Why complicate things?

Was Coach Luigi the right choice? 

Before we proceed with meatier entries going into the final stretch of the Philippine Basketball Association's highly successful 37th season, let's take a look back at one of its more storied franchises which suddenly found itself lost making nary a whimper in any of the three conferences.

We're talking about no less than the Wilfred Uytengsu-owned Alaska Aces-- robbed of its identity the last 20 or so years no thanks to Hall of Fame coach Tim Cone's decision to search for greener pastures (read: join Team San Miguel via the B-Meg Llamados which he led to the PBA Commissioner's Cup title in only his 2nd conference on the job).

No Fight in Aces

L.A. Tenorio needs better teammates

The Alaska Aces, currently in the midst of an ugly ass-whooping from former coach Tim Cone's BMeg Llamados, need change.

Coach Luigi Trillo is trying his darndest to teach the Xs and Os to the players, but they are just not responding. Several times, the guys on the court settle to certain positions and do not even bother to move without the basketball. Hell, only their import Jason Forte and star point guard L.A. Tenorio seem to be even remotely interested in handling the rock.

The (interim) Luigi Trillo era begins

Trillo: 1st 2 moves for the Aces:
open up the offense, play Baracael

So the (interim) Luigi Trillo era opens for the Alaska Aces not with a bang but a whimper, a lopsided ass-whooping that, to their credit, they tried to fight in the 3rd quarter for but just couldn't pull off defensive stops with any consistency.

Why did they drop Joel Banal again?

Oh, right, to return to the Triangle Offense that was stripped off them by now B-Meg and recently minted Commissioner's Cup champion coach Tim Cone. During the off-season, they had two choices: to go with Jojo Lastimosa-- who actually played within the system, or the young Trillo who was having a coaching renaissance of sorts in the PBA Developmental League.

The Aftermath: What went wrong for Alaska

Nawala si Reyes sa maling
balasa ni Coach Joel

Now that the Aces have been sent home in the PBA Commissioner's Cup, it's high time to review just what went wrong/right for a team that was able to rebound from an abysmal first conference showing.

First off, there's the re-emergence of L.A. Tenorio as one of the league's premier point guard- if not as THE premier point guard now that we've seen Petron's Alex Cabagnot go back to his old, timid, flashy ways. In the Philippine Cup, Tenorio tried his darndest to lead a team that wasn't ready to win. They looked for Tim Cone on the bench and ran the same plays but it just wasn't the same.

Easter Sunday Knockouts: Bet Money

B-Meg Llamados vs Meralco Bolts (series tied 1-1)

Mac Mac needs to stay focused for the Bolts

James Yap looks like he's back in the groove, Marc Pingris has resurfaced to provide the heart and hustle and everyone's pretty much on the same page and focused on winning. Problem is, can they overcome a Bolts squad that is just primed to advance to the Semifinals barring any more unforeseen ejections or even suspensions?

Earl Barron is slowly proving to be the best and most polished import in the league today now that Nick Fazekas and Marcus Douthit have all gone home in the eliminations. Constantly dropping 30 and 20s, the NBA champion reserve is proving to be too much for the lengthy Llamados frontline (which has surprisnigly been downplayed this QFs by the commentators) and counterpart Denzel Bowles. Bowles has all but come undone and unglued in the match-up, being schooled repeatedly and looking more like a JV player rather than a true blue reinforcement.

Money's on "Dark" Aces

Bumilis man ang laro,
si Thoss pa din ang Boss

Do the Alaska Aces have enough to crash into the next round and overcome the proud Barako Bull Energy?

This writer says yes.

From a personel match-up standpoint, the Aces are young, quick, agile and athletic-- four adverbs that are lost when asked to describe the Energy's best five. L.A. Tenorio looks to have recovered from the injuries that hounded him last conference, Cyrus Baguio has come out of his slumber and Sonny Thoss is posting his customary double-doubles and acting as the Aces' cornerstone ala the San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan.

Run and gun Aces are having fun

Pagdating sa takbuhan, me tulog
si Tenorio at Baguio sa kalaban

New conference, new style.

In yet another display of its high octane, perimeter freelancing style, the Alaska Aces eked out a victory over the powerhouse-yet-struggling Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings 76-74. The game was ugly, almost unbearable given the way both teams were shooting the basketball but all that filthy television soon became a joy to watch in the last two minutes of the game.

Trading clutch baskets after another, the Gin Kings looked to be going home with another win thanks to ballsy shots by Kerby Raymundo and Mark Caguioa. Hell, this writer was ready to start with this write-up until that smart play by L.A. Tenorio-- a four point play off a one-motion foul by Mike Cortez when the Gin Kings were up by three.