PBA Rookie Draft top pick: Casio or Lee?

With several key Smart Gilas Pilipinas team members beating the deadline and throwing their names into the hat, the crop of aspirants in this year’s PBA Rookie Draft got more interesting and the competition that much stiffer. Initially, Paul Lee was thought to be a shoo-in for the number one pick—with his consistent double-figure outings in the PBA D-League—but JV Casio's entry made some analysts believe the Gilas point guard may be the top pick. Considering that basketball is a game that put a premium on height, it is notable that both Casio and Lee are guards under six feet. Last year, the top two picks in the Rookie Draft were Ateneo's big men Nonoy Baclao and Rabeh Al-Hussaini. Casio, a former UAAP Rookie of the Year and Finals MVP, was one of the pillars of the surprising Philippine national basketball team thus far. He lifted the Nationals with his three-pointers in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup and the William Jones Cup. Lee, on the other hand, continued his hot shooting from the University of the East to the PBA D-League. Even during his first games with the Cobra Ironmen, Lee already expressed his intent of joining the PBA and he hustled his numbers to support his campaign to become the first pick. For the PBA Rookie Draft episode of FTW, courtside reporter Magoo Marjon predicts the Powerade Tigers will make Lee this year's top pick. College of Saint Benilde Blazers head coach Richard Del Rosario, on the other hand, thinks Casio will be the top pick based on his performance in the recently concluded Jones Cup where the Philippines finished third behind Iran and South Korea. Marjon and Del Rosario also went through some of the most notable players in the draft pool, noting whom they predict will become first round and second round picks:
For more FTW videos, visit GMANews.TV FTW The picks obviously favor the Gilas players. Why not? The national team is supposed to be loaded with only the most talented players. But aside from the Nationals, two-thirds of the rookie pool is composed of collegiate basketball players. Out of the hopefuls, 14 are from the UAAP while seven are from the NCAA. Other notable aspirants include former FEU standout and national player Andy Mark Barroca, three-time UAAP champion Eric Salamat and UE sharpshooter James Martinez. Barroca, after his stint with the Tamaraws, served as Smart Gilas' backup point guard. His quickness and ball-handling enabled him to take the reins whenever starter Casio had to be relieved. On the other hand, Salamat honed his skills in the D-League after the UAAP. He played for eventual champions NLEX Road Warriors alongside future PBA sure balls Calvin Abueva and Ronald Pascual. He helped his team reach the finals with his long-range bombs. But unfortunately he was injured, preventing him from playing in their championship game. Former UE Red Warrior Martinez played with the Junior Powerade Tigers in the D-League. Despite the team getting eliminated early, Martinez showed that he can be a trusty go-to guy. — RAF/MCG/OMG/JVP/HS, GMA News