34th Jones Cup: Gilas now 3-0

Hello Asia, his name is Gary David.
He plays shitty defense, but on offense?
Well, ask Korea. :) 

Regardless if South Korea opted to send a club team (think of it as the Philippines sending Petron or Talk 'n' Text plus two reinforcements) to the 34th William Jones Cup, let us all enjoy and savor this sweet and hard-earned 82-79 victory over our FIBA tormentors.

Though we coasted to a quick 14 point lead in the first quarter, the Koreans fought back behind their two imports Juan Patillo (think of him as a more athletic, stronger and young version of Jordan's Rasheim Wright) and 7"0 giant Gary Stutz. Their locals, physically taller and stronger than the Pilipinas select team, were also playing like they usually do-- calm, knocking down shots and moving the ball around instead of dribbling the shotclock off (which we kept on doing).

34th Jones Cup: Pilipinas wins, still sloppy

Pilipinas goes only
as far as Douthit takes them

The new-look men's national basketball team are off on the right track with a hard-earned 88-80 victory over a sluggish Jordan squad led by a clearly out of gym shape Rasheim Wright. While we were able to hack out the W and even post a double digit lead in the first quarter, the lapses (mostly in the second quarter) need to be taken addressed ASAP.

Coach Chot Reyes stuck to what has become his teams' identity over the years: run to the rim basketball. Drive and kick. Nothing fancy, just a plain "get the ball to the rim as close as you can" mentality that rubbed off even on the putty-soft Gabe Norwood.

Bright spots for the team are naturalized center Marcus Douthit who finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds after spending most of the 1st quarter on the bench due to foul trouble. Then came the shooters Jeffrei Chan, Gary David and Larry Fonacier who found themselves open one too many times on the floor. Call it a lack of scouting on the Jordanians' part, but they went with a traditional zone defense obviously banking on the Philippines' old reputation of being an "all drive, no J" team.

Ace(s) up Gilas' sleeve

Taking his talents to Gilas

Sonny Thoss, Mac Baracael, L.A. Tenorio of the PBA’s Alaska Aces have been cleared by all concerned parties to backstop the SEABA Philippine contingent bannered by amateur stars Aldrech Ramos, Dave Marcelo, Garvo Lanete, Woody Co, Chris Tiu, Eman Monfort and Borgie Hermida and naturalized center Marcus Douthit.

While we remain to be the team to beat in the South East Asian regions, it’s always a plus to have guys who are on an elite level to represent the country. The presence of Douthit alone makes the Philippines a sure-fire medal contender, since the man has already made a name for himself on the FIBA-Asia stage as one of the better centers around.

Should PHL Coach Jong Uichico play the pros heavy minutes?

SMART Gilas Tropang Texters and friends

SMART Gilas na ako! SMART Gilas na ako!

The writing has been on the wall ever since the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and Team MVP opted to have Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters' head coach Chot Reyes to man the SMART Gilas 2 basketball program.

Reyes' initial SG2 wishlist features the core of his Texters, with veterans Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams and KKS Doctor Ranidel de Ocampo leading the pack followed by FIBA first timers Jayson Castro, Ryan Reyes (wasn't able to play in 2009) and Larry Fonacier. They will be supported by Alaska's Sonny Thoss, Powerade's KKS Bataan Bomber Gary David, Marcio Lassiter and JVee Casio plus old reliable, naturalized center Marcus Douthit. Asi Taulava is also reportedly on the wishlist, but he'll probably be 100 years old by the next FIBA Asia tournament (bless his soul).

Looking for the right fit

Six games into the conferences and we've more or less established which teams have meshed well with their respective imports and those who have not.

Leading the pack are returnees Adam Parada of Alaska and Earl Barron of Meralco, followed by Marcus Douthit of Air21, Denzel Bowles of B-Meg, Rodney White of Barako Bull, Jackson Vroman of Ginebra, Nick Fazekas of Petron, Dwayne Jones of Powerade, Duke Crews of Rain or Shine and Donnel Harvey of Talk 'n' Text.

KKS Big Daddy Douthit
unstoppable on the block

Marcus Douthit, Air 21
A finesse big man who is pretty much the most versatile of the lot. He can run, score, rebound and intimidate-- all at 7 feet. He's not a locker room cancer or barks orders to his young teammates, and has the international pedigree to command double teams and know what to do in different scenarios. While the acquisition of champion-level guys like Bitoy Omolon and Mark Isip have helped the Express a lot this conference, it's Douthit who is leading the way with his steadying presence.

SMART Gilas Tropang Texters

If there's anything that was proven in yesterday's 110-98 victory over the gigantic frontline of the Alaska Aces, it's that the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters are the best, star-studded line-up in all of Philippine basketball.

Gaano kaya kaiba ung kalalabasan ng 2009 FIBA-Asia
kung nakapaglaro si RR imbis na si Willie Miller bilang PG?

Yes, Barangay Ginebra has the household names, but they never seem to be truly healthy and could only boast of one guy who's the best at his position at this point (Mark Caguioa). Rival Petron also has some solid star power but not as established as those of the Gin Kings and not on the same plateau as the Texters. BMeg? Well, we'll just have to wait another conference before coach Tim Cone finally figures out that new recruit JC Intal is no Marcio Lassiter/ Scottie Pippen and that he can't win with three scorers playing heavy minutes at the perimeter without at least one of them being a lockdown defender (they should've pushed to get Dylan Ababou, hey maybe they could consider stealing Bitoy Omolon from Air21).

KKS Fantasy: Creating SMART Gilas 2, Chot-style

Can't have Gilas without these two

Run and gun, attack relentlessly, hustle, bump and tumble. Smash mouth basketball that puts a premium on outscoring the opponent at every turn, and when possible, to run them right out of the gym.

From his title run earlier in 2000 with Coca Cola to his current CV-filler with Talk 'n' Text, Coach Chot's style is his and his alone in the local basketball scene. Robert Jaworski preached rugged defense, Tim Cone wanted fluidity through set plays, Jong Uichico tinkered with his line-up to play textbook basketball, Rajko Toroman called for hundreds of double picks for his point guard and Yeng Guiao pretty much let his players do whatever the hell they wanted on the floor.

Reyes has a little bit of everything mentioned above in his sleeve.

Back in the fold (?)

It's been a busy off-season for the PBA these past few days, headlined of course by the great Kerby Raymundo and Dylan Ababou to Ginebra trade that sent JC Intal to B-Meg and Ronald Tubid and Reil Cervantes to Barako Bull, followed by Meralco's pick-up of Paul Artadi for Chico Lanete and Air21's (formerly Shopinas.Com) shoring-up defensively with the acquisition of Bitoy Omolon and Mark Isip.

Big Daddy Douthit to provide Air21 with veteran
savvy, championship poise and muscle

There's also the impending return of naturalized center and SMART Gilas standout Marcus Douthit, who will suit up mid-February with Air21which hopefully increases the team's chances to secure a victory in their young team's history. Right now, all Air21 really needs is a pass-first point guard who will utilize a projected line-up of RJ Jazul, Omolon, Isip and Douthit with promising frontliners Magi Sison and Elmer Espiritu ready to come off the bench. Pong Escobal has always been a favorite, but his speed has become an issue in the pros.

Either way, their chances have definitely increased and things are looking up for the Lina franchise.

But all that has been trumped by the reported re-acquisition of the Powerade franchise by San Miguel Corporation which could very well hurt the PBA on all fronts. Granted, SMC and Powerade has denied it, dismissing the news as a "non-issue," but as the old adage goes, "if there's smoke, there's sure to be fire."

There has been reports that a "super rookie" from the Powerade camp is being offered for a trade, which in turn might start a domino effect. Much like how Santa Lucia made sure to make a lot of money out of its championship roster before selling to Team MVP (instead of simply holding on to the players like Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes, Joseph Yeo and Denok Miranda).

On a positive note, Gary David received a 3-year extension worth the max contract of P 420,000 a month-- and rightfully so. If the Powerade sale does go through, let's all pray that the Bataan Bomber goes to a title-worthy team and not be left behind as he always does.

With the success and fame being enjoyed by the league, its teams and players, what it doesn't need is a PR hit (4th SMC team in a league that already features 2 teams each for MVP and the Linas). Perhaps the PBA can look into another franchise from the amateurs to make the leap into the pros? Invitational style?