And nobody does it better... Eala reassigned

Photo courtesy of sports.nfo.ph

In an obvious public relations damage control effort, San Miguel Corporation opted to "reassign" their trusted Basketball Operations Consultant Noli Eala following the intense social media backlash brought about by vexed Barangay Ginebra San Miguel fans in the aftermath of their head coach's, Alfrancis Chua's, resignation.

The move to reassign the one-time PBA Commissioner comes not only at the heels of Chua's resignation but also after Eala's hit-and-miss performance since he came on board early in 2011. The then Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas head was brought into Team SMC after a "falling out" with the SMART Gilas Pilipinas men's national basketball program (here's a quick link to our idol FireQuinito's old entry) bankrolled by Team Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) and was bent on helping all three of Team SMC's Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) teams to acquire premium talent albeit at the cost of overall team chemistry.

Drama hits Ginebra

Photo courtesy of Yahoo.Ph

What a strange way for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to start their PBA Governor's Cup campaign.

First was the unseen retirement of one of our all-time favorites, Rudy Hatfield. Not only did the team lose one of its veteran anchors, it lost one of its better low post defenders with Hatfield choosing to close one of the more impressive 14-year careers this side of Philippine basketball.

And because we're talking about the league's most popular ball club here, the drama didn't end there. After coming off a surprise Commissioner's Cup Finals runner-up finish, head coach Alfrancis Chua opted to resign for "personal reasons" which many insiders believe was caused by all the coaching rigodon Ginebra and its owning San Miguel Corporation family did the last few weeks.

Don’t cry for Olsen

And then... there was none.

It’s official.

After weeks of speculation, the Petron Blaze Boosters have decided to drop rookie head coach Olsen Racela in favor of the more seasoned Gee Abanilla. This, after Racela’s failed Philippine Cup campaign and the huge “what if” that clouded the Boosters’ Commissioner’s Cup stint.

From what we’ve gathered, Racela has been moved to sister team San Mig Coffee Mixers and “demoted” to assistant coach under Hall of Famer Tim Cone and alongside his peers Johnny Abarrientos, Jeffrey Cariaso among others.

Mixers' Pride

They'll be back.

Mirroring the current (or soon to be) faith of the Chicago Bulls in the on-going NBA Playoffs, the San Mig Coffee Mixers have nothing to be ashamed of despite being sent home by the Alaska Aces.

The team, already facing a rash of injuries to top stars, fought valiantly and could've easily won a game or two had they managed to protect their lead in the 3rd to 4th quarters. Had they been able to sustain their momentum, it would be the Mixers and not the young Aces barging into the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals to defend their hard-earned title.

Alas, their hurting and now humbled stars could only do so much.

Powerhouse cast to form Anti-Gilas

If the voting for the PBA All Stars "Anti-Gilas" selection were to end today, then we are looking at a legit, tough opponent for Coach Chot Reyes et. al. that could ultimately decide the fate of Philippine basketball.

See, it's no secret that "The Silent War" is still alive and kicking. And to simply appease some circles, San Miguel gave in and lent their players but not before sticking to the "one player per team" dictum of PBA Commissioner Chito Salud. They lent Junemar Fajardo, Marc Pingris and L.A. Tenorio to the national cause, yes, but they were sure to leave out other stellar names by "hiding" behind that quote from good old Kume.

At the moment, rounding out the starting five are: James Yap, Mark Caguioa, PJ Simon, Arwind Santos  and Calvin Abueva.

Why can't we be friends

"Una siya naging akin!"
(Photo courtesy of Spin.Ph)

And just when we thought that at least for a conference, we've seen the end (or stoppage) of the dreaded (slightly over-rated) Petronovela starring the Petron Blaze Boosters, we are treated to a meltdown of epic proportions that have even PBA legends barking and back on some Internet headline.

We're talking about what transpired between the Boosters' team captain Arwind Santos and import Renaldo Balkman in the dying seconds of a loss to the Alaska Aces. In case you have yet to see it, the Aces were up by seven with under a minute to go with no signs of a miracle comeback courtesy of the Boosters. Balkman proceeded to give up a duty foul on Aces counterpart Rob Dozier, then went storming off to the nearest zebra (re: referee) he could find and unload on.

And boy oh boy did he ever.

Kerby Watch

Ibalik ang bangis ni The Kid

What a huge turnaround it has been for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel's Kerby Raymundo, going from being the most consistent, half-court star over-shadowed by an over-rated teammate over at his old team, to being injured, before finally being dealt to his current stop where he continues to look for a role and minutes in a team designed to run.

The Orion, Bataan native was supposed to be dealt before the PBA Commissioner's Cup and reunited with his old coach Ryan Gregorio over at the Meralco Bolts camp but that deal never materialized. Instead, Raymundo languished with Ginebra as he was clearly the odd man out in a team that preached run-and-gun. See, Raymundo is not a traditional big man who hauls down rebounds to ignite the fastbreak. His true value comes when the games are tight, the shooters are misfiring and everything slows down. Back-to-the-basket moves, mid range jumpers and a soft finisher at the rim: that's what Raymundo brings to the table.

#NoBenta

Off night or on purpose?

Last night’s 93-72 drubbing of the Barako Bull Energy squad by then winless Barangay Ginebra San Miguel left a sour taste in the mouths of most non-Ginebra fans.

If you’ve been paying close attention to how the Energy has been playing this conference, there are only two explanations for yesterday’s semi-alarming debacle. The team looked listless and lethargic, the defense was mostly man-to-man with little to no resistance to drives into the lane and the offense couldn’t have been anywhere near a Rajko Toroman-coached, urm, consulted squad.

A tale of three coaches

Sumusunod sa galaw mo
(Photo from Spin.Ph)

With the rebuilding process already underway for the teams that have been eliminated in the Philippine Cup, reports have it that there will be three new head coaches come next conference. One is a fiery long-haired mentor whose claim to fame is winning in the amateurs and letting his hair down with victories. Another is the epitome of 1970s Pinoy Macho, complete with pomade and porn-stache. Then there's another one, who hasn't signed yet but is rumored to be going that direction, a guy who reminds you of your favorite odd uncle who laughs with you most of the time but will call you out with curses the next to straighten you out.

Alfrancis Chua (Barangay Ginebra San Miguel)
The writing was on the wall the very first time the pony-tailed tactician made an appearance on the Ginebra sidelines. Fans were clamoring for change, the players were becoming restless with the oddball rotation and rolls being handed them-- the timing couldn't have been better for Chua to step in. Though it took two-three conferences to happen, probably so that Chua can have a feel for the team first, Ginebra desperately needed change. Players weren't responding quite as well to former coach Siot Tangquincen's system and there were a lot of head-scratching decisions being made left and right. The last we saw of Chua (we're Santa Lucia diehards, we know how he is), he is a guy who preaches the run-and-gun system and is very strict.

Building PBA San Miguel Gilas

Sila? Lalaro sa SMART Gilas? WEH.
San Miguel Gilas pa, pwede.

We already know the story and no matter how frustrating and "head-scratching" it may be, we are bound to see another FIBA-bound Philippine men's basketball team that features only half (a third even) of the league's best players (if any, depending on their availability).

Fortunately for us, we live in a world of Freedom of Speech and Expression. This allows us to conjure such discussions that may or may not see the light of day. It's not a secret, the PBA has allowed its players to be on loan to the national team-- depending on their respective mother team's of course. That's why Arwind Santos, arguably the PBA's best two-way basketball player the last three-four years, will not wear PILIPINAS on his chest any time soon (unless he gets traded elsewhere).

So, in the name of Christmas cheer, here's our "fantasy" All-San Miguel "Gilas" basketball team which looks to be pretty stacked on all fronts (making it even more frustrating):

Taskmaster Toroman Steps Back for Rah-Rah

Ikaw, pala'y, salawahan

The writing, in thick, bold neon hot pink colors, was on the wall. It was just a matter of the right people taking a step back to see the big picture, that their proposed "coaching partnership" was the equivalent of what we'd all say as being "a great proposal/ thesis, but hardly probable executable."

Serbian and former SMART Gilas Team Pilpinas head coach Rajko Toroman has finally opted to take a backseat from being the annoying, overly hands-on assistant coach/ team consultant of the struggling Petron Blaze Boosters. From here on out, as far as the team is concerned, it's going to be head coach Olsen Racela fulfilling his duties to the letter: supervising drills in practices and drawing plays in-game both offensively and defensively (as what a head coach should be doing in the first place).

While people were quick to point out that this shortened partnership could've mirrored the highly successful "mentor-protege" pair of former San Miguel Beermen head coach Ron Jacobs and understudy Jong Uichico, this writer argues otherwise.