PBA GovCup SF: Ginebra vs Northport

At this point, I'm just surprised that The Dean
hasn't given him a moniker yet.
(Photo credit: Sports.inquirer.net)

Talk about Never-say-die.

On one hand we've got the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, a powerhouse team on paper that continues to live up (or down, depending on which Kabarangay you're asking) to its glorious reputation. The team finished the PBA Governor's Cup as the 4th seed, starting a bit slow before turning it up in its last few games. On the other, you've got the Northport Batang Pier which was arguably on its way to packing its bags this conference following the injury to prized rookie point guard Robert Bolick before somehow landing national skipper Christian Standhinger (and prior to that, the trade that sent its other star guard-- Stanley Pringle to, well, Ginebra).

So we know what we're going to get with Ginebra. The offense runs through super import Justin Brownlee, and whenever he's around (like Meralco and Allen Durham), every thing just falls into place. Only, it was pretty obvious that they had a bit of a rough patch in trying to balance out the offense between Brownlee and Pringle. After those two guys, there's Japeth Aguilar, L.A. Tenorio, and a bit of Scottie Thompson.



Which brings our attention to the 8th seeded North Port. They recently made waves for that gruelling triple overtime upset of the 1st seed NLEX Road Warriors. Standhardinger is turning a lot of heads and making his case for Best Player of the Conference despite the fact that he was only recently traded to North Port by San Miguel. Their import, Michael Qualls, can do a little bit of everything and has the speed, length and athleticism to cover positions 3-5 in the PBA setting. Then there's the energizer bunny known as Sean Anthony, who, IMHO, is a modern day Rudy Hatfield.

This is going to be fun. The onus will be on who can dictate tempo from the get go. Also, if Ginebra can use its size to the hilt to really put the pressure on North Port with their height in the paint. The problem here is, North Port has the bigs, the bruising, elbows-out kind, that their Ginebra counterparts' are "allergic" to.

L.A. Tenorio vs. Nico Elorde
The pressure will be on Tenorio to once again lead Ginebra to victory. But it won't be easy versus Elorde, who is proving to be quite the tough defender who wears opponents down by simply sticking to them like a shadow.

Stanley Pringle vs Kevin Ferrer
Ferrer will get on Pringle's nerves in one of these games. But Pringle will need to make his presence felt enough for Brownlee and the rest to be able to operate freely and not be doubled. On paper, North Port has a few other big/ long guys like Sol Mercado and Paolo Taha to throw at Pringle just to give him different looks.

Scottie Thompson vs Sean Anthony
As good as Thompson has been for Ginebra as a relentless junkyard dog type, he's going to probably find himself matched-up against a mirror image in Anthony (if Coach Pido doesn't waste Anthony on Brownlee). Anthony can do just about everything Thompson does for Ginebra, only, he's bigger and has better range.

Justin Brownlee vs Michael Qualls
The thing about Brownlee that we've always found impressive is that, and maybe it's because he's been wearing the red, white and yellow for so long, he's no longer just a "scorer."

Japeth Aguilar vs Christian Standhardinger
We love Aguilar like the next guy, and have grown to appreciate what he brings to the Ginebra cause. But Standhardinger is cut from an old school, no excuses, no b.s. kind of cloth that every single Ginebra fan has been wanting to see from their own collection of bigs (everyone from Aguilar to Joe DeVance to Greg Slaughter). The kind of player who, as we say in Filipino, "nakikipagpalitan ng mukha" just to score a basket/ grab a rebound/ make a play. Sure, CSH flops and flails, but he also plays with a lot of passion and purpose. This isn't as simple as when Ginebra guards the 5x PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo with Slaughter (bigger) or Aguilar (longer) as he tries to back them up. CSH forces the issue and often gets those guarding him in foul trouble by simply bulldozing his way inside. Major problem.

Prediction: Ginebra is going to be in a lot of trouble. A team that doesn't always appear to be playing at 100%, going up against a team that is hungry and has a lot of burning desire to prove their critics wrong. Should Ginebra go big? They have the tools for it, but chances are North Port steps on the gas and leaves Slaughter et. al. behind. Also, it takes away Thompson who does a lot of things for Ginebra.

X-factor: Pick any one of the ex-Ginebra guys who are all going into this match-up with huge chips on their shoulders. Kevin Ferrer might sink a few treys. Jervy Cruz is going to throw some elbows.

Gut feel? North Port. But my brain says Ginebra.

Your thoughts? @kilikilishot on Twitter

Trade RXN: Pringle to Ginebra

Author’s note: We simply cannot tell a lie—the most fantasy basketball-related thing that we really invest time and brainpower on are trade reactions. Of what is and what could be, how pieces would fit in a puzzle moving forward and so on. So the minute that we found out about this trade, we just had to drop everything and write a customary RXN piece. Enjoy!

Bagong ka-Barangay
(Photo: ABS CBN Sports)

For what it's worth, NorthPort had a great five-year run with All Star Stanley Pringle running the point. Sure, he spent most of it playing 2nd fiddle to Terrence Romeo, but he pretty much filled the gaps and when he was given the keys to the 'ship' following Romeo's exit, he delivered in grand fashion enough to merit a starting, starring role with Gilas Pilipinas.

Now, Pringle will take his act to Ginebra Ako, where he is expected to lead the charge and inherit the team from aging iron man L.A. Tenorio to form a young, formidable backcourt with Scottie Thompson.



We've always said-- from the old blog to Twitter, that Ginebra usually went only as far as Tenorio would take them. The star point guard is not only the team's best facilitator, but also their best creator both on and off the dribble following Mark Caguioa's journey into semi-retirement. This is why Ginebra Ako is so good when they have Justin Brownlee in the fold, and not as much when they don't.

Enter Pringle, who could easily slide into either 1 or 2. With Tenorio, he'll be the de facto 2 guard- scorer, finisher, long range bomber-- you name it. When Tenorio's on the bench, he could take the lead role or play off of Scottie Thompson (who has yet to be tasked to run the Ginebra offense full-time) or point-forward Joe DeVance.

Just another solid addition to the Ginebra fold that really makes them a better team all around. They have the bigs equipped with mid-range scoring, now they've got their guard of the future.

They lost three guys, two of which are rotation players, with the other one serviceable when healthy.

Which brings us to NorthPort.

In exchange for Pringle, NorthPort received guard Sol Mercado, small forward Kevin Ferrer and power forward Jervy Cruz. On paper, that's not a bad haul.

Mercado has sacrificed a lot to fit Ginebra's system, giving up his touches if only to allow bigs Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter to operate a bit more. He has openly welcomed coming off the bench for the great Coach Tim Cone, and has willingly played whatever role was asked of him-- be it scorer, stopper (he tries) or energy guy. There's no question on our minds that Mercado should start sooner rather than later for NorthPort as a capable replacement for Pringle. Maybe not as explosive scoring-wise, but still solid enough to put up good numbers.

Big man Cruz is reunited with his 2006 UST championship coach, and we sincerely hope that he finds the minutes this time around. We have seen flashes, but all in all Cruz has found it hard to be as dominant in the pros as he was in college-- blame it on the competition being taller, and bigger, and his opting to trim down a bit. When he's healthy and given minutes, Cruz is quite competent around the paint-- just don't ask Coach Yeng Guiao. But in an import laden conference, given NorthPort's line-up, we're not really expecting a lot from Cruz.

Now here's the interesting part.

The young tiger, the former Tiger King (was he ever officially coronated? Or is the title Alj-- I kid, I kid) Kevin Ferrer.

At this point, it's really to early to give up on Ferrer. He's had his moments with Ginebra, but for the most part he has looked like a lazier, more disengaged version of Mac Baracael. You know, another great college player who could play two-way basketball and had great range? Yeah, him. Ferrer's the new Baracael, only worse. While we wouldn't really question his work ethic (pretty sure he's a gym rat like the rest of them), we're basically making that whole statement based on what we have seen in his professional career on the court. When he's hot, he has unlimited range. His high release paired with his long arms make him almost unguardable. Problem is, he doesn't seem to care about moving his feet to get free or has a pet dribble to go to-- things he could have and should have learned from Ginebra veteran, textbook shooter/ scorer Jeffrei Chan (who is unfortunately injured) during their time together.

What's nice here is that, Ferrer will definitely get a chance to shine playing behind Sean Anthony at the 3 spot (or maybe even play together come Philippine Cup). Here's to wishing that Ferrer finally gets 'it' and shows his true worth under his old coach Pido.

Trade grade:

Ginebra Ako: A (they got Pringle!)
NorthPort: B (should've gone for draft picks but hey)

Your thoughts?

Evolution

The Golden Boy
(photo credit: pba-online.net)

GlobalPort Batang Pier’s Terrence Romeo is redefining the way he is known to the local basketball world in two PBA Philippine Cup games played so far. Though the “Golden Boy” is averaging his customary 27 points, he is now actively keeping his teammates involved by issuing 7 assists as well.

Change looks like it’s coming, eh?

Before we proceed, we’d like to ask: who is the better basketball player? A guy scores 40 points or a guy who puts up 15 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists while also deferring to a teammate when it comes to taking the game-winner?

No gentleman

E DI WOW!
(Photo credit: Spin.ph)

Well that was funny.

In case you missed it, the entire Globalport Batang Pier coaching staff and management opted not to shake the hands of their conquerors, the NLEX Road Warriors, after their game last night. The Warriors won 114-98, but not before calling a timeout in the dying seconds which drew the Batang Pier's ire.

See, there are two unwritten but universally observed "gentlemen's" basketball rules:

KKS Trade Reaction: Dehesa to GlobalPort

Dehesa moving up
(Photo credit: Rivals.ph)

We honestly do not know what is going on with the GlobalPort Batang Pier. One day they look and sound like they genuinely wish to build something special; to become Playoff contenders, the next day we hear that the owner has been calling out his players/ employees on his personal Facebook page, the coach gets "benched/ demoted" and this guy or that guy is going to be sent to this team or that team by next conference.

Are they a farm team? Are they the new "Barako Bull" of the PBA? Will Stanley Pringle/ Terrence Romeo be able to build and cement their PBA legacies under one franchise?

PBAPC SF: 1 Alaska vs 5 GlobalPort

The Muscle Man
(Photo credit to PBA.Inquirer.net)

Contrary to popular belief, this is about as evenly matched on paper as you could get as far as a semifinals pairing is concerned.

Sure, the Alaska Aces have been playing great since Alex Compton took over and specially this conference now that Calvin Abueva and Vic Manuel have taken starring roles within their "we not me" system, but that does not necessarily mean that they will just walk through the GlobalPort Batang Pier squad in a seven-game series. For one, the Batang Pier have the same nice mix of hungry youth and veteran savvy as the Aces.

On one side, the Aces’ strength lies in their deep guard rotation wherein everyone is a threat to score 20 a game be it JVee Casio, Cyrus Baguio and or Dondon Hontiveros. They also have solid back-ups in Chris Banchero, RJ Jazul and Ping Exciminiano, with Abueva also able to help in the ball-handling department. For the Batang Pier, while Stanley Pringle and Terrence Romeo are the stars, it is their frontline which got them this far: Jay Washington, Doug Kramer, Dorian Pena, Billy Mamaril and Rico Maierhofer. That’s a first-class collection of veteran bigs if we say so ourselves, with the Aces having only Manuel, an aging Sonny Thoss, what remains of Eric Menk, Noy Baclao and Samigue Eman.

PBAPC16 QF: 5 GlobalPort vs 8 Barako

Photo credit to PBA.Inquirer.net

R.R. Garcia just cannot seem to catch a break in his young PBA career.

After being pushed to the backseat by former college and pro teammate Terrence Romeo, Garcia was finally able to show his old UAAP MVP form for Barako Bull this Philippine Cup. Unfotunately, he suffered a shoulder injury just a few weeks back which has kept him on the sidelines going into this Quarterfinals match-up with, hey, Romeo and his GlobalPort squad.

Had Garcia (29mpg 17ppg 3rpg 2apg) been healthy, he and Romeo (30mpg 23ppg 4rpg 3apg) would have been the clear focus of this battle of recognized SMC farm teams (from a fan boy's standpoint, it could have been our "what if" Jayjay Helterbrand vs Mark Caguioa dream scenario... guess we will have to wait a bit longer on this one).

Stan the Man

Out with the old, in with the new
(Photo credit to the owner)

Poker-faced and steady, he carefully surveys the field to check where his comrades are-- his shooters are busy trying to wriggle free from their defenders, his bigs already engaged in hand-to-hand combat inside the box and angling for proper rebounding position.

In the middle of the chaos of blinding lights, human flesh and glistening jerseys, he makes a split-second decision.

He puts his head down and moves forward, his defender tries to move his legs fast enough to recover. Recover in time to make a possible last gasp attempt at challenging a layup. But what the defender does not know or anticipate, is that while he has already committed to this scenario, the hero has other things in mind. He slows down just as quickly as he accelerated, enough to throw his defender off balance. Enough to catch the help wondering what is going on: "will he shoot? Will he pass? Can I get there in time?" Parallel to the time it took the defender to answer this complex conundrum is the hero scoring or assisting on an easy basket.

This is starting to become somewhat of the norm for GlobalPort Batang Pier’s sophomore point guard Stanley Pringle.

On the offensive

Your team or mine?
(Photo credit to the owner)

How many players does it take to score a basket?

This is going to be Coach Pido Jarencio's biggest challenge as he leads a retooled Global Port Batang Pier squad that does not only feature elite scorer Terrence Romeo and the promising Stanley Pringle, but also veteran assassin-by-trade Joseph Yeo, trigger happy point man Jonathan Uyloan and rookie Roi "I'm not a basketball diva" Sumang. 

Granted, the Batang Pier squad enjoyed some success when they played a three guard unit with Asian import Omar Krayem-- but that was more to Krayem's versatility and efficiency than Coach Pido's Xs and Os. Krayem pretty much covered for Pringle and Romeo, sliding comfortably at the small forward spot.

Yeo? We are not too sure he can play defense like Krayem. We don't think he will have any troubles deferring to the younger guys on offense (having played with Mac Cardona early in his career), but it's on defense where this Romeo-Pringle-Yeo troika might fail. Remember, Batang Pier had Krayem AND Denok Miranda last conference to "save" Romeo and Pringle.

Small moves, new beginnings

Still waiting for Jervy to live up
to his Baby Patrimonio potential
(Photo credit to the owner)

Finally, a couple of PBA off-season deals that we could write about!

Who would've thought that it would be the GlobalPort Batang Pier squad of Boss Mikee Romero doing all the wheeling and dealing off/ pre-season? And no, it's not to serve at any of the two giant corporation's pleasure even but to actually try and continue building a legitimate darkhorse contender for the coming season.

There are rumors however that this is only the beginning, and that more trades will follow suit. No worries, the more trades and transactions there are going into next week's 2015 PBA Draft, the more copies we can write, rave and rant about!

Tuloy ang ligaya kahit off-season!

Jervy Cruz to GlobalPort, Jewel Ponferada + 2015 PBA Draft 2nd round pick to Rain or Shine

All hands on deck

"You reach, I teach"
(Photo credit to the owner)

Once the curtain unfolds and the spotlight is at its brightest to signify the PBA's 41st season, it would be very wise to consider the GlobalPort Batang Pier as the true darkhorse should things go as planned.

Yes, Coach Pido Jarencio still needs to watch more film and yes, Terrence Romeo will probably never pass the ball to someone who doesn't know what to do with it, but no, this team will definitely not stay in the cellar in any of the next three conferences.

Why?

Because this is a team. Despite the media hype, hoopla and hate thrown towards the polarizing Romeo who finds himself with a veteran sage now at his disposal by the name of Joseph Yeo.

Isn't Yeo a mirror image of Romeo and how his career might pan out?

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.

Cruising along

Teamwork.
(Photo credits to Sports5)

We could still recall when GlobalPort Batang Pier team owner Mikee Romero proudly declared that he was going to bring his basketball winning ways from the amateurs (PBL, ABL) into the PBA. We met it as just another positive statement, from a greenhorn who doesn't really understand how the true yet dirty hierarchy of the league works.

Specially for a farm team.

Which they said they were not. Which their fans bought into. Until of course, trades started to become the norm and elite or promising names (players and coaches) walked in and out of their team practices.

But lately, they've been winning.

All thanks to one man's vision, and another man's growing love/ hate reputation.

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?

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?"

The Real Deal Redux

Not yet Stan the Man, but def the Real Deal
Photo courtesy of Sports5

"One game doesn't make a PBA career."

It does, however, offer a glimpse of things to come should every thing turn out the way it's meant to be (barring any injuries, on and or off court issues, etc). This is basically what Boss Mikee Romero and the entire Global Port Batang Pier team and fanbase are hoping for after their prized 2014 PBA Draft 1st overall pick Stanley Pringle delivered last Sunday though in a 96-101 losing effort to the NLEX Road Warriors.
Playing an absurd 40 minutes, Pringle managed a respectable 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls while being asked to keep his two trigger happy backcourt buddies Alex Cabagnot and sophomore star Terrence Romeo.

Cabagnot Conundrum

The Crunchman Saveth?
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

A few weeks ago, we felt that it was rather unfair for Global Port Batang Pier's neophyte head coach Pido Jarencio to single out his starting point guard Alex Cabagnot amid their losing ongoing losing streak.

If you walked up to us and said that the Batang Pier lost their first eight games because Cabagnot was averaging 10.38 points to go with 5.88 assists per game, we'd have laughed at your great and admirable grasp of the sport. Looking back at Cabagnot's career since 2005, the man's averaged 11 points and 5 assists.

Yes, he's had incredible, clutch games here and there, but overall, Cabagnot is an 11 points and 5 assists man-- which isn't bad on the PBA level mind you, given the years of consistent play.

7-0 / 0-7

"F this 0-7."
Photo courtesy of Sports5

While the PBA Commissioner's Cup is on pause to give way to the PBA All Star Weekend, let's take a look at two teams that have gone opposite directions this conference. Atop the standings with an unblemished 7-0 win-loss slate are the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters while dead last are the GlobalPort Batang Pier who carry an unenviable 0-7 card.

It didn't take long for the Texters to get back on track with newcomer Nino Canaleta and hard-working import Richard Howell in tow. The Gilas Pilipinas core of Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro, Larry Fonacier and Ranidel de Ocampo are averaging around 20-22 minutes a piece and contributing as always, while Howell drops a steady 20-20 points-rebounds a game.

The Fireman and his Batang Pier

I never really got to watch the "real" Pido Jarencio. The man, the legend, the UST Glowing Goldie and PBA "Fireman" whose shooting was almost (legend has it) at par as PBA Hall of Famer Allan Caidic.

Instead, my mental image of Jarencio was a short-shorts wearing veteran who would come in to either spell a winded Vince Hizon or Jayvee Gayoso and knock down a "legs wide open" three from the corners every now and then for Barangay Ginebra in the mid-90s. He was out of basketball shape, appeared to be on his last legs, but was just a feel-good favorite because he looked like someone I'd bump into in pick-up games (you know, that village vet who is always hanging by the playground waiting, preying on the young ones).

When he finally retired and resurfaced as a head coach in college, it was during my 2nd year with the Black-Gold, Black-White. He took a team of several unheralded wingmen and a center to the Finals, much to the surprise of the college ranks (and every single Thomasian who weren't expecting much post-Cyrus Baguio and Alwin Espiritu or better yet, post-Aric del Rosario).

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.