The Calvin Abueva Suspension: Justified Or Not?

Ninety thousand pesos in total lost to fines. Suspended indefinitely from playing in the PBA. A reputation in tatters. Who knew that all these things would happen to Calvin Abueva in a span of one week?

Let's rewind back a little.

It's was obvious from the third minute, when a total of three players and the Phoenix head coach were all sent to the dugout, that it was going to be a contentious ballgame.

Calvin Abueva was at the heart of that scuffle too, when he pushed one of the Semerad twins away from Rob Dozier, triggering a near free-for-all that escalated when Phoenix head coach Louis Alas pushed David Semerad on the chest and Semerad flopped like crazy to draw a disqualifying foul on the coach.

GILAS-ables: Scottie Thompson

“GILAS-ables” is a series of articles that will discuss different players who could make a case for joining the Gilas pool. This series will include Filipinos and Fil-foreign players plying their trade in different leagues, including the US NCAA and the PBA.

In the third article in this series, we’ll talk about a player whose inclusion was made more plausible by the entry of another, much more hyped young player into the Gilas pool.

PLAYER INFO

Name: Thompson, Earl Scottie

Team: Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings

Height: 6’ 1”

Weight: 180 lbs

College: University of Perpetual Help

PBA STATS

Career:

4.9 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists per game, .1.4 turnovers per game

OTHER NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

SEA GAMES GOLD MEDALIST (2015)

NCAA MVP (2014)

WHY HE SHOULD BE IN THE GILAS POOL

Again, if you look at the numbers, there is no way that Scottie Thompson would be considered for a spot in the Gilas. After all, 5 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds are barely even PBA starter numbers, much less numbers of one of the 12 best Filipino players available.

GILAS-ables: Raymond Almazan

“GILAS-ables” is a series of articles that will discuss different players who could make a case for joining the Gilas pool. This series will include Fil-foreign players plying their trade in other leagues, the US NCAA, and the PBA.

In the second article in this series, we take a look at a young player with a huge upside: Rain Or Shine’s fast rising sophomore forward, Raymond Almazan.

PLAYER INFO

Name: Almazan, Raymond

Team: Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters

Height: 6’ 9”

Weight: 194 lbs

College: Colegio de San Juan de Letran

STATS

Career:

6.8 points per game, 5.67 rebounds per game, .61 assists per game, .88 blocks per game

2015 Season:

9 points per game, 7.45 rebounds per game, 1 assist per game, 1 block per game

WHY HE SHOULD BE IN THE GILAS POOL

If you go by the numbers, there’s no way Raymond Almazan should be given a slot at the Gilas pool. There are just too many people who have better numbers, have more experience, have better reputations.

Living Without The Lee-thal Weapon

Photo courtesy of interaksyon.com

When Paul Lee was discovered to have a tear in his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the reverberations of that injury was felt not just by his PBA team, the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters, but also by the Gilas national team.

Fortunately for Gilas, this injury will not have a major impact in their preparations for next year’s Olympic qualifiers. Unfortunately for the Elasto Painters, this injury will define their campaign in the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup.

Here are the four aspects where the Elasto Painters will feel Lee’s absence:

Playmaking

Paul Lee is, in simple words, a playmaker. He makes good things happen, whether with good passing, strong drives to the rim, kick outs to open shooters, hitting open shots to keep the defenses honest, or controlling the tempo of the game to better suit the Rain Or Shine game plan.

He’s the focal point and engine of the Rain or Shine offense, which means that when Paul Lee is in the zone, he can almost singlehandedly destroy opposing defenses.

The fact that he can do it in so many ways, not just by scoring a ton, makes him especially hard to replace. Just consider his stats from last year’s PBA season: 15.5ppg, 4.5rpg, and 3.3 apg. Those are major numbers for someone who plays just 27 minutes a game.

Ranking The PBA Teams: The Teams In The Middle

In this three part series, we’ll review the PBA teams and rank them according to the strengths of their lineup.

(Missed #12-#9? Go here.)

Here are the teams ranked  #8 to #5.

#8 MERALCO BOLTS

Roster

Name	Position
Bryan Faundo	F/C
Simon Atkins	G
Jimmy Alapag	G
Cliff Hodge	F
Ronjay Buenafe	G
Chris Newsome	G/F
Anjo Caram	G
Rabeh Al-Hussaini	C
Jared Dillinger	G/F
Reynel Hugnatan	F/C
John Ferriols	F
Kelly Nabong	F/C
Rey Guevarra	G/F
Gary David	G

Analysis: The Meralco Bolts squeezed by the NLEX Road Warriors to nab the #8 sport because they had a better mix of talent. From reliable veterans like Gary David and Jimmy Alapag to their resident sparkplug Jared Dillinger and even to promising young players like Cliff Hodge and Chris Newsome, the Bolts are well positioned to be the darkhorse in every conference of the upcoming PBA calendar. What could be crucial for their improvement is the play of Rabeh Al-Hussaini. If he could be a dominant force or even just hold his own against the PBA’s top big men, the Bolts can certainly inch their way up to the top 6 teams of the PBA.

Ranking The PBA Teams: The Bottom Four

In this three part series, we’ll review the PBA teams and rank them according to the strengths of their lineups.

First up, #12-#9.

#12 MAHINDRA ENFORCERS

Roster

Name	Position
Aldrech Ramos	F/C
LA Revilla	G
Karl Dehesa	G
Nino Canaleta	F
Joshua Webb	G/F
Eddie Laure	F
Paulo Hubalde	G
Manny Pacquiao	G
Philip Paredes	F/C
Rich Alvarez	F
John Pinto	G
Kyle Pascual	F/C
Mark Yee	F
Hyram Bagatsing	G
Bradwyn Guinto	C
Leo De Vera	F

Analysis: This Mahindra team is seriously lacking in talent to compete in the PBA. Their two best players are Aldrech Ramos and Nino Canaleta, who are skilled players who can be effective third or fourth options on offense but as main men, they will be found sorely lacking. Add to that the team’s lack of quality big men in a golden era for PBA big men plus the shoddy treatment of Mahindra management with regards to their players and coaches and you get a team that will languish at the bottom of the heap.

PBA To Form 16-Man Pool For National Team!

A 16 man pool for elite international competitions.

That is the PBA's new plan of action as support to the SBP. But this proposal comes with a set of rules and regulations including one that may be a dealbreaker: PBA players will only play in tournaments set from August to September.

In the past 3 years, the Gilas National Team was composed of amateur standouts who played for flag and country before applying for the PBA. They were joined by 4 PBA veterans, handpicked by coach Rajko Toroman to reinforce the team's weakest spots.

If the Gilas program will follow the same system that Toroman instituted, a 16-man pool seems excessive. But if we were to revert to our old style of putting together a "team" at the last minute, then all the good that Gilas has done in the past 3 years will go to naught.

My suggestion: Gilas has to act independently of the PBA. They've got to stay the course, find new players with skills and size, hone them and train them in the international brand of basketball and try to win with them. If they sorely lack players that the PBA can provide, then a loan may be arranged. But Gilas must not be reliant on the PBA.


More on this story here.

Gabe Norwood Inks 8.4 Million Extension As PBA Mulls Wage Hike!

The rich are about to get richer!

PBA chairman Mamerto Mondragon said he will back efforts to raise the PBA's salary cap as well as raise the maximum monthly amount that a PBA player can make.

The adjustment on the maximum amount a PBA player can make can rise by as much as 20%, bringing the amount to around P420,000.

This comes in the wake of allegations made by Alaska CEO Fred Uytengsu that cheating is rampant among PBA teams.

Meanwhile, Fil-Am standout Gabe Norwood inked a 2-year 8.4 extension with Rain Or Shine, jumping the gun on any potential salary increases.


More on this story here.

Barroca On His Way To B-Meg!

And now, Mark Barroca is on his way to his third team for the year.

The Gilas stalwart was drafted by Shopinas and now has been traded to the B-Mag Llamados in a three way trade that also saw Don Allado, elmer Espiritu and Bryan Ilad change teams.

Barroca is sorely needed at B-Meg, which also got a draft pick from Shopinas. Don Allado was a luxury B-Meg could afford to lose, as they welcome back Rafi Reavus, Rico Maierhofer and Kerby Raymundo.

We can only hope that Shopinas knows what they are doing, as they practically gave away a creative point guard with solid defensive skills for basically unproven players. I do hope they are not relying on a resurgent Marlou Aquino and Renren Ritualo to boost the Clickers' campaign.

More on this story here.

Should Barako Stay Or Should They Go?

Whatever their decision is, the Red Bull Barako management better reach it fast, as the PBA Board gave them only up till Friday to decide.

This startling turn events came about when Red Bull governor Manny Mendoza informed the board of Red Bull's interest of reactivating its team for the third conference.

More on this story here.

Economics Trumps Basketball...Again!

Why win on the basketball court when you can win in the boardroom?

This became evident yesterday as the Philippine Basketball Association made is stand clear: it's all about the money.

With the Red Bull Barako franchise floundering, Phoenix Petroleum's bid to buy the franchise was put to a vote to the PBA Board of Governors. Phoenix Petroleum failed to get 7 out of the required 10 votes and Red Bull was, instead, granted an extension of its leave from the PBA.

Smart Gilas Wins Third Straight Game!

For a team so young, they certainly have a lot of poise and composure.

Despite the pressure exerted by the Air21 Express, the Nationals still walked away with a win, 102-99.

Here's the excerpt from gmanews.tv

Smart Gilas lost grip of an 11-point lead in the final five minutes, and then watched Jay-R Reyes missed a potential game-tying basket at the buzzer to book its third straight win and grab a share of the lead with idle Rain or Shine.

Is Smart-Gilas For Real?

Smart-Gilas is seeking their third straight PBA win, after beating powerhouse teams Alaska and Talk N Text.

They do have an advantage with the hulking Marcus Douthit (6'10") at center while the other PBA teams have imports standing at 6'4" or less but they also have young "amateur" players who lack the experience and craftiness of PBA veterans.

However, the young guns have been showing up their elders, going toe-to-toe and ending up on top.

Could they indeed be the better team?

A Question Of Basketball Money.

The most common reason why companies buy PBA franchises is for the advertising mileage. When you have a team playing the country's "national" sport, you build tremendous goodwill, foster talkability and create awareness amongst the patrons and consumers, which you can parlay to a "brand in mind, brand in hand" strategy.

Which is why I understand why teams like Coca Cola, San Miguel, Rain Or Shine, Ginebra, Alaska and other consumer-driven companies field teams. After all, the business world is a dog-eat-dog world and they have to do anything and everything to get a leg up on their  numerous competitors. If having a team means people will buy your drink, paint, food or goods, so be it.

However, I am disturbed by the presence of companies who are veritable monopolies. Why would they need the advertising mileage? It's not like they have competitors to beat into the ground.

I'M SICK OF MORAL VICTORIES.

Spin doctors have called it a "learning trip" as well as a "testing ground". Team officials have labeled it "a success" in terms of solidifying the team as well as in discovering the opponents' strengths and weaknesses.

Somewhere along the way, they forgot to mention that we finished 2-6, with two blowouts from Middle Eastern teams we will surely meet on the Fiba-Asia tournament and losses to teams in our so-called "Group of Hope".

The Iran-Philippines game was called a moral victory, like the Jordan game, the Japan game and the Chinese Taipei game. A game where we officially lost but "actually" won because we, supposedly, were able to accomplish something bigger. It's akin to losing a battle but winning the war.

Now I don't know about you but I don't think we're winning any war. In fact, I think we just proved how ill-equipped we are to fight any basketball war. 

The Jones Cup sportscasters were among the most inept I have ever heard (our PBA sportscasters would kick their butts every which way and twice on Sundays as far as basketball knowledge is concerned) but they were right about some things, mainly, that we will never win in the international stage using our PBA style.

I mean, even NBA stars lost using their NBA style. They had to bring in a college coach and spend 4 years of training in the international style just to win the Olympic gold medal. 

But not us, oh no, heaven forbid. We insist on using our PBA stars and the PBA "me-first" style and attitude, despite the fact that we lose horribly to teams who display more teamwork in one quarter than we do in an entire game.

For us Pinoy basketball fans, what can we do? Hope. Hope that Ehadadi develops a serious case of the runs on game day. Hope that El-Khatib sleeps through his alarm and fails to show up for the game. Hope that James Yap morphs into Kobe Bryant.

But please. Stop it with the moral victories. Accept the loss like a man and move forward.