Ranking The PBA Teams: The Teams At The Top

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

(Missed #12-#9? Go here. For #8-#5, go here.)

Here are the teams at  #4 to #1.

#4 ALASKA ACES

Roster

Name	Position
Chris Banchero	G
Cyrus Baguio	G/F
Vic Manuel	F
Sonny Thoss	F/C
Calvin Abueva	F
Nonoy Baclao	F/C
Marion Magat	C
Rome de la Rosa	G/F
Chris Exciminiano	G
Dondon Hontiveros	G/F
Eric Menk	F/C
RJ Jazul	G
Tony de la Cruz	F
JV Casio	G
Kevin Racal	F

Analysis: The Alaska Aces is the team that proves that the whole can be worth so much more than the sum of its parts. On paper, they shouldn’t be able to beat teams like the Gin Kings or the Hotshots but they do. There is no clear cut superstar on their roster but somehow, the tenacity of Calvin Abueva, the smarts of JV Casio, the shooting of Dondon Hontiveros, the guile of Cyrus Baguio, the versatile skill set of Vic Manuel, the leadership of Tony de la Cruz and the inside presence of Sonny Thoss make them one of the harder teams to create a game plan for. Which means that on any given day, any of those players mentioned above may be the one who beats you.

#3 RAIN OR SHINE ELASTO PAINTERS

Roster

Name	Position
Paul Lee	G
Gabe Norwood	G/F
Jireh Ibanez	G
Jeric Teng	G
Jericho Cruz	G
Maverick Ahanmisi	G
Jewel Ponferada	F/C
Jeffrei Chan	G
Chris Tiu	G
Don Trollano	F
Raymond Almazan	C
Beau Belga	F/C
JR Quinahan	F/C
Josan Nimes	F
Ronnie Matias	F

Analysis: The Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters is one of the most complete teams in the PBA. They’ve got an elite scoring playmaker in Paul Lee, deadeye shooters in Jeff Chan, Chris Tiu and Jeric Teng, lockdown defenders in Gabe Norwood and Jireh Ibanez, bruising size with Beau Belga and JR Quinahan, and they’ve even got their future team cornerstones in Raymond Almazan and Maverick Ahanmisi. Add the fiery Yeng Guiao as coach and you’ve got a final four contender every time. What’s keeping them from being ranked 1 or 2? They’re pretty good at all facets of the game but they aren’t dominant in any facet of the game.

#2 TALK ‘N TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS

Roster

Name	Position
Dennis Miranda	G
Harvey Carey	F
Larry Rodriguez	F
Moala Tautuaa	F/C
Robert Labagala	G
Lee Villamor	G
Ryan Reyes	F
Chris Sumalinog	F
Larry Fonacier	G/F
Dylan Ababou	G/F
Jason Castro	G
Troy Rosario	F/C
Kelly Williams	F
Matt Ganuelas-Rosser	G/F
Elmer Espiritu	F
Ranidel de Ocampo	F
Danny Seigle	F
Danny Aban	G/F

Analysis: That is how you reload, big time. Tautuaa and Rosario are both potential franchise players and they’re both with TnT. Jayson Castro is the best Philippine point guard, bar none, and the addition of Dylan Ababou just made this team even deadlier. In fact, it was a very hard decision to put this TnT team at #2, and I suspect they will make me eat my words in a few months or so. However, until they’ve got a few games (or conferences) under the belts, I’m gonna wait and see how Rosario and Tautuaa pan out.

#1 SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN

Roster

Name	Position
Brian Heruela	G
Chris Lutz	G/F
JR Reyes	G
Alex Cabagnot	G
Chris Ross	G
Marcio Lassiter	G
June Mar Fajardo	F/C
Ryan Arana	G
Nelbert Omolon	G
Gabby Espinas	F
Arwind Santos	C
David Semerad	F/C
Ronald Tubid	F/C
Yancy de Ocampo	F

Analysis: The Beermen are number one because they’ve got the most dominant big man in the league (June Mar Fajardo) two of the toughest and deadliest 3-and-D guys in the league (Chris Lutz, Marcio Lassiter), a scoring playmaker who is near the top of the league (Alex Cabagnot) and a do-it-all forward who is a superstar in his own right (Arwind Santos).  They also have a bench mob that knows their roles in the team scheme, which makes the Beermen very cohesive. But they owe their #1 ranking to Fajardo and unless other teams can find a way to match up with him, they’re going to keep that ranking.

Agree with our picks? Let us know at the polls!

Follow me at

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sportadoblog

Twitter: @PMVBalo

Instagram: patrickmichaelbalo

For more sports content, go to www.Powcast.Net