PBA Bubble Week 1: Hot & Not

Source: Wikipedia

 One week in the PBA Bubble and things are certainly different, despite many other things  turning out to be how we thought they'd turn out, like SMB having major difficulties without JuneMar Fajardo, the newly-dubbed Terrafirma Dyip still sucking exactly like its earlier Kia/Mahindra/Columbian ancestors, and the Tnt Tropang Giga with another strong start.

So let's take a look at what's hot and what's not at the PBA Bubble:

HOT: RR "Pogdanovic" Pogoy

Pogoy's star has certainly been on the ascent but this is ridiculous. A 45-point game after a 7 month lay off then a 30 point outburst on a sprained ankle 3 games later? I always thought Troy Rosario was going to be the Tropang Giga's next big star but it may turn out to be Pogoy instead.

NOT: Kiefer Ravena

The Phenom has not been phenomenal of late. I was actually one of the few who thought that Kiefer's added bulk would help his game. Instead, it seems like the initial general consensus (that the weight would make him less effective) was correct. While his ppg average is still a healthy 16+points, his difficulties in the first game of the bubble (6[points on 2-8 shooting) and his obvious fatigue in a heartbreaking last second loss in their second game does not bode well for the 0-3 NLEX Road Warriors.

HOT: Matthew Wright

The Gilas sniper seemed to have turned a corner in his game, as he's leading the PBA in scoring (30ppg, 5 ppg better than anyone else) while also contributing more than 5 rebounds and 5 assists. More importantly, Phoenix is now 2-1 and things seems to be looking up for the Fuel Masters. Wright is in danger of burning out though so Jason Perkins need to keep on contributing too.

NOT: Willie Marcial

Man, oh, man. I normally agree with how Commissioner Marcial runs thing but this is just wrong. Referees make mistakes. They are human. Sending home a veteran referee for making a wrong call (which was bad but not extremely bad, in my opinion) sends a really bad message. It shows a lack of trust in not just your pool of referees but also in your technical committee.

HOT: Rain Or Shine ElastoPainters

How does Rain or Shine keep on winning? The 3-0 ElastoPainters have only 2 double digit scorers (Mocon at about 15ppg, Namabatac at about 11ppg), an ageing Gabe Norwood AND James Yap, and a roster of undersized forwards who should have no hope against the bigger frontlines of other teams and yet here they are. They're the closest we have to a system team (like the Spurs) and they are chugging along quite well.