Top 15 Players I'm Looking Forward to See Next NBA Season

15. Devin Harris - Along with Brook Lopez, these two guys are going to be the cornerstones of the Nets' franchise. Whether their owner is Russian or not, I'm sure this guy is going to dominate next season especially now with VC gone.

14. Luis Scola - This year, he'll have to step up his game being the best healthy big man of his team. Can he dominate the NBA scene like he does in the international scene?

13. Tyreke Evans - This guy impressed a lot of teams in workouts on how he can score on smaller guards. The only problem is the plethora of scorers on the Kings' roster. I still believe the Kings should have picked Rubio but maybe they really did see something special in this kid.

12. Andre Igoudala - He's going to be the main man for Sixers now that Andre has bolted to the Blazers. This guy can do a lot of things for his team. Hopefully he'll have a healthy Elton Brand alongside him this season because he can use all the help that he can get.

11. Jonny Flynn - Who needs Rubio if you have Flynn? Minnesota fans will forget about Rubio if this guy does not disappoint. He'll have to beat out another quick guard in Sessions if he wants to start for the T-Wolves though.

10. Baron Davis - This guy is one of the most talented PGs in the league period. He'll have Blake Griffin as his new playmate but he needs to get along with his coach (which I doubt) if he wants to go up in the standings.

9. Allen Iverson - Can he return to his glory days? Going to the Bobcats would have made a lot more sense especially with their need of a scorer. Memphis is stacked already stacked with scorers but just as Nike says, just do it.

8. Amare Stoudemire - They were already returning to their old style of play and he just scored back-t0-back 40+ point games when he injured his eye. This season, the Suns are going to play at the pace that made us all love them and that means more dunks for Amare. They might not be close to winning a championship but Stat can surely help you win a championship in your fantasy leagues.

7. Manu Ginobli - The Spurs surely missed this guy last season as they were ousted in the 1st round of the playoffs. He seems to be back in shape and the Spurs need the old Manu back if they want to challenge the Lakers.

6. Ron Artest - Blame him if the Lakers won't repeat. That's what he said. On paper, he's a better player than Ariza but how the pieces fit for the LA is another story. He's such a fun player to watch. I love him so much for bringing the Rockets past the 1st round and I hope he can finally win himself a ring.

5. Greg Oden - He's been under a lot of pressure from other people and from himself. He seems to be a little relaxed this season and I sure do hope he can bring that enthusiasm on the court. He's not a bust (yet) and I believe he can finally showcase his talent this season.

4. Derrick Rose - Just like Igoudala, he will now be the main guy for his team with Gordon's exit. Too often did we see Gordon dribble the shot clock away and jack up an ill-advised shot. We won't see that anymore this season as the ball will be in Derrick's hands 80% of the time. Is he ready to join the elite class of Lebron, Wade, Kobe and CP3 this season? He surely does have the talent to do so.

3. Lebron James - He's aching to win it all this season. The Cavs' management have already done their job of surrounding him with quality players. Now, it's all up to the king.

2. Gilbert Arenas - He's playing more and talking less now. Gil is Gil. He won't be able to shut up completely but he's more focused now and ready to show the world that he's back. Indications from Chicago says that he's ready to give Lebron some love in the playoffs once again.

1. Tracy McGrady - All of his career, he's never been known to as determined as his buddy Kobe. He's been so dependent on his talent. Now with a new contract on the line and probably his career, he has taken the necessary steps to make sure that people will not remember him as the best player we never saw. The Rockets are being cautious about his return. They don't want last year to happen again. They aren't going to lose anything as they are expected to be lottery team this season. (That's what you all think but this Rockets team is ready to crash the party in the Western Conference) Morey is not yet shopping him as he's waiting to see if T-Mac can return to his old self. I want to see the old T-Mac not an old T-Mac please.

Top Courtside Reporters

I was googling around to check if I spelled the name of Kyzelle O' Conner right and I stumbled upon this list. I was so inspired of his work that I decided to make my own. These courtside reporters combine the 2 things guys love the most. The opposite sex and sports. My version will only include my top 5 but I'll include a couple of honorable mentions. My basis for their rankings is the quality of their reports (10%) and their looks(90%.) You can click on their names if you want to see their pictures.

5. Rizza Diaz (EAC)- She's not probably going to win Miss Universe anytime soon but she's that not bad looking at all. She's a pretty damn good reporter as well and she is definitely what we call a veteran.

4. Kryzelle O' Conner (FEU)- Despite being a look-a-like of Karylle (as Maegan Young said), she won't anywhere higher than 4 in my list because of her bad reporting. (Maybe Maegan should replace her!)

3. Erika Flores (UP) - I didn't realize how beautiful this girl is until late in the season. Too bad UP wasn't close to being part of the F4 this year. Bring her back next year!

2. Michelle Mediana (AUF)- This girl is making me regret not watching AUF games. She might be beautiful but she can't compare to the next girl in reporting.

1. Jessica Mendoza (ADMU)- She's no. 1 on my list because I get to listen to her everyday at Magic 89.9. She's arguably the best reporter among this year's batch even without her looks.

Honorable Mentions

*Erin Torrejon (DLSU)

*Fairy Sy (UPHSD)

*Marcia Cruz (MIT)

So who's on your fave 5?

Ball Points (9-29-09)

• The SBP has organized a couple of exhibition games for the benefit of the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. The event, entitled "Pinoy Basketbol Kakampi Nyo", is scheduled on Monday at the Big Dome. The 1st game is a match up between the collegiate stars (UAAP and NCAA) and the stars from the PBL and Liga Pilipinas. In the main event, we will treated to a duel between the the two existing Philippine national teams, Smart-Gilas and Powerade. I know it's just a exhibition game but I can't help to think that maybe Noli Eala is trying to see if this Gilas team has what it takes to match up with Yeng's team. Smart-Gilas has to be competitive in the game. If Powerade does blowout Gilas, expect Yeng Guiao and other PBA officials to bash the Gilas program and use the game's result as a justification for Powerade to continue representing the country in international competitions.
• The juniors' and womens' finals in the UAAP have been postponed once again. The games will now be held on Saturday. The games were originally postponed from 9/26 to 9/29 due to Ondoy. There still no announcements if the UAAP mens' finals game 1 will also be moved. The Wedesday games (AUF vs MIT, SBC vs CSJL) in the NCAA have all been moved to Friday.
• A lot of players have already expressed their frustrations on media day. S-Jax has reiterated his trade request despite being retained as the team's captain. Lamarcus Aldridge has expressed his displeasure on contract negotiations. Also, Kenyon Martin still not found the heart to forgive Mark Cuban for his "thug" comments. Of course there are also a couple player who are looking forward to next season. There's T-Mac, Agent Zero and KG who are all looking to bounce back after injury-plagued seasons. There's Eddy Curry losing a lot of weight. Then of course there's the Shaq promising to get the king a ring.
• Media day also means a lot of gay pictures and amazing quotes that should make your day.

Ball Points (9-28-09)

• Ondoy has not spared anyone. It has affected so many lives including a couple of basketball personalities. I've heard reports that ADMU's Jai Reyes and Rain or Shine's Jay-R Reyes are all stranded at their homes together with their families. Purefoods' assistant coach Koy Banal (former head coach of the FEU Tamaraws during their championship runs with Arwind Santos) was also reportedly stranded and hanging on a tree. Also, Red Bull governer Tony Chua has passed away when a strong current dragged him while he was trying to get something from his car. The one good thing about Ondoy is this will unite us all. This is evident in the comments of some online basketball fans as they would rather worry about the status of our fellow countrymen rather than trash talking about the upcoming UAAP Finals. Of course there are still a couple of idiots who care only about their school winning in the Finals and doesn't give any shit about the calamity victims. I sure do hope that this will serve as a lesson for all Filipinos to unite as one for the benefit of our country.
• The big game today in the NCAA with no. 1 seeded SSC-R Golden Stags squaring off with the no. 2 seeded JRU Heavy Bombers (tied with San Beda at 2nd place) has been postponed. The new schedule for the game is still TBA. This game will have a lot implications on who will get the twice to beat incentive in the Final 4. (All NCAA games today have also been postponed.)
  
• Raja Bell is reportedly being shopped around the league. Look for the Bobcats to trade him to contender who can give them something of some value. The Lakers, Spurs and the Cavs are already loaded in the 2 spot and doesn't really have anything that the Bobcats want. The Magic could trade for him by sending JJ Redick and Anthony Johnson. Trading Bell to the Celtics for Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen/JR Giddens will also work financially. Both trades will give the Bobcats a young player (JJ Redick/Giddens/Tony Allen) and an expiring contract (Scalabrine/Johnson) and they can save money by buying out either veteran. JJ Redick would be great addition to the Bobcats as the team does not have much shooters on the team but it's highly unlikely the Magic will trade him because of his strong showing in last year's playoffs against the likes of Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant. The Magic already has a couple of lockdown defenders in Barnes and Pietrus so trading for Raja seems unnecessary. Bell in Beantown might make more sense as I don't think acquiring Marquis Daniels will be enough to provide the Celtics the much needed depth in their championship run. Bell would be great pickup as the Celtics sorely missed the presence of a perimeter defender who can shoot like James Posey. Bell could help spell the aging duo of Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. The Celtics might need to send draft picks to convince the Bobcats to agree to a trade as Tony Allen has yet to show that he can be a consistent rotation player on a NBA team and Giddens has yet to showcase his potential on the hard court.
• A couple of veterans point guards, Rafer Alston and Antonio Daniels, are seeking to move to another team where they could play significant minutes. This will be contracts years for the both of them and this might be their last chance to earn a long term contract in their careers. Rafer's wish list includes New York and Miami. Rafer can finally give Mike D'Antoni a consistent PG to run his system but don't expect him to be the next Steve Nash. The Knicks could send the inconsistent Chris Duhon(6M) for Rafer(5.2M) and it will work under CBA rules. Miami has also been reported as a desirable destination for Skip To My Lou as Dwayne Wade would love to have him to in a Heat jersey this season. Both NY and Miami are willing to take on Rafer's contract as he is on an expiring deal and this will not hinder their 2010 free agency plans. There's not much interest in Daniels as he has not produced the last couple of years. A buyout is the logical choice so that a contender can sign him up for the vet's minimum.
  

Ang pwede mong maasahan sa UAAP Finals ngayong taon

*We've mentioned in the blog's description that this will not be your ordinary blog so I'm going to try something unorthodox. Once in a while, I'll being publishing posts in Filipino. I just hope that it won't result to a disaster.

1. Mga magandang panoorin na laro.

Ang 2 kupunan ay parehong galing sa mga sunod-sunod na panalo. Ang Ateneo ang nanalo sa kanilang huli laro at huli sila natalo sa UP. Habang ang UE naman ay nagtagumpay sa huling walong laro nila at ang huling nakatalo naman sa kanila ay ang mkakalaban nila sa Finals, ang mga Bughaw na Agila. Maasahan natin na ang ang dalawang magkakalabanan ay parehong may kompyansiya sa kanilang sarili kung kaya't maipapakita nila ang tunay nilang galing sa laro.

Magiging maganda and Finals dahil hindi rin siguro tayo mkakakita ng masyadong tambakan sa Finals ngayong taon. Napakita na nilang dalawa na kaya nila makahabol kapag sila ay nalalamangan ng lampas ng sampu. Pareho sila nanalo laban sa mahusay na FEU Tamaraws kahit na nga bang natambakan na sila sa simula o gitna ng laro. Kapag ay isang kupunan ay medyo nakakalayo na, sigurado ako na kayang kaya ng kabila na makasagot at makahabol kaagad. Alam kong hindi makakapayag ang mga manlalaro na basta-basta matalo na lang ang kanilang kupunan. Magiging masaya panoorin ang laban dahil para magiging boksing ang laban kung saan sila'y magpapalitan ng mga malalakas na suntok.

2. Matitinding magkakatunggali na indibidwal na manlalaro

Ang pinakainaabangan na labanan ay yung sa pagitan ng 2 manlalaro na dating magkakampi noong sila ay nasa hayskul pa, si Paul Lee at Eric Salamat. Silang dalawa ay parehong importante sa kanilang kupunan. Pareho silang mahusay sa takbuhan at sa paggawa ng mahihirap na tira. Pareho din silang masaya panoorin dahil sa istilo nila ng paglalaro.

Makikita rin natin ang labanan ng dalawang mahusay na malalaking mam sa loob sa pagitan ni Al-Hussaini at Llagas. Hindi tulod ng 2 mokong na si Lee at Salamat, sila Rabeh at Pari ay simple lamang ang mga galaw pero ipektibo naman sa pagkuha ng puntos para sa kanilang kupunan. Mahihirapan si Llagas na bantayan ang MVP noong isang taon pero kailangan muna ni Rabeh na tumigil sa kakadakdak nya sa referees at magpokus na lang sa paglalaro ng basketbol.

Mapapanood din natin ang dwelo laban sa 2 napakahusay sa panunupal na si Baclao at Espiritu. Pangalan pa lamang ay nakakatakot na si Nonoy Baclao. Siya ay isa sa pinakamagaling pumiwesto sa depensa sa buong UAAP. Napakagaling niya sa timing at paggamit ng malagagabang mga galamay niya sa pagsupal ng mga tinitira ng kanyang binabantayan. Si Espiritu naman ay isang taong di mo malaman kung may spring sa kanyang mga sapatos. Napakataas ng kanyang talon kung kaya't nakakasupal din siya ng mga binabato ng kanyang kalaban. Kaya ilayo ni Elmer si Nonoy sa loob upang madalian pumasok ang kanyang mga kakampi sa loob dahil sa kakayanan niya tumira ng tres. Meron din naman tira sa labas si Nonoy kahit papaano kung kaya mailalayo rin niya si Elmer kung sakali sila nga ang magbabantayan.

3. Mga astig na galaw

Hindi ito magiging SA-DET na finals kung saan ay magiging nakakaantok ang laro. Si Salamat at Paul Lee ay ang mga magbibigay ng mga nakakakuryente na galaw. Sila Baclao at Espiritu naman ang mga salarin sa pagbabalik ng mga tira sa lupa. Sigurado din ako makakakita tayo na mga dakdak galing kay Elmer. Siyembre hindi mawawalan ng mga ang mga tres galing kela Lingganay, Reyes, atbp.

4.Mahuhusay na courtside reporter

Sayang hindi naten makikita ang 2 magandang reporter na si Jessica Mendoza at Kryzelle O'Conner (Wala man lang kasi ung UP sa Final 4 wala tuloy si Erika. haha) Pero ayos lang dahil andyan parin si Jessica at magiging masaya na ako doon. Di lang siya maganda, magaling din talaga siya magsalita. (Medyo nahihirapan nga lang siya itugma ang pananalita niya sa basketbol) Si Tiff naman ay isang mahusay din na reporter(Hindi tulad ni Eric Torejon at Kyrzelle O' Conner).

Ball Points (9-26-09)

• The Stags' record finally has a blemish. The Letran Knights just handed them their first loss of the season yesterday and they did with conviction with an 80-63 victory over the NCAA's no. 1 seed. The Stags struggled with the physicality of the Knights all game long and Knights might just have found the Stag's Achilles' Heel. The two lone representatives of the NCAA in the Gilas program, Jazul and Guevarra, were impressive in this one as they scored 27 points a piece. This might be a blessing in disguise for SSC-R as this loss will give Ato his first chance of preparing for a game right after a loss. It's not going to be easy though as they are set to face the rampaging JRU Heavy Bombers next Monday. JRU is also looking to bounce bask after barely beating AUF 85-81 last Wednesday. It's going to be interesting to see how this Stags will react right after a defeat.
• Smart - Gilas defeated the Singapore Slingers 70-67 last Wednesday. As I said before the result of this game hardly matters. The goal of SBP is to expose these guys to the international game to prepare them for the 2011 Fiba -Asia tournament (qualifier for the 2012 Olympics). JV looked very impressive in orchestrating the offense. I think he's much more comfortable when he's not appointed as the main man of the team. He's going to have less pressure on himself with guys like Ababou, Barroca and Aguilar on the team. A lot of CJ Giles in this one. He provided the team with a reliable option in their half court sets and a lot of highlights (Check out the 0:55 mark of this video). The team also needs to run a little bit more and refrain from depending on CJ to produce in the half court. Japeth was also impressive in this game. He seems to be comfortable with Gilas. (maybe because he's the star of the team. haha) Barroca ended up with only 6 points because he missed a couple of shots he usually makes. He is coming off a lot of drama and maybe he still needs some time. This team is still incomplete as the collegiate tournaments are not yet done. The 2 Fil- Australians were non-factors in the game as expected. This team still has a lot of potential and I'm hoping that they'll be the answer to our woeful showings in past international tournaments.
• Stephen Jackson and Carlos Boozer are still with their teams as training camp approaches. It looks like Jack will still be a Warrior this season as their aren't any ideal situations for him right now. It also doesn't help that he just recently signed a large contract extension and contenders are already loaded in his positions. Utah is also having a lot of difficulty of finding a trade partner and having Boozer around might mess up the team's chemistry. The team's frontline is also clogged up. Their top 4 frontliners are a combined $48M approximately in salary this year compared to the defending champions' $41M. Look for Boozer to be pursued more by the other teams when the trade deadline approaches as he is on an expiring contract if he is not yet traded before the season starts.
• It looks like we're going to finally see the Spark back in the PBA's next season. BGK surely will welcome the return of their man and this should make the perennial contender even stronger this season. His return will also move Helterbrand back to his natural position, PG. Helterbrand has gotten used to being the team's SG but I'm not expecting him to struggle returning to his old position especially now that he has his partner back with him.
• The UAAP Men's Basketball Championship Game 1 has been moved to October 1. The Juniors' and Women's games scheduled today were also suspended due to the typhoon.

Shaq vs Michael Phelps

Yes it's the BIG GUY again! Whats up with him? Well he has his new tv show "Shaq vs". The show is about Shaq squaring of with different athletes. Recently he just called himself the "black Michael Phelps" and he is about to prove it but Michael Phelps is about to prove him wrong.

If Shaq wins Michael Phelps will say on cam that Shaq is the best on the other hand, if Shaq loseshe'll go synchronized swimming. Watch and enjoy!!!

Count them out and they'll prove you wrong..

• UE books the final ticket to this year's UAAP finals with a very impressive 78-72 victory over this year's host, the FEU Tamaraws.
• A lot of people (including me) predicted an ADMU - FEU finals this year in the UAAP and I guess we all had good reasons to believe so. The Eagles are the defending champions and they only lost one starter and a couple of role players. (Chris Tiu, Mike Baldos, Yuri Escueta, Jobe who?) Then there's the ever dependable Norman Black who always finds a way to discipline his large-headed players to play basketball the right way. FEU did lose a lot of key players like Fernandez and Baracael but their talent and depth was undeniable. Andy Barroca made a lot of noise in the off-season with his stints with Oracle and Smart-Gilas and he was also joined by his teammates Ramos and Cawaling in Smart-Gilas. Guys like Cervantes, Sanga and Knuttel were also coming back to help FEU get a crown. Of course they were also able to recruit a couple of quality players in RR Garcia and Pipo Noundou. Unfortunately for FEU, you still had to play the games to win a championship
• UE has always been in the Final 4 in recent years but have yet to translate those F4 appearances to a UAAP crown. The past UE teams have crumbled under pressure from the time of coach Boyzie Zamar , James Yap and Ronald Tubid up to the time of coach Dindo Pumaren, Mark Borboran and Marcy Arellano. This year, no one was giving them shit and maybe that's how they like it. No pressure. No expectations. Just plain old basketball. As the game's commentators said UE was the hungrier team.
• UE was undeniably the dark horse of this season. The core of the team was coming off a successful PBL season under Lawrence Chongson and it ultimately lead to his hiring as UE's head coach when Dindo called it quits. This guy pressed the right button when he freed up the offense and allowed the players to just play . When you place your players in a free-wheeling system , you're going to give your players control of what the team is going to do on the floor. In order to be successful in this system , you need players who are smart and creative enough to make their own decisions on the floor. Chongson has one damn good one. Paul Lee. In a restricted system like FEU's, the coach is responsible for placing his players in a position where they can be great. Players like Carmelo Anthony, JR Cawaling and Reil Cervantes are great fits in this system as they need the ball in particular spots to be productive. The same can't be said with players like Derrick Rose, RR Garica and Barroca as what makes them good is their creativity and their ability to make the right decisions on their own. I'm not saying Capacio's a bad coach. In fact I like him for his emphasis on defense and his discipline but you have to adjust to the players you have. You can't treat every player the same way. You can't ask Yao Ming to come off screens and spot up for a 3 point shot. (Maybe you can, the big does have a soft touch.)You need a system that will utilize the talent of each of your players.
• The game started out fantastic. The two teams combined for only 4 TO's in the 1st half. The 2nd half was a different story as FEU stacked up their turnovers that eventually caused them the game. It was a game of runs like the ADMU-FEU game. Whenever FEU would build a double-digit lead, UE would respond with their own run and like the ADMU-FEU game, FEU couldn't execute at the end.
• Where did JR Cawaling go? This guy is so damn gifted but he finds a way to magically disappear. He was a beast in the first half. I was already rejoicing when their captain finally showed up. Little did I know, he was planning an escape plan. His aggressiveness was nowhere to be found in crunch time and he let his teammates down once again. Hey! Why isn't he off the team yet?!
• Noundou had a decent game but he took so many ill-advised jump shots. He was so successful driving down the lane and stopping for a close ranged shot in the 1st half and continuing that might have changed the result. I wonder why he settled for outside shots (even 3 point attempts), which he missed most of them, when Cervantes was being guarded by Paul Lee on the block. Credit him for playing his heart out despite the injury.
• When Cervantes did get the ball at the block against Lee, he couldn't take advantage of the situation 100% of the time. This guy needs to develop a better post game either facing up or backing down and stop taking turn around jump shots. His partner Aldrech Ramos also missed a couple of open shots which he normally converts. RR Garcia's poise went down the drain. His lack of experience was evident in the game. I also didn't see Sanga in the game. Wonder where he went. I think he joined JR on his early vacation. Game-fixing? Kick them out as well FEU!
• Espiritu was non-existent offensively but he did change a lot of shots and blocked a few ones as well. Llagas moves so well in the shaded area and his teammates are so good in giving him the ball at the right spots. Rudy Lingganay gave his team a big boost with 15 points and his poise in the end game. Acuna showed the complete arsenal in this game. He mixed it up with 3 point shots and amazing drives and totaled 17 points in the game. Lee? Nothing else should be said about this stud. This guy threw a couple of questionable shots in this game but he did make some them including a couple of difficult threes. He wasn't the leading scorer in this one but he was certainly their main man. This guy is genuinely happy when his teammates makes incredible plays off his dishes. This guy was even tapping the number 6 patch (James Martinez) on his jersey at the end of the game. Just goes to show how unselfish he is.
• Schools are now aiming to win it all in the year that they are hosting but yet another host school failing to win the crown. Bad omen for the next year's host? (DLSU)
• These guys needs to improve on their FTs. Paul Lee missed 2 FTs at crunch time when they had a 76-72 lead with less than 2 minutes remaining. This is unforgivable for the team's best player. Good thing for him it didn't come back to haunt them.

Ball Points (Inspired by patayangbutiki.com’s Butiki Bullets) (9-22-09)

• Finally! Something wrong about Ateneo! The credit goes to blaze for finding this story. This is an issue worth following. If Jobe is proven ineligible before the finals, will the Eagles be even allowed to play in the Finals? Maybe that’s why he's not part of the roster anymore. This may mean another suspension to perennial Final 4 contender next season. Nothing’s final yet and maybe this is just a propaganda to harm ADMU’s reputation. UPDATE: CHED has already released a statement regarding the issue and they have stated that Jobe is eligible for tertiary education. Nice try FEU but better luck next year.
  
• As reported here and here, Smart - Gilas will be facing off with the Singapore Slingers tomorrow in a tune -up match. The result will hardly matter in this one. The main goal of the Gilas program is to expose these young collegiate stars to the international brand of basketball. Smart-Gilas will also be reinforced by 2 Fil-Aussies in this game. Basketball isn't a popular sport in Australia so I'm still skeptical if this guys can make an impact but I guess looking for more players all over the world won't hurt. The SBP should try looking for players are around 6'6" to 6'10" who are versatile enough for the international game. A guy like Nikkah Bahrami wouldn't hurt their cause as well. UPDATE: Gilas won 70-67 behind Cj Giles(21 points), Aguilar (14 points) and Casio (10 points).
  
• I was looking for some highlights of Nikkah and I stumbled upon this video. The reporter was asking about the death of one of his teammates and I don’t think the reporter knew he was asking about Nikkah’s brother, Aiden. The reporter even asked for the name of the player. (Aiden died in car crash with his fiancé. Iran did pretty well without the other Bahrami and they even defended their FIBA-Asia crown against the heavily favored Chinese National Team)
• Looks like Warriors are having some difficulty in accommodating Jackson's request. The teams on his wish list are all deep in the 2 and 3 spot and I don’t think they’ll be able to create space for the Warriors’ captain. (Cavs have The Chosen One, Moon, West and Parker. Spurs have Ginobli, Jefferson, Mason and now Bogans. Mavs have Marion, Howard and Terry. My Rockets have Ariza, Battier, a couple of promising rookies and hopefully a healthy T-Mac.) These teams may choose to play small ball but their rosters are still too deep to find a spot for him. Even other contenders like the Celtics, Magic and Lakers are deep at his positions as well. If he wants to join a contender this season, he’ll have to live with the fact that he might not get to play in the end game. Moving to New Orleans might make some sense especially with inconsistencies of Peja. Ending the game with CP3, Capt. Jack, James Posey, David West, Okafor/Peja(small ball?) isn't too shabby at all. Trading Mo Pete and Devin Brown for Capt. Jack will work financially. The move also frees up Golden State of committing to Jackson for 4 years since Brown’s contract will last for one more year while Peterson’s will only have 2 more years. The question is will Bower accept a 4 year contract averaging about $8.8M annually for a player who won’t guarantee you a spot in the Conference Finals. Sure he’ll improve the team and make bring CP3 a smile on his face but the Western Conference still has a lot of talented and deeper teams that are itching to dethrone the Lakers.

Adolf Hitlers reaction to the loss of La Salle

I didn't know Hitler was a "Green archer die-hard fan". As soon as he hears the news about the loss of La Salle to NU which means an early vacation for the archers, here's what happened....

***note : I don't own this video. Props to the person who made this.

UE anyone?

University of the East is known as a team who is always a contender. They have been in the final four for a long time but they have never won a championship since time in memorial. They always finish strong during the eliminations but somehow fades in the Final Four. The James Yap era is a big disappointment because they certainly had the best team (in terms of line-up) that year. And who beat them? Anyone remember Jec Chia? The 14-0 season is certainly another disappointment as they were upset by the Green Archers in the finals. This year, however, is a different season. There were no predictions that they would make it to the finals. This year was already preordained as an Ateneo-FEU finals. But UE have different plans, and particularly their player named Paul Lee.

In their encounter last Saturday against the FEU Tamaraws, it was both Paul's show. Apparently, Paul Sanga and Paul Lee engaged in a shootout and it was a hell of a game to watch. Paul Sanga shot the lights out and tried to will his team to victory. 6-11 3pt FG and most of them were coming of the screens while falling down. He finished with 22pts and unfortunately could not sustain his gallant effort because of cramps. And that is where the other Paul took over. Paul Lee wasn't shooting the ball well from close range. It was too close for him. Too easy. He hit 6 threes in the 4th quarter (including one over riel cervantes, one from the parking lot and one from the mrt station) and the Tamaraws had no answer, no Mark Barroca.

Paul Lee's performance reminded me of Lebron James in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Match-up against Detroit. He just would not allow his team to lose. No Final Four breakdown anymore. Paul Lee dominated the game with his 26pts, 8 rebs and 7 ast. He had this look in his face that says "Why can't I miss??" and I'm sure the Tamaraws were asking themselves the same queston. He was in the zone, on a roll, unconcious, on fire, crazy, insane, hot and all other superlatives you can think of. It should be illegal for someone to be this good. It just isn't fair. But that what a superstar brings to a team. They can provide whatever the team is lacking and they win ballgames. And that is what Paul Lee is to the University of the East.

**Hats off to Pari Llagas (19pts, 12 rebs) and Val Acuna (17pts 5-103pts FG) for their consistent numbers.

Go Fight Red and White!

DLSU: Following the leader, but where’s the leader?

This year was very crushing to the loyalists of the Taft based squad as this is the only time that the Green Archers have failed to reach the Final Four since the emancipation of the format. To add insult to injury, the lowly National University Bulldogs were the ones who closed the door on the Archers as they fell to 6th place (Adamson University bested them because of the quotient rule) to end the 72nd season of the UAAP. Based on the performance of the rookies and the sophomores of the squad, next year would be a whole better year for them. Headed by King Archer hopeful Joshua David Webb, the cast of Maui Villanueva, “Tayshaun” Andrade, Arvie Bringas and Joseph Marata, the Archers are looking good and would definitely enter the Final Four next year. On talent alone, these guys could’ve undoubtedly made the Final Four already this year. The situation however made it hard for coach Franz Pumaren to properly balance the team. The team, though brimming with talented freshmen and second year players still had “savy” veterans that were present from the last DLSU championship team. James Mangahas was touted to be the King Archer for the year however his performance seemed to indicate otherwise. Other veterans Bader Malabes, Peejay Barua and Ferdinand couldn’t help the cause as well. Their performances were mediocre at best marred with inconsistencies that had fans scratching their heads. Actually in my eyes, they performed the same way had during the past year. You must understand that these players were molded to be role players. And they stuck to that monicker up until the end. The glaring lack in a leader who they could go to and someone who the players would look up to was evident. Actually, the problem was that none of these players were groomed to be a leader during the previous years. Rico Maierhofer was supposed to be this team’s leader. Since he went pro, the coaching staff had to put these role players into a spot that they aren’t really comfortable with. Putting it into perspective, imagine Jordan and Pippen leaving the 1998 championship team. Who would’ve carried the load Toni Kukoc? That’s the same thing that happened to these Archers. It would’ve been hard for Pumaren to directly expect a lot from his youngsters considering the its their first time to be logging more minutes.

For the future, as early as now the coaching staff has to clearly define the roles of the youngsters. They shouldn’t be as dependent to one primary go to guy as what happened to the other older players. These guys have to be taught as early as now how to lead. Especially for Webb if he is the future of the team. Proper training and recognition for the first and second option should be given so that the system would be properly implemented. With a cast this talented, these guys should be given chances to grow as early as now so that any body can step up if the opportunity calls for it. The future looks bright for DLSU with all that talent. Proper development and growth however must be stressed. Talent alone cant propel you to the top. As a reminder, Kwame Brown anyone?

Ball Points (Inspired by patayangbutiki.com’s Butiki Bullets) (9-21-09)

• This will be portion of our blogsite wherein I’ll try to assemble basketball related news and provide my two cents' worth (Thank you for the beautiful lady for the correction on how to use two cents) about the topics. I’ll try to post daily just as long as I have a lot of free time.I promise I’ll keep it short compared to my other blog posts. As indicated in the title this portion was inspired by a portion of an excellent site, patayangbutiki.com’s Butiki Bullets. The name was suggested by the intelligent yet corny blaze.
• Apparently, DLSU’s Bader Malabes has been sent back to Bahrain as Rick said in his blog post and I think a couple of veterans like Ferdinand have been taken off the team because of their lack luster performance this season. Poor guy. I know he had a horrendous UAAP season but he did help DLSU win a championship. I think you can blame his struggles on his decision-making and his position this year. He was often placed at the 1 spot when Atkins went down with an injury. Why the hell are you going to place a bad decision maker at a position that requires an advanced understanding of the game? He was able to show his talent while playing the 3 spot and when he had guys like JV alongside him who can take the big shot and make the right decisions. He can definitely drive inside (not finish though) and hit an open 3 occasionally. At least Barroca’s been given a chance to graduate in FEU. This guy has been sent back to his home country and what happens now to his girlfriend?
• Thank God I can watch the PCCL this year. (Yes I don’t have BTV) I do hope that teams would take the PCCL seriously this year unlike last year when ADMU practically was playing with their bench. The PCCL is great venue where you can see competition between NCAA and UAAP schools. This also gives spectators a chance to see provincial schools and how their players (like Fajardo and Slautgher) can fare against players from Manila.
• Toyota will back in the PBL this coming season. At least the PBL will have 6 teams this years and that means more competition for my bet, the Oracle Titans. I’m just wondering, where will the PBL get their players this year. As far as I know, players with less than 2 years in the NCAA or UAAP are not yet allowed to join so guys like RR Garcia and Jeric Teng will not be in a PBL jersey yet. I’m not sure about this though. Of course you have the Gilas boys. Their schedule will probably not permit them to join their mother teams in the PBL this upcoming season. Then there’s the age limit of 25 years old which will even lessen the pool of players for the PBL.
• On a side note, what will happen to the Oracle Titans this year with the Barroca controversy. Glen Capacio is the head coach of the Titans and a lot of their players like Ramos and Sanga are part of their roster. Barroca has told through his agent that his relationship with his coach has been tarnished alreadyalthough Barroca might not even have the time to join Oracle this year with his schedule with Gilas. What will Mikee Romero do to resolve this and will this prevent him from achieving an 8-peat?
• There are a couple of come-back attempts by Davonn Harp and Antoine Walker. Davonn Harp? Isn’t he N years old already? I guess he can still push his way around with his muscles and I guess Asi and Mick are also N years old as well. If he does have something left in the tank, I’m sure Barako will be shipping him to a contender for some more cash. Antoine has always had an issue with his conditioning and it finally cost him his job. A lot of guys like Antoine and T-mac are finally doing their best to get into shape now that their future contracts are on the line. Money really does talk.
• The San Sebastian Stags have made history and achieved a record breaking 15-game winning streak. Of course it helps that the NCAA has 3 more teams (which means 6 more games than the normal 14 but with PCU being suspended this year it became 12+6 games for each team) and a handful of pushover teams this year. They did beat the 3-peat Red Lions and the ultra talented Heavy Bombers and they still had to play the games themselves. They also came in the season with a very underrated lineup so kudos to Coach Ato for doing such a brilliant job with this team. It's going to a be rough road to the Final 4 for them as they are set to face Letran, JRU and San Beda in their last 3 games. In the first game this Monday, Mapua looked like ADMU as they destroyed EAC with their crisp teamwork and execution.

UST forces rubber match with ADMU

• Sorry for the title guys. Haha.
• As expected, ADMU books a seat in the finals with a crushing 81-64win over the UST Growling Tigers. (Maybe Crying Tigers after this game.)
• ADMU is simply the better team and are still the favorites to win the UAAP crown with this victory.
• ADMU just plays the game the right way. They’ll play defense, rotate the ball and take the best shot possible.
• UST needs to study how to defend the pick-and-roll. I don’t get it why they keep on giving Jai Reyes an open shot after he comes off the screen. The guy only knows how to shoot and either switching (which should work fabulously with UST since they basically have 4 perimeter players and an agile big man on floor always) or fighting through the screen will be more than enough to neutralize Jainamite. Why is UST double teaming the screener every single time knowing the guy who came off the screen is a deadly shooter?
• I hate Jai Reyes but he surely looked like a back-to-back champion in this game. He torched UST by hitting every open shot they gave him in route to 17 points. The guy is too cocky for what he can do for his team. He’s just a measly shooter who benefits from the attention the opposing defense gives to Rabeh and Eric. (Fine, his leadership has been crucial this year for ADMU especially with the graduation of Chirs Tiu and yes this is his girl.) Eric Salamat has every right to salute to the crown every play because he has been an integral part of Eagles’ offense and DEFENSE but Jai needs to shut up and play basketball.
• Eric Salamat probably is the MVP of this Ateneo team. (I’m sorry Rabeh, I think you’re too busy talking to the refs and crying about ticky-tacky fouls. ) The guy was either snatching the ball or tipping the ball to his teammates. He was part of every defensive play in the 2^nd quarter. On the other end, he would draw the defense and make spectacular passes to his teammates. He was literally everywhere on the floor. He took a back seat in the 2^nd half as he wasn’t needed as guys like Jai and Ryan were barbecuing the Tigers. His stats of6 points, 5 assists and 4 steals are not indications of his brilliant performance.
• So sad to see Ababou and Mirza graduate on such a humiliating finish to their collegiate careers. Mirza reverted back to his old form and jacked up a ton of 3s instead of doing a Corey Maggette and fish a ton of fouls. Ababou did manage to get his number quietly but I’m sure he would’ve liked to go down fighting a closer fight. Fortuna and Teng had their moments but they should’ve done a better job of setting up those guys instead of taking ill-advised shots.
• I know their offense includes a lot of 3 point attempts but I’m sure Pido doesn’t want them to take a 3 on every damn possession. Ateneo runs for high percentage 2 point attempts and they do such a great job of selective fastbreak. They know when to push the tempo or to set up in the halfcourt.
• Hats off to Pido Jarencio this year for his new design of UST’s offense. A lot of people were expecting DLSU or ADU to enter the final 4 this year but Pido adjusted to the arsenal he was given this year without his MVP, Jervy Cruz. It’s going to be a rough year next year for them unless they’re keeping another RP youth member and another 20-10 guy in their team B.

Andy..Andy..Andy..

Why did it have to be Andy?...

Of course, you might have heard by now about probably the biggest news of the UAAP season 72. Andy Barroca quits the FEU basketball varsity team due to the allegations hurled at him. These accusations were based on his sub-par performances on the last 2 elimination games where he averaged 7.5 PPG and 3.5 TOPG and shot 33.33% from the field far from his season averages of 12.71 PPG, 2.57 TOPG and 44.58% FG. This was evident in the ADMU – FEU game last 9/12/2009 where he managed to score only 8 points. Apparently some of his teammates asked Coach Glen Capacio to take Andy out of the game because they were suspecting that he wasn’t playing to his abilities but another story says that only the team officials are accusing him and his agent said that his teammates do not believe the allegations threw against him. Personally, I don’t believe that Andy threw the ADMU game or any other games but I’ll admit it that my opinion is biased because I love Andy Barroca to death and I truly believe he will be a key part of Smart-Gilas’ campaign for 2012 Olympics. Plus it helps that he has an identical name with a beautiful girl. Now let’s try to evaluate whether or not Andy played to his ability in that ADMU game. In their game against ADMU, Coach Glen decided to tinker his starting lineup by placing Andy back at the point and putting Sanga at the 2 spot. The result? Andy scores all of his 8 points on that game courtesy of 4 made shots from the field against the lowly defense of Jai Reyes. A common denominator among all his 4 field goals, the play was set for him. Andy is the kind of player that needs to dominate the ball to be successful at the offensive end. As Rick Olivares said, Andy was so successful with Smart – Gilas and Oracle because he was given the ball and control of the offense. Of course this year in the UAAP, the point guard chores have been handed over to RR Garica and Andy had to slide to the 2 spot for the most part of the season. This means that he’ll have less control of the offense. Remember when Steve Francis played the 2 spot because Orlando wanted to give a young Jameer Nelson the break that he needed? Steve Francis struggled and it marked the start of the downfall of his career. Players are going to struggle if you won’t play them at the right position and if you’re not going to give them the role that is suitable for their talent (In this case Andy’s a scorer). But I don’t think you can blame Coach Glen on playing RR and Andy in the same backcourt. RR’s a heck of a player and he probably needs the ball more than Andy since Andy’s a better shooter and it makes sense to put a scorer on the shooting guard position.

Andy did commit a couple of mistakes in that game. He missed 2 FTs at the end of the 1^st half but even Steve Nash can miss 2 straight FTs. Now let’s move on to the 4^th quarter. Andy sort of took a back seat in their offense and was contented on just setting up the play and I guess he had good reason to do so since guys like Sanga and Ramos were on fire. Losing the 18 point lead wasn’t his entire fault but he did play a part. A play called for Andy to post up against Jai. He backed down against Jai and took a turnaround J. He missed the shot but it didn’t really matter because as how Mico Halili would put it “He was caught dancing with wrong pairs of shoes”. He reacted a little bit against the call but didn’t show much emotion while arguing against the referee but I don’t think he’s really an emotional player. He’s going to talk with the referees but he’s not a Sheed. The second play called for him was a curl with Reil setting up the screen for him. He was double –teamed but he still forced the shot against the defense of a Nonoy Baclao. This was clearly a bad decision on his part and he should’ve made the pass to a wide open Cervantes. Was this intentional? Maybe. Maybe not. A lot of players do force their shots not just Andy. He also committed 2 fouls that led to 4 FT attempts. One foul had him going for a steal. He had a clear chance to get the ball but shouldn’t have he just back off especially knowing that they were already in the penalty? The other foul was a silly frustration foul. A friend of mine said, “That’s why it’s called a frustration foul, he was frustrated”. He looked a little lax after the call but like I said he’s not really known to be an emotional player.

Based on my love for Andy and examining the game against ADMU, I’ll have to conclude that FEU made a mistake of accusing Andy of game-fixing and this might come back to bite them at their asses especially now that UE won last 9/19. Can’t the guy just have a bad game? He hasn’t been known to dominate in the UAAP despite his talent and besides this guy has been playing non-stop and maybe the guy’s just burned out. How come JR Cawaling (5.5 PPG and 4.5 TOPG in their last 2 elimination games plus a couple of stupid fancy pass attempts) or DLSU veterans (Barua, Mangahas, Malabes) are not accused of game fixing? There are always 2 sides of a story and maybe Barroca feared for his life and didn’t want to end up like Barracael. Throwing a simple basketball game is easier than being shot. Maybe a patron of ADMU gave him 20M to allow ADMU have an easier route to back-to-back championships and money does talk especially for a guy that comes from a poor family like Andy. Maybe he just had a bad game. I highly doubt that we’ll ever get the chance to know what really happened but I guess FEU did the right thing of releasing Barroca now that the mess has been made public because I can’t see Andy being comfortable playing again for FEU. A friend told me if Andy continues to play, he’s going to be cautious about every turnover and missed shot. At least, Noli still wants Andy to be the main man of Smart-Gilas despite the controversies.

Here’s a blog post coming from someone that has the connections to the FEU team and here is here official statement of FEU regarding the issue. (But you better have loud speakers to hear their crappy answers) Of course, Rick doesn’t believe Andy is guilty of the allegations and he’s got a lot of reasons to believe so but as jaemark said, he’s been known to be close to SBP guys and he might just be protecting Barroca especially now that Andy is already with Smart – Gilas.