PBA Weekly Warriors: Lee bounces back, Yancy surprises, David a constant threat

PBA Weekly Warriors will be a regular feature, putting the spotlight on five hoopsters who stood out in the previous week of play. This debut article tracks the performances starting from the Governor's Cup opening, up until May 27's games.  

The "Lee-thal Weapon" reloads, comes out firing Paul Lee—Rain or Shine Elasto Painter guard Versus Alaska: 17 points (2/4 3pt, 6/8 FG, 3/3 FT), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers Versus B-MEG: 17 points (2/4 3pt, 5/11 FG, 5/5 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers   Rain or Shine, after a rousing appearance in the All-Filipino Cup semifinals, came crashing back down to Earth in the Commissioner's Conference finishing with 3-6 record, tied with two other teams for last place.   Symptomatic of the fall was 2011 second overall draft pick Lee, who saw his numbers drop across the board in the Commissioner's Cup. But at the start of the Governors Cup, the former UE Red Warrior has bounced back after hitting the rookie wall. His sizzling shooting helped his squad open with a 2-0 record.   Lee has now made 4-of-8 three-pointers, has yet to miss a free throw, and is hitting at a mighty 57.80 percent from the field. If he can keep this up, perhaps a return to the post-season for the Painters is inevitable, so too would the revival of the "Lee versus Casio" draft day debate.   Tenorio in the Triangle, tearing it up LA Tenorio—Alaska Aces point guard Versus Rain or Shine: 16 points (2/5 3pt, 6/10 FG, 2/3 FT), 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers Versus Barako Bull: 21 points (2/6 3pt, 9/16 FG, 1/1 FT), 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers   The Aces have gone through a confusing season so far, starting with head coach Tim Cone's departure, Joel Banal's take over, keeping elements of the triangle, doing away with the triangle all together, and then Banal leaving, with Luigi Trillo coming in on an interim basis, with the triangle back in tow.   If the early results are anything to go by, it seems like Tenorio is deliriously happy that the triangle is back, based on his splendid numbers. Not only is he making 57.69 percent of his 13 shot attempts per game, he's also stuffing the stat sheet in ridiculous ways: seven rebounds as the team's point guard in a conference with imports, to go with 6.5 assists, half a dime less than current leader, Mike Cortez.   Things get even more interesting now that he has a solid back-up coming in to spell him for stretches, as the Aces acquired RJ Jazul in a recent trade. That can only keep Tenorio fresh for the post-season, as his side tries to make it to the Governors Cup finals, after being the victim of the now-removed quotient system last year.   David versus Goliath: David still keeps winning Gary David—Powerade Tigers shooting guard Versus Petron: 26 points (2/6 3pt, 8/14 FG, 8/10 FT), 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 5 turnovers Versus Barako Bull: 25 points (2/8 3pt, 8/17 FG, 7/8 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers   Time passes. Seasons change. People come and go. All the while Gary David is still piling on the points, continuing a magical streak of 20+ point games, and putting up scoring numbers that would shame some imports.   True, David's prowess of putting points on the board has yet to translate into wins in the Governor's Cup. But consider that he's doing this without Marcio Lassiter, his team's best defender, an import that jacked up the ball nearly every time he touched it (he has since been replaced), and after a game one ejection by his new center, and you can't help but respect David's consistency.   With rumors swirling of this being the last season for the Powerade franchise, it's an unstable time for fans of the Tigers, especially those who were thrilled at the squad's storybook run to the All-Filipino Cup finals. But if there's one thing those fans can bank on, it's that David will keep scoring, until they pry the ball away from his hands.   Sibling rivalry: Yancy's time in the sun Yancy De Ocampo—B-MEG Llamados center Versus Rain or Shine: 17 points (0/1 3pt, 8/14 FG, 1/2 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover Versus Barangay Ginebra: 16 points (6/9 FG, 4/5 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover   It's been repeated several times by the color commentary: "Tim Cone really, really wanted to coach Yancy De Ocampo." It took a while, but Cone's effort has paid off, and the reigning Commissioner's Cup titlists find themselves with a new weapon to help them go for back-to-back titles.   While it needed injuries to Marc Pingris and Joe Devance to happen, De Ocampo has taken over the center spot for the Llamados and made it his own.   Last conference, De Ocampo only had double-digit points once. He's had more than 15 in both of his side's games so far. In the Commissioner's Cup, he averaged a pitiful 2.78 rebounds. This conference, he's notched eight and five, respectively. Maybe his numbers will dip back to the norm with his team's the return of his side's other two big men. But until then, De Ocampo's the man in the middle.   Vintage Taulava: "The Rock" continues to roll Asi Taulava—Meralco Bolts center Versus Talk 'N Text: 9 points (3/6 FG, 3/4 FT), 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover Versus Petron: 19 points (8/15 FG, 3/7 FT), 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers   Last conference, Asi Taulava stepped into a time machine when the Bolts' season was on the line, and came out looking like his old double-double self, stringing together a three-game stretch that got Meralco into the post-season and stole a win from the B-MEG Llamados.   But Taulava failed down the stretch, getting just a total of nine points and 13 rebounds in two losses to the Llamados. He had run out of gas, it seemed, with his team even trading for Jay-ar Reyes in the short off-season, just in case.   So far though, it looks like Taulava is back on track, tallying 30.5 minutes in two games for the Bolts. There's no guarantee for how long this will last, but at the rate he's going (52.38 percent from the field on 10.5 attempts), who wouldn't want to keep seeing this guy playing for several more years? — JVP, GMA News