide Squad

ChampionshipSSSSS or bust.
(Photo credit to the owner)

When it is all said and done, Earl Timothy Cone will most likely be lauded as the greatest PBA coaching mind to ever grace this side of the sporting world. His 18 PBA championships has launched him above his very own local idol, the late great Baby Dalupan, if his impressive feat of winning two Grand Slams in different eras with different teams hasn't already.

But just when you thought that there was no challenge left for Coach Tim to overcome, here comes what is arguably the most Herculean of tasks bestowed upon him: to reward the millions of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel fans by turning the once underdogs turned under-achievers into a legitimate, PBA champion team.

See, Ginebra isn't the Los Angeles Lakers of the PBA. They are the New York Knicks. Loved. Popular. But hardly any rings to show for. Who is the PBA's Lakers? That's their sister team Purefoods. The Boston Celtics? That's San Miguel Beer. It is all about the championships, always.

When San Miguel brass opted to extract Cone from STAR where he was comfortably gearing up for multiple title runs, they knew that they were already sacrificing the identity of Ginebra. With Cone, they will no longer be underdogs. They haven't been underdogs in a long time, really. Never say die? What's that? The title drought was more due to poor coaching, the support of fans going into their players' heads turning them into basketball divas and overall just subpar play.

Don't blame the refs

Fat Andray wasn't a match for fit Yi
(Photo credit to the owner)

After all that has happened in the recently concluded gold medal match of the 2015 FIBA Asia tournament between eventual champions China and our very own Gilas Pilipinas, we feel that some circles are selling the Chinese short because of what is now being called as dubious officiating.

See, even before the match started our minds were already conditioned not to expect a fair fight. Then came Manny V. Pangilinan's series of tweets about how the team bus was delayed/ eventually replaced, the Philippine contingent having difficulty getting tickets and even of how our basket was surprisingly being "fixed" during warm-ups while the Chinese were already busy doing their lay-up rounds.

We were in China, the crowd was already hostile from the start. The Chinese were never known to be the hospitable bunch when it came to foreigners seeking glory in their lands. What did we expect? Some Filipino hospitality? For them to lay out the red carpet for their "enemies?" No. It was poor sports/ gamesmanship, sure. But to the Chinese, they took everything that they could to ensure victory-- both on and off the court. Because there was no one who stood up to say that "hey, this is wrong (we are looking at you, FIBA)," then the Chinese just went about their business at the expense or every single Filipino basketball fans' hopes and dreams.

Trade reaction: Joe DeVance to Ginebra

JDV to Ginebra
(Photo credit to the owner)

This is the sad reality of the current state of Philippine basketball: there are the major players, the independents, and those who exist only to serve and appease the former.

Let us take a look at the most recent trades which involved the following teams: Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, STAR Hotshots, GlobalPort Batang Pier and Barako Bull Energy Cola. Two are sister teams, one has been a long time conduit while another seems to be well on its way as an insurance policy type of conduit. Needless to say, these four teams have always transacted with one another. They have never bothered to look elsewhere for trades most of the time. And as much as we would like to quit saying that yes, there are farm teams in the PBA, well, there are farm teams in the PBA.

If you would like to disagree, let us break down the trades then shall we?

Salamat Gilas 3

#PUSO
(Photo credit to the owner)

Mga kababayan ko
Dapat lang malaman niyo
Bilib ako sa kulay ko
Ako ay Pilipino
Kung may itim o may puti 
Mayroon naman kayumanggi
Isipin mo na kaya mong
Abutin ang iyong minimithi 

- Magalona, F.

Tapos na ang FIBA Asia 2015 kung saan naiuwi ng ating Gilas 3 ang pilak habang ang host country na Tsina ang siyang nag uwi ng gintong medalya. Marami tayong pwedeng sabihin tungkol sa nasabing laro na katatapos lang, pero hindi tayo ganong klaseng basketball fans. Hindi tayo casual lang na biglang sumuporta sa koponan natin kasi nakapasok sa Finals. Manalo o matalo, lamyado o hindi, suporta pa din tayo. Kaya sa Tsina, saludo kami sa mga manlalaro niyo na para bang nagbabadya na kayo na muli ang magiging Asian basketball powerhouse sa susunod na mga taon.

Are you not entertained?

EASY! EASY!
(Photo credit to FIBA.com)

After all the drama and hardships leading into the formation of the team, Gilas 3 is back in the semifinals of the FIBA Asia tournament wherein we have a realistic chance of defending our precious "golden" silver or better yet-- winning it all en route to a seat in the 2016 Rio Olympics to do battle with the world's best basketball players.

But first, we need to beat Japan tomorrow before we even entertain thoughts of facing either defending champions and longtime tormentors Iran or the "rebuilt" basketball dynasty that is China.

If the game versus Lebanon is to be of any indication, you could say that we are on the right path though there are some things that we still need to work on if our goal indeed is to not simply enjoy a podium finish but rather facing global basketball superpowers like US, Spain and Argentina, among others. Today, Jayson Castro and Andray Blatche proved that they are arguably the best 1-2 punch in all of Asian basketball, maybe rivalling/ besting Iran's Nikkhah Bahrami and Hamed Haddadi even. Castro was just in a world of his own: finishing with 25 points, blitzing into the lane and besting his young Lebanese counterpart. Blatche? Though he started the tournament out of shape, the 6"11 reinforcement is starting to show flashes of his natural form by dropping 25 points and 17 rebounds on a Lebanese side that just didn't have anyone to match him with.

Blatche is big, quick, strong and finesse but at the same time he doesn't seem to mind getting his hands dirty when called upon.