Give And Go
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
The annual Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) rookie draft was successful held at the weekend at the Robinsons Place Manila with almost all teams getting the players that they wanted and who can help accomplish what they have set forth to accomplish moving forward.
Picked number one, the San Miguel Beermen, as highly expected, chose Filipino-German big man Christian Standhardinger as the first overall pick in this year’s draft.
While I had misgivings with the Beermen winding up with the pick after what I believe was still a lopsided deal with erstwhile top pick holders Kia Picanto, I will still say powerhouse San Miguel did well in choosing Standhardinger.
With the 6’8” and all-energy guy “C-Stand” now in their fold, the Beermen have a solid “twin towers” that they can call their own along with reigning league most valuable player in June Mar Fajardo.
No matter where you look at it, Standhardinger is going to be a boon to San Miguel as he can play alongside with Fajardo and wreak havoc to the competition as well as perhaps anchoring the team’s second unit as “The Kraken” rests with much fluidity still.
The Beermen have to wait some time to get him on the court as Standhardinger finishes his contract playing in the ASEAN Basketball League but his true value can really be felt in the import-laden tournaments which happen later in the PBA season so the crack local crew of San Miguel can manage until their top pick comes on board.
In the second round, San Miguel selected former University of Santo Tomas star Louie Vigil, a steady point producer who can be an able pinch-hitter for the already-loaded San Miguel team.
The NLEX Road Warriors selected second and picked Kiefer Ravena, arguably the best all-around talent available in this year’s draft.
Never mind if NLEX is already loaded in the guard position, when Ravena is available you just cannot not get him.
Has the ability to play both guard positions, the one-time Ateneo King Eagle gives the Road Warriors flexibility in their guard rotation. Add to this the winning mind-set that the bemedaled Ravena brings to the club.
NLEX also got John Grospe, Gab Dagangon and Felix Apreku, a bunch of serviceable front liners which the team can tap to help their cause.
The Blackwater Elite were then to select, tapping Far Eastern University’s Raymar Jose at third.
With Jose, the Elite get a steady big man to complement their now-solid wings, with the likes of Allein Maliksi and Mac Belo, upfront.
Jason Perkins was picked at fourth by the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters and like Jose he gets to shore up Phoenix’s front court with his ability to play both forward positions a la Joe Devance, albeit he is not as a big as the latter.
The Fuel Masters also grabbed Sidney Onwubere in the first round, who should also help and guard Dan Sara in the next round.
The Alaska Aces made former La Salle King Archer Jeron Teng as the fifth pick giving them a big-time player who can put up the points as well as clutch during end-game situations. For added firepower they also nabbed Fil-Am Davon Potts.
At sixth Globalport Batang Pier selected Robert Herndon before sending him, along with second-rounder Andreas Cahilig, to the Star Hotshots for the latter’s number nine selection Lervin Flores along with their second-round picks Joseph Gabayni and Julian Sargent.
Flores and Gabayni should provide muscle and youth down low for the Batang Pier while Sargent could help on the defensive end.
Star, meanwhile, gets an energy guy much like the Meralco Bolts’ Cliff Hodge in Herndon with Cahilig possibly cracking the front court rotation.
Seventh pick saw the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters getting Letran’s Rey Nambatac and then after securing Jom Sollano.
Nambatac is once again instant offense for ROS while also not bad on the defensive end which is in synch for the team that drafted him. Sollano, meanwhile, is a no-nonsense guy who can be a solid backup to the Elasto Painters’ bigs.
The TNT KaTropa, for their part, collared Mark Tallo and Jon Gabriel at 10th and 11th, addressing their concerns of looking for a possible heir apparent to Jayson Castro and a big man to fortify their roster, respectively.
Newly minted PBA Governors’ Cup champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings drafted last in the first round and chose University of the Philippines gunner Jett Manuel, who could help spreading the floor for them to free up space for their big men.
Kia and Meralco did not have picks in the first two rounds after dealing them away in earlier deals.
But the Picanto got Chris de Chavez in the third round, Arvie Bringas in the fourth and Christian Geronimo in the fifth to help them in their “unconventional type of basketball.” (Puh-lease!)
Meralco, meanwhile, nabbed Lyceum’s Jebb Bulawan to add ceiling to its roster.
While the recent draft was top heavy and not really deep, still, all told, the teams were on the mark as far the players they got. Work now begins for these league newbies and here is hoping they get to succeed.
Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.
