It's official

The Beast
(Photo credit: FIBA.com)

Better than nothing.

The Philippine Basketball Association has finally agreed (and put into writing) to lend at least one active player to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas' Gilas men's pool. This pretty much assures us that we will no longer have to bear witness to this ugly Team MVP vs Team SMC "Silent War" which has robbed the national cause for (at least) the last four to five years.

Obviously, we opened this entry on a bit of a negative light because some teams (from the SMC fold) have more than one player who could be of use to Gilas. But hey, it truly is better than nothing, right?

Assured to be on loan are the Gilas cadets:


Alaska: Carl Bryan Cruz, PF
Blackwater: Mac Belo, PF
Barangay Ginebra: Kevin Ferrer, SF
GlobalPort: Von Pessum, SG  
Mahindra: Russel Escoto, C  
Meralco: Ed Daquioag, SG 
NLEX: Alfonso Gotladera, C  
Phoenix: Matthew Wright, SG
Rain or Shine: Mike Tolomia, PG 
San Miguel: Arnold Van Opstal
Star: Jio Jalalon, PG 
TNT: RR Pogoy, SG 

Now here is our short list of PBA players who should get an invite:

Alaska: Calvin Abueva, SF
There is a, blasphemy aside, Holy Trinity of Best Players in the PBA right now. One of them was absurdly cut from the last PBA-Gilas selection. Hopefully, thanks to a coaching change, never again.

Blackwater: Art dela Cruz, PF
The Elite currently have two budding stars on the roster; one is already part of the Gilas cadets while the other continues to blossom as an unheralded work-horse on both ends of the court.

Barangay Ginebra: Greg Slaughter, C
ACL injury and all, Slaughter needs to be in on the whole plan. While he's hurting though, L.A. Tenorio's not that bad an alternate.

GlobalPort: Terrence Romeo, SG 
On the World level, Romeo's going to have to work double time. On the Asian level, he's already better than most PGs and SGs they have to offer.

Mahindra: L.A. Revilla, PG     
Revilla's earned the spot, he can run the offense. Size is an issue, but if we are talking about SEAGames and Jones Cup tournaments, then he'll be just fine.

Meralco: Jared Dillinger, SF
He's not the same Daredevil of old, but he's still a gutsy player who can handle the ball and slash into the paint. His three-point shooting is slowly catching up too.

NLEX: Carlo Lastimosa, SG 
We'd love for Asi Taulava to have one last run with it, but he's done enough for flag and country. If only this team had a big, maybe a more Yeng Guiao-seasoned Raul Soyud, then we'd have him instead. For now, Lastimosa gets the nod over the smaller Kevin Alas and Garvo Lanete.

Phoenix: JC Intal, SF
By default. Still a solid system player. But yeah. By default.

Rain or Shine: Gabe Norwood, SF 
Because FIBA Gabe is FIBA Gabe.

San Miguel: Junemar Fajardo, C
The rock. The man who should lead us into new heights. Enough of this 2nd fiddle bullshit and being forgotten in the DDO mix. Leave Fajardo on the floor, at all times. He can crash the boards, he has range, he can play off the ball, make it work.

Star: Paul Lee, SG
The only concern here is now that he's playing more than 25 minutes per game for a new PBA team, how will his body hold up over all (he's had all sorts of ankle, knee and shoulder injuries and he hasn't even hit 30 yet)?

TNT: Jayson Castro, PG

Retired? Please.

Who are on your PBA Gilas 12? Hit us up @kilikilishot