Terrence, who?

The right Terrence for TNT
(Photo courtesy

Looks like TNT Katropa finally found the right Terrence for them, huh?

Eight-year NBA veteran and current PBA Commissioner's Cup TNT super import Terrence Jones, that is. The former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging an impressive 34.5 peg 16.40 rag and 7.7 apg while shooting 41% from deep and 51% from two. Jones' all around brilliance has propelled TNT back to the top of the standings after the team's confusing/ disappointing play the last few conferences.

So here's where TNT is right now: 9-1 win-loss record, managed to do away with disgruntled, supposedly "future" cornerstones Terrence Romeo, Jericho Cruz and RR Garcia, and adding role players like the other Semerad twin and Don Trollano along the way. From the outside looking in, you'd think that they lost a lot of star power in the process, and perhaps they did, but they were able to pretty much simplify their game plan in terms of who is Alpha, Beta and so on.


Jones is Alpha. Clear cut. Beta is Jayson Castro, who was supposed to pass on the heavy burden of carrying the team to younger teammates. Turns out, there's little to no need for that, at least not in import-laden conferences. Castro may not be as Blurry as years back, but he isn't exactly on his last legs either. Now you've got Jones and Castro as the clear 1-2 punch, with other players knowing just when and where to be. Troy Rosario is back to doing Rosario things, and not pretending to be a small forward (hopefully, for international purposes, he can continue working on this). The addition of the other Semerad, and how he complements his twin, is pretty much what Rosario can go back to being. A tough enforcer who works the board on defense, and a sturdy screen setter with enough range to knock down any kick-out passes from the free throw line and out.

So just how far can Jones take TNT?

Honestly, Abueva-dance-gate kidding aside, we feel that he can take TNT all the way to the PBA Finals. The team looks like it is in great rhythm, they celebrate each other's made shots and plays, and  they do not ball watch anymore (which was a really odd sight to see last season, considering TNT has been the PBA's standard bearer for a more Euro-style of play).

Now what we'd really like to know is, how long are we going to keep calling Bong Ravena the "head coach?"

Also, you really mean to tell us that they couldn't simply have done this for Jimmy Alapag back then? You know, something like, he's "head coach" but you've got an import consultant, say a Rajko Toroman at the time, to be in his ear? Really? Really?

Your thoughts?

adidas releases James Harden Arizona State U PEs

The latest James Harden Crazylight 2016 drops and pays tribute to James’ alma mater: Arizona State University.

James' path to the NBA took shape at ASU, where he created a style all his own as a lights out three-point shooter with Eurostep drives to the rim.

“Arizona State helped mold me into the man I am today and this is my chance to show love, respect and how much they mean to me,” James explained. “I’ve been up there practicing this summer and it’s one big family. You find certain things in life, and you get attached to them. It’s no different with ASU.”

The ASU edition Kicks feature a light gray jacquard upper, maroon detailing and Harden’s No. 13 badge accented in gold on the tongue. Crazylight 2016 incorporates full-length BOOST cushioning, a TPU forefoot roll cage and reengineered fast traction to amplify control at all angles of play.

The Crazylight 2016 ASU Edition is already being sold in Titan stores for P7,995.

Follow the conversation @adidashoops on Twitter and Instagram with #Crazylight.

adidas releases D Rose 7

adidas D Rose 7

As Derrick Rose prepares for the bright lights of New York City, adidas Basketball starts the next chapter of his signature series with the D Rose 7.  Inspired by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the D Rose 7 is a tribute to Derrick’s beloved hometown of Chicago and the city that raised him.

The D Rose 7 echoes the resilience of Rose’s passion for the game and perseverance through every challenge. The silhouette introduces unique elements of strength and for the first time, incorporates full-length BOOST through a design inspired by fire and one’s willingness to rise from the ashes.  Built for unmatched flexibility and comfort, the D Rose 7 is designed to harness the raw energy of Derrick’s style of play, including powerful strikes against defenders in traffic and speed at both ends of the floor.

“Chicago’s always been my home and this shoe represents the city that made me the man I am today. From how I play the game, how I live my life and how it’s prepared me for my next step in New York,” said Rose.  “It’s the perfect tribute to the city and fans that helped raise and support me.  It’s built for my game and gives me an added incentive knowing that I’m carrying my city with me on every play.”

Course correction

Welcome home. Now stay home.
(Photo credit: Spin.ph)

Well, someone has to say it.

Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. is NOT NBA material. Not yet, anyway.

We won't follow other writers who have nothing but good words to say about Parks, Jr. from the sacrifice that he made in playing in the Philippines to help his late father, to his time at National University. Instead, we will give interested readers an honest take on Parks, Jr. the basketball player and NBA hopeful.

He suited up for NU from 2011 to 2013, was recognized as the "face" of its basketball (and probably, at the time, its overall sports) program and averaged a stellar 20 ppg 7rpg 3apg 1spg 1bpg in his UAAP run wherein he was the MVP in seasons 74 and 75. He was that gifted. He was also featured on offense. A lot. NU basically ran everything through and by Parks, Jr. which is and was a far cry from all the stellar and creative offensive sets they ran post-Parks, Jr. en route to a UAAP crown just a few seasons ago.

adidas unveils new James Harden PEs

Photo credit: adidas

Designed to complement the Houston Rockets’ home and away uniforms, adidas introduces the latest James Harden PEs of the Crazylight Boost 2.5.

Home
The “Home” edition features a black and white upper with dual tones for clean yet bold design, while the shoe is also constructed with engineered webbing along the forefoot for added breathability. Red hits deliver pops of color on the outsole, heel tab and custom “13” wordmark to cap off the home tribute.

adidas unveils Andrew Wiggins PEs Crazylight Boost 2.5

adidas recently unveiled special player's exclusive colorways of the Crazylight Boost 2.5 in recognition of the Minnesota Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins' steady rise to superstardom. The 20-year-old on-court play and family history were the inspiration behind the new designs, as per the adidas press release.


North Star
Using the Timberwolves' colorways and the state motto - L'Etoile du Nord or The Star of the North, the shoe is constructed with a metallic heel counter and silver detailing. It also features a black and blue Primeknit upper with seamless integration of mesh tooling and deep blue accents throughout.

Marita


Next is the "Marita" which is named after Wiggins' mother Marita Payne-Wiggins, and her success as an Olympic sprinter who helped Canada win two silver medals in the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays in the 1984 Summer Games. They feature a silver to red gradient upper, blending Primeknit threads with forefoot mesh to deliver added breathability on the hardwood. Silver accents along the midsole, heel cap, collar lining and laces are paired with a red and white outsole for a true Canadian tribute. Gold hits to the upper’s foil treated seam and AW logo cap off the hometown exclusive.

The "North Star" and “Marita” colorways are available for Php7995 at select adidas stores and other local sports outlets.

Join the conversation @adidashoops on Twitter and Instagram with #CrazylightBoost.

Have you seen the 2016 NBA All Star Unis???

adidas, the official on-court apparel provider for the National Basketball Association (NBA), unveiled the uniforms and apparel collection for the 65th NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 14 in Toronto. The uniforms incorporate elements indigenous to Canada and pay homage to Toronto’s NBA history, passionate basketball fans and cosmopolitan energy.

“This is the first NBA All-Star Game to be played outside the United States, and it is a very exciting time for basketball in Canada,” said Chris Grancio, adidas global basketball general manager. “To honor this global celebration and pay tribute to Toronto – the site of the NBA’s first game – we’ve incorporated design elements that are inspired by the city’s basketball history, sports culture and unique fashion scene to make an All-Star collection that players and fans will love.” 

The red-and-white Western Conference and white-and-blue Eastern Conference uniforms feature a maple leaf overlay on the front of the jerseys as a tribute to the national symbol of Canada, while Toronto’s cityscape is featured across the back to represent the host city. Clean, single-layered fonts are a nod to the NBA’s early days in Toronto, where the first NBA game was played on Nov. 1, 1946, between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers.

Ricky Rubio to #TakeOnManila

As part of the adidas #TakeOn Tours, Minnesota Timberwolves Guard and Spain National Team player, Ricky Rubio will be making a stop here in the Philippines this month.

 

Rubio, who was the youngest player to ever play at the Spanish ABC league at age 14 and youngest to play in th Olympic basketball finals, is set to share his talents with one of Asia’s biggest basketball nation.

 

Fans can expect a little more than just basketball from Ricky this August 21-23 in a series of activities meant to bring him closer to the Filipinos.

 

For the latest news about his visit, follow adidas PH on Twitter and Instagram with #TakeOnManila and adidas Basketball on Twitter and Instagram with #TakeonSummer for more exclusive content.

Damian Lillard in China

The NBA Portland Trailblazers' All Star point guard Damian Lillard recently tipped off the adidas Take on Summer Tour of Tokyo, Japan, China, and Paris through July 1.

Lillard is interacting with fans from all over, with basketball demonstrations and pick-up games, in-store appearances, interviews and more. adidas will also launch an exclusive Take on Summer collection which includes the D Lillard 1 in solar orange, inspired by the long, bright days of summer.

Currently, Lillard is in the middle of the China tour which will have him visit several places-- perhaps I should file a quick vacation and head back East.

Pido Redux

Depensa muna bro
(Photo credits to the owner)

"Pride, puso, palaban."

These three words served as Global Port Batang Pier head coach Pido Jarencio's battle cry when he first made a name for himself, outside of playing amateur and pro-ball, along the sidelines with the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers from 2006 to 2013 (with three UAAP Finals appearances and a championship to display). The same battlecry was what Jarencio said he will bring into the PBA when he was hired by the Batang Pier in 2014, only to finish the season with an abysmal 2-16 win-loss record.

They "fired" him, brought him back as team consultant, and is now promptly back calling the shots in the PBA Governor's Cup wherein the Batang Pier are surprisingly ahead of the pack with a 3-0 win-loss slate which is arguably the best start in Pido's young PBA coaching career. For stat lovers, the Batang Pier are averaging 94 ppg on 42% 2-pt, 40% 3-pt, 52 rpg and 18 apg (with 15 topg) versus their opponents' 79 ppg, 37% 2-pt, 13% 3-pt, 47 rpg, 14 apg and 16 topg.

So what changed between Pido's first time out and this one?

2014 FIBA World Cup: Croatia (16) vs Philippines (34) IR

First and foremost, MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS!

What. A. Game.

After trailing by as much as 15 points in the 1st quarter and a half, Gilas made a game off their debut against one of Europe's finest in Croatia thanks to the efforts of naturalised centre Andray Blatche and the (surprisingly) 4th point guard in the rotation, captain Jimmy Alapag. True enough, Gilas found itself flat-footed early, unable to make shots versus the taller Croatians and pretty much jittery on the floor. Blatche was left to go isolation, much like he did the entire pre-FIBA tune-up campaign for Gilas, which wasn't bad since he was the only guy who could get buckets for us, but wasn't good either because it was messing up our spacing and dribble drive game plan.

If anything, this game can be summed up as Croatia probably taking us for granted early, and the proud men of Gilas just playing with all heart and effort. We caught them off-guard, being one of the virtual unknowns in the tournament and were fortunate enough to have been able to make shots in the end to force over time and salvage a respectable 81-78 loss.

Here's an amateur's take on the positives and negatives that we can learn from the game against Croatia:

Positive:
- Andray Blatche is versatile. He's clearly a walking mismatch at 6"11, with the hybrid forwards of Croatia unable to keep in step owing to Blatche's speed and ball handling skills (which is quite exceptional really and something we never saw in the NBA). Though Blatche is not a force in the paint, he makes up for his big man shortcomings by playing like a little man on the court. He helps spread the floor for our shooters, can drive to the hoop when he wants and has no problems whatsoever in taking (and making treys). Truth be told, Blatche helps our cause in making the game faster-- which gives us more attempts down the floor.

adidas signs Toronto Raptors star

adidas signs Kyle Lowry

adidas today announced a partnership with Toronto Raptors star point guard Kyle Lowry. The eight-season NBA veteran is coming off of a career-best season in which he averaged 17.9 points, 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game while leading his team to its first playoff berth in five seasons.

“I’m really excited to continue my career with adidas and join a brand that I think compliments my aggressive playing style and future goals,” Lowry said.

The 6-foot Philadelphia native is known throughout the league as a fearless multifaceted offensive player, disruptive defender and superior rebounder at the point guard position.

NBA All Star 2014 unis are in!

NBA All Star 2014 Uniforms

PORTLAND, Ore. (Jan. 16, 2014) – adidas, the official on-court apparel provider for the National Basketball Association (NBA), today unveiled the uniforms and apparel for the 63^rd NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16 in New Orleans, La.

Designed by adidas, the uniforms are inspired by New Orleans’ rich and unique culture, featuring vibrant Mardi Gras colors and shiny brass and silver accents on a short-sleeved silhouette. The NBA All-Star logo appears on the chest of the blue “East” and red “West” jerseys in the shape of the fleur-de-lis, the official symbol of Louisiana, with a purple “W” or green “E” cut out to identify the conference of each player.

Coming of Age

Aguilar has been dominant
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

If you were 6”9 tall, can run the floor like a guard, knock down jumpers with little to no effort AND make the highlight reel-worth shotblock, best bet is you’d take the PBA by storm and post 19 points and 10 rebounds a game.

Japeth Aguilar is such a man. Even if it took him roughly 4 PBA years to get there.

SPRITE AND NBA CARES SUPPORT SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETES IN NBA GLOBAL GAME BASKETBALL CLINIC

A member of the NBA's Indiana Pacers (left)

supervises the basketball clinic of the 

young Special Olympics athletes

To mark the games taking place in the Philippines and Asia as part of the 2013 NBA Global Games, Sprite partnered once again with NBA Cares, the global social responsibility program of NBA, to foster acceptance and inclusion for differently abled athletes through an exciting basketball clinic.

The NBA Cares Special Olympics Basketball Clinic Presented by Sprite took place on October 9 at the Mall of Asia Arena where 60 young Special Olympics athletes had a once-in-a-lifetime experience to improve their basketball skills with the assistance of employee volunteers from Sprite as well as the entire Indiana Pacers team.  NBA Legends Ron Harper and Jalen Rose were also present to lend a helping hand.
 

adidas signs NBA All Star

Joakim Noah for adidas

PORTLAND, Ore. (October 8, 2013) – adidas today announced a partnership with NBA All-Star center Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls

NBA All-Star Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls joins the adidas basketball roster which includes his Chicago Bulls teammate and 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose along with three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard of the Houston Rockets, 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers and two-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA Champion Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs.

NBA MVP D Rose is coming back to Manila

Derrick Rose is coming (back) to Manila!

Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose headlines the D Rose Tour, where the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player visits Europe and returns to Asia for the third time. The latter includes a 3-day visit to Manila, Philippines from September 14-16. This marks the return of Rose since he last arrived in the country for a pair of exhibition games in July 2011.

Inspired by the exciting and attacking on-court play and smooth, understated off-court style of Derrick Rose, fans attending the tours will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and have unique access to Derrick through a multitude of premium, exclusive events.

Lesson in Humility

"Umuwi ka na baby..."

So 6"9 Japeth Aguilar's NBA dreams has hit another setback; this time by being cut from the NBA D-League team Santa Cruz Warriors' final 10 man season roster.

Well, we hate to say it if only because the meek and shallow minded would easily dismiss us as another Japeth-hater. First, you have to be worth a damn to have "haters." Second, we call Aguilar out for his flaws, in hopes that he or anyone close to him Googles his name on a daily basis and lands on this humble blog that's as honest as they come. We're not obsessed fanatics here, we won't pat your back after a bad game. We'll call it as we see it, and if you're serious about what you want to be (which, we presume is a legit and elite Filipino basketball player) then maybe you can consider what we (and other basketball fans like us) have to say.

Okay, back to Aguilar and his failed, most aggressive (to date) and nth attempt to be the next Jeremy Lin.