The 42nd PBA season is about to tip off, and things are looking a bit different in its opening conference, the 2020 Philippine Cup.
During the offseason, a spate of player movement and (unfortunate) developments has shifted the balance of power in the league. The all-Filipino conference will be a tournament of narratives, which impact on how the rest of the season plays out.
You can also watch our conference preview, "In The Land Without Giants", right here:
[facebook:https://ift.tt/3axvg22]
MONSTERS INC(OMPLETE)
In an import-less playing field, local Monstars roam the hardwood. Sadly, the PBA will miss a number of its extraordinary ballers this conference:
GregZilla
2019 PH Cup stats: 15.5 ppg (13th) 8.9 rpg (8th) 54% fg (3rd, min 10 games)
Say what you want about him going MIA, but Greg Slaughter has been nothing but a force for Ginebra whenever he's on the court. His Best Player performances are proof that you can't teach height. To fill the 7-foot tall void, Prince Caperal is poised for a breakout campaign, while Japeth Aguilar has a legitimate shot at Best Player of the Conference.
Beast
'19 PH Cup: 15.3 ppg (16th) 11.4 rpg (2nd) 2.8 apg 1.2 spg 1 bpg
It's been a while since we last saw Calvin Abueva play a full conference. When it last happened, Phoenix became the No. 1 team in the PBA (9-2 record). He's proven that he can make a positive impact on both ends of the floor — if his team can put up with his antics. But Matthew Wright will have to right the ship by himself a little longer.
Kraken
'19 PH Cup: 22.1 ppg (1st) 12.5 rpg (1st) 2.6 apg 1.7 bpg 62% fg (1st)
Literally the biggest angle of the upcoming PH Cup — even the entire season — is the five-time champions' title defense without the reigning BPC and Finals MVP. He has always been a massive thorn in the side of opposing teams, so expect the rest of the league to pounce on this rare Fajardo-less window.
TOP TIER-WORTHY?
While many consider the 2020 Philippine Cup a wide-open race, some teams have an actual head start. Will these squads live up to their lofty billing?
TNT KaTropa
'19 PH Cup: (7-4 record, tied for No. 4, eliminated by SMB in quarters)
Along with Ginebra and SMB, TNT was included by the PBA board of governors as one of the top contenders in the All-Filipino conference. Their star core (Jayson Castro, Troy Rosario, Roger Pogoy) is still there, but it will be KaTropa's new acquisitions and newly signed players (Ray Parks) who will make the difference.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
'19 PH Cup: (7-4, tied for No. 4, eliminated by Magnolia in quarters)
On the heels of its third Governors' Cup championship, the Barangay will be just fine without Slaughter and Justin Brownlee. Aguilar is on the cusp of superstardom, few teams have a backcourt rotation of the same caliber (LA Tenorio, Stanley Pringle, Scottie Thompson), and the extended break did wonders for their veterans.
San Miguel Beermen
'19 PH Cup: (7-4, tied for No. 4, champion)
At least for this conference, the hunter becomes the hunted. Can Mo Tautuaa (18.4 ppg 8.8 rpg 4 apg in 2019 PH Cup with NorthPort) fill the huge void in the middle left by Fajardo? How will small-ball look in coach Leo Austria's system, and will he finally let Terrence Romeo (15.7 ppg 22 mpg in '19 PH Cup) loose?
WELCOME TO PBA PURGATORY
Souls aren't the only ones that can get stuck in (basketball) limbo — just ask these teams, which are neither bona fide contenders nor lottery-bound:
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
'19 PH Cup: (8-3, No. 2, eliminated by Magnolia in semis)
The Elasto Painters seemed to have fully committed to rookie development with the signings of Adrian Wong, Clint Doliguez, Prince Rivero, Vince Tolentino, and Mike Nieto, to join young stalwarts Rey Nambatac and Javee Mocon. So why ink a 36-year-old Ryan Arana to a one-conference contract?
Magnolia Hotshots
'19 PH Cup: (6-5, No. 6, runner-up)
The Hotshots were a couple of quarters, then stops, away from capturing the last PH Cup crown and spoiling SMB's fifth-straight title. Then they went on to fall to Ginebra and TNT in the quarterfinal rounds of the Commissioner's and Governors' Cups, respectively. We look forward to PJ Simon's jersey retirement on Manila Clasico.
Alaska Aces
'19 PH Cup: (4-7, No. 8, eliminated by Phoenix in quarters)
Good news: the Aces won four-straight tuneup matches in a row, beating local powerhouses SMB, Ginebra, Magnolia, and ROS. Bad news: none of those games matter. Alaska's fate rests on new guy Mike DiGregorio's shooting, and whether they can keep Vic Manuel from playing in ligang labas or not.
Meralco Bolts
'19 PH Cup: (3-8, No. 11, didn't make playoffs)
To put it simply, the Bolts have consistently sucked in the all-Filipino conference since the 2015-16 season. There's even a running joke in the office that three-time Best Import Allen Durham is their best player of the decade. At least Meralco managed to lock up Raymond Almazan. Oh yeah, he's recovering from an injury.
GREENER PASTURES
The following trades, especially the controversial one, made the wait for the PBA season bearable. We're about to find out its winners and losers:
TNT: Poy Erram, Simon Enciso
Erram in 2019 PH Cup: 14.3 ppg (23rd) 10 rpg (3rd) 2.5 apg 2.7 bpg (1st)
After much ado, the KaTropa gets a legitimate center that also fits their core's timeline in the 30-year-old Poy. Jayson Castro explained, "During All-Filipino, talagang si Kelly (Williams) lang yung inaasahan namin gumwardiya sa ibang center nila. Now, may Poy Erram na kami. At the same time, nasa peak pa ‘yung career niya at maganda nilalaro niya sa Gilas.”
NP: Kelly Nabong, LA Revilla
Nabong in 2018 PH Cup: 13.5 ppg 11 rpg (4th) 1.5 bpg (7th)
The Fil-Am big man had the best run of his career with the Batang Pier, and he's about to form a fearsome frontcourt with Christian Standhardinger. Coach Pido Jarencio recalled, “Kasi nung nandito si Nabong, nag-number one kami sa rebounding eh... At the same time, naging deep ‘yung frontline namin kasi may Nabong, Christian, Jervy [Cruz], tapos meron pa kaming Bradwyn Guinto. Kaya okay kami.”
PHX: Brian Heruela, Jake Pascual
Heruela in '19 PH Cup: 6.6 ppg 3.3 apg 1.6 spg
Pascual in '19 PH Cup: 6.9 ppg 7 rpg 1.3 spg
The Pulse deal is by no means splashy, but both pieces are crucial for the identity that coach Louie Alas is going for. "Integral part siya ng defensive schemes namin especially yung full-court defense," he described Heruela. As for Pascual: "Siya yung replacement ni Doug [Kramer, who retired]. Though medium-sized big man pa rin, but every rebound that he will get, malaking bagay sa amin."
ROOKIE(-VETERAN) OF THE YEAR
Because of the special Gilas draft, the shallow 2019 draft class got more shallow. But that doesn't mean this batch of freshmen lack experience:
Roosevelt Adams (Columbian Dyip)
Coach Johnedel Cardel is thrilled by the prospect of a deadly wing duo starring their last two top picks. According to him, PBA scoring champion CJ Perez is meshing well with Columbian's 3-and-D rookie: “We are a very fast team. CJ knows Adams, Adams knows CJ... Adams is an agile player. He can shoot from the outside, he can drive, he can play defense. Napakalaking tulong sa amin.”
Maurice Shaw (Blackwater Elite)
For Blackwater, selecting the 34-year-old in the draft was a no-brainer, despite him being the second-oldest rookie in history. Coach Nash Racela said, "Kasi ngayon [Fajardo] is really dominating the smaller guys. Ito mas maliit pa rin sa kanya, pero I think this is close enough in terms of size." With the Kraken out, the former Harlem Globetrotter looks like a masterstroke in the short term.
Mike Ayonayon (NLEX Road Warriors)
Trust Coach Yeng Guiao to fully harness untapped potential. His latest project? The MPBL Finals MVP, whom he even calls a "ready-made PBA player." Guiao shared, “Bagay siya sa sistema namin. We can move Kiefer (Ravena) to the number two spot, have Kevin (Alas) and him in the one. So that gives us more flexibility and a deeper rotation sa bench namin. He will make an immediate impact.”
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN COACH?
Basketball mentors are no stranger to scrutiny, but a handful of them will be under a bigger spotlight than their peers this PH Cup:
Nash Racela (Blackwater)
After getting upset by SMB in the 2018 Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals and starting the Governor's Cup 1-4, Racela was replaced by current TNT coach Bong Ravena. Now at the helm of a group that's only Elite by name, the former UAAP champion tactician understandably tempered expectations:
"Sabi ko nga, kung nasanay tayo ng 9 to 12, let’s not think about top four. Ang importante is [from] 9 to 12, you move up to maybe kung 5 to 8 is hard for us and not realistic, then kung ang realistic is 7 to 8, then we target 7 to 8," he clarified.
Leo Austria (SMB)
The last time Austria won a championship without Fajardo was back in the 1990 First Conference, when he was still a playing for Shell. They conspired for eight more titles since then, not without the help of fellow mainstays Chris Ross, Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter, and Arwind Santos.
The coach stressed, "We're positive na despite this crisis, kailangan lumabas yung paniniwala ng players na San Miguel is not only June Mar. Without June Mar, nobody will help us expect for ourselves."
Yeng Guiao (NLEX)
The Road Warriors was supposed to build on the momentum of the best conference finish in frachise history. Instead, Coach Yeng is back to the drawing board, following the loss of their premier big man. The fiery mentor is far from satisfied, even with the possibility of picking high next draft.
"We really expected to be competitive this season," he revealed. "We postponed something good for an uncertain future. We already saw a good present with the team that we had; now we have to reset our goals and reset our timelines."
Source: Spin PH
0 comments: