Okay, so I’ve admittedly drawn blanks as far as my last two or three titles are concerned but let’s swiftly transition away from that and onto the topic at hand—Gary David’s current tear and how he is making a case for being the number 1 SG in all of Philippine basketball.
Last season, David blossomed into a primetime offensive threat both under Burger King and later with Coca Cola/ Powerade. His 18.15 ppg with a shooting percentage of 45.2% is arguably the best around for a guy who dominates his team’s offense.This year, with Powerade head coach Bo Perasol leaning towards a faster pace, David is at it again with 22.6 ppg on a very efficient 47.9% clip. I’m pretty sure that those numbers alone should have David in the discussion for one of the best, if not the current best, SGs out there.
Derby Ace’s James Yap is showing signs of not wanting any part of the more physical brand of play, settling for long jumpers and driving inside only against teams with “soft” inside defenders, Mark Caguioa is stuck trying to outshine teammate and fellow gunner Willie Miller at Ginebra and Meralco’s Macmac Cardona is getting his points on so many field gold attempts he’d make Allen Iverson circa 2001 jealous.
So why is David not getting any love?
For one, David is as straight forward as they come. Nothing too flashy, just enough to give the crowd a few cheers here and there, but still crazy efficient. If anything, I’d say that David’s “flashiest” go-to move is his reverse lay-up. That’s it.
And perhaps the biggest reason why he’s not in the Yap-Hontiveros-Caguioa-Miller conversation is that he’s been traded back and forth that people are starting to take him for granted. Is he one-dimensional? Perhaps, but so are Yap and Miller. The fact that Cyrus Baguio is more popular or considered a better basketball player is beyond me—so I guess it’s pretty safe to assume that it’s all marketing then (which depends on one’s looks and who they know in the business). That being said, I hope that David’s run continues and that he takes his rightful place in the league’s upper echelon of star guards.
