Nation at a Glance — (03/02/20)
News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.
4-way race for the coveted most valuable player plum
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
PRIOR to the opening of the new season of the Philippine Basketball Association on March 8, the league will complete some unfinished business from last season with the awarding of the top individual awards, including the coveted most valuable player award.
Happening before the formal kickoff of Season 45 of the PBA, the Annual Leo Awards take place to honor players who stood out with their performance on the court in various categories.
Bannering the awarding ceremonies is that for league MVP, which is now down to a race of four among San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo, Northport’s Christian Standhardinger, TNT’s Jayson Castro and Columbian’s CJ Perez as per the list released by the PBA.
Mr. Fajardo is gunning for a sixth straight league MVP award and put himself in solid position to do so by helping the Beermen to the titles in the Philippine Cup and the Commissioner’s Cup, and winning the best player of the conference award in the former.
San Miguel missed out on the opportunity to win a rare PBA grand slam after being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the season-ending Governors’ Cup by eventual champion Barangay Ginebra.
It was an ouster that stung for the team, it being the second time it was deprived of such chance following that of 2017.
Mr. Fajardo said it was a motivation for them heading into the new PBA season.
Unfortunately, the “Kraken” is set to miss considerable time on the sidelines in the about-to-start season after injuring his leg in practice and undergoing surgery.
Mr. Standhardinger started last year with San Miguel before being traded to Northport midway in the Governors’ Cup.
The Filipino-German did not waste time showing his true value with the Batang Pier, helping them to a spirited late charge in the tournament that saw them make their way to the semifinals when many thought they would not even make it to the playoffs.
For his efforts on both ends of the court, Mr. Standhardinger was awarded the BPC award in the tournament.
Veteran Castro, meanwhile, was steady throughout last year, punctuated by another BPC award in the Commissioner’s Cup where the KaTropa played in the finals before losing to San Miguel, 4-2.
Mr. Perez, for his part, had one of the best rookie seasons in league history, leading the league in scoring throughout with an average of 20.8 points, making the Dyip more competitive.
The former National Collegiate Athletic Association MVP said he hopes that the great rookie season he had will continue in the coming years as he builds his career in the local pro league.
“The work continues for me. The goal in the coming season is not only to get better but also make my teammates better and the team more competitive and make it to the playoffs,” said Mr. Perez during Media Day for the new season on Thursday.
OTHER AWARDEES
Apart from the short list of MVP candidates, the league also released the names of those who qualified for the mythical selections, rookie of the year award, all-defensive teams and most improved player award.
Those in the running for mythical first and second team selections — a list 12 backcourt and eight frontline players — are Messrs. Castro and Perez, Robert Bolick (Northport), Alex Cabagnot and Chris Ross (San Miguel), Paul Lee (Magnolia), Rashawn McCarthy (Columbian), Chris Newsome (Meralco), Roger Pogoy (TNT), Stanley Pringle and Scottie Thompson (Barangay Ginebra) and Matthew Wright (Phoenix).
Frontliners are Messrs. Fajardo and Standhardinger, Japeth Aguilar (Barangay Ginebra), Troy Rosario (TNT), Ian Sangalang (Magnolia), Sean Anthony (Northport), Mo Tautuaa (San Miguel) and Jeron Teng (Alaska).
In the running for rookie of the year are Messrs. Perez and Bolick, Javee Mocon (Rain or Shine), Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. (TNT) and Abu Tratter (Alaska).
For the defensive teams are Mark Barroca, Rome Dela Rosa, Rafi Reavis and Jio Jalalon (Magnolia), Messrs. Ross, Thompson, Fajardo, Aguilar, Sangalang, Rosario, Standhardinger and Newsome, Jericho Cruz (NLEX), Mr. Anthony and Paolo Taha (Northport), JP Erram (TNT), Raymond Almazan (Meralco), Gabe Norwood (Rain or Shine) and LA Tenorio (Barangay Ginebra).
Most improved player, meanwhile, is a battle among by Messrs. Tautuaa and Wright, Jackson Corpuz (Magnolia), Bong Galanza and Philip Paniamogan (NLEX), Rey Nambatac (Rain or Shine) and Don Trollano (Blackwater).
Morales wins second Ronda stage; Oconer firms hold of individual lead
PALAYAN CITY, NUEVA ECIJA — Jan Paul Morales of Standard Insurance-Navy claimed his second straight stage victory even as teammate George Oconer has firmed his hold of the solo lead after Stage Seven of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 10th anniversary race on Sunday.
The 34-year-old Morales, the 2016 and 2017 champion, outsprinted Dominic Perez of Bicycology-Army and Rustom Lim of 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines in a frantic mass finish in two hours, 35 minutes and 20 seconds to snare the 110.6-km lap that started in Tarlac and ended here.
By doing so, Morales has also firmed up his grip of the CCN sprint race in this 10-stage race presented by LBC and supported by the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation.
Mr. Morales and the rest of the Ronda cavalcade were met warmly by a big group of local riders as well as local folk headed by host Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas, who have joined Ronda as one of its sponsors while giving P100,000 to Team Nueva Ecija’s campaign.
It was the second stage triumph for the Calumpang, Marikina native after he also reigned supreme in the Tarlac-Tarlac Stage Six the day before.
Mr. Oconer was in that same group to keep his stranglehold of the individual general classification lead with an aggregate clocking of 23:04:31.
The 28-year-old Oconer will thus wear the LBC red jersey for the third straight day in the 170-km Stage Eight where they will tackle the dreaded Baguio accent.
“We will know tomorrow (today) after the Baguio stage if we will keep the lead or not because the climb is really long and stiff,” said Mr. Oconer, the 2015 runner-up who is seeking his first title, in Filipino.
Mr. Morales later admitted he went for the lap victory after seeing a 7Eleven rider up front.
“We were just told there was a 7Eleven rider there so I just went for it, good thing I won,” said Mr. Morales, who sacrificed his title chances by helping Mr. Oconer and five other teammates — Ronald Oranza, Ronald Lomotos, John Mark Camingao, Junrey Navarra and El Joshua Carino — zoom to the top after Stage Five in Antipolo on Thursday.
Mr. Morales’s triumph handed Standard its fourth straight lap triumph with the first two delivered by Mr. Lomotos in Stage Four in Lucena Wednesday and Mr. Camingao in Stage Five.
Mr. Oranza, the 2018 Ronda king, was at second in 23:05:46, Mr. Lomotos at No. 3 in 23:05:49, Mr. Camingao at No. 4 in 23:06:24, Mr. Navarra at No. 5 in 23:06:48 and Mr. Carino at No. 6 in 23:08:22.
Rounding up the top 10 were Mark Julius Bordeos of Bicycology (23:09:45), Rustom Lim of 7Eleven (23:09:47) and Go for Gold’s Jonel Carcueva (23:09:59) and Ismael Grospe, Jr. (23:10:19).
Standard has also virtually clinched the team race as it leads in 92:18:09 ahead of Go for Gold (92:41:49) and Bicycology (92:43:28) in this event backed by Palayan, Nueva Ecija, Versa, 8A Performance, Print2Go, Petron, Green Planet, Bike Xtreme, Standard Insurance, Spyder, CCN, Lightwater, Prolite, Guerciotti, Black Mamba, Boy Kanin, Vitamin Boost, NLEX-SCTEX, Maynilad, 3Q Sports Event Management Inc., LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.
Westbrook, Rockets edge Celtics in overtime thriller
BOSTON — Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 41 points, and James Harden found redemption from a poor shooting night with two free throws with 24.3 seconds left as the Houston Rockets capped a season sweep of the host Boston Celtics with a 111-110 overtime win Saturday.
Harden scored 21 points on just 7-of-24 shooting and committed five turnovers. But his free throws, just his second and third of the game, gave Houston the lead. Defensively, the Rockets forced Celtics forward Jaylen Brown into a miss that sealed their sixth straight victory.
It was Brown who sank the buzzer-beating 3-pointer that forced overtime, corralling a loose ball after Jayson Tatum missed two free throws with 5.1 seconds left and Boston trailing 104-101.
Westbrook and Harden combined for 12 rebounds and 13 assists while Robert Covington chipped in a double-double (16 points, 16 rebounds) for Houston, which followed 6-for-22 3-point shooting in the first half with 7-for-15 shooting from behind the arc in the third to erase a 17-point deficit. P.J. Tucker added 13 rebounds.
Tatum paired 32 points with 13 rebounds for Boston while Brown added 22 points. Marcus Smart scored 26 for the Celtics, who received 15 rebounds and three blocks from Daniel Theis.
The Rockets’ wayward ball handling fueled the Celtics’ run to the lead in the first quarter. Houston had nearly as many turnovers (seven) in the opening period as field goals (eight) and missed 8 of 10 3-pointers in the process.
Boston carried a 28-19 lead into the second quarter, turned a 9-0 run into a 39-23 lead and led by as many as 17 points before the Rockets clawed to within 44-36 on a Covington layup. But a critical sequence for the Celtics followed when Westbrook was whistled for a flagrant foul.
Smart, fouled shooting a three, converted all three free throws, and Gordon Hayward followed with a 3-pointer that stretched the lead back to 14. The Rockets managed a season-low 45 first-half points while the Celtics placed four in double figures: Smart (16), Hayward (14), Tatum (12) and Brown (10) en route to an 11-point lead at the intermission. — Reuters
National Capital Region FA clinches PFF U15 Boys National Championship
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE Philippine Football Federation U15 Boys National Championship came to a close on Friday at the PFF National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite, with National Capital Region FA emerging on top.
NCR beat Negros Occidental FA, 1-0, in the final which was made possible by the goal in extra time by Dominic Tom.
Tom drained the go-ahead header in the 96th minute with assistance from substitute Rodrigo Marinas III, which capped what was a dominant run for NCR in the tournament — from the Regional Group Stage up to the National Championship Round and the Final Round.
The goal was the ninth for Tom, who was the tournament’s top goal scorer, further solidifying his selection as the most valuable player awardee.
Winning third place, meanwhile, was Davao-South RFA, which dominated Mount Apo Regional FA, 5-1, after extra time.
Also joining Tom in the group of individual award winners were teammates Jose Antonio (best goalkeeper) and Martin Joshua Merino (best defender) and Negros Occidental FA’s Dominic Austin Dreyfus (best midfielder).
Handing the awards were PFF general secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes and Philippines Football League commissioner Mikhail Torre.
The PFF U15 Boys National Championship is a youth development program of the PFF and was done in cooperation of the FIFA Youth Development Projects — Philippines.
Banario, Zamboanga win at ONE: King of the Jungle
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
IT was a successful showing for Filipino fighters Honorio “The Rock” Banario and Denice “The Menace Fairtex” Zamboanga at ONE Championship’s “King of the Jungle” event in Singapore on Friday after fashioning out decision victories against their respective opponents.
Mr. Banario, the former ONE world featherweight champion who is making a comeback in the division, defeated Thailand’s Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai in a tightly fought contest at King of the Jungle, which was held in closed doors on concerns over the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Women’s atomweight fighter Zamboanga, meanwhile, dominated Japanese veteran Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi to keep her record unblemished at 4-0 and earn a shot at the division title.
Team Lakay’s Banario (15-10), with the win, broke a three-fight losing streak and, more importantly, marked a successful return to featherweight after spending some time in the lightweight division.
The 30-year-old Benguet native incidentally was the first featherweight champion in ONE, defeating compatriot Eric “The Natural” Kelly in 2013.
In returning to the division, Mr. Banario said he was very excited as he felt he was in the class that suits him well and it showed against his fight against Thai Wiratchai, who was also returning to featherweight.
The two former lightweights went to war over three full rounds, meeting each other at the center of the ONE Circle with their best offense.
Mr. Wiratchai dazzled behind a consistent left round kick which found a home on Mr. Banario’s chin.
The Filipino veteran, however, showcased beautiful boxing, and a relentless takedown game that saw him in top position for the majority of the contest.
In the end, two of the three judges saw the bout in favor of Mr. Banario.
A STRONG CASE
Ms. Zamboanga, meanwhile, made further strong case for herself as a contender for a shot at the women’s atomweight title currently held by long-time champion Angela “The Unstoppable” Lee.
Heading into last Friday’s fight, the Filipino fighter made it known that she was using it as a stepping stone for an opportunity to battle Ms. Lee for the title.
And she surely delivered on her promise to showcase was she could do, dominating Ms. Yamaguchi right at the onset.
Ms. Zamboanga was accurate and powerful, connecting on a volley of explosive boxing combinations.
By the end of the first round, the Japanese’s face already showed the wear of a warrior who has been through war.
Although Ms. Yamaguchi tried to nullify Ms. Zamboanga’s striking by taking matters to the ground, the Filipina exhibited impeccable takedown defense, stopping most of Ms. Yamaguchi’s takedown attempts.
In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Ms. Zamboanga.
Shortly after, ring announcer Mitch Chilson announced that Ms. Zamboanga had earned herself a shot at the women’s atomweight world championship against Ms. Lee with the win.
In the main event of King of the Jungle, American Janet “JT” Todd became the new ONE women’s atomweight kickboxing champion after dethroning Stamp Fairtex of Thailand by split decision.
Next for ONE Championship is “Heart of Heroes” on March 20 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
AirAsia still keen on listing
By Arjay L. Balinbin
Reporter
ANGELES CITY, PAMPANGA — Philippines AirAsia, Inc. said floating its shares in the Philippine Stock Exchange is still on the table.
“Right now, frankly speaking, the initial public offering (IPO) is still in the planning [stage]. But the more important pressing matter now is to recover immediately from the [impact of the coronavirus outbreak]; so that at the end of the day, when we do the IPO, our bottom lines are mostly very good,” Philippines AirAsia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ricardo P. Isla told reporters on Friday on the sidelines of the AirAsia 2nd Business Assembly held in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Philippines AirAsia Chairman Joseph Omar A. Castillo said in October last year that the budget carrier was looking to launch its IPO by the third quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021.
He said the company was still “undergoing a restructuring” in preparation for the IPO.
Philippines AirAsia has postponed its planned public offering several times due to market volatility.
Mr. Isla said the novel coronavirus outbreak, which has forced the Philippine government to impose a travel ban on China, Hong Kong, Macau and parts of South Korea, could dent “25% to 30%” of the budget carrier’s business in the Philippines.
He likewise noted that Philippines AirAsia’s net income in 2019 grew “almost like P1.5 billion.”
“We were good last year. We still have to be a lot better this year,” Mr. Isla added.
To recall, the budget carrier swung to a net operating loss of P2.11 billion in 2018 from a profit of P710 million in 2017 as it was hit by the rise in the price of jet fuel and the weakening of the Philippine peso against the US dollar.
In terms of market dominance, AirAsia Group Berhad said in a statement last Friday that its Philippine unit grew the most by 4 percentage points (ppts) to 23% in the fourth quarter of 2019. The increase was driven by a strong 21% growth in passengers carried, according to Acting CEO and President (Airlines) of AirAsia Group Berhad Bo Lingam.
“AirAsia Philippines posted robust growth in 4Q 2019 ASK (available seat kilometers), up 25% year-on-year, while carrying 21% more passengers through its network. Effective cost control resulted in 36% improvement in CASK (cost per available seat kilometer) and ultimately 214% improvement in bottomline profit,” he added.
Mr. Isla said Philippines AirAsia has a “big” revenue target for 2020. But the board of directors will have to revisit the figure as it was set prior to the coronavirus outbreak.
“That was set actually in the fourth quarter of last year. We have to revisit it. We have to review it. We have to be practical also,” he explained.
He also said that April might be “an improvement month” for the airline industry in the Philippines.
The budget carrier, which is set to launch two new domestic routes before the end of the year, will be focusing on improving its domestic services this year, Mr. Isla said.
The company announced recently its new flights to Zamboanga, General Santos City, and Dumaguete City via Clark International Airport in Pampanga.
Philippines AirAsia will also be adding flights to at least three of its existing international destinations such as Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam; Bangkok, Thailand; and Osaka, Japan.
As for the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the budget carrier’s financial performance in the first two months of 2020, Mr. Isla said: “We cannot disclose at this point our losses but [they’re] quite big, frankly speaking.”
“But we were prepared. We think we strengthened our position. Even last year, we saw a lot of potential in domestic tourism, and that’s a big source of our growth for this year,” he added.
World No. 1 Djokovic breezes past Tsitsipas to claim fifth Dubai title
DUBAI — World number one Novak Djokovic eased past Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 to lift his fifth Dubai Tennis Championships title on Saturday, extending his unbeaten start to the 2020 season.
Both players looked solid on serve early in the opening set before Djokovic turned the screw to break in the eighth game with a searing crosscourt backhand winner.
The Serb closed out the set and continued to press home his advantage with another break of serve early in the second.
Tsitsipas fought back to draw level at 3-3 but went on to commit a string of unforced errors and concede two break points in the ninth game.
Djokovic surprised his opponent with a wonderfully disguised drop shot to take the lead before sealing victory on the first of his three championship points with a backhand winner down the line.
“It was very close even though it was a straight-set win,” said Djokovic, who also won the Dubai titles in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013.
“I was fortunate to hold my serve at the start of the match.”
Djokovic has now won 21 straight matches, including 18 this season, having already lifted the inaugural ATP Cup with Serbia and a record-extending eighth Australian Open title last month.
The 32-year-old dropped just one set in Dubai this week as he fought off three match points to overcome Frenchman Gael Monfils in the semifinals. — Reuters
Del Monte GC routs Eagle Ridge in Founders
BACOLOD CITY — Raul Miñoza fired a tournament-best 54 points to power Del Monte Golf Club (GC) to the Founders division title at the closed of the 34th Philippine Airlines Senior Interclub golf team championships.
Miñoza, younger brother of the legendary Frankie, made four birdies against the same number of bogeys at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club (formerly Marapara).
Florencio Badelic and Erning Apas added 42 and 41, respectively, as the Bukidnon-based squad closed out with 137 for 548 overall.
Twenty-four points behind was Eagle Ridge which finished with 136 behind Danilo Cruz (51), Dong Hee Kim (44) and Tony Mendoza (41).
The Orchard, led by Jock Stacey’s 47, placed third with 126-519.
In the Aviator class, Villamor scored 121 points at the Bacolod Golf Club to finish the 72-hole event with 502, 14 points ahead of Sherwood Hills.
The other division winners were Van City Team 1 in the Sportswriter and Bacolod Golf Club in the Friendship.
Hosted by the Philippine Airlines, the international event was backed by platinum sponsors Asian Air Safari, Vanguard Radio Network, Fox Networks Group, Radio Mindanao Network, Inc., Asian Journal Publications Philippines, Inc., Auto Nation Group, Inc. (Mercedes Benz), and SMDC.
Major sponsors include The Boeing Company, University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network, Avolon Aerospace Singapore Pte Ltd, Manila Broadcasting Co., Primax Broadcasting, Rolls-Royce Singapore Pte Ltd, CIGNAL TV Inc., Travellers International Hotel Group, Inc. (Resorts World), and Airbus. Other supporters are Uniglobe Travelware Co., Inc. (The Travel Club), Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. (Manila Standard), Officine Corporation, GE Aviation, SEDA Hotels, BDO Unibank, Smart Communications, Inc., People Asia Magazine, A+E Networks Asia (History), Allianz PNB Life, and Phoenix Petroleum Philippines.
Expanding firm interested in Honda plant, says DTI’s Lopez
A COMPANY is eyeing taking over the Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) plant in Laguna after it halts operations this month.
Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez told reporters on Friday that the company, which he did not identify, is an existing player in the Philippines, and does “not necessarily” produce cars.
“Kung may umalis, may mga nag-e-expand, (If one company leaves, there are others that expand)” he said.
“Kanya-kanyang niche (Each company has its niche). Alam nila (They know) it’s a big market for some products, and a big market for cars, but maybe not all brands of cars.”
HCPI announced on Feb. 22 that it is shutting down its Sta. Rosa, Laguna facility that produces Honda City and BR-V models.
The closure was attributed to a global slowdown in the automotive industry, with multinational companies rationalizing operations amid trade tensions and epidemics.
The Trade department said it was studying possible safeguard duties on automotive imports to support local assemblers.
The Philippine Metalworkers Association (PMA) last year filed a petition to the trade department to investigate safeguard restrictions to protect local employment.
The Honda closure led to job losses for more than 380 workers.
Reports said that HCPI workers ended their protest at the facility on Friday after the union Lakas Manggagawang Nagkakaisa sa Honda and HCPI management came to an agreement on the workers’ severance terms.
Honda had a 5.5% market share in the Philippines last year, with sales falling 12.7% to 20,338 vehicles. — Jenina P. Ibañez
MinDA gearing up to increase offshore milkfish farming output
DAVAO CITY — The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said it will train aquaculture farmers starting this week to build up milkfish and white shrimp output, with a target of 10,000 offshore fish cages within two years.
Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, the MinDA chairman, said the Fish Cage Development Program targets production of about 200,000 metric tons of milkfish a year, “which will infuse an estimated P26-B into Mindanao’s economy and provide thousands of jobs.”
The workshop lectures, open to farmers and investors, will discuss milkfish and shrimp production, market potential analysis, available financing from the government and private banks, financial management, processing and value addition, market engagement, and environmental awareness.
“The first workshop will be conducted on site in Malalag, Davao Del Sur, one of the coastal towns in Mindanao where fish cage farming has become a huge industry,” Mr. Piñol said in a statement last week.
Training will be conducted with support from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, government and private financing institutions, prospective buyers, and manufacturers of ready-to-install fish cages.
“It is also designed to support the food security program of the country at a time when diseases pose serious challenges to the livestock and poultry industry,” the MinDA chair said.
The schedule and venue of the workshops elsewhere in Mindanao will be announced later. — Carmelito Q. Francisco
Embracing the system
If there was a match that underscored both the benefits and follies of the Rockets’ total embrace of small ball, it was theirs yesterday’s against the Celtics. True to form, head coach Mike D’Antoni relied heavily on his starters, with none taller than 6’7”. And of the four reserves who saw action, only Jeff Green cleared the ceiling, and barely at an inch higher. Yet, it wasn’t as if they lacked height to compete; in fact, they wound up forcing the hosts to go their way as well. When the final buzzer sounded, not a single stalwart who saw action topped 6’8”.
To be sure, the Rockets did stare at the backsides of the Celtics for much of the first half. Save for two instances totaling 27 seconds (in which the score was tied), they struggled to keep pace; they retreated to the locker room at the half down by double digits. And then they went to work. All-Stars Russell Westbrook and James Harden got going on offense, with the rest following the lead. Meanwhile, they held their own at the other end of the court, and their heady two-way play enabled them to engineer a 14-point turnaround in the third period.
For much of the fourth quarter, the Rockets managed to protect their advantage. Only two unlikely treys sandwiching an iffy call prevented them from walking off with victory in regulation. Instead, they had to go through overtime, during which they thrice faced a deficit. They ultimately claimed the win when a potential basket was ruled to have come just after the game clock expired. Their effort wasn’t pretty, but they got the job done. Despite shooting only 41.8% from the field and 27.3% from three, they departed TD Garden with their sixth straight triumph.
Once again, Westbrook wound up being the engine of the Rockets’ charge. His 41 points on 27 shots spearheaded their dedication to taking efficient stabs at iron and nylon, and the outcome proved yet again that he has benefited the most from the departure of erstwhile starting center Clint Capela. Even as Harden could, and still can, produce gaudy numbers regardless of the composition of the roster, he needed the open space created by the trade deal to operate at his best. And, to his credit, he has constantly held off on ill-advised attempts from midrange and trey territory in favor of drives and point-blank heaves.
Which, in a nutshell, spells out the Rockets’ road to success: Westbrook’s dedication to D’Antoni’s system is key. The moment he veers from the script is the moment they unravel, and whether he has truly bought into the plan remains to be seen. After all, he’s still in the honeymoon phase, and a rough patch or two could yet compel him to revert to hero ball. At this point, the hope is that he is swayed by good friend Harden enough to stay the course. And from the outside looking in, his capacity to do so figures to make the difference between going far and going all the way.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.