PBA: Seven questions after the 2013 Draft

A grand total of 44 players were selected at the 2013 PBA Draft, held Sunday at the Robinson’s Midtown Mall. While it’ll still be some time before we figure out how teams’ new rotations will look like, or which later round selections manage to earn a spot, that didn’t stop us from posing seven questions that came to mind, looking ahead to the next season of the PBA.

[Review all the picks of the 2013 PBA Draft as it unfolded]

1) Who’s found a Fajardo-stopper?

Following the 2013 Governors’ Cup, the player to beat seems to be Petron Blaze Booster June Mar Fajardo, who improved drastically after a stint with Gilas Pilipinas. The 6’11” 2012 number one overall pick went on to norm 14.00 points, 11.29 rebounds and 1.33 blocks, with his numbers peaking at 18.71 points and 14.57 rebounds during the best-of-seven Finals series, where the Boosters came up a game short of a championship.

Fajardo's run gives teams extra incentive to go big in the draft, and luckily, tall players were in ample supply, with six picks standing at least 6’5” finding homes.

The question now become which one  gives his team the best shot of going toe-to-toe with Fajardo. On paper, that seems to be this year’s top selection, the 6’11” Greg Slaughter, who used to be his rival in the CESAFI league, before Slaughter transferred to the UAAP. However, don’t sleep on Extra Rice Inc. being bolstered by the 6’7” Raymond Almazan, or defensive coaching aces Tim Cone and Norman Black developing schemes built around Ian Sangalang and JP Erram, respectively.

With all that said, if Ginebra can get anything out of fourth rounder John Usita, who stands 6’8”, in addition to Slaughter, than we could be up for some serious sibling rivalry between the Barangay and Petron.  

2) How effective will the 'bad boy' combination of Buenafe and Abueva before Alaska?

It used to be under then-head coach Tim Cone that the Alaska Aces projected themselves as a squeaky-clean franchise, matching the blonde-haired kid that graces their products. However, after drafting Calvin Abueva with the second pick last season, the Aces have had an edge to them, with fans turning out to lustily boo “The Beast.”

In this year’s draft, Alaska added another player college ball fans love to hate, Ateneo Blue Eagle Ryan Buenafe. Like Abueva, Buenafe is a cerebral player, who can quickly grasp the Triangle Offense. He’s also a more than willing passer, and possesses a knack for hitting big shots. The Gatas Republic will love having him tag-team with Abueva, but expect him to irrationally irritate boosters of other teams.

3) Will Rain or Shine’s new wingmen trump their unheralded incumbents?

Under head coach Yeng Guiao, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters have developed a knack for plugging in virtual unknowns and using them to great effect. Guys like Jonathan Uyloan, Chito Jaime, and Ronnie Matias have all had standout efforts versus bigger names, but this year’s draft has RoS bringing in Alex Nuyles and Jeric Teng, a pair of college stars for sure, but just as capable of putting up big numbers.

Will these two players adjust to the pros quickly and find themselves in the rotation later this November, or is Coach Guiao planning on bringing them along slowly?

Of course, I could all be wrong and find ourselves watching Ervic Vijandre play starter’s minutes instead.

 

 

4) Did Barako Bull really mess up by trading for veterans?

Barako Bull Energy Cola was roundly reviled by fans for shipping away the third, fourth and fifth picks for a group of veteran players. In a vacuum, opting for veterans instead of rookies is the sort of thing a team on the cusp of a championship would do, but that description does not fit Barako, which only made the playoffs once last conference, during the Governors’ Cup.Odder still, if the team is really set on going “all-in” then why did it still make five picks total over the next five rounds?

While Commissioner Chito Salud said the individual trades are fair, adding up all of their offseason moves, including the jettisoning of “consultant” Rajko Toroman, has definitely put this squad in a bad light. However, wins will definitely placate fans...that is, until they start trading away THOSE players. 

5) Will the pieces fit better this time with GlobalPort?

When new owner Mikee Romero purchased the Powerade franchise and turned it into the GlobalPort Batang Pier, he made two splashy trades, first adding Willie Miller, followed by Sol Mercado, to partner up with scoring machine Gary David. However, David, despite the help, still led all locals this season in scoring, and GlobalPort finished in last place twice, before a one-and-out quarterfinals appearance in the Governors’ Cup.

The Batang Pier once again rejiggered their roster, with David and Miller getting traded, coupled with a healthy dose of youth being put in via the draft. Still, despite their assertions that they can all play nice together, we won’t really know if the Terrence Romeo - RR Garcia - Nico Salva trio works until the ball is tipped. Isaac Holstein also needs to improve, based on his D-League stint, while Jopher Custodio and LA Revilla will likely be fighting for roster spots.

[Sort through the team-by-team breakdowns of drafted players here]

6) Did Talk ’N Text draft a diamond in the rough to help their PHL Cup campaign?

With the core of Gilas Pilipinas having been drawn from the Talk ’N Text Tropang Texters, the team was always going to have fatigue problems in the 2013 Governors’ Cup. Team management tried to bring in some fresher legs, but the group as a whole struggled, and wound up on the outside looking in on the playoffs.

The early exit will do them some good though, giving the vets more time to rest, but not only will they need to be lucky health-wise, at least one of their five draft choices will need to be a rotation piece at the very least if they’re to achieve the unthinkable a win a fourth consecutive All-Filipino title.

Head coach Norman Black will already know what to do with two of his former Blue Eagle charges, JP Erram and Oping Sumalinog. Robby Celiz and John Villarias can put points on the board, while Eliud Poligrates has some Jayson Castro-like ability. Whether they can mesh with the likes of Jimmy Alapag, Ranidel Ocampo and Larry Fonacier though will be something else.   

7) Can someone from the undrafted list latch on to a team?

With 44 out of 79 applicants getting their name called, that leaves 35 players who will either return to the D-League, find work in other, smaller tourneys, seek another line of work…or exert a crazy amount of effort and catch the attention of a PBA squad to become an undrafted signee.

If I were a betting man, I’d look to either of the two big men out of Jose Rizal University, Jeckster Apinan and John Lopez. Both could find a roster spot as third-string muscle, and Lopez also has some range. Another guy worth keeping an eye out for is former FEU Tam Paul Sanga, who offers an intriguing package of size and shooting ability. - GMA News