I HAVEN’T BLOGGED ABOUT THE PBA FOR SOME TIME NOW.
I haven’t been a fan of the product for some time now.
I thought there were a lot of things the current office needs to fix. There is a reason why the best amateur prospects leave the country to play for greener pastures… and it’s probably because the league is imbalanced.
Anyway, I just think the current Gilas Pilipinas isn’t as cool as we thought they are.
I am not knocking on the squad. I know they have chemistry NON-issues and they successfully addressed the problem of having a workhorse naturalized import as compared to the previous incarnation. Angelo Kouame is just what the team needed and Dwight Ramos could be the point guard of the future. The emergence of Carl Tamayo and Justine Baltazar at the slasher spots is awesome and Jordan Heading will be a problem for years to come. And Kai Sotto? What else to say about this future force?
With that said, I still think Tab Baldwin could use an experienced point guard to act as his eyes and ears on the court. The Phoenix Suns basically flipped Ricky Rubio for Chris Paul and that move reaped dividends. Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton may have evolved into big-time players in a span of two years but Paul's leadership could have had a positive influence in the developments of Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and Cameron Payne. Gilas Pilipinas serves the pain best with leaders like Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro, and Chris Tiu manning the PG spot. As much as Gilas surprised everyone with their efforts against Serbia and the Dominican Republic (not to mention the twin victories against Korea), there is no clear leader in the squad.
And while yeah, who’s left to man the forefront at the PBA side? Castro has retired from international play and the same can be said with LA Tenorio and Alex Cabagnot. The young guns like CJ Perez, Scottie Thompson, and Terrence Romeo and able vets like Paul Lee and Mark Barroca are on the SMC side and the rest of the PGs like Baser Amer and Robert Bolick has digressed (or in Bolick’s case – DNP due to injuries).
Kiefer Ravena is a notable name but his current basketball decisions will surely have ramifications.
Maybe RJ Abarrientos and SJ Belangel could improve… but even if we are undersized, the Pinoy PGs have the tendency to rise during the clutch. Against Serbia, Belangel made a couple of decisions that low-key led to the outcome. Their inability to dictate the pace also caused the third-quarter balloon against the Dominican Republic.
Again, I am not saying we should trust the reins to the pro players but Baldwin should at least have a slot for a couple of leaders.