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.

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.