The Last Home Shoot Around of the Gilas

Last night so many Filipino basketball fans got mad when The Last Home Stand did not happen. The NBA was KJ or killjoy for these loyal basketball fans. The game between the Philippine National Team against an NBA selection was cancelled.  The organizers tried to salvage the event by making the basketball players perform practice drills. Many got annoyed and Manny V. Pangilinan was man enough to apologize and offer refunds to fans who bought those very expensive tickets just to watch legitimate NBA players play in local soil.

It is sad but here are some good things coming out from the cancellation of the game:

1. At least Filipino fans will not see how poorly the Gilas would fare against the NBA selection.  What if they lost by 40 points? It definitely will not inject some confidence in them as they will face much more tougher competition in Spain.
2. No injuries.  The Gilas will have a team at full strength going to more meaningful games.  The NBA players also can resume their vacation without risking their million dollar NBA careers.
3. No highway robbery. The tickets were very expensive for an exhibition game that has no real relevance. An NBA preseason game would have been better.

Big Losers because of the cancellation:

1. Filipino Basketball Fans - The hype was there. Expectations were high. Once it was cancelled, it became like 5 stages of grief in an hour. The organizers got DEPRESSED, the fans got ANGRY, the hosts and the marketing people were in DENIAL, the players held a practice to BARGAIN with the fans, and in the end everyone ACCEPTED that it was a total failure. The fans from the provinces can only have their tickets refunded but how about their fare, accommodations, food, and the emotional damages. How about those who bought from scalpers? They can only be refunded with the face value not the actual price of their tickets. 
2. The organizers - They have to admit it was a TOTAL FAILURE and people will be wary the next time they hold such events. They did not deliver their promise. It sucks and they have to do a lot to get back the fans' trust and confidence.
3. NBA - They suck.  They are greedy. Filipinos have looked up so much to that American league that many of the fans know the NBA player guests rather than our very own Gilas. The majority were not there for the Gilas. NBA is NBA and they broke the hearts of some of their biggest fans in the world.

The shoot around at least gave us a glimpse on how these players practice. Although most of them never took it seriously there were many comical scenes. The NBA players were too good and I commend most of them for trying to salvage the night. As for the Gilas, they have to play more memorable scrimmages against unfamiliar people.   They have to know that they need to improve on so that they would not embarrass themselves in Spain. 

If the game happened, I would have wanted to see this:

1. How our guards cope against bigger and faster guards.  Having a traditional Filipino PG that is like below 5'10 and having a quickness slower than an NBA Center will not cut it. It is our disadvantage if we cannot set up our plays or outran our opponents, our chances of winning 1 game in Spain is close to ZERO.  We might have the talent but most of our players settled with their current skills just because they are already best in the PBA. If only we have multitudes of people who have the attitude of an Asi Taulava.
2. Junmar Fajardo being outrebounded or dunked on by Lillard or Jennings.  Our newly minted PBA MVP must know that he should try harder in international competition.  He is not going to be against 6-5 centers there. Many are taller, bigger, faster, and stronger than him. The refs do not even know him. He has to know that many guards can actually outjump him in rebound plays. 
3. Pingris vs. Harden, Chandler - Our best defender knows that he will be facing players way better than the imports that he is used to. He might have the toughness but can he really shutdown the best forwards in the world?
4. 3-point shooting - The only way for us to win is to win it outside.  Gone are the days with us having a Caidic who inspires fear from our opponents. While fans would love to see dunks and highlights, ball rotation and outside shooting can easily beat a team of the best wing men and dunkers.  Chot Reyes must learn from the Spurs and our shooters should work hard to be the next Caidic.  A sub .400 3 point shooting average is not enough to make the final cut for the Gilas.

So, we move on with our lives and forget last night happened. The Last Home Stand was an epic fail but the world is not stopping.  Let's learn the lessons and not expect too much in something we do not have any control. Last night, it might be truly the Last Home Stand with this batch of Gilas. Next year, there could be a different group with new players, coaches, and an SMC management.  The organizers just probably made a self-fulfilling prophecy. :(


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The Jurassic PBA Draft Lottery

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• Manny Pangilinan assures refund for Last Home Stand, apologizes to fans
• All show, no play: 'We never said there was a game'
• Last Stand
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Josie Gabuco wins gold in World Championships but PHL has only one boxer in the 2012 Olympics

Josie Gabuco gave the country its first ever World Championship boxing gold. She won light-flyweight gold medal in the 2012 AIBA Women's Boxing World Championships. Her golden effort though did not merit the country an olympic berth since her weight class is not included in the olympic line-up. With months before the 2012 London Games, the Philippines will be sending just one boxer in this years olympics.

1? Uno? Isa? Usa? From an Asian superpower, the Philippines is slowly being relegated to the bottom in amateur boxing. Can you believe it? It does not come as a surprise though as our best bets go pro early. Instead of dreaming of a gold medal, many dreamed to be the next Manny Pacquiao instead. How much does an amateur boxer even earn nowadays?

The Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines has Manny Pangilinan as its Godfather. Money is supposedly not an issue anymore. Change may not be overnight but we have losing our best amateur fighters to the pros.  Their should be a program that will develop a future boxing team ala Smart Gilas. Although, it is not good to use the Gilas as an example because its core are now in the PBA. 

The ABAP should form a team in age groups and they should be trained by the best coaches available. They can even ask Freddie Roach to do some drills. We used to have Cuban coaches, now we simply rely on our home-grown coaches.  I am not saying that we are inferior but the results are showing how we are doing against our neighbors.  Thailand is not scared of us anymore. China, India, and even Middle-Eastern teams are on the rise. We should start upgrading our training and coaching.

Maybe it would be a good idea to form a team  in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) this early. I am sure MVP can afford it. We have to expose our boxers with tough competitions all year round or else it will take us another 20 years to see another Onyok Velasco. 

Boxing maybe a very dangerous sport and it cannot even be encouraged in schools but it is still the sport that we have the biggest chance of a gold medal in the olympics. Let us just start praying that Barriga will get the gold in London to inspire our budding fighters to stay amateur. ;)

Links:
Gabuco wins Gold
Million Peso Baby
Overweight Mexican Boxers
Jaro is a world champion

PBA Balance of Power: There is parity with the exception of theTalk 'N Text Tropang Texters

Leagues around the world are trying as much as possible to have some sort of parity between teams. That is why there are drafts and lottery picks. That is why there is a salary cap. In the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the league somehow found some parity. It is hard to predict games in the PBA now as most teams are evenly matched. The only great exception is Manny Pangilinan's Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters.

In the first conference, the top 4 teams were Talk 'N Text, Petron Blaze Boosters, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, and Powerade Tigers. The elimination round in the Commissioner's Cup is over and 3 of those 4 teams are out of contention for the 2nd conference title.  We can call it balance and some might call it luck or bad luck. The only immune team is the Tropang Texters and they got a fast forward ticket to the Final 4 as they finished numero uno after the single round robin elimination round. It is not surprising anymore with a team so loaded with talent that players like Japeth Aguilar, Harvey Carey, Jason Castro, and Ranidel de Ocampo come off the bench. Those 4 are sure starters in other teams. Talk 'N Text won 2 titles last year and they have defended one and they are the odds on favorite to defend their second title. Only a Petron miracle have prevented them from winning a grand slam last year. It would have been 4 straight titles for the Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) franchise. 

MVP who happens to be the president of the Samahan Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the FIBA-recognized basketball association of the Philippines, has transformed the Philippine basketball landscape. He bankrolled dynasties in the college level with the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles and the San Beda Red Lions. His drive in creating winning teams in the corporate world  (Metro Pacific and Smart Communications) has transcended in sports particularly basketball. No wonder Talk 'N Text looks like an All-Star team. If you work for MVP, you have to win. The coach of the semi-successful Smart Gilas program was not renewed because the team failed to win.  For them, winning is everything. Therefore it is expected for Talk 'N Text to win if possible all their games (especially in the playoffs) in the PBA. 

Is this good for the league? Well, dynasties happen but TNT seems to be built to last longer. Unlike Crispa who had a Toyota to contend with, Talk 'N Talk seems to be miles ahead from the competition. Petron is good but they are aging and oft-injured. B-Meg seems to choke in do or die battles. Ginebra is is the crowd favorite but they are also aging and get inconsistent sometimes. Meralco is the mini-farm team of sister club TNT. Barako Bull and Air 21 are like D-League teams for good young players waiting to be sold to other teams or a place for former superstars to get decent playing time. Powerade is mediocre without their amazing guards. Rain or Shine is too streaky to be depended upon.  Alaska is setting up a new system. No wonder that any conference in 2011-12 seems to look like a battle for 2nd place.

So is this good for PBA? Well PBA seems to report of improving ratings and gate receipts. The new formats are exciting and all teams have now made it to the playoffs. Well, almost as Air 21 missed the boat again but they have improved after a winless first conference.  A new set of Final 4 will give fans a different look. Who could be this conference's cinderella? Well it be the Bolts or the Barako Bull? Who knows? Parity is really good but when teams are matched up with the Texters, results seem predictable.

Hopefully, it will change soon. Maybe next year, since the core of TNT will be part of the national team but then again the Tropang Texters will bring legendary Philippine collegiate and PBA coach Norman Black who is seeking to continue his mean streak of winning basketball titles. Good luck, to all other teams.

Links:

PBA Commissioner's Cup down to 6 teams
PBA Official Website

FIBA Asia Championships: the good things about 4th place

News: Korea beats the Philippines

The 2012 Olympic dream for the Smart-Gilas is over and the 4th place finish is actually one of our best finishes in recent years. Here is some good things that I think of after the loss.

1. Manny V. Pangilinan or MVP will be able to save up some money for other sports and charity. If the Gilas won then he would have to bankroll the Gilas' campaign in a tougher Olympic qualifier. He can use the money to pay for the boxers and the taekwondo jins who could have better shot of an olympic medal than the basketball team. He can even use the money to buy an NBA team. ;)

2. We lost to a familiar foe. Korea and the Philippines are evenly matched but it seems that we are cursed against those Koreans. We seem to lose in the final minutes of the game. At least, there was nothing new about the game. I was at the edge of my seat watching the 3rd place battle on TV with Olsen "Crying" Racela being the color commentator. Of all the people that they chose, why him? I'm sure Olsen was crushed watching a heartbreaker do over.

3. It is gonna be an exciting PBA season. The Gilas draftees will surely crowd the PBA rookie of the Year race (if they are considered rookies).

4. Respect. Somehow we got the respect of our Asian neighbors now. They cannot take us lightly once we learn how to win in crunchtime then they better be ready to bow to the future brown kings of Asian basketball soon.

5. National team formula. Our system is working and coach Toroman has elevated our standards. I hope that the Iranians will not try to snatch him back. We probably have the best center in Asia performance-wise. We just need to surround him with a mix of pros and trainee amateurs. Slaughter, Ravena, and Parks should be integrated to Gilas as early as next year. We need to have a new Alapag (a fast PG who is a dead-eye in the 3 point region). If only Alapag was 3 inches taller..hehehe.

It is sad but basketball is still the No.1 team sport in the country. No offense to football but we are No.4 in Asia in this sport. We just can't give up this slot for a sport where we are just No.4 in Southeast-Asia.  The future of Philippine basketball might not be as rosy but the Gilas program should be continued and we should stop the habit of rebuilding often. We have to add on to the Gilas and hopefully the PBA and MVP's rival San Miguel will help.

PBA Governor's Cup Finals: Petron vs. Talk 'N Text subplots

Tomorrow will be the Game 7 of the 2011 PBA Governor's Cup Finals between league giants Petron Blaze Boosters and the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters. It all ends of on a Sunday. Game 7, the last game of the season, what more can you ask for?

It is like the PBA follows a very good script. So many nice subplots:

MVP vs. SMC

The PBA is now dominated by 2 big conglomerates: The old SMB dynasty that includes Petron, Ginebra, and B-Meg and the upstart MVP teams Talk 'N Text, Meralco Bolts and Smart-Gilas.  The game 7 will be big in determining who is BIG BOSS of the league. If TNT wins then it's 3 in a row for MVP, a GRAND SLAM! If Petron wins then it's a big slap on the face of MVP. A symbol that being the richest does not guarantee a championship. Manny Pangilinan is set to own the PBA Grand Slam and he supports the best teams in college as well as the national team. Sa kanya na lang ba lahat? Not if Petron can do something about it.

CHOT vs. ATO

There has been some intrigue between the 2 players in the earlier games of the series and this game will be crucial in determining who is the better coach. Chot has won a lot of titles in the PBA and Ato who was a former league MVP has been successful in college basketball coaching. Will Chot join the list of legendary coaches?

Arwind vs. Jimmy

When we talk about stats, nobody can dispute that Arwind Santos probably is the best player in the league but the MVP this season though was Jimmy Alapag. For me, individual accolades is not as important as who will win this Game 7. Arwind can exact revenge by preventing Jimmy win a Grand Slam. While Jimmy can try to prove why he is a deserving MVP.

All questions can be answered in Game 7. All roads lead to Araneta. Looking back, at the earlier games of the series, I just hope that this game will not be rout.  The season should be decided by the final shot of this game. This should be a classic. The changing of the guard in the PBA is at hand and we could be witnesses the beginning of a new era. Or it could be just be more of the same thing.

It is nice to see that there are still games in the PBA that has some relevance and back story (It's been fewer and far in between in recent years, with the emergence of the UAAP).

Who is your bet???

Jones Cup: Philippines fall to 3-2 after losing to South Korea

From Inquirer.net: Casio heriocs not enough

For the second time in 3 days, the well-funded Smart-Gilas lost a game in the 33rd William Jones Cup held in Taipei. First, they lost to Jordan and now to old nemesis, South Korea. I am sure a lot of people are asking if the country has what it takes to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Is there hope? Probably, as the saying goes "bilog ang bola!".

Realistically though, our chance are very slim. Look at the progress of our Asian neighbors. The Middle Eastern teams have developed so fast that we have a hard time matching up with their size. The traditional powers like China and Korea are still there.  It is nice of MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) to fund Gilas but I think he knows as well that we need a lot of prayers for our team to top the olympic qualifiers. Where do we lack?

1. Size- The acquisition of Marcus Douhit somehow made the problem less visible but once he gets into foul trouble like he usually does, we are screwed. Who else do we have? Asi? The old-reliable Asi is simply too old to be effective in more than 15 minutes intense basketball. Greg Slaughter is more of a developmental center for now.

2. Player availability - Well, Jimmy Alapag and Kelly Williams were supposed to be with the team. Where are they? They are in the PBA Finals. They are paid to win the PBA grand slam above the Jones Cup. How can they become comfortable with their teammates if they are not with the team? It was too ambitious for Gilas to aim for 2012 Olympics. 2016 perhaps would have been a better goal and they should have locked in those young players for another 4 years. Lo and behold, the Gilas youngsters are joining the PBA Draft. Who do we have left then? Even the players I guess are moving to the pros sensing that there will be no 2012 games for the Gilas. Will these players even give it all in September to risk injury and lucrative PBA careers? I hope they do but there are still no guarantees.

3. Shooting - The Gilas is not the tallest team out there and to counter we must have amazing speed or sniper-like outside shooting.  Gone are the days that the best shooter in Asia is from the Philippines (Caidic). JV Casio has potential but other than him, I cannot find someone really consistent in making those long range bombs. They have to make the opponents respect our shooting to open up the lanes. Maybe to encourage this, we should add new lines in our leagues and make the 3-point line into a 4 point line and the a feet or 2 below it will be the new 3 point line. Our young players are so fixated with dunks and fast breaks that they only realize how hard it is to dunk when facing world-class opposition. We can have the best screens in the game but without a reliable shooters, it will just be for naught. 

It is hard to see the Philippines be disappointed again in the basketball court. I do not like seeing them lose but they have lost a lot in recent years and the voices that are saying that we shift to football are getting louder. I cannot blame them but if we shift to football, it will take us decades to just match where we are in basketball right now. It would be a sorry day when the Philippines will be beaten by the Thais, Malaysians, or Vietnamese in the basketball court. Basketball has the infrastructure already that even our football leaders want to emulate in the country. We just can't say stop playing basketball and start kicking soccer balls. We invested so much already. Hopefully those billions of pesos will not go to waste.