Every year, the season is full of expectations for the Philippine Basketball Association to get the choicest recruits from basketball to beef up its rosters for the coming 2003 season. Both rookie applicants — and the veterans they may supplant — are nervous, because times are hard, and who knows if they’ll be working tomorrow.
Given the huge workload imposed upon players (Alaska, for example, practiced on December 26, the day after Coca-Cola defeated them for the All-Filipino Cup), conditioning will be even more of a consideration than before. So players who were left jobless or playing in lesser leagues after the disbandment of the MBA, for example, needed to plan ahead and be in game shape. There isn’t much time to get into playing condition, and the veterans of the league are very, very tired.
And speaking of the MBA boys, there are many intriguing possibilities for the coming season. There are unique propositions, and some flexible role-players.
Among the batch of MBA veterans coming into the PBA, I believe the league’s last MVP, Eddie Laure of LBC Batangas, would render the closest scrutiny. Laure, a find from Zamboanga, is ripe for the big league, and was the franchise player of the Blades. The left-handed forward has the makings of another Philip Cezar, with outrageously long arms and an unparalleled spirit. Laure has held his own against PBA teams in scrimmages, and, at 6-3, can even move up to the two-spot. And he never backs down from a challenge.
Romel Adducul went from sure top pick to a probable second or third, with the emergence of DLSU’s Mike Cortez and the emergence of some other Fil-Ams entering the draft. The disappearance of the MBA also hurt the Tuguegarao native’s chances of being in perfect shape to just step in. Add to the fact that, with his credentials first as Danny Ildefonso’s chief rival until they parted ways in 1998, and his build-up as the foundation of the young pro league, other big men will definitiely be trying to take him down a notch.
Billy Mamaril is a player who will need some polish before finally making it big in the PBA. Returning to his home country after spending half his life in the US, Mamaril spent some time getting plastered with the Davao Eagles before finally making a name for himself with Montaña in the PBL. Two factors will separate him from becoming a great player. He must develop a reliable outside shot, and he would benefit greatly from being brought along slowly.
Stephen Padilla will be an intriguing prospect going into the draft. Padilla, a superstar in his native Cebu, stayed with the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems until the MBA folded, and brought his outside touch to the PBL. A small 5-10, Padilla will have to exhibit more daring and aggressiveness so as not to encourage the predatory instincts of his rivals. But make no mistake, he is a shooter with almost unlimited range.
Of the newcomers, Jimmy Alapag will answer the most question marks after January 12. The Fil-Am quarterback had to wait extra long before finally getting his papers in order, then was permanently knocked out of the Philippine team after fracturing his hand in the only game he got to play.
But the word on Alapag has been nothing but good. The 5-10 point seems to make all his teammates happy and projects the image of a more athletic version of Hector Calma, which is high praise for someone who has not really been in the public eye. Alapag will, at the very least, stick as a reliable back-up. But if a team hands him the reigns, he will be more than up to the challenge.
Mike Cortez is definitely the most polished among the rookie applicants.
Four championships in five seasons gives you a lot of maturity. Cortez has been cool under pressure, and hardly ever lets his teams down. The question will be if he can master a new system in a month’s time, and if he can last a ten-month season at the level he’s been playing.
Enrico Villanueva will have to get used to playing power forward. He’s too small to play center in the PBA, and at the moment is too heavy to play small forward. If he develops his perimeter game and stays serious about his training, he will definitely find a roster spot on a team that needs an extra wide body.
Ronald Tubid may find the going harder than most of the college players coming in. Used to getting the ball and major minutes, he may starve in the early going. But if he works on his ball-handling and wisely makes the shift to guard, he will stick. Scorers are, after all, hard to find nowadays.
Jec Chia will be a measure of how outrageous coaches are in the PBA. Chia will kill himself for you, but at his size may be a gamble, unless he rapidly becomes a point guard. Selective matching up may be a key to his longevity in the PBA, but every team could always use a hard worker to keep their superstars in line.
With the draft rapidly coming up, many questions will be answered. The lottery will open doors for many, and harshly close doors on a few. Then again, some late bloomers may emerge and surprise us all.