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.

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.

Thoughts on The Azkals' 0-2 Loss To Bahrain

The Philippines' chances to advance to the next stage of the World Cup qualifiers took a serious blow when they lost to Bahrain, 2-0. It was a very lackluster performance by the Azkals, who never seemed in control of the game.

Here are my three key impressions from the match.

PLAYMAKERS NEEDED

Boy, did we need Javier Patino tonight.

While a player like Phil Younghusband used to be enough to make opposing defenses in South East Asia nervous, he is now playing against teams who are used to a much higher level of competition. That’s one major reason for Phil Younghusband’s recent goal drought (the other being his changed role on the team) and why Javier Patino is now even more important to the Azkals’ fortunes.   But while Phil Younghusband may have been found lacking, he still played well. Just not good enough to be the main man that he used to be.

To Play Or Not To Play

In the days that came after Gilas brought home the silver medal in the FIBA Asia Championships and a slot in the Rio Olympic qualifiers, controversy struck the Philippine basketball scene. Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Chairman Manny Pangilinan opined that we should consider giving up our slot in the Olympic qualifiers, if we could not secure the needed support from all Philippine basketball stakeholders.

In fact, Mr. Pangilinan practically admitted that, given the strength of the other teams in the Olympic qualifiers, Gilas 3.0 as constructed had little to no chance of snagging a ticket to Rio. But he also left a door open, saying that if a commitment can be attained from the PBA that the SBP will have full access to all the players, then he not only send a Gilas team but would also bid to be a host for one of the qualifying tournaments.

Our current situation is replete with political issues and maneuverings, which this writer is not in any way an expert of. So let’s stick with the basketball side of things and answer this question: Should we send a team to the Olympic qualifiers?

And the answer to that is: Yes. But not for sentimental or emotional reasons. We should send a team for the right reasons. And as far as I’m concerned, there are only two “right” reasons.