Shooting forwards par excellence

Editor's Note: This is the second of several parts that will feature the candidates for the 25 Greatest Players of the PBA. The PBA will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary on April 9 this year and one of the highlights will be the naming of these players.

Time was when the great players in the Philippine Basketball Association didn't need that much spring in their legs and so much athleticism to excel.

Time was when there were no acrobatic dunks or lay-ups to crow about, but creative moves to the basket or laser-guided-like jumpers that always found its mark.

Time was when players wore tight, short, short pants and hair was long and scoring was high.

And time was when Freddie Hubalde and Allan Caidic were in their prime that forwards in the PBA were measured relative to the grace and the accuracy that they so beautifully flaunted.

Hubalde and Caidic are forwards who played with such effectiveness that they have forever etched their names as two of the greats this country has ever produced. And they are, hands down, strong candidates to be named to the PBA's 25 Greatest Players list.

The PBA names its 25 Greatest Players on April 9 this year, exactly 25 years since the league saw birth at the Araneta Coliseum, and all the surviving commissioners -- Leo Prieto, Rey Marquez, lawyer Rodrigo Salud and Emilio Bernardino -- will make the selection.

All career achievers --Most Valuable Players, Mythical Team members and those in the top three of major statistical categories -- became candidates for the prestigious distinction.

Hubalde was the first man that lay claim to an "inside-outside" player, mocking the defenses thrown at him silly to become a vital figure in the powerhouse Crispa squad and win a Most Valuable Player title in 1977.

Caidic came in 1987; won Rookie of the Year honors that season and the MVP trophy three years after while playing offense much like the way Hubalde did -- only better inside the paint and farther from the perimeter.