I was laughing out loud while reading comments by Air 21 team manager Allan Gregorio denying that his team had any plans to trade its top draft picks. “The top rookies will stay. A lot of people thought Al-Hussaini’s comments may have fueled talks that he might be traded. But no. No less than our chairman, Mr. Lina, gave the orders that these rookies will stay and become the cornerstone of our franchise,” he told GMANews.TV.

I found the comments funny because given the track record of Air 21, no one believes that its blue-chip rookies will stay with the team beyond their rookie contracts, and poor Allan is put in a difficult spot.

It made me wonder if his brothers make fun of him during Sunday brunch. Now, millions of people would kill to be in Gregorio’s position as a team manager of a PBA team, but his role pales in comparison to those of his siblings: older brother Patrick Gregorio, known to everyone as Pato, is head of Smart Sports and was the first executive director of the SBP, while younger brother Ryan “The Genius” Gregorio was recently appointed coach and corporate sports head of Meralco after leading Purefoods to three championships.

The Gregorio situation reminded me of another set of celebrity siblings: the Sotto brothers. Pato would be Tito Sotto, because he’s the statesman/corporate-type in the family, and he probably wouldn’t have been able to rise up the ranks if he weren’t a savvy politician. Ryan would definitely be Bosing Vic Sotto, not only because he is the most successful, but also because he resonates with the ladies.

Which leaves us with Allan, who has been overshadowed by his brothers, but has carved out his niche in his own little way – just like Val Sotto. Their careers even have weird parallels:

• Allan’s biggest break as head coach came with the Smart Pampanga Buddies, while Val’s biggest break as a lead actor came with Aguila, and in both cases, their appointments were helped by the fact that their brothers had major pull in the organization (Pato with Smart, Tito and Vic with TAPE). In fairness to both of them, they did pretty well for themselves in these projects.


• Allan’s ongoing assistantship with Smart Gilas is comparable to Val’s run in T.O.D.A.S. Both Gilas and T.O.D.A.S. are beloved by their fans. On the show, Val is most famous for his knock-knock jokes. Making knock-knock jokes is pretty much everything Allan does on the sidelines for Gilas.
  
  (I’m kidding! I’m kidding! This is a joke! I’m sure Coach Allan contributes a lot to the continuing development of the Gilas boys! Although if we stretched this analogy further, Judd Roque would be Spanky Rigor.)


• Allan’s short coaching stints (in the PBL with Mail and More/Burger King, in the UAAP with the Fighting Maroons as acting coach to replace Ryan) are like Val’s short cameos in TVJ film projects (Super Wan-tu-tri, Fly Me to the Moon, Lastikman, etc).


• Allan’s current appointment as team manager of Air 21 is the equivalent of Val’s stint as councilor of Paranaque.

Now all we need is for Allan Gregorio to grow a killer stache. C’mon Coach Allan, you can do it!

At the start of the 2010 rookie draft, the PBA played yet another video tribute for Customs commissioner, former PBA board chairman, and former Air 21 team manager Lito Alvarez. With a smug grin on his face – you know, like he had just gotten away with cheating on a round of golf – Alvarez claimed proudly that because of his “savvy” moves, it was the first time that a team, Air 21, had the top three picks in the rookie draft.

Of course, he left out the part that the Express had the second-worst record in the league last year, behind only Barako Bull, a franchise that could barely pay its players. He also left out the fact that under his watch, the Express has been perhaps the most miserable franchise in the league for the past decade, never getting past the quarterfinals stage in the All-Filipino tournaments, and only getting through to the advanced stages of the import conferences after lucking out with imports Steven Thomas and Shawn Daniels.

Meanwhile, Alvarez and his team served as pimps in one lopsided trade after another for their marquee players, while also acting as conduit in almost every sham trade between sister teams. Of course, the PBA’s board will act blind about these trades – their teams, after all, are the beneficiaries in these transactions – ignoring the fact that this is a major, major problem for the league. These trades have steadily eroded fans’ interest in the league, and have helped turn off people who would be supporting the PBA but who tune in elsewhere instead. Alvarez and Air 21 have cost the PBA and its teams millions of pesos – they just haven’t quantified it yet.

For that, they give him a plaque.

Anyway, what a weirdo PBA draft, with Alvarez’s fingerprints all over it. Let’s take a look at how it went down.

1. Air 21 – Nonoy Baclao
   
   I’ve talked up Baclao in a previous post, and I actually am higher on Nonoy than his Ateneo frontcourt mate Rabeh Al-Hussaini. But there’s something fishy about this move, and one couldn’t help but think that there’s something here that more than meets the eye.


2. Air 21 – Rabeh Al-Hussaini
   
   Rabeh said all the right things in his TV interview, saying he doesn’t care where he gets picked. But in a tweet, PBA super-insider Fidel Mangonon III says that Al-Hussaini took it as an insult that he was taken second. There’s already buzz that he’ll get traded to one of the MVP teams before the start of the season. If this were a fantasy basketball league, we’d all have kicked Air 21 out by now.


3. Air 21 – Rey Guevarra
   
   This was a bit of a reach, but actually, I think Guevarra – if he’s healthy after his ACL injury, which is a pretty big if – can become an elite PBA player. Yeng Guiao’s the perfect coach for him, and because he’s played heavy minutes for Louie Alas, you know that he’s a warrior. My only concern is that he’s never been a main man on his team, because he has deferred to RJ Jazul throughout his high school and college career. I think my Bong Ravena projection for him is just about right.


4. Alaska (via Talk N Text) – Elmer Espiritu
   
   Alaska traded Larry Fonacier to Talk N Text for the chance to draft Espiritu. I don’t know about this trade; Espiritu doesn’t seem like a Tim Cone-type of player, while Fonacier is. Then again, I’m gonna go out on a limb here when I say that he’s gonna be better than Burtscher.


5. Rain or Shine – Josh Vanlandingham
   
   Dwight Lago 2.0 is a nice addition to RoS’s young core. Apart from getting a knockdown shooter, the Elastopainters also get a guy to hang out with Gabe Norwood and Sol Mercado. I expect lots of tweets about the trio grabbing dinner at Wingman at the Collective.


6. Air 21 – Sean Anthony
   
   After the draft, it was reported that Anthony was traded along with Renren Ritualo to Powerade. Which was a surprise – the Tigers actually made a good trade! The broadcast also showed clips of Anthony playing in the rookie camp with a broken nose, still diving for loose balls and working his butt off.


7. Ginebra – John Wilson
   
   Wilson joins Jong Uichico’s Barangay Ginebra security agency. I was talking about how Wilson needed to land with the right team to bring out his full potential, and I don’t know if this is the right team for him. On the bright side, he can hang out with Ronald Tubid who can show him where to get all those kick-ass tattoos.


8. Ginebra – Jimbo Aquino
   
   50 bucks says Aquino will end up in San Miguel with his adoptive father, Ato Agustin. Pustahan o?


9. Derby Ace – Pari Llagas
   
   I groaned out loud when this pick was announced – I was hoping the team would draft “So Cool” Jazul. I just don’t know if Llagas can play at this level, he was already pretty undersized in college. Maybe Llagas reminded new Derby Ace coach Jorge Gallent of a young, strapping Richard del Rosario?


10. Meralco (via Alaska) – Shawn Weinstein
    
    Weinstein was impressive in the rookie camp, and had a stint in Europe. But I’m more intrigued by the other side of this trade: Meralco traded Bonbon Custodio to Alaska for this pick. First, Alaska played a smash-mouth, macho game to dispose of San Miguel in the finals a couple of weeks ago, now they’ve got run-and-gunners in the lineup in Cyrus Baguio, Elmer Espiritu, Bonbon Custodio, et. al. I think Tim Cone is turning into Yeng Guiao. He’s even got Yeng’s old backup point guard, Topex Robinson. If Coach Tim starts tweeting in Kapampangan, don’t be surprised.


11. Meralco – Bambam Gamalinda
    
    I like Coach Ryan Gregorio and all, but this pick is just… meh. I’ve watched a ton of San Beda games, and Gamalinda just has a tendency to float around the perimeter too often. Also, can we take away his “Bambam” nickname and give it to Ogie Menor? Ogie doesn’t look like an “Ogie”, he looks more like a “Bambam”, especially with his fro-hawk. Alright, I’m babbling.


12. Ginebra – Rob Labagala
    
    What is it with Coach Jong Uichico reaching for a point guard in the draft every time? Did he make a panata to the Nazareno to draft a borderline PBA point guard prospect way too high every couple of years? Labagala, Macky Escalona, and Paolo Hubalde should start a club or something.


13. Derby Ace – Val Acuña
    
    For the record, I liked this pick, and I think Val could play in the PBA. Also, between Val Sotto and Val Iglesias, you know you can’t go wrong with a guy named Val. I still would’ve wanted the team to draft Jazul, but it looks like Derby Ace is trading for a veteran point guard.


14. Meralco – Ford Arao
    
    What the hell, is Manny Pangilinan drafting for this team?


15. Rain or Shine (via Alaska) - RJ Jazul
    
    Wow, great work by Rain or Shine. Jazul can play beside Sol Mercado, and he can also back him up. And they only had to give up a second round pick next year. Except for the Mark Telan signing last year, Rain or Shine has been a really well-run operation over the last couple of years hasn’t it? Especially since they don’t have the monster budget of SMC or MVP teams.


16. Meralco – Khasim Mirza
    
    Naubusan na yata ako ng jokes.


17. Barako Bull - Borgy Hermida
    
    Barako continues its build-up to win a championship… in the PBL-Liga Pilipinas Tournament of the Philippines. See, that’s a recycled joke from last year.


18. Powerade (via Air 21) – Jai Reyes
    
    Mwahahahahahahahahahaha! Mwahahahahahahahahahaha! Mwahahahahahahahahahaha! Mwahahahahahahahahahaha! Mwahahahahahahahahahaha! Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!
    
    (Sorry. I thought I had good jokes, but Powerade’s joke was better.)
    
    What the?! Jai Reyes has a better shot at being a co-host on GMA7 than as a quality PBA backup point guard. Also, last year, Coke had a point guard line of Alex Cabagnot and Chris Ross. At this point, they have a backcourt rotation of Marvin Cruz, Paolo Mendoza, Chico Lanete, and Jai Reyes. Guys, do you think we ought to take the label “The Genius” from Ryan Gregorio and give it to Bo Perasol?


19. Powerade – pass
    
    Air 21’s night was weird, but this was the most dumbfounding move of the night: the Express were about to pass on their pick, but Powerade trades for it instead. Then on the very next pick… Powerade passes! Sheer genius!


20. Air 21 – pass


21. Alaska - Marvin Hayes
    
    I like Hayes as a player – check out a nice little feature on him last year by Rick Olivares for Rebound Magazine – and I hope he sticks with Alaska. Also, I hope Andy Jao doesn’t make a “same color” joke about him when he gets into the game.

I had wanted to do a mock draft for the PBA rookie draft that’s happening tomorrow, like I did last year, but I didn’t have much time. I had actually been in Davao these past few days for a project for the day job – we were documenting a seminar for human rights workers from the Visayas and Mindanao, people doing the Lord’s work – and it was the farthest thing from having a blog where I write awful things about PBA players.

Also, this is a weird draft, with a lot of unknowns. People have been calling it shallow, but I think a lot of players, even those who fall in the second round, can make an impact in the PBA if they catch on with the right team. Here’s what I think about some players in the draft:

• Rabeh Al-Hussaini – A couple of weeks ago, I was down on the two-time UAAP MVP. I saw him as just a slightly better version of his older brother, Carlo Sharma, who is a mediocre PBA big man. I was concerned about his apparent lack of athleticism, which was never a problem in the UAAP, but would be a major major issue when he’s in the PBA. I could imagine him getting into foul trouble every night when guys like Sol Mercado and Cyrus Baguio throw their bodies into him on the way to the basket.
  
  Then I thought about it some more after his dominant performance in the rookie camp, and I realized that there was a better comparison for Rabeh in the PBA: Sonny Thoss. Forget about numbers for a minute, and think about the impact Thoss has for Alaska, who has made the Philippine Cup finals two straight times despite him being the team’s only elite inside operator. Al-Hussaini could have that kind of impact too if he decides to camp himself on the low block instead of being just a jumpshooter.


• Nonoy Baclao – I really like Baclao’s game, and I thought that he had as much, if not more, of an impact on Ateneo’s back-to-back championships as Al-Hussaini. He’s not as athletic as Marc Pingris, but he’s bigger, and I think that if he stays in shape, he could be a Pingris/Nelbert Omolon-type. And in today’s PBA, frontcourt athleticism is the number one commodity (see: Purefoods’ Philippine Cup championship), so if Baclao can live up to his potential, he might be the most important player in the draft.
  
  I’m also rooting for Baclao because of his background. I’m usually averse toward Ateneo guys, but he’s different, because he’s not the usual Ateneo type. See, even in recruiting players for its varsity, Ateneo is very, very elitist, and they usually gravitate towards homegrown players, athletes with solid high school pedigree (usually from exclusive schools), or foreigners and Fil-Ams. Baclao, who was recruited out of West Negros University, does not fit this type – it’s very easy to imagine him ending up in FEU or Adamson, even La Salle – but Ateneo fans ended up loving him anyway. I don’t know, I thought it was nice to see more diversity in the Ateneo program, apart from rich kids and high school superstars.


• RJ Jazul – For the past four years, I did not enjoy watching a basketball player play – at any level of basketball – more than RJ “So Cool” Jazul, and if you’re a Letran fan, you would know exactly what I’m talking about. He’s not athletic, and his shooting can be streaky and erratic, but he was just a joy to watch at both ends of the floor while he was playing for the Knights. You know that old cliché that basketball observers say about how certain players see plays a split-second ahead of everyone else on the court? That was how Jazul played with Letran. You know who else gets that description? Larry Bird. So yeah, what I’m saying is that Jazul plays like a 5’10” version of Larry Bird. I don’t know if that’s good enough for the PBA, but I certainly hope so. I also hope he ends up with Derby Ace, who owns the ninth pick in the first round. I’d rather have Jazul as the team’s third point guard rather than Chris Timberlake, to be honest.


• John Wilson – He’s got all the talent in the world, but the road to PBA dreams is littered with shattered dreams of talented shooting guards. What I really like about him is his doggedness, which is why he gets so many rebounds and loose balls. He kind of reminds me of Macmac Cardona, although he’s not as skilled as Captain Hook. He is bigger, and just as tough. I’d draft him high, but I don’t know if all his baggage wouldn’t scare off coaches.


• Rey Guevarra – Yeah, yeah, another Letran guy. I don’t know if he has fully recovered from his ACL injury last year, but if he has, he might be the biggest hit-or-miss guy in the draft. He is so athletic and raw that you don’t know if he’s ever going to put it all together. He plays like a bigger version of Bong Ravena, complete with all the awkwardness, and if you recall, Ravena also languished in San Miguel’s bench for a couple of years before going to Purefoods and becoming a star.


• Elmer Espiritu – He’s very athletic, which is always good, but I don’t know if he has a position in the PBA. I don’t think he’s skilled enough to play the three-spot, like fellow UE alumnus Mark Borboran, and I don’t know if he’s big and strong enough to be an athletic defensive forward type such Pingris/Omolon. He’ll probably find a PBA spot somewhere just on his athleticism, but I don’t know if he’s going to be worth a high draft pick.


• Mark Jeffries – He’s supposed to be this killer sleeper Fil-Am, but there have been conflicting reports about his availability. GMANews.TV reported that he didn’t have his papers in order, but then he was allowed to play in the rookie camp.


• Josh Vanlandingham – You know who he reminds me of? Dwight Lago.


• Val Acuna, Hans Thiele – I think these UE forwards would be very good sleepers late in the second round. Even if they don’t get drafted, I think they have a good shot of making it to a lineup.


• Jimbo Aquino – You know what, I think it’d be nice if he ends up in San Miguel with his mentor Ato Agustin.

I’ve steadily developed a dislike for San Miguel over the past couple of years. Despite the snarky tone of this blog, this is a rare case for PBA teams; even though I’ve been rooting for the Purefoods franchise since I was a child, I consider myself a fan of the PBA. I usually watch games intently when I’m home and they’re on, whoever might be playing. I like good Pinoy basketball, and the PBA is where you’d find the best Pinoy basketball anywhere.

That said, my dislike for the Beermen has grown steadily, but it wasn’t always this way. I loved watching San Miguel even back when Hector Calma was murdering my favorite player, Dindo Pumaren, in All-Filipino championship games. Like many other Filipino basketball fans, Samboy Lim was a favorite, but I also have a fond place in my basketball memories for the Atom Bomb, Ato Agustin. I respected the way “Robocop” Alvin Teng battled Jerry Codiñera underneath the boards, and how Yves Dignadice used his long arms to keep the ball away from Alvin Patrimonio on the block. I got a kick out of watching Ron Jacobs swallow his pride and hand over his whole offense to Nelson Asaytono, who indulged every urge to jack up contested, fadeaway three-pointers. I enjoyed watching Olsen Racela develop from a bench sparkplug for Purefoods into one of the best floor generals in Philippine basketball history for San Miguel. And I always thought that “Dynamite” Danny Seigle was the evolutionary Samboy, the player who took our collective breath away every time he stepped on the court, but couldn’t stay healthy enough to do it for long stretches of time.

So why do I hate* San Miguel so much?

* - Hate is a strong word, and I don’t usually like using it. In this context, I’m referring "sports-hate"; read Bill Simmons’ column on the topic for details.

Maybe it’s their players, although I’m a fan of guys like Dondon Hontiveros, Joseph Yeo, and Arwind Santos. I’d already written about my frustrations with Jay Washington, but he’s not the only one guilty of playing without heart. The whole lineup is filled with frontrunners – guys who are so much better when they are comfortably ahead than when they’re trailing or when the game is tight. It’s no coincidence that the team is always so dominant during the elimination phase, when it could overwhelm the opposition with its talent and blow other teams out of the court. But when the playoffs start, and the other team has scouted all their plays, and the games turn into dogfights, the Beermen fold like schoolyard bullies who’ve finally met someone who’ll stand up to them. In each of their playoff losses this season against Alaska and Purefoods, they got eliminated by teams that were tougher and more aggressive than they were.

Maybe it’s the media, and the way they hype the team and its “brand names.” I am so sick of sportscasters who’d go on and on in the middle of San Miguel games about just how talented the Beermen are. Fuck it, I would tell myself, if San Miguel were so good, then why don’t we just stop playing right now and give them the championship trophy at halftime? Also, when they talk about San Miguel’s “superstar-laden lineup,” what are they talking about? Because I look at the end of their bench and see guys like Dorian Pena, Mick Pennisi, and Denok Miranda. We’re calling those guys superstars now?

Maybe it’s their annoying fans. Ok, I have a lot of friends who are San Miguel fans, and they are generally smart, even-keeled people. But there are still those annoying, delusional fans online who have these Yankee sense of entitlement just because of the history of the team they’re rooting for, the type who’d keep arguing that Dondon Hontiveros is better than James Yap. Uhm, guys, how about, no?

Look, I’m a big fan of Dondon’s game, and I love that he’s the leader on the floor for the Beermen during big games but… no. And it’s not just because I’m a Purefoods fan. Here’s what I wrote last February about the two guys’ games:

Dondon Hontiveros is a great basketball player, and in so many respects, he is much better than James Yap; he’s a better ballhandler and passer (especially on pick-and-rolls), he’s a better defender, he’s a better rebounder off loose balls (although Yap might be a better rebounder when the ball is up in the air), and he’s a more accurate shooter when open (Yap is better when shooting with a hand in the face). But Yap has one big edge, an explosive first step that allows him to get to the ring easily, and makes him impossible to defend one-on-one. Hontiveros doesn’t have that explosion, so when he tries to take his man off the dribble, more often than not, he has to take the ball back out and settle for a jumper. This makes Yap infinitely more dangerous than Hontiveros, and allows him to have a much bigger impact on a basketball game.

Maybe it’s erstwhile coach Siot Tanquingcen, who’s been taking shit from San Miguel management all this time. C’mon, Siot, grow a fucking pair! When management spits on your face and you gladly take all of it meekly, some people will feel sorry for you, but most people will think you’re a doormat. Guess what happens to doormats? People walk all over them. Remember during the timeouts in game 2 of the series against Alaska, when you kept screaming at your players about the defensive rotations that you practiced that they weren’t following? They just looked at you without any reaction. That was them walking all over you.

Maybe it’s the management, and the ham-fisted manner it has “built up” this team, acquiring pieces that don’t fit with little regard for team chemistry, league rules, or just plain delicadeza. Their treatment of Siot Tanquingcen was bad, but it comes as little surprise to PBA observers the way the management has been running this team. Maybe that’s why when the Beermen end up losing in the playoffs, it’s instant schadenfreude for the rest of us.