The Three Teams That Should Target The Rock

(c) PBA Media Bureau

The Rock doesn't fit the team that coach Yeng is trying to create so he asked for a trade from a management.

I can see at least three teams that should pounce of the opportunity to acquire him to strengthen their team.

BLACKWATER
Blackwater badly needs a center. They managed to pile-up a 4-3 record in their first seven games which put them into a good position of claiming one playoff spot. Their last four games will be very hard, especially without a legit center.

Asi Taulava will bring a different flavor from what Kyle Pascual provide and his wide-body screens should provide more breathing room for their average-speedy point guards.

ALASKA
Sonny Thoss had missed each of the first six games  of the Alaska Aces. That reason alone is enough to warrant the acquisition of an Asi Taulava. The other primary reason is the underlying fact that Thoss really cannot handle the Fajardos and Aguilars of the PBA for more than 20 minutes.

Having a wide body Asi inside should also loose Calvin Abueva for more fastbreak opportunities. And partnering him with a Vic Manuel should scare a hell out of all the frontline in the PBA because of their post scoring capability.

GLOBALPORT

There was a rumor in the past that Asi wants to reunite with coach Franz Pumaren, his coach during his tenure with Air21. I think, that idea is the most feasible of all. The primary reason is the pace that Globalport is playing right now. They are the slowest team in the league which will be a huge benefit for The Rock.

The second reason will be the dynamism of a Quinahan-Taulava combo. Both are wide-bodied bigs that will give a lot of breathing room to their dynamic guards. The ability of JR to hit three-point shots will magnify it further.

End of the Year Power Ranking: Good or Bad Holiday Season?

(c) PBA Media Bureau

Are you enjoying your holiday vacations? Not all PBA ball clubs, does.

I ranked them according to their chances of winning the crown and not on their current performance on the hardcourt. 

#12  

(Last Week #12)

Mahindra finally claim their first victory this season against the Elite. Alex Mallari is getting comfortable with his main man role and the team is playing better with their Houston-esque scheme.

#11 

(Last Week #10)

The process continue. Asi Taulava already asked for a trade so I expect coach Yeng to further mortify his team with younger ballers. NLEX is not playing to win this conference. They want development.

#10 

(Last Week #7)

The slide is real. has been playing very good basketball in their first six games but have failed to win half of it. Their execution in the second half needs to get better to protect lead and win close games. Maybe, it is just a matter of maturity as their rookies were given more responsibility than expected.

#9  

(Last Week #9)

Blackwater failed to lock-in a playoff ticket against the worst team in the league. They better absorbed all the lessons from it because their last four games will be as hard as ever.

#8  

(Last Week #11)

Their last two victories were impressive but not good enough for me to them up to the top 7. Of course, their victory against Globalport was out of this world. I think, coach Ariel is slowly making a mark in the PBA. If he can give me one more win, Phoenix will rise more on this ranking.

#7  

(Last Week #8)

Ginebra badly need a victory and Star was not able to stop them. Still, Star is the best defensive team this conference, giving up only 86.3 points per game. The most interesting thing about their defense is that Jiovani Jalalon has the second best defensive rating in the team.

                                                              # 6 

      (Last Week #4)

My belief on Globalport is still there. Their breakdown against Phoenix was disgusting but that doesn't discount the fact that they shot 17/37 from beyond the arc. Von Pessumal has been a pleasant surprise with his consistency and demeanor. Could he be the third member of a three-headed monster that the Batang Pier could unleash in the next few years?

#5 

(Last Week #6)

So, Jayson Castro will come off the bench for the near future. That has rounded out their offense pretty well as they score the most points per game, 101.2. Defense is still important though. A title will still be elusive if they continue to give up the 10th most points per game.

#4  

(Last Week #3)

They ended their slide with a good win against the hot Star Hotshots. Defensively, they did what they need to do, limiting Star to 79 points and 34.6% shooting. I just don't know if that is sustainable because of the inconsistency of their anchor, Japeth Aguilar.

#3  

(Last Week #5)

Rain or Shine is as complete as ever. I think, they are not missing Coach Yeng and Paul Lee, that much. One thing that may shock you is their 22.3 fouls per game, fourth lowest rate in the league. With more control, can Rain or Shine claim an elusive All-Filipino crown? 

 

#2 

 (Last Week #2)

 TNT sent Alaska crashing back to earth last Friday. Nevertheless, the efficiency that they have showed was still very good. Alaska is not leading in any category so far but their chemistry and grit had been pushing them over the humps.

#1  

(Last Week #1)

San Miguel has been a very well-rounded team, as expected. They are scoring the third most points per game, rebounding the second most rebounds per game, passing the fifth most assists per game and limiting their opponent to the third lowest per game.

Wednesday Preview and Prediction: GBP-PHX, MER-SMB

The race is getting tighter and tighter. Globalport and Phoenix will try to climb up against each other. As San Miguel try to strengthen their hole of the top spot against the struggling Bolts.

GBP-PHX

Globalport is coming of a stunning loss against the upstart Elite. Phoenix stopped their losing skid with a close win against Meralco. This will be an interesting match as the slowest team meet one of the quickest triggering squads.

Prediction
If you have fallen in-love with three-point shooting, this is the game for you. The biggest difference between the two squads is their defense. Globalport is forcing the third least points per game while Phoenix is giving up the most points per game.

That is enough for me to give my vote to Globalport. This could be the game that we see a 40 points explosion so you better watch out.

MER-SMB

I am excited for this game because Meralco badly needs a victory while San Miguel is slowly getting into their top form. Don't be deceived by the 2-2 record of the Bolts. They are playing very good basketball in their first four games. San Miguel will not have an easy time for this one.

Prediction
One intriguing thing that the Team Strengths' and Weaknesses bring out is the rebounding of Meralco. They have a better score than San Miguel even though Rabeh Al-Hussaini is their only guy who stands 6'6 and taller.

The presence of a June Mar Fajardo will test that. Other than rebounding, the pace will be a game-changer again because the Beermen is a fast-pace team while Meralco is unhurried.

Logic dictates San Miguel but the need for a win should push Meralco to deliver the upset ax.

Christmas Day Preview and Prediction: MAH-BWE, STAR-BGSM

(c) PBA Media Bureau

The most anticipated game of the elimination round will finally happen this Christmas Day. Before that, Mahindra will try to get their first W against the Elite who are looking to grab the solo #2 spot.

MAH-BWE

Blackwater broke the puzzle of the Globalport Batang Pier with their crispy offense. On the other hand, Ginebra pounced on the Enforcers. Will Blackwater have an easy night against the Enforcers or will Mahindra finally do the unthinkable and win a game?

Prediction
According the Strengths and Weaknesses scores, Mahindra only have a single advantage and that is inside scoring. According to the statistics, Mahindra rebounds more ball per game. Even with those positives, Mahindra will not be able to overcome all the disadvantages that they have.

2017 Most Improved Player: The Top 5 Candidates, So Far

(c) PBA Media Bureau

I am pretty sure you that you are also anticipating improvements by the players of your favorite team. So, how about the top 5 candidate for the Most Improved Player award.

#5 Earl Scottie Thompson
I am big fan of the playing style of Scottie Thompson, but when I look deeper into his numbers, the increase was more of a mirage. Earl's per 36 minutes stats are:
2016 - 9.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists
2017 - 8.9 points,10.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists

So, the bump of his 4.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists production to this year's 7.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists is heavily due to the increase in his playing time. Nevertheless, the improvement is still fantastic. Worthy of the #5 spot.

Friday Preview and Prediction: TNT-ALA, ROS-NLEX

(c) PBA Media Bureau

We have a blockbuster Friday as Coach Yeng Guiao meets his former family. TNT and Alaska will try to continue their climb to the top.

TNT-ALA

Will this be the game that we finally see Jayson Castro in the starting line-up? Nevertheless, I expect him to play a vital role against the Aces that is on the groove on the last two games.  I am very interested to see the versatile frontline of Ka Tropa against the gritty bigmen of the Aces.

Prediction
Alaska has been relying their offense on their three-point shooting. That will be a bad news for TNT who is giving up the third most efficient 3FG% to their opponent.

Team Analysis: Which team will rise first; BGSM, NLEX or Mahindra?

(c) PBA Media Bureau

Let us talk about the struggling squads!

THE METHOD- In this method, we will be using these 11 (eleven) statistics. We will calculate if a team out-did his opponent in each stat. If the team win in that stat, it will get a score of 1. If he loss, it will get a score of 0.


We also have ties which will be given a score of 0.5. Below, you can see the 11 statistics and the difference that will be rated as tie. (So a 50 against 45 rebounds will mean 0.5 for each team).
Rebounds: 5
Assists: 3
3PTs Made: 2
Opponent FG%: 4%
Steals and Blocks: 1
Opponent T.O.: 2
Fastbreak Pts: 4
Pts in the Paint: 6
1st Quarter: 2
4th Quarter: 2
Bench Pts: 5

If a team wins, he will get a positive value and a negative value if he loss.
Will this really work?- Yes. I agree that those eleven stats are not equal in terms of importance but our main objective here is to find out the strengths and weaknesses of each team. As we go deeper into the season, the true identity of each team will come out and we will have a clearer view of what they should do and what do they need to perform better.

 GINEBRA

Rebounds:	1	-1.5
Assists:	2	-2
3PTs Made:	0.5	0
Opponent FG%:	2	-1.5
Steals and Blocks:	1	0
Opponent T.O.:	0	-2.5
Fastbreak Pts:	0.5	-1
Pts in the Paint:	1	-1
1st Quarter:	1.5	-0.5
4th Quarter:	2	-2
Bench Pts:	1	-0.5