PBA: Petron Blaze Boosters 2012 Draft preview

2011-12 season recap:

• Philippine Cup: 9-5 (3rd) lost 3-4 in the semifinals to Talk ‘N Text
• Commissioner’s Cup: 3-6 (9th) eliminated in the first round
• Governor’s Cup: 6-8 (5th) eliminated in the semifinals

What happened? On the surface, the Petron Blaze Boosters had a successful season in the PBA. Making it to the semis twice in two conferences is no easy feat for any squad. But with a collection of talent that could rival ‘The Avengers,’ you would not be remiss in feeling that the Boosters fell short of a lot of expectations this year. Their campaign started off on the right foot in the Philippine Cup, as they went toe-to-toe with their bitter rivals Talk ‘N Text in the semis, losing in a classic series to the eventual champions. Reloading with an import in the Commissioner’s Cup, the Boosters relieved history in all the wrong ways. A disastrous finish was the result of injuries curtailing the talent of the team, and difficulty in finding the right import to jive with the rest of the locals. Nick Fazekas and Will McDonald were part of the reasons why the Boosters limped to a ninth place finish in the Commissioner’s Cup. With Eddie Basden at the helm, and a rejuvenated Jay Washington back in the fold, Petron looked more like the contenders they were projected to be, as they barged into the Governors’ Cup semis. The defending champions were looking to repeat again, however it was not meant to be as the Blaze Boosters ran out of steam and failed to make it to the Finals, concluding what was a disappointing campaign for this proud and historical franchise. Where do they go from here? One thing the Boosters cannot be accused of is not having enough talent on the floor. Even without a Finals appearance to speak of last season, this is still an imposing force in the PBA. The core of Alex Cabagnot, Arwind Santos, Jay Washington, Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter might be the best in the league right now, and that’s not even taking into account the rest of the talent on the bench. This is a ridiculously stacked lineup. But as we’ve seen in many cases in the past, just because you have all these pieces doesn’t mean that they fit perfectly. The first and most important piece that has to fall into place is the identity of their head coach.  Is current pilot Ato Agustin staying for one more run? Will team consultant and former National Team mentor Rajko Toroman man the helm? Or is it time for San Miguel Beermen legend Olsen Racela to take the reins? Ideally, a decision needs to be made, in order for the coach to pick the necessary players in the draft to adapt to his scheme. The next step is for the Boosters to take a good hard look at what they have with their line-up now. It’s flush with players that deliver, from the point guards to the centers. But that ocean of skills can also be a problem, as there just isn’t enough minutes to go around. Petron should make a decision on how to trim down the roster to a solid rotation, instead of doling out minutes like in a videogame like NBA 2K12. What do they need most? The Blaze Boosters need a center with a post-up game. Luckily they have the first overall pick, right? Possible trades This is where it gets interesting for the Boosters, as their best strategy moving forward is to consolidate the talent that’s sitting on the bench, and trim the rotation. The core of the Boosters for the next few years is set, but they need to decide what to do with talented players like Joseph Yeo, Noy Baclao, and even legends like Danny Ildefonso and Dondon Hontiveros. Other teams would love to acquire any of those players, and Petron would do well to trim the rotation so that players would be more comfortable with their minutes, and find a level of chemistry that just wasn’t there last year. Will this be the year they break-up the J-Wash & Spiderman duo? Only time will tell, but many questions still remain for the Petron Blaze Boosters  - AMD, GMA News