2014 FIBA World Cup: Smart Gilas: MY Final Roster

Laban Pilipinas! 

Cutting players from the National Team is not an enviable position for any coach. These players sacrificed their time and effort to play for their country (for free) but in the end, not all of them can suit up and play during the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain. Coach Chot Reyes of Smart Gilas had to trim down his roster to 12 players from a pool of 16 guys that traveled with Team Pilipinas overseas.

Coach Reyes selected Paul Lee, LA Tenorio, Marc Pingris, Ranidel De Ocampo, Junemar Fajardo, Jayson Castro, Jimmy Alapag, Japeth Aguilar, Gabe Norwood, Gary David, Jeff Chan and Andray Blatche (naturalized player) to represent the Philippines in Spain. Those who were left out of the final-12 included Jay Washington, Jared Dillinger, Beau Belga and Marcus Douthit.

Now, if I had the power to select 12 players for Smart Gilas, this would my team and my reasons for their selections.

Paul Lee - Mr. "Angas ng Tondo" showed us how clutch and fearless he was when he nailed three FTs to give Gilas a bronze medal in the FIBA Asia Cup last July. Lee is a solid shooter who can nail threes and he can penetrate to the pain. Lee is never afraid to bang bodies and challenge the big guys.

Jimmy Alapag - Long-range shooting is needed to counter the zone defense and Alapag can definitely provide that. Jimmy is our best off-the-dribble three-point shooter and he can hit shots coming from high screens near the top of the key. Alapag also makes good decisions with the ball.

Jayson Castro - The best PG in Asia is the fastest guy on this team. The Blur can beat most guys off the dribble and he is almost impossible to stop in transition. His size allows him to overpower most PGs and he is an above average play-maker.

Ranidel De Ocampo - RDO is our best shooting big man who has three-point range. His presence will force defenders to come out of the lane to challenge his shots and defend him. RDO can also occasionally put the ball on the floor and drive to the paint after pump-faking his defenders at the arc.

Junemar Fajardo - The MVP of the PBA is our biggest local who can defend the paint and grab rebounds. Fajardo has decent low-post moves that can be showcased when a change of pace is essential. Fajardo can also hit elbow jumpers when running pick and pops.

Gabe Norwood - Our best perimeter defender is Mr. Norwood. He can defend both guard positions and if needed, even the SF spot. Norwood is a solid ball-handler who can help bring the ball down and his improved jumper can keep defenders honest. Gabe is also a major asset during the fast break.

Marc Pingris - Pinoy Sakuragi is arguably our best all-around defender since he can defend some guards and mostly forwards. Pingris also hustles and brings a ton of energy whenever he is on the floor. He is good at transforming offensive boards into points or extra possessions for Gilas.

Jeff Chan - Chan is a decent back-court defender but his strength lies on his outside touch. Chan is our best perimeter shooter and a reliable FT shooter. He is crafty with his pump-fakes and he can fish fouls on his jumpers with frequency.

Japeth Aguilar - Aguilar and Norwood are the most athletic guys on the team. Japeth can finish above the rim and having him in transition highlights his skills. Aguilar can also hit the mid-range shot when left open and his leaping ability and length, allow him to alter and block some shots.

Andray Blatche - 'Dray is our best offensive player. He can shoot, drive to the paint, pass, dribble and rebound. He is also an adept play-maker when he does not decide to jack up long-range jumpers. His deficiencies can be found on the defensive end but playing zone defense might hide that problem.
 
Jared Dillinger - Jared is like Norwood. He can defend the perimeter and can be very pesky and annoying to our opponents. Dillinger can handle the ball and perform PG duties if the need arises. While Norwood has the edge on defense, Dillinger is a more consistent shooter.

Jay Washington - J-Wash is a much improved outside shooter. He has shown the ability to make treys during games that he played. Washington also has size and length that could prove crucial when playing against bigger teams.

The players that I left out include:

LA Tenorio - His outside shot has been inconsistent and he is playing a position of strength on the team since we have a lot of guys who can play PG and they are bigger and longer than Tenorio.

Gary David - Gary is still a decent shooter but his lateral quickness has been a step slower and he is not known for his perimeter defense. If David is not making his shots, he becomes a liability on defense.

Beau Belga - He is arguably the second-best shooting big man after RDO but his lack of height (not size) and foot speed does not make him one of the best choices to play in international ball.

Marcus Douthit - Kuya Marcus anchors the defense, protects the paint and grabs rebounds. He can operate in the low post but has limited shooting range. Blatche is an upgrade over him.

Overall, it does not matter who was picked or not picked to play for Smart Gilas. The players on our National Team will play with pride, effort, belief and a whole lot of PUSO! As fans and supporters, we must put our trust in them no matter what. 

It's true that we should be happy that Team Pilipinas made it to Spain BUT why not hope and aim for more? Look, if we win a game or two and advance to the next round, we should be happy, excited, inspired and proud. However, if we lose all our games, we should STILL be happy, excited, inspired and proud of our team. Go Gilas! Laban Pilipinas! We sre behind you the rest of the way! #puso


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The Top Five PBA Small Forwards of the 2013-2014 Season

The best small forwards in the PBA right now.

The small forward position hasn’t been the most productive in recent times, what with the advent of talented big men and the continued influx of highly-skilled playmakers and off-guards. Gone are the days of guys like Danny Seigle, Lordy Tugade, and Vergel Meneses continuously dominating the scoreboards and filling the stat-sheets. Nowadays, PBA SFs have to be more versatile than ever before – able to defend the opposing team’s best player, shoot from the outside, and be occasional playmakers. As a result of having to play multiple roles, modern swingmen’s contributions are, ironically, hardly felt in the stats. Rarely do they produce double-doubles or big, explosive scoring games. Still, they are surely vital parts of each team’s championship aspirations.

Without further ado, here they are – the top five small forwards of the entire 2013-2014 PBA season (as always, this is based on the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net):

The Top Five PBA Small Forwards Right Now (May 23, 2014)

Small forwards haven’t exactly dominated this season, but we did see one swingman really step up in the previous conference. Of course, I’m talking about Air 21’s Sean Anthony, who has frequently bounced around in his young career the league. With Anthony waxing hot, the Express surprised a lot of people in the Commish Cup playoffs. Is there anyone else, however, who can make this list alongside Anthony? How about last year’s Rookie of the Year, Calvin Abueva? How about guys like Chris Lutz or Jared Dillinger? Let’s see.

Jared Dillinger is tops among the PBA's small forwards at
this point in the 2013-2014 season.

Without further ado, here they are – the top five small forwards in the 2013-2014 PBA season as of the morning of May 23, 2014 (as always, this is based on the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net):

The Top Five PBA Small Forwards Right Now (April 5, 2014)

The small forward spot has not been the most productive position this conference, which is quite strange given how some of the guys playing SF are among the most talented cagers in the league. The top guy on this list, in fact, is not even among the top 20 most efficient players in the league right now. That gives me the impression that, despite their skill levels, some of the PBA’s small forwards are being underutilized (or neutralized?) this conference.

Without further ado, here they are – the top five small forwards in the 2013-2014 PBA Commissioner’s Cup as of the morning of April 5, 2014 (as always, this is based on the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net):

These are the top five PBA small forwards right now in the Commish Cup.
(all images from Sports 5)

The Top Five PBA Small Forwards Right Now (March 5, 2014)

The small forward spot has not been the deepest in the PBA. The top guy on this list doesn’t even break into the top 15 of the league in terms of efficiency rating, but that doesn’t mean there’s no potential game-changer here. On the contrary, the PBA’s SFs have some of the most versatile players in the country – guys who can play, and be effective in, multiple positions.

Without further ado, here they are – the top five small forwards in the 2013-2014 PBA season as of March 5, 2014 (as always, this is based on the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net):

Who else should be among these guys as the top small forwards in the PBA?
(composite image by Enzo Flojo/HoopNut)

Good Enough for Gilas: Jared Dillinger

2014 is going to be a BIG year for Philippine basketball. This year will mark the first time two of our Philippine National Teams (Men’s and U17) will march onto the world stage and compete at the highest level of international hoops. Our very own Gilas Pilipinas squad will go to Spain and play in the 2014 FIBA World Cup, while the Philippine U17 Team, coached by Jamike Jarin, will troop over to Dubai for the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championships. 

It’s been reported that the Gilas Pilipinas brain trust is keen on tapping more players to join the pool, with the magic number pegged at 24. That means that there are still around eleven slots open. Take note that this does not YET include the two naturalized prospects of the team — Javale McGee of the Denver Nuggets and Andray Blatche of the Brooklyn Nets. We’re still not sure if their respective naturalization processes will finish in time for Gilas to include their names in the final 24-man pool.

As of this writing, the 2014 FIBA World Cup Draw is done, and the Philippines has been grouped along with Senegal, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Greece, and Croatia. That, in my opinion, is the second-toughest group of the lot, and making it into the second round will certainly be the tallest task coach Chot Reyes has ever faced. Needless to say, he’ll need all thew support he can get.

This is the sixth piece in a series of posts detailing the players who can be part of that pool. For each named individual, we will look at the good things he can bring to the pool, his probable role should he get named to the final Gilas lineup, and the possible match-ups he will have at the Asian and world levels.

Today, we’ll talk about someone who was part of Gilas in the 2012 FIBA Asia Cup in Tokyo and the 2013 Gilas national pool. Unfortunately, he got into a vehicular accident and, consequently, was no longer able to be part of pool afterwards. Still, he’s one of the most talented and capable players at his position — Jared Dillinger.

Jared Dillinger has had a renaissance of sorts with Meralco.
(image by Pranz Kaeno Billones/Sports 5)