PBA Import Rankings: Barako Bull lucked out with Alabi

To keep you up to date on what I think about the rest of the imports, well DJ Covington will likely get shelved if he doesn’t develop a rebounding game. Marcus Douthit can only do so much with Blackwater. Michael Dunigan may have save his stint with that win over the San Miguel Beermen. CJ Leslie is a beast that could possibly lose his job if he can’t give GlobalPort a win in their next two games. Al Thornton may be a star but he needs to make his teammates look good. Rick Jackson is doing a terrible job in making it easier for Yeng Guiao to drop him for Wayne Chism, and Rich Howell has been ordinary for Talk N Text.

And now for the top five imports!

Game starts now!

5. Ronald Roberts (San Miguel Beermen)

People might think this selection is absurd considering that the Beermen have yet to win this conference but frankly, Ronald Roberts is doing his best to survive the Commissioner’s Cup. The only bright spot during the Ginebra game, Roberts was also the only player to claim double-digit boards versus Kia. If this was any other team, that’s not usual… but this team has June Mar Fajardo and Arwind Santos – two stat hoarders who need to pile up their caroms to quota. If there’s one thing Roberts is at fault, it may be his inability to make his teammates better. Roberts came in with Fajardo and Santos struggling, with Alex Cabagnot unable to score a double-digit game, and practically the rest of the team in championship euphoria. If the young import can’t wake his team up in the coming games… his conference is screwed.

4. Peter John Ramos

Of all the imports to lace their rubber shoes for the conference, Peter John Ramos is by far the most battered and bruised. The thing about the Puerto Rican is that he came here as the towering giant people expected to push Kia to the moon. What they are asking to him is just plain ridiculous especially since Kia just lost their main local Reil Cervantes to injury. Plus Ramos isn’t exactly a small dude and it makes teams want to hurt him or just piss him off so he can leave and let the Kia players fend for their selves. And yeah, they are still coached by Manny Pacquiao. But lo and behold, after acquiring a couple of ABL vets, the team is now finishing games respectably. And this was furthered by their win over the Philippine Cup champs San Miguel Beermen. I mean, Kia did what? Maybe renaming their team as such did wonders?

3. Josh Davis (Meralco Bolts)

Josh Davis came to Meralco snacking on what Michael Dunigan left when he decided to play for the Barangay Ginebra Kings. What happened next is a thing of beauty for Gary David and company. Davis is currently towing the Bolts to joint first place with Purefoods Star and Barako Bull. Ever since they bought the Sta. Lucia franchise, Meralco has been starving for a plum. But Davis isn’t the man because he is that good of a scorer or a rebounder. In fact, apart from his steals stats what he does is pretty much pedestrian. However, he is making his teammates look good and this is something much more important. While Cliff Hodge and Jared Dillinger have struggled, David and Mike Cortez are playing better. While the Bolts have a surplus of point guards, their guards aren’t exactly feared by the rest of the league. But with the David and Cortez backcourt working, this puts the Bolts in a better spot.

2. Marqus Blakely (Purefoods Star Hotshots)

When Daniel Orton applied for the 2010 NBA Draft, the Kentucky Wildcats set a record for most players selected in the first round. But while his career never took off the same way his teammates like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson and Eric Bledsoe did, Orton still saw NBA action and had an instance where he had a double-double with the Philadelphia 76ers. For Purefoods’ cause, let’s hope this Orton gamble pays off considering how awesome Marqus Blakely was for the Hotshots. Subbing for the former Wildcat, Purefoods’ resident Governors’ Cup import defied the import ceiling by having good game after good game after good game. It also helps that his familiarity with Tim Cone and his teammate’s gameplay makes his stint seamless. Blakely will surely play for the Hotshots in the Governors Cup but like I said, in case Orton fails to make an impact, Blakely can just fly back in and unleash the damage he is usually capable of producing.

1. Solomon Alabi (Barako Bull Energy)

And this dude is the best thing to ever happen to Barako Bull in years. Known primarily as the team that gives away its stars so they can have space to nurture and commit to the same cycle again, Team Energy lucked out on Nigerian frontliner Solomon Alabi. The former Toronto Raptor is big and agile and really does the right things to command the defenses to maul him. Right now, he is the import leader in rebounds as well as in swats with near six blocks per game. But then if you check out what Barako Bull is doing these days, you’ll figure out that they look like a team that actually feels like a team. They are not the ragtag nucleus people laugh at or blame whenever one of the SMC teams gain a big name and they are stuck having garbage time guys. Alabi’s entry made JC Intal the force that the corporation botched and it also made Solomon Mercado and Chico Lanete relevant again. The lack of star power also made the team unpredictable because they can just insert RR Garcia and Carlo Lastimosa and let them go nuts hitting their shots with the assurance of Alabi getting the basket en route to another scoring opportunity. With the entry of Alabi, it opens a vicious can of whoop ass on their enemies – and for Team Energy, it’s fun to have a player in your possession that you can’t give up for picks and benchwarmers.

Do you agree or disagree with the contents of the list?  Post your comments on the comments section!

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Syd Salazar is a blogger for Philstar.com. The views expressed in this blog are purely his own and do not reflect those of Philstar.com