Ninong Knows...

The power to surprise
(Photo credit: Sports5.ph)

... and that's not a joke.

Get it?

Daniel Orton sure did.

When Manny Pacquiao, global boxing icon, sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer and whichever title he'd like to be added next to his name from here on, opted to throw his gloves hat into the Philippine Basketball Association by way of expansion team Kia Motors, it was met mostly in a negative way.

Here's a guy who thinks he can just buy his way into the PBA, make himself head coach and worse-- skip the years of basketball training and education and actually don a legitimate basketball jersey with the letters PBA patched on it as compared to those who keep trying their luck in ballclub tryouts and the annual draft again, and again, and again.

Well, while the team finished their campaign with a paltry 10 wins vs 24 losses, they proved to one and all that they're not here just to feed Pacquiao's insatiable thirst for the spotlight. They showed everyone that they are in the PBA to compete, just like every other PBA team (okay, except for maybe that ONE team).

How does their marketing campaign go again?

"The power to surprise."

Trade reaction: Nuyles for Cervantes

Fair trade. Yes?
(Photo courtesy of Spin.ph)

We are for parity and fair basketball transactions.

That is why we cannot help but laud Kia Carnival and Blackwater Elite, both PBA newcomers, for the recent trade that basically addresses both teams' needs-- sending Alex Nuyles to the Carnival and Reil Cervantes to the Elite. No under the table shenanigans. No near-retirement veteran for up-and-coming star. No top draft picks and cash.

Just a basketball man's man trade featuring two guys who can help their new teams right away.

On paper at least.

The ABL's Filipino Imports

#CanadaSaPBA
(Photo courtesy of sports-asia.com)

While the Philippine basketball world quietly (and anxiously) waits for the time when promising 6"7 Fil-Tonggan center Moala Tautuaa is able to complete his stint with the PBA D-League and all other requirements to apply for the PBA Draft next year (or the one after that), cellar-dwelling teams need not wait that long to address their PBA Philippine Cup woes.

Six talented Filipino basketball players are currently included on different rosters in the neighboring ASEAN Basketball League which saw a drop in game play this last season (with the Philippine-representative, San Miguel Beer, opting to pull out and probably the reduced number of ASEAN imports as two possible culprits). With the ABL season now at a close, we wonder why the PBA teams haven't come knocking at these gentlemen's doors. We understand contracts and all, but surely teams that are in a bind and looking to salvage their season before it gets any worse (Kia Sorento and Blackwater) can manage to shell out a few extra bucks if only to save face.

You'll have to bear with us on this one, since the ABL seems to be in a deteriorating state and seems to have lost their online stats-updating team for some reason so we're going with purely basketball scouting and our own two cents here.

Jerick Canada, PG, HiTech Bangkok City
Let's start with the ABL Finals MVP and how great he looked for head coach Jing Ruiz (also a Filipino). Canada's shooting is still iffy at best, but the way he is able to control the floor and his teammates is not something you'd take for granted considering they're mostly Thais and American imports who're mostly out for stuffing the stat sheet and angling for bigger pay. Put Canada on a team like Kia Sorento and he'll prove to be the most heady point guard in the rotation right from the start. On Blackwater, he'll be a perfect mentor for up-and-coming Cebuano playmaker Brian Heruela while possibly sending Juami Tiongson back to the D-League and Paul Artadi near retirement. If Jeric Fortuna can make it into the pros, there's no reason why Canada shouldn't be given a second look. Basically, he's the guy that-- when a younger hot-off-the-plane Stanley Pringle was busy going 100 mph for the Indonesia Warriors, made sure that they actually won a title that one year together.

Trial and error

What now for "consultant" Pido?
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

When Pido Jarencio made the leap back into the PBA, this time as head coach, it was met with a lot of positivity and with an "it's about damn time" hoopla. After all, he pretty much rebuilt the UST Growling Tigers men's basketball program and was able to turn it into the UAAP's Ginebra to counter the DLSU and ADMU (Purefoods and San Miguel-like stature) programs.

Unfortunately, he found himself in the wrong situation and maybe with the wrong franchise.

Jarencio was handed the keys to an up-and-coming GlobalPort Batang Pier squad with a passionate, win-now owner in Mikee Romero. However, he was unable to get the right kind of players that would fit his, uptempo, old school system (we're giving him the benefit of the doubt here, thinking that Jarencio would want to run his UST sets with the Batang Pier).

But could you really blame Jarencio for "failing?"