James Yap Redux

When James Carlos Yap first barged into the limelight via the University of the East Red Warriors, fans were raving more about his looks than his game. We'd see flashes of his potential to be one of the game's best, but then he'd either choke in the clutch or suffer from a mysterious case of 4th quarter cramps (which he did a lot in big games in the UAAP).

James Yap: On the right path to greatness under Tim Cone

Then came all the showbiz affiliations and marital affairs that pushed Yap more as a celebrity rather than a solid basketball player. It was rather convenient for commentators to keep buzzing about Yap, who has become a household name, rather than players who were actually having better games at the time because that was what the fans wanted. Daresay that of the two Most Valuable Player trophies Yap has been blessed with, one should've gone to B-Meg Llamados teammate Kerby Raymundo (first one) while the other to a more deserving player.

Even Mico Halili has misguidedly credited Yap to be the "man with a million moves" when in reality, Yap just does thing prettier than others- shoot jumpers while looking like he's sitting on air, palm the ball Nelson Asaytono-style and so on. Personally, I'd give that monicker to Willie Miller (name a player who has more offensive creativity with Miller and you'd probably go with Mark Caguioa-- but even he doesn't have half the post-up game of WM11).

But this Philippine Cup, things are starting to change for Yap. He's becoming more efficient with the basketball, he's starting to take over games when it matters and not sitting idly by while guys like Raymundo or PJ Simon call their own numbers-- and lastly, he's back to just playing basketball and not caring about how he looks on the court.

Credit has to go to Llamados' coach Tim Cone, who still preaches the triangle offense quite considerably, but has also allowed his stars to freelance from time to time and have a feel for the game.

In my mind, Yap has always had the tools to become a mega star in a league of superstars. The only reason why we haven't seen him dominate as much, or take too many ill-advised shots and settle for jumpers is because no one has called him out yet.

His previous coach, Ryan Gregorio, preached isolation plays more than anything. While this helped Yap and co. put up the numbers (and wins), it stymied the players' growth individually. Yap was being asked to score so much, that he wasn't able to develop his passing and off-the-ball skills which showed when he suited up for the Philippine National Team (once his shots weren't falling for him, he just stood outside the three point line waiting for kick-outs).

That's not the case with Cone-- a more technical coach whose offensive system dictates where his players should be on the floor at all times.

Earlier in the conference, Yap was clearly struggling with his role. Yes, he was still putting up the Yap-ish numbers, but you could feel that he was being tentative at times on the floor. Lately, with the Llamados' eight game winning streak (where the roles have been defined), Yap is at the forefront of the offense without dominating possessions.

Now if only Yap could further improve on his defense, then a 3rd MVP might not be that far off given the Llamados strong chances this year (with Cone at the helm and teammates all still within their primes).