Nitpicking the Top Twelve 2015 #PBADraft Picks Part 2

The 2015 PBA draft is in the books. 

Sunday’s much-anticipated event began as expected, with the Gilas 3.0 duo of Moala Tautuaa and Troy Rosario predictably going 1 and 2 to Talk N Text and Mahindra respectively. It didn’t take long, however, before the surprises started to take shape. The Rain or Shine Elasto-Painters shocked everyone by taking Fil-American Maverick Ahanmisi with the No. 3 overall pick, setting the tone for a pretty eventful night. Chris Newsome went to a Meralco team that already has a few strong athletes, Earl Scottie Thompson was taken  by the Gin Kings to round out the top five. 

(image from PBA-Online.net)

In my previous post, we looked at and analyzed the top six picks of the draft. This time around, we will look at picks 7 to 12:

Nitpicking the Top Twelve 2015 #PBADraft Picks Part 1

The 2015 PBA Draft is in the books. 

Sunday’s much-anticipated event began as expected, with the Gilas 3.0 duo of Moala Tautuaa and Troy Rosario predictably going 1 and 2 to Talk N Text and Mahindra respectively. It didn’t take long, however, before the surprises started to take shape. The Rain or Shine Elasto-Painters shocked everyone by taking Fil-American Maverick Ahanmisi with the No. 3 overall pick, setting the tone for a pretty eventful night. Chris Newsome went to a Meralco team that already has a few strong athletes, Earl Scottie Thompson was taken  by the Gin Kings to round out the top five. 

Earl Scottie Thompson was a big hit in the draft. Will he be a big hit in Ginebra?
(image from Sports5.ph)

So how about the rest of the first twelve? Here are my thoughts on all first-rounders this year:

2015 PBA Draft: The Sleeper Picks

In a few days, we will have the 2015 PBA Draft, where some of the most talented and most exciting young hoopsters will have a shot at making the big time and cracking the PBA. It’ll be interesting to see who gets picked and at which spot. Which teams will look better with their rookies, and which ones will make us shake our heads? 

In my previous posts, I looked at some of the best big men, wingmen, and point guards available in this draft, but now I will focus on some of the relative unknowns — the sleeper picks — among this draft class. 

2015 PBA Draft: Top 5 Point Guard Prospects

In a few days, we will have the 2015 PBA Draft, where some of the most talented and most exciting young hoopsters will have a shot at making the big time and cracking the PBA. It’ll be interesting to see who gets picked and at which spot. Which teams will look better with their rookies, and which ones will make us shake our heads? 

In this series of posts, I will look at some of the most interesting prospects for each general basketball position — the big man, the wingman, and the point guard. 

In my previous posts, I looked at some of the best big men and wingmen available in this draft, but now I will look at the top five playmakers in this year’s batch of rookies.

2015 PBA Draft: Top 5 Wingman Prospects

In a few days, we will have the 2015 PBA Draft, where some of the most talented and most exciting young hoopsters will have a shot at making the big time and cracking the PBA. It’ll be interesting to see who gets picked and at which spot. Which teams will look better with their rookies, and which ones will make us shake our heads? 

In this series of posts, I will look at some of the most interesting prospects for each general basketball position — the big man, the wingman, and the point guard. 

I previously looked at some of the best big men available in this draft, with, not surprisingly, Moala Tautuaa and Troy Rosario coming out on top.

This time around, I will look at the top five wingman prospects in this year’s batch of rookies. I took some liberties with some players who could be hybrid SF/PFs or PG/SGs, though, so some picks might raise your eyebrows a li’l bit.

2015 #PBADraft: Top 5 Big Man Prospects

About a week from now, we will have the 2015 PBA Draft, where some of the most talented and most exciting young hoopsters will have a shot at making the big time and cracking the PBA. It’ll be interesting to see who gets picked and at which spot. Which teams will look better with their rookies, and which ones will make us shake our heads? 

In this series of posts, I will look at some of the most interesting prospects for each general basketball position — the big man, the wingman, and the point guard. 

I’ll start off with the top five big man prospects this in this year’s rookie crop.

2014 PBA Mock Draft (First Round Only)

Compared to the last two rookie drafts in the PBA, the 2014 edition is viewed by some to be “not as deep.” That’s still up for debate, but something undeniable is that this particular draft class is, literally, short. With the tallest guy being measured at 6’6, there aren’t any real game-changing bigs to pick here. By all intents and purposes, this rookie class will be dominated by talented guards and wingmen.

Image from PBA.Inquirer.net.

This mock draft will focus squarely on the first round mainly because the succeeding rounds are just too plain unpredictable and, well, most of the impact players will come from the first round anyway, right?

Let’s do this.

2013 PBA Draft Vibes Part Two

The 2013 PBA Draft was one of the most interesting in recent memory, thanks in no small part to the slew of transactions and surprises that happened right on the floor! Let’s take a look back at each team’s picks and see where they stand.

Check out part one here.

Meralco Bolts

Picks: Anjo Caram, Mike Parala, Mark Lopez, John Gonzales, Mark Bringas

Right off the bat, this one is easy. None of these rookies have a sure shot of cracking Meralco’s final roster. Caram is a Monfort-type of point guard, but with the team already having guys like Mike Cortez, AJ Mandani, and Paul Artadi, fat chance he will make the lineup or see much action should he do so. Parala and Bringas are burly inside operators, but, again, I don’t see them supplanting any of the mainstays. Well, perhaps with the exception of James Sena. Lopez, for his part, will also find the going tough replacing any of the Bolts’ tried-and-tested wingmen. At best, some of these draftees will be D-League players by day and then practice players by night. Oh, and the chances of any of these guys playing juicy parts in a blockbuster trade? Umm… no.

GV or BV? The Bolts will be competitive this season, but not because of what they did during draft day. BV.

Anjo Caram is all too happy to have
 heard his name called.

2013 PBA Draft Vibes Part One

The 2013 PBA Draft was one of the most interesting in recent memory, thanks in no small part to the slew of transactions and surprises that happened right on the floor! Let’s take a look back at each team’s picks and see where they stand.

Air21 Express

Picks: Eric Camson, Joshua Webb, Angelo Ingco, Randy Chua

I love Camson going to Air21 simply because he plays PF, and that's the spot where the Express need the most work. Right now, Air21 has Vic Manuel and Mike Burtscher at that position -- not exactly the basketball equivalent of Christmas morning, eh? Camson, if he can be consistent with that mid-to-long range shot and also battle for those rebounds, might get the nod to start. Joshua Webb, for his part, might not even crack this roster. I mean, look at the guys at his natural SF position -- KG Canaleta, Ogie Menor, and Mark Borboran. Heck, even Mac Cardona can moonlight as a small-ball SF. Webb will have to add something special to his repertoire to make the cut. Another intriguing pick here is Randy Chua. He's an unknown, but he's intriguing because, well, he was a former student of mine at Xavier School. He graduated from Xavier in 2004, and was one of the stars of the Golden Stallions' basketball team that year. When I saw him at the Rookie Camp, I was surprised to say the least. He was more plump than before and was not as agile as I remember. I highly doubt he will make the final lineup, but I'm just happy to see him get drafted. As a team, I don't think the Express got a lot deeper. I also don't think they're a title threat, mainly because they weren't able to address another pressing need -- a tried and tested trooper at the PG position. Having said that, they have some talented young pieces who might prove to be solid building blocks for the future.

GV or BV? I have low expectations as of the moment, so good vibes, Air21!

Joshua Webb is just happy to hear his name.

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)

The Top Five Point Guards in the 2013 PBA Draft

The projected first three picks in the 2013 PBA Draft are all going to play center in the pros, but most of the remaining marquee players who should be picked in the first two rounds play in the backcourt. To be more specific, these diminutive dribblers are of the playmaking kind. These are the guys tasked to bring up the ball, call the plays, and find their teammates in their sweet spots.

These are the point guards, otherwise called the floor generals – the guys who, among other things, are supposed to be the coach’s eyes and ears on the court.

In this, the last of our five-part look at the 2013 PBA Draft Class, we will look at the most promising point guards. Apart from the rookie centers, it is in this set where we may find the ones who will make the most immediate and lasting impact on their respective teams.

Terrence Romeo could be a role-defying
star PG in the PBA.
(image from Yahoo! Sports/NPPA)

The PG is the person tasked with making his teammates look better on the floor, and all of the following will make that happen.

Well, maybe except for one (wink wink).

The Top Five Shooting Guards in the 2013 PBA Draft

Big name big men are the ones bannering the 2013 PBA Draft Class, but we hoop nuts cannot sleep on the guys in the backcourt, too. Despite the considerable depth at the SG spot in the pros, there are still a bunch of marquee shooters and perimeter operators who can, given the right system and environment, make a splash in the PBA.

Jeric Teng is a potential splash-maker in
the next PBA season.
(image from Burnsports.com)

5. Carlo Lastimosa (College of Saint Benilde)

The nephew of PBA great Jojo Lastimosa is certainly one of the most gifted scorers in this draft class. He is quick enough to get to the hole, he can hit from midrange, and he has a penchant for absorbing contact and getting to the line (he had more than 5 FT attempts per game in his last two NCAA seasons). Offensively speaking, I see Lastimosa as maybe becoming somewhat of a PJ Simon-type of player in the pros, but only if he becomes more consistent with his three-point shot. This kid jacked up a combined 80 trey attempts in Seasons 87 and 88 of the NCAA, making good on less than 14%. Yikes. Lastimosa is the kind of player who, depending on how he adjusts to the pro game, will have either a really long career as a veteran role player, or a very short one (where you at, Paul Zamar?).

The Top Five Small Forwards in the 2013 PBA Draft

The 2013 PBA Draft Class is definitely one of the most talent-rich in recent memory, especially when it comes to big men and playmakers. Perhaps overlooked, however, is another position – the small forward spot.

Just this morning, I dropped by the 2013 PBA Rookie Camp at the impressive Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong to check out the neophytes as they underwent a barrage of biometric tests. Among the most impressive rookie hopefuls were those who played SF. Now, to be a small forward, or a swingman, in the pros, one has to have a rare combination of size (the typical local SF should be around 6’2-6’4), speed, and shooting. Considering how most Pinoys standing 6’2 or taller are prematurely boxed in as low post players with little to no aptitude for perimeter play, it’s quite a rarity to find players who are big enough and good enough to play SF in the PBA.

James Forrester is projected to be one of the prime talents
in the 2013 PBA Draft.
(image by Raffy Dela Peña)

In this particular draft class, however, there are several standout names who, despite not really hogging the headlines, have the potential to be impact players for teams brave/willing enough to draft them.

The Top Five Centers in the 2013 PBA Draft

The 2013 PBA Draft is touted to be one of the best of all time, if not one of the tallest. That’s saying a lot, of course, since the 2012 Draft was pretty deep already. And, well, the 2011 Draft had a slew of former Gilas standouts, so that was a doozy, too. What makes this 2013 edition quite different, however, is that, again it has a particularly high ceiling, physically speaking.

That’s why focusing on the top centers of the 2013 Draft is such a critical thing. There is tremendous potential in any of these bigs to change a PBA franchise’s future. And it’s not just because of these guys’ collective size. That’s really significant, of course, but there are other factors at play here – will they fit the system of the team? Can they complement the other talents on the roster? Are they ready for the punishingly physical pro game?

Greg Slaughter is expected to be drafted #1 overall this year.
(image by Rogelio Amat)

In light of this, let us take a quick look at some of the most promising, or most ballyhooed, names in this crop of rookie hopefuls – the Top Five Centers in the 2013 PBA Draft.

Some Familiar Power Forwards in the 2013 PBA Draft

The 2013 PBA Draft is touted to be one of the best of all time, especially when one talks of potentially dominant big men and playmakers. Guys like Greg Slaughter, Ian Sangalang, and Raymond Almazan have been getting tons of ink lately, while the likes of Terrence Romeo, Jeric Teng, and RR Garcia can shake up the backcourt power structure of the pro league as we know it.

The same, however, cannot really be said about one particular position – the Power Forward position. A quick look at the list of draft hopefuls this year reveals that the 4 spot isn’t as deep as the other prototypical basketball positions. This is a little ironic, since three power forwards won separate MVP plums this past season – Ranidel De Ocampo was Finals MVP for the 2013 Philippine Cup, Arwind Santos was named season MVP, while, most recently, Marc Pingris was adjudged Finals MVP. Simply put, the PF position has usually been a source of depth in the PBA (I mean, look at the careers of Alvin Patrimonio, Danny Ildefonso, or even Nelson Asaytono). Sadly, I doubt if we will find new super 4s in the current crop of rookies.

Eric Camson might be the most complete PF in the
2013 PBA Draft.
(image by Jan Dizon)

To illustrate how shallow the PF pool is, there are hardly any other really ringer names here outside of Eric Camson, Nico Salva, Mark Bringas, and Mike Parala. I guess Dave Najorda sounds familiar only because his brother (Leo IS his bro, right?) is in the PBA. Nevertheless, let us take a quick look at some intriguing rookie hopefuls – some familiar Power Forwards in the 2013 PBA Draft.