With the 2014-2015 PBA season’s official
rosters released, I found it only logical to look at each line-up and see where
each team stands. In this series of posts, I’ll be breaking down each team’s
bigs, wings, and floor generals while also looking at what kind of damage
they’ll do this season.
Let’s look at roster of the Rain or Shine
Elasto-Painters.
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| Can the Painters break through and annex another PBA title? |
Overall
2013-2014 Record: 37 wins
and 24 losses.
Best
Finish: Finals in the 2013-2014
Philippine Cup and 2014 Governors’ Cup.
BIGS: Jervy
Cruz, Beau Belga, JR Quiñahan, Raymond Almazan
- All of a sudden, without Larry Rodriguez, the
Rain or Shine frontline is just one injury away from signing someone like Big
Mac Andaya in desperation. It’s a welcome sight then that young second-year
slotman Raymond Almazan has seemingly blossomed into his role as the team’s
main man in the middle. Perhaps seeing how contemporaries Greg Slaughter, June
Mar Fajardo, and Ian Sangalang have bloomed in the pros, the former Letran
Knight is eager to prove his worth as well. He’s currently norming about 15
points and 11 rebounds while shooting 60% from the field. He might not win MVP
just yet, but, even this early, he looks like a possible Most Improved Player
candidate.
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| Raymond Almazan is expected to be ROS's future cornerstone. (image by Paul Mata/Sports 5) |
- It also helps that Almazan is surrounded by three
veteran bigs with complementary skill-sets. Jervy Cruz is the undersized PF who
has a million moves in the post, while both Beau Belga and JR Quiñahan have the
range to spread the defense. Yes, coach Yeng Guiao is courting disaster with
just four bona fide big guys, but every single one of these cagers is top-shelf
or near there, so ROS fans really cannot complain that much.
WINGS:
Jonathan Uyloan, Gabe Norwood, Jireh Ibañes, Jeric Teng, Jeff Chan, Ryan Araña,
Jericho Cruz
- The depth of this roster is apparent in its
wingmen, too. The Painters have two guys who are members of Gilas Pilipinas
surrounded by scrappy players who play their roles as well as anyone in the
league. The first two guys, of course, are Gabe Norwood and Jeff Chan. Norwood
has the skill-set to, individually, be one of the most dominant forwards in the
league, but he chooses to be a vital cog in ROS’s proven system instead. He’s
still maybe the country’s best lockdown perimeter defender, and his midrange
game is nonpareil to boot. As for Chan, well, practically every hoop nut in
Asia already knows how deadly he is from downtown. He’s not exactly Allan
Caidic redux, but he’s the closest we have right now.
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| Gabe Norwood skies for the slam against Blackwater. (image by Paul Ryan Tan/Sports 5) |
- Just like their frontline counterparts, Jonathan
Uyloan, Jireh Ibañes, Jeric Teng, Ryan Araña, and rookie Jericho Cruz are all
specialists who complement the whole and who can be inserted depending on
in-game situations. Hardly anybody in that group can carry this team by his
lonesome, but their roles are all crucial in getting those Ws.
FLOOR
GENERALS: Paul Lee, TY Tang, Chris Tiu
- In Paul Lee, coach Yeng has a playmaker who
might be the backbone of the next Gilas squad, while best friends TY Tang and
Chris Tiu provide the kind of toughness, decision-making, and outside shooting
that quality back-up need to have.
- Lee, despite the injury he recently
sustained, will definitely be one of the most important pieces for ROS. His
uncanny ability to draw the defense and still find a way to come up with a
quality play is something that is essential for the Painters’ free-wheeling
style. His ability to penetrate and, at the same time, his skill in hitting the
long tom are both deadly assets.
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| Paul Lee should enjoy another strong season even with his early injury. (image by Pranz Kaeno Billones/Sports 5) |
Final
Word: Plateau
- For the past few seasons, this scrappy,
balanced, deep, and tough Rain or Shine team has defied the conventions of what
makes a successful PBA club. Coach Yeng is well-known for favoring a “no star” approach
to his team, and he has reaped a lot of success in doing so. In spite of this,
given the collective age of his core and the loss of Larry Rodriguez, one shouldn’t
be surprised if the Painters plateau this season. They were the most successful
team last season outside of the Grand Slam Champion San Mig Super Coffee Mixers,
but I’m not entirely sure having almost the exact same line-up will enable them
to duplicate that this season.
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