The Search for the Next Filipino Sniper

The GOAT
(Photo credit to the owner)

Time is quickly running out as you just spent what felt like a lifetime watching a brilliantly executed offensive play push the enemy ahead by two and on the cusp of the title.  The whole arena is on fire while your point guard screams at you and your teammates to get into position for one last shot at victory with no timeouts left to call. All the players, offense and defense, rush down the hardcourt. The mood is chaotic. You could barely hear your teammates and coaches on the bench screaming what play should be run and who should bring the ball down.

It doesn’t matter.

While the defenders try to stop the ballhandler, to whom you’ve already decided to put your whole trust on even before the game started, you run to the wings just above the three-point line.  Your man steps in front of you, so you take a strong cut in, only to run back out. You’ve been in this situation before. The math is simple: three is greater than two. This is why you’re here. Your man scrambles back, but is blindsided by a sturdy pick set by your favorite nuthouse of a power forward. Your point guard makes quick eye contact and in that same breath the dotted texture of the basketball is all that you feel on your fingertips.

The crowd is silenced. Every one falls helpless as you let it fly. There is no point in boxing out for the rebound as the buzzer rings.

To infinity and beyond

Sino Coach ko ulit?
(Photo credit: Sports5.ph)

Where do we go from here, STAR Hotshots?

The architect of your 1st PBA Grand Slam (plus two other titles during his tenure), Tim Cone, is now officially out of the door and with him-- his greatness, coaching philosophies, Triangle Offense and so on. In his place will be Jason Webb, as announced in a joint press conference that should've been exclusively for Cone-- but hey, it's San Miguel Corporation, who has little to no coaching experience both in the amateurs and professional ranks.

Great. Just great.

Here is a guy who, among all of Cone's deputies, has the least experience and doesn't really look like he's meant for the part. There's always that one guy who, in team meetings, school group projects, who is the leader. Then there's the other guy, the second guy, who just pushes the rest and makes it happen. You see it in basketball, during timeouts. The coach does his thing and gives instructions, the lead assistant whispers in the ears of the rest. Eggs them on. Tells them what to do. Clarifies things. There are guys in the huddle that would make you think "ah, this guy will be a head coach someday."

But Webb?

Dethroned

Old timers need some help
(Photo credit to Sports5.ph)

As you get older, there are certain things that you slowly realize:

Your timing is off; your mind knows what you want to do, but there seems to be a split second lapse between judgment and action.

You find yourself needing to exert more effort, to something that you would routinely perform. Be it running, jumping, hustling.

And when you find yourself in front of a wide-eyed youngster, who you know will always go left on a crossover, which he does, and you smile to yourself thinking "I got you!" only to hear the whistle-- or worse, lose your man completely as you turn your around and see him waltzing in for an easy lay-up.

Age. It happens to the best of us.

With yesterday's unceremonious sweep at the hands of the Alaska Aces in the Semifinals of the PBA Governor's Cup, the Purefoods STAR Hotshots find themselves officially dethroned in the 40th season of the league after taking home all three titles just the year before.

Is it time to rebuild?

PBA GC SF: (1) Alaska vs (5) STAR

The series' X-factor is in this picture,
but not who you would think
(Photo credit to Sports5.ph))

Forget Manila Classico (which celebrates the fanbases more than it does the actual two teams since performance/ championships-wise, they are simply non-equals), this is the real rivalry that has more history and bad blood to it than anything else in the last four-five years.

Ideology vs machinery. Building a team the right way in hopes of winning championships vs one that can just as easily acquire any given player to fit its needs en route to a title romp. At the end of the day, this is what it all boiled down to from the outside looking in specially for head coach Tim Cone. A new challenge, more money, job security and so on vs a franchise that has been repeatedly rumored to be up for sale since when? 2012? We've been hearing about it for two-three straight seasons now.

There is no loyalty in professional sports, only business.

STAR has the, well, starpower. Alaska has the hustle and endless amount of energy.

Something's got to give.

PBA GC QF: (4) GlobalPort vs (5) STAR Hotshots

Pambansang Ex-Husband
kontra Pambansang Ex-Boyfriend.
Allegedly. Hihi.
(Photo credits to Sports5.ph)

"To be the man, you have to beat the man."

Call it a "rite of passage" for Terrence Romeo, Stanley Pringle and the rest of the "young" GlobalPort Batang Pier squad who are making their first trip into the PBA Playoffs. Standing in the way? The defending champions STAR Hotshots who started the conference (and basically the entire season) jet-lagged from their Grand Slam high from last year.

Lately? We've been seeing Marc Pingris once again pulling his shorts up and crouching low. We're seeing James Yap making clutch plays over the toughest of defenses. Marqus Blakely is back to being Black Sakuragi (which is somewhat racist, when you think about it) though in a more toned down manner.

Romeo has been frothing at the mouth for an opportunity to play at this level of basketball. He's a high stakes player, built for superstar-making games. There are only two teams that you need to be at your best to become a household name in the PBA: Ginebra, and STAR (Purefoods).

It's the Golden Ticket to the PBA's Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory of Superstardom.

Stars are bland

Look up, look up!
(Photo credits to Sports5)

Definitely not a typo.

The re-christened, yellow-and-red sporting STAR Hotshots are finding it even tougher to defend their third and final crown from last season's grand slam romp, specially with the absence of future cornerstone 6"7 Ian Sangalang. Head coach Tim Cone has stuck mostly to playing an eight-man heavy rotation, with other guys playing sparingly by design.

Thus far, the Hotshots' record is five wins versus five losses. Stuck somewhere in the middle of the Playoff hunt.

Leading the team's hope for a last title defense are returning import Marqus Blakely (39 mpg 23 ppg 13 rpg 3 apg), Marc Pingris (29 mpg 8 ppg 6 rpg 2 apg), Joe DeVance (29 mpg 11 ppg 3 rpg 2 apg), Alex Mallari (28 mpg 10 ppg 3 rpg 3 apg), Mark Barroca (29 mpg 10 ppg 4 rpg 3 apg) and 2x PBA MVP James Yap (25 mpg 11 ppg 4rpg 1 apg). Guys like Justin Melton and PJ Simon are contributing as well, though it appears that they are having some trouble meshing with the rest or excelling in limited minutes (specifically Simon).

PBACC The Semifinals: Talk'n'Text vs Purefoods

Puso kontra tapang
(Photo credits to the owner)

From a championship pedigree standpoint, you could very well conclude that this is THE PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals match-up disguised as a Best-of-Five Semifinals pairing between two of the winning-est teams in the last five-six years.

The Talk'n'Text Tropang Texters, coached by Jong Uichico versus the Purefoods Star Hotshots and coach Tim Cone.

Pilipinas basketball does not get any better than this: the core of the Gilas Pilipinas national team (from players to brain thrust) versus a team that is so good (as proven by their Grand Slam credentials), one could actually argue for them as a version of Gilas in an alternate universe. While the Texters enjoy proven depth with its veterans, the Hotshots' 2nd unit of mostly up-and-coming names are certified by the number of titles under their belts (which, from what we have seen thus far, they seem to keep wanting to add to).

PBACC The Quarterfinals: Purefoods vs Alaska

"Siya na naman?!"
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Do you believe in fate?

It seems that it cannot be helped. Purefoods head coach Tim Cone will never, truly be rid of his Alaska ties (we doubt he'd want to anyway), and now he finds himself squaring off with the very same team in the 2015 PBA Commissioner's Cup Quarterfinals if only to win another championship.

Coach Tim has done a marevelous job in adding substance to what was once simply a "glamour" team. He taught every one from James Yap to Jerwin Gaco how to play the right way, how to read and react to offenses and defenses, and to basically how to keep winning.

On the other side of the fence, Coach Alex Compton inherited a team of hungry young rascals and veterans, shaped them into something of a more cohesive unit who enjoy playing together. Now, JVee Casio and RJ Jazul don't shun away Calvin Abueva whenever he pesters them for the basketball. Now, Abueva knows where he's supposed to be and how he can help. Yes, the antics are still there, but finally, they have allowed "Abueva to be Abueva."

Which means all hell is going to break loose when Abueva crosses paths with Yap.

Don't call it a comeback

Kala niyo sawa na kami mag-champion?
(Photo credits to the owner)

Coach Cone was not brought into the Purefoods' fold to win a championship. He wasn't brought in to simply win a PBA Grand Slam (though that could have easily been one of the targets/ objectives).

He was brought in to (re)establish a (new) dynasty in Philippine basketball.

Name any past or present San Miguel Corporation-employed head coach in the last ten to fifteen years that was given as much leeway and power as Cone. You'll have to go back two more decades or so, to the days of the iconic Robert Jaworski, Sr. and Ron Jacobs, to truly understand how much creative control and power Cone was given when it comes to the direction of the team, player trades and acquisition and basically what sort of product to put on the basketball court.

KKS Gilas 3.0 (Part 3)

The future of Philippine basketball
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Ladies and gentlemen, our KKS Gilas 3.0 starters:

C Junemar Fajardo
Gilas coach Tab Baldwin didn't have to beat around the bush on Fajardo's inclusion. As it stands, Fajardo is the present and future of Philippine basketball much like Yao Ming was for China and Hamed Haddadi is for Iran. He is the pillar in which the program will be anchored on for the foreseeable future, alongside fellow giant Greg Slaughter. In the instances wherein he played in FIBA World, Fajardo showed that he has the smarts and muscle to hold his own in the paint against legitimate NBA big men.

Reinventing the PBA All Star Game

Here's something for all you fantasy basketball lovers out there and in a way, to "revitalize" the PBA All Star Weekend and increase the stakes a bit: a pocket tournament that will feature the best that all of the league's factions have to offer.

We all know that there are two major forces that is moving the PBA: Team San Miguel Corporation (San Miguel, Ginebra, Purefoods) and Team Manny V. Pangilinan (Talk'n'Text, Meralco, NLEX). We also know that there are two full-fledged independent teams in Alaska and Rain or Shine while rumors are rampant about how Barako Bull and GlobalPort are both farm teams looking to sell its prized players to the highest bidder. And since the jury's still out on newcomers Blackwater and Kia (plus they don't really have top-tier talent at the moment), we opted to include them into the "farm" All Stars.

Hope this fun little boredom-killer of a post gets you excited and who knows, it might just be picked up by the pros as a possible money-making machine. Because seriously, who really wants to see the "North" play against the "South?" Might as well just rename it to "Manila-Pampanga et. al. vs Cebuanos and friends."

2015 PBA All Star Game: Thoughts on the South Squad

On to the 2015 PBA All Stars South Selection then; surprisingly though the fans (and coaches) got this one right more than the North squad so we're quite happy and impressed with it all. Though there are still some snubs here and there (Alex Cabagnot and Vic Manuel to name a few), it's all for the fans anyway so let's all just have fun with this shall we?

Starters

Mark Barroca, PG, Purefoods
Can't have the starting point guard of last season's Grand Slam winning team off the list yes?

James Yap, PG, Purefoods
Mr. PBA. He is the man that has willingly accepted the role of torch-bearer for the league, and despite all the criticisms, he deserves everyone's applause. Kasi kung si Caguioa ang ginawang torch-bearer, e di ang aangas na siguro ng buong liga, at lahat ng manonood ngayon nakaka alienate din yun sa fans na hindi naman lahat e gusto maging gangsta.

Greg Slaughter, C, Ginebra
Seven foot wonder, double double guy. A little soft, but skilled. Pinoy Pau Gasol-lite.

Junemar Fajardo, C, San Miguel
Another yes. I'd like to see this combo for Gilas 3.0, not alternating, but starting. TOGETHER. Get a 6"8 naturalized scorer who can play some D at the wing and we're good.

Asi Taulava, C NLEX
Wait. Another center? But hey, who doesn't love Asi? Specially if this is indeed his last ASG.

PBA KO Phase Predictions: RoS Bracket

Business is about to pick-up in the on-going PBA Philippine Cup as we bid newcomers Kia Sorento and winless Blackwater Elite adieu until next conference and see who's the cream of the crop. As you may or may not know, the top two seeds: San Miguel Beermen and Rain or Shine Elastopainters, get a bye until the later round. The rest of the field will have to duke it out, with the lower seeded teams needing to win twice over the higher seeded ones if they would like to advance.

The Rock needs to go to TNT. Now.
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

We're dividing the brackets into two, based on who they will eventually face in the Quarters: The RoS and SMB brackets.

3 Alaska Aces (twice-to-beat) vs 10 NLEX Road Warriors 
The Aces missed out on an opportunity of landing in the top two spots by a hairline, but this match-up with the NLEX should be a quick and easy one considering both rosters. The Warriors have a formidable frontline with Asi Taulava and a suddenly revived Enrico Villanueva but they, unfortunately, do not play with the same intensity as that of Calvin Abueva who is leading the league in rebounding despite being the same size as NLEX star scorer Mac Cardona. If Eric Menk continues with his inspired, "tour de force" play and Sonny Thoss comes back 100% healthy, then it's all over for the Warriors who still need to address some holes on the roster.

The PBA's 26th to 40th Greatest Players

The Face of the modern day PBA
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

The Philippine Basketball Association, in celebration of its 40th season, has opted to name 40 of its "Greatest Players." Now, since the league has already named its initial 25 (for its 25th season in early 2000), the not so simple task has been eased somewhat with the PBA's special selection committee set to name "only" 15 other names.

On this report from the Philippine Star, they have listed the names of #TheNext15. Personally, we'd have loved for the Star to have made the announcement on a separate, wordy article instead of just a filler but hey, we have love for our friends over at the Star (they probably didn't have enough space and just tied two articles together).

Here's our instant reaction on the names chosen for #TheNext15 and who we felt were snubbed altogether:

James Carlos Yap, SG, Purefoods, 2x PBA MVP '05, '09
Though we will always put an asterisk on one (or both) of Yap's trophies because of what we'd like to call the "Kris Factor," there's no denying that he was indeed the face of the PBA during its post-Jaworski years. Yap came into the league as a legit, PBA matinee idol who could play the sport at a very high level yet maintained a clean cut image both on and off the court. He was basically the most likable guy out there while the league was going through all the unneeded shenanigans (random drug testing, Fil-shams, PBA commissioner shuffles, etc.) The thing that makes Yap a no brainer here is that, he embraced the idea of being the face of the league. He didn't ask for it, but he carried it with pride. Sometimes we get frustrated with him because of how badly he is being outplayed by his rivals, but then he pulls through in the clutch just to remind every one of how good he really is and then the world is back in order.

Willie Miller, SG, Red Bull/ Talk'n'Text/ Alaska/ Ginebra/ GlobalPort/Barako, 2x PBA MVP '02, '06 
If Yap were the face, which body part are we to make of Miller? Among all of the players in the last decade or so, Miller is arguably the very best and most fundamentally sound. He's quick and agile, yet he is also brute strong and aggressive. He can play outside with the best guards in the league, he can go inside to post-up for the easy macho finish or just spin for his pocket fadeaways. What was lacking from Miller was the aggressive mindset that a Mark Caguioa would always have coming into games. Miller is a fun-loving Filipino through and through, and had he stayed with one team or had a different approach, he'd probably go down as one of the best ever- if not THE very best. But hey, that wouldn't make him our lovable Willie now would it?

A new day

#ThankYouGilas

A runner-up finish in the 2012 FIBA Asia championships, a Jones Cup title, a lonesome yet historic victory in the 2014 FIBA World Cup and finally, a seventh-place finish in the SouthEast Asian Games...

... and with that, Gilas Pilipinas-- from head coach Chot Reyes to the defiant and valiant captain Jimmy Alapag, is no more. Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas' (SBP) President Manny V. Pangilinan announced it just recently, that we will no longer see this version of the Philippines' Men's Basketball Team lovingly called "Gilas." Others have gone on to social media to express their thoughts. Some call it a travesty, an over-reaction to the Asiad debacle. Others say that it's been a long time coming and perhaps, another camp (Team San Miguel Corporation) should take charge.

Whatever it may be, know that this is not a dark day in Philippine basketball but rather a bright one.

The Top 10 story lines in the 2015 PBA Philippine Cup Part 2

Author's note: Apologies for splitting the Top 10 list into two. We're not thinking about the hits (we don't have advertising at the moment. *tear* In case you're interested, send us an email or leave a comment with your contact details.), rather, the original format was hellaciously long. Enjoy.

5. #TeamAgeless

Fajardo vs Aguilar
Photo courtesy of Solar Sports Desk

Does Asi Taulava have it in him to lead the NLEX Road Warriors back to another darkhorse run? When will Jayjay Helterbrand buy into the "new school" and admit to himself that Ginebra's "Never Say Die" era is long dead and gone (because, on paper, when was the last time you looked at the Ginebra roster and thought that they wouldn't be a shoo in for at least a 4-5 seed each conference? The Magtulis-Calpito-Cabatu era comes to mind) Will Mark Caguioa ever learn to trust his younger teammates? And finally, when all is said and done, body of work versus body of work, will Jimmy Alapag rank higher than Johnny Abarrientos in the hearts and minds of the every day Filipino basketball fan?

4. The Japeth Aguilar Experiment
Because 18-18 in an opening day game doesn't make an Best Conference of the Player awardee, or even an MVP. What has he learned from Spain? Has he learned any thing at all? Have we given up on Aguilar? Not yet? Why? Which position on the floor does Aguilar really want to play in the PBA? Will he go in hiding again once the PBA's elite defenders rough him up? Or are we on the verge of seeing a transcendent talent finally rise and triumph after all the trials and tribulations?

Oh, and the #KagatSaFakeJapethWatch has officially started.

The Top 10 story lines in the 2015 PBA Philippine Cup Part 1

Author's note: My sincerest apologies to all of our friends who were expecting about 11 more 2015 PBA Philippine Cup Previews prior to the start of the conference. See, we just relocated overseas and though this writer was able to finish the previews-- he did not save them on any other medium aside from MS Word on his trusty, old Macbook Pro. The very same Macbook Pro which is operating minus a serviceable battery, and, just two days ago, lost its hard drive for good (read: system crash, with mounting error which is the killing blow really). Why this writer is writing and referring to himself in the 3rd person, is quite stupid. Entertaining, humorous, but stupid. Happy reading from the beautiful Gulf Coast!

More teams, more competition. The Gilas boys are back with their respective teams so don't pencil Purefoods in as repeat Grand Slam champions just yet. Here are a few other things that we feel are the conference's top story lines:

Para sayo ang jumpshot na to!
Photo courtesy of Sports5

10. Manny Pacquiao, playing coach
You do realize that sooner than later, we'll just have to embrace the fact that somehow, an individual with no adequate training to play the sport of basketball on the highest level whatsoever, made it into the league simply by his non-basketball yet other-worldly credentials. As an athlete, Pacquiao is undoubtedly as fit (if not fitter) than the likes of PBA athletic specimens Jayson Castro, Calvin Abueva and whichever cross fit crazy name you'd like to throw into the discussion. As a basketball player however, despite his claims of playing the sport constantly-- his shot mechanics alone pretty much shows how good he really is on the hard court. The only time Pacquiao is allowed to score in an actual PBA game is in the All Stars, other than that, whichever player allows Pacquiao to score on him should be revoked of his professional license and will forever be known as an embarrassment not only to himself but to the sport in general.

9. #LetAbuevaBeAbueva
We're not claiming to be privy with Abueva's contract terms, but as far as we know he's on the last year of his rookie deal which can only mean one thing: he's out for blood. Like most players angling for a bigger pay, keep an eye out on The Beast this season and do not be surprised if he is either playing more than his usual 25 minutes, grabbing headlines and wanting more touches or he somehow goes out to the media and destroys the whole #wenotme rainbows and candies slogan of the Alaska Aces if only to put himself on a better position negotiations-wise. Other things we'd like to see from Abueva so he could make that one, giant leap into PBA go-to-guy superstardom: improved handles and a reliable jump shot. In an All-Pinoy conference, expect Abueva to go berzerk on both ends of the floor.

Moving Forward: The Gilas Program

While the current batch of Gilas Pilipinas stalwarts try their best to salvage whatever is left of their 2014 Asian Games campaign, we deem it necessary for the program not to be hastily aborted but rather to be reevaluated.  While it's always easy to pin the losses and off court drama on Gilas head coach Chot Reyes (the "shoot at our own rim because we didn't do our jobs in regulation to reach quotient versus Kazakstan" ploy is unforgivable though), we feel that he's still the man for the job.

Tim Cone, the country's winningest PBA coach, is not going to coach the national team any time soon as long as he's under the San Miguel corporate banner and the Gilas program under rivals, Manny V. Pangilinan's. So there goes that option. Yeng Guiao, the other winningest coach in recent years next to Cone and Reyes, has already gone on record to decline any future invite.

We can keep throwing names around such as Norman Black or Jong Uichico, but Chot Reyes has delivered in what he had initially designed/ planned for Gilas: to put Philippine basketball back on the world map.

If only... fantasy Gilas Pilipinas

While our hard-fighting Gilas Pilipinas team was battling it out against the much heralded Croatian team, a familiar face was watching the game live from the stands. A face, that has become the ticket meal of the entire PBA the last few years, the iconic face that belongs to one James Carlos Yap.

Two-time PBA Most Valuable Player, recently crowned grand slam champion.

Unfortunately, he wasn't on the hard court helping the national cause. No, he had to buy a ticket to the game much like every one else in attendance. You could defend his or his management's decision all you want, but we here live by one simple rule: if you're going to battle the best, then you have to send your very best.

Yap and his 2x PBA MVP award is proof that he definitely belongs on Gilas.

PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals: Texters vs Mixers

When was the last time in PBA Finals history wherein you felt that both teams, namely the Talk ‘n’ Text Tropang Texters and San Mig Coffee Mixers, were so evenly matched from coaching staff to players, that you sincerely felt that the series could go either way and no one would have a problem with the end result?

The Texters and Mixers both feature PBA Hall of Fame Coaches in Norman Black and Tim Cone, are led by some of the league’s “who’s who” when it comes to skills, talent and popularity (with the Mixers’ enjoying love from the average basketball fans and the Texters’ by way of the purists who don’t mind “ugly” wins) and could easily represent the country in any or all international meets right here, right now (an honor bestowed and earned by the core of the Texters’).

This series promises to be an intense basketball clinic, owing to both teams’ ability to play and guard both styles of fundamental basketball: run and gun and halfcourt.

Making the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals even more interesting is the fact that it’s a Best-of-Five affair—which forces both teams little to no time to execute and adjust their respective game planes. 

It’s a well-known fact that Black has mastered the art form of game plane execution probably and most likely built around advanced scouting while Cone is the King of pre/in/post game adjustments so that chess match should be quite entertaining and educational.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals!