FINAL 2013 PBA Mock Draft (First Round Only)

Last week, I worked with fellow Rappler Sports writer Levi Verora (UP Fight!) on an initial 2013 PBA mock draft. Now, though I believe that our picks were generally reasonable, I think that recent and rumored developments will probably have significant effects on what will actually take place later on.

In this regard, I have resolved to make a brief and FINAL mock draft that takes into account some of the possible “curve balls” that may put dents in later’s proceedings. I’m doing the first round only, since many of the recent developments surrounding the draft center on these first ten picks. And, well, the second round is going to be a little too unpredictable already.

Who will be picked first outside the consensus top three?
(image from Instagram.com/thehoopnut)

FIRST ROUND

Order	Team	Pick
1	GINEBRA	Greg Slaughter – This should be a no-brainer pick. Maybe the most no-brainer pick in years. I mean, a 7-footer who has national team experience and is a many-time collegiate and D-League champ? Again – no-brainer. Sleeper: Ian Sangalang is the closest possible sleeper pick here, but the Kings won’t pass up on a titanic Japeth-Slaughter pairing.
2	SAN MIG COFFEE	Ian Sangalang – Just a shade under 6’6, the former Golden Stag is gifted with a unique Dennis Espino-ish skill-set that will surely grant him uncommon longevity in the league. Should be a perfect complement/padawan to Ping in the low block. Sleeper: Raymond Almazan is another NCAA product who has great length and great potential, but his game needs more polish than Sangalang’s.
3	RAIN OR SHINE	Raymond Almazan – Last I heard, Beau Belga and JR Quiñahan have a gauntlet of buffet breakfasts readied to make Almazan… fit into the Painters’ persona a lot better. He gives Yeng Guiao much-needed length and athleticism. Sleeper: Justin Chua is bigger and burlier. He has a better outside shot and should make a quicker adjustment to the pro game, BUT he isn’t 6’7.
4	BARAKO BULL	James Forrester – This is where things get very interesting. Things are open from here on out, but word through the grapevine is Ginebra will receive the rights to the fourth overall pick. This means a Forrester pick makes sense, since he’s probably the best SF in this draft class and that’s pretty much what Ginebra needs. Sleeper: Alex Nuyles might be the top SF in some observers’ lists, which means he shouldn’t be a fourth-pick shocker who goes to Ginebra. Another sleeper is Terrence Romeo, who is the best talent after the first three picks.
5	BARAKO BULL	Justin Chua – Okay hear me out, first. There have been reports that Petron traded away two bench bigs (Mark Isip and Magi King Sison) to Barako for this pick, which means the Boosters are out to get a better big man, right? I would think so, too. Sleeper: Another possibility is Petron drafting UAAP MVP Terrence Romeo or former MVP RR Garcia anyway because the Boosters reportedly traded Denok Miranda to GlobalPort, which then reportedly shipped Miranda to Barako Bull for the sixth pick. They could have freed up the backcourt for either of these two Tamaraws.
6	BARAKO BULL	Terrence Romeo – Best talent possible at this point, and no doubt the best talent that should remain outside of the top three is Romeo. If, indeed, the Barako-GlobalPort trade did materialize, then Romeo should be an interesting fit alongside Sol Mercado and Willie Miller. Miller can mentor Romeo, who has the potential to actually duplicate Miller’s feat as a young MVP. Sleeper: Should Romeo get picked earlier, a good pick at this point for either Barako or GlobalPort could be UST’s Jeric Teng, who, like Romeo, is a potent perimeter player. Teng also has a better post game than the UAAP MVP.
7	GLOBALPORT	RR Garcia – Garcia is the next best talent up for grabs at this point, and though picking him gives the Batang Pier a surplus of guards, it also gives them flexibility in putting one or two of those guards on the trading block. Their real need is a man-in-the-middle who is more solid than Yousef Taha, and their best bet is to draft Garcia and maybe package a deal with him and/or Miranda. Sleeper: It’s a stretch, but if GlobalPort needs a big, then either Justin Chua or Isaac Hostein wouldn’t be the worst seventh pick to make. Both impressed in the Rookie Camp and, reportedly, in some scrimmages, too. Chua is a better scorer than Taha, while Holstein can definitely rebound and block shots better than the former Mapua Cardinal.
8	ALASKA	Alex Nuyles – I am thinking wingman for the Aces, and Nuyles should make sense as the next best SF after Forrester. Nuyles has great hops and is a streaky shooter, so, at least on paper, he should be a good fit for coach Trillo’s crew. Sleeper: Okay, this might sound biased, but I think Ryan Buenafe’s basketball IQ might actually be enough to make him a reasonable eighth pick. I mean, more than physical gifts, one needs to have a good head of hoops to function well in the triangle.
9	RAIN OR SHINE	Nico Salva – Best talent available pick again. I really think Salva needs a lot of work because he’s such an undersized PF in the PBA, and he doesn’t have the mobility (yet) to be a serviceable SF, but if there’s anyone who can make something out of so little, then it’s Yeng Guiao. Sleeper: I like Eric Camson’s chances here. Camson is actually my best pure PF of the class, and I think his combination of size and outside shooting will be a good complement to ROS’s frontline.
10	SAN MIG COFFEE	Isaac Holstein – Holstein reportedly looked good practicing for Tim Cone earlier this week, and word is Holstein actually favors playing for the American mentor. Let’s see – Holstein, Sangalang, and Ping up front for the Mixers. Are you shuddering already? Sleeper: I went nine picks without mentioning Fil-Am spitfire Justin Melton, but I am not about to forget him before finishing this entire list. Melton is definitely a better offensive force compared to Holstein, but he might not be what SMC needs. Still, a pick-and-trade can happen here.

The 2013 PBA Draft will happen 4:00pm later today at the Robinson’s Place Manila mall.

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