PBA: Commissioner’s Cup spotlight on San Miguel Beer, Barako Bull, Meralco, Ginebra and San Mig Coffee

A new PBA conference tips off on Wednesday, with a double-header at the MOA Arena. The compressed nature of this season gave teams at most a month off, less if you advanced far in the postseason, but still a lot of things have happened in that span.

As a result, there’s a lot of questions on people’s mind, and given how the right import can mean the world for a club, this Commissioner’s Cup projects to be a wide-open race for the title, with no certainties for the 10 clubs.

Here’s what we know about the San Miguel Beermen, Barako Bull Energy Cola, Meralco Bolts, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and San Mig Coffee Mixers, and also what we don’t know, what we’ll be keeping our eyes on through the nine-game elimination round.

 
Check out what we know and don't know about the Air21 Express, GlobalPort Batang Pier, Alaska Aces, Talk ’N Text Tropang Texters and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in part one here.

 

San Miguel Beermen

What we know: Almost like clockwork, the former Petron Blaze Boosters responded to a disappointing postseason exit with another big revamp, promoting Biboy Ravanes to the head coach position, giving consultant Todd Purves more decision-making power, and changing up their roster by acquiring Sol Mercado and Rico Maierhofer. As the saying goes, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

What we don’t know: You cannot argue that the Beermen have the best lineup on paper. Once again though, the question is whether or not the pieces will fit, or if the chemistry works out. Mercado is a more vocal leader, and could fill that role better than Cabagnot or reigning MVP Arwind Santos. At the same time, between their import and June Mar Fajardo, Mercado might find his driving lanes closed off, and settle for bad perimeter jumpers. Of course, if this team finds its rhythm early, they could easily dominate. On the flipside, there will always be questions about their ability to win in the postseason, questions that will only be silenced with a championship.


Barako Bull Energy Cola

What we know: Once again, Barako Bull managed to make themselves worse via an offseason deal. Sure, Jonas Villanueva ended the Philippine Cup with a string of DNP’s, but Rico Maierhofer was rounding back into pre-injury form, capping off the conference with a big game in the quarterfinals against Petron. It’s trades like that that make fans frown upon the club, to put it mildly.

What we don’t know: Who knows, maybe Barako Bull does know what it’s doing. Perhaps dealing away Villanueva lets them move rookie Jeric Fortuna exclusively into the back-up point guard spot. Maierhofer’s minutes can be given to their import, allowing them to run a wings rotation of JC Intal - Ronjay Buenafe - Carlo Lastimosa - Keith Jensen - Willie Miller. This could just be a giant case of addition by subtraction, though we’ll have to see it first to believe it.


Meralco Bolts

What we know: The Bolts picked up Danny Ildefonso mid-conference and he managed to give the injury-ravaged team some stability, helping them snap a four-game losing streak in the process. Ildefonso finished with averages of 7.80 points, 5.40 rebounds, 3.00 assists and 1.60 blocks, showing he’s still got some fuel in the tank, despite being cut by Petron. Between conferences, Ildefonso extended his deal with Meralco, meaning he’ll be around until the end of the season.

What we don’t know: Meralco was hit strongly by the injury bug in the Philippine Cup, with Kerby Raymundo, Cliff Hodge and Reynel Hugnatan all missing various games (in the case of Raymundo, failing to suit up at all). The biggest hit though was a meniscus tear suffered by point guard Mike Cortez. The injury is expected to keep him out at least another month, and in the interim, the team will have to make do again with Jared Dillinger as point-forward, backed up by rookie Anjo Caram and bit player Chris Timberlake. While Dillinger put up great numbers in the PHL Cup, the tactic is no longer a surprise. It’ll be interesting to see if teams have game-planned for him by now, and if the Bolts will manage his minutes what with his Gilas training pool stint.

 

 
Check out what we know and don't know about Barangay Ginebra and San Mig Coffee
 

 
 
 

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel

What we know: Despite fans calling for the head of coach Ato Agustin after losing to sibling team San Mig Coffee Mixers in the semifinals of the Philippine Cup, Ginebra stood pat, and made no alterations to their roster or coaching staff. The hope is that continuity, along with internal development by their two big men, Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar, will allow them to take a step forward and return to the Finals.

What we don’t know: Ginebra is blessed with a deep roster, but unlike, say, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, the team’s coaching staff has often been criticized for not knowing how to rotate the players on and off the floor. It should be rare, for example, that both Slaughter and Aguilar are out of the court at the same time, but Billy Mamaril-Jay-R Reyes pairings are a common sight. Younger, more athletic players like Chris Ellis and Mac Baracael have also gotten the short end of the minutes stick, despite being more suited to play Ginebra’s up-tempo style. Perhaps Agustin and company have looked at the tape and will make the necessary adjustments. Or perhaps, the addition of an import will only further highlight this squad’s rotation woes.


San Mig Coffee Mixers

What we know: Despite starting with a 1-5 record in the Philippine Cup, the San Mig Coffee Mixers found their groove late, winning four straight to close out the elimination round. They then outlasted Talk ’N Text and Ginebra, before dropping Rain or Shine in six in the Finals. Injuries played a large part in their early slump though, as they were sans Joe Devance for four games and PJ Simon in three. Then on the flipside, the team got huge production from rookies Ian Sangalang and Justin Melton in postseason, setting them up as a team that doesn’t really need big production all the time from their stars James Yap and Marc Pingris

What we don’t know: In addition to injuries, the Mixers were also worn down by the quick turnaround between last season and this one. Trouble is, the gap between the Philippine Cup and the Commissioner’s Cup is even shorter, and the margin of error is smaller, because the elimination round has fewer games (just nine versus 14 last conference). So do the Mixers go all-out and try to lock-up a top seed, or will they still take the slow-and-steady approach, and then ramp up their game in the quarterfinals?


- GMA News