With most teams already eliminated in the PBA Govs'
Cup, the customary hardwood version of musical chairs took the spotlight last
week. In a slew of transactions, we saw Chris Ross reunite with Sol Mercado in
exchange for Gary David, Rabeh Al-Hussaini part ways with Norman Black's
Texters, and Mac Cardona get sent to the Air21Express.
 |
| Mac Cardona, Gary David, and Rabeh Al-Hussaini all have new homes in the PBA. (composite image by Enzo Flojo/Hoop Nut) |
At the center of it all are the Meralco Bolts, who
have really shaken up their team's roster. Without Mercado, Ross, and Cardona,
this is no longer the Meralco team we've been accustomed to seeing. The
prospective starting unit for the Bolts? How about this: Al-Hussaini at the
slot, the super solid Reynel Hugnatan at the 4, the versatile Cliff Hodge
teaming up with Gary David on the wings, and Mike Cortez at the point.
It actually doesn’t look half bad. In fact, if coach
Ryan Gregorio plays his cards right, and, more importantly, if Rabeh can keep
his head in check, this team has the talent to be a regular postseason side. I
mean, Hugnatan and Hodge are great rebounders, and Hodge has added a three to
his arsenal, too. David will always be dangerous, while Cortez makes up for his
reduced speed and explosiveness with composure and court-vision. Their bench
isn’t to scoff at, too. The addition of Bitoy Omolon adds depth to Meralco’s
second unit, which already boasts of specialists John Wilson and Sunday
Salvacion, as well as the uber-versatile Jared Dillinger.
The key will really be the center position. Rabeh and
his chief back-up, Jay-R Reyes, make up a sizable frontline, and they have
talent to compete, but neither has really been able to meet his potential in
the pros. If both of them can really blossom, then the Bolts should be a
top-half team next season, but, well, if both guys deliver the status quo, then
expectations won’t be high. Should the Rabeh-Jay-R combo falter, the onus will
be on Hugnatan to play out of position and cover the middle. This also means
Hodge and Dillinger will slide into either forward position. Can you say small
ball?
A nightly highlight, though, should be El Granada,
whose shooting, when combined with that of Salvacion and Wilson, makes Meralco
maybe the streakiest three-point shooting squad. If coach Ryan really wants to
go small, he can even pair up David on the wings with Salvacion, while
Dillinger and Hodge play up front. This gives Cortez so much flexibility as
literally all five guys can hit from rainbow country. The possibilities are
quite interesting.
The only caveat? Meralco may have given up too much,
as they won’t be getting any picks in the 2013 PBA Draft. This is extremely
unfortunate, of course, since the 2013 pool might be the deepest in the past
two decades. And that’s saying a lot when we consider that last year’s draft already
had the likes of Hodge, Calvin Abueva, June Mar Fajardo, and Chris Ellis among
others. Considering Meralco might have been able to pick fifth, they could have
tabbed a young, quality big guy like Raymund Almazan or Justin Chua, or maybe
even a crack playmaker like RR Garcia or Jeric Fortuna, both of whom could be
mentored by Cortez.
Over at Air21, it sure looks like coach Franz Pumaren
is not shying away from collecting his former De La Salle stalwarts as Cardona
dons the colors of the Express. This past season, the guy known as Captain Hook
was not able to continue his high-scoring ways as the addition of Hodge gave
the Bolts a new offensive option. Cardona’s scoring (just 12.1ppg) was his
lowest since his rookie season, but many feel he will flourish playing under
his old college mentor. Of course, the concern here is does Air21 have enough
possessions to go around, as KG Cañaleta, the 2012-2013 Most Improved Player,
is expected to put up even bigger numbers next season? Can you hear M-V-P
chants from the dozens of Air21 fans out there?
A possible starting unit for Air21 can look like
this: Asi Taulava (he won’t go to Ginebra, right?) at center, Cañaleta at PF,
Cardona alongside another La Sallian – Joseph Yeo – on the wings, and Simon
Atkins (also a La Sallian) at the point. Not too shabby, right? Of course, Yeo
has never really exploded in the PBA, while Atkins needs to be consistent, but
this is a competitive five that can be one of the quickest units out there.
Just like Meralco, however, the Express won’t have
the benefit of any picks in the first round of the 2013 Draft. Air21’s sole
pick is actually fifth in the second round. And who can they get then? James
Forrester? Mike Silungan? I would actually like Air21 to take a chance on
someone like Isaac Holstein (6’9 from West Virginia State and Blackwater
Sports) or even potential projects like JP Erram (6’7 from Ateneo) and John
Usita (6’8 of Shoreline Community College). Having those young centers mentored
by Asi could yield positive results in the near future.
This piece also appears on the PBA website.
Original images used in the composite image are by Mark Dimo Dimalanta, Paolo Papa, and Pranz Kaeno Billones.
Tweet
0 Comment