Alaska Aces

Looking back: Alaska started the 2008-2009 PBA season well, as the team came a Willie Thriller layup short of winning the Philippine Cup. The loss, however, seemed to weigh heavily on coach Tim Cone’s wards, and an unhappy Aces team finished second to the last during the Fiesta Conference. Things got even worse in the offseason when star guard Miller asked to be traded, a request Alaska denied.

Looking forward: The Alaska management spent the offseason mending fences and it seemed to have worked, as the team has been playing well in the offseason. They return with an intact lineup, with the only key addition being first round surprise Michael Burtscher, whom Cone compared favorably to Rudy Hatfield. No word yet though if Burtscher is as good as the H-Bomb on the microphone.

Analysis: I’m frankly more excited about Tim Cone’s Twitter account, wherein he provides all kinds of awesome stuff, like the answer to the question: “Who’d you pick to take the last shot in the game, Willie or Jolas?” Every PBA coach should have a Twitter account. Yeng Guiao’s would contain Kapampangan profanity while Ryan Gregorio’s would just be a feed full of clichés. Chot Reyes’ Twitter feed would be about fashion and style.

Barako Bull Energy Boosters

Looking back: Shit hit the fan for the cash-strapped franchise in 2008-2009, as years of selling their top players finally caught up to them and coach Yeng Guiao bailed on the team. Leo Isaac took over but did no better, as the Boosters finished last in both tournaments last season.

Looking forward: Barako Bull has a very, very strong lineup… for a Liga Pilipinas team. They’ll probably wipe the floor with the Trace Laguna Stallions and the MisOr Meteors, but they’d have a lot of trouble against the Cebu Ninos. The roster is a motley crew of untested young guns and mediocre journeymen, including cult favorites such as Donbel Belano and Alex Crisano, who’s the best player in the PBA with a sex video. Or at least that we know about.

Analysis: Who’s ready for heavy helpings of Yousif Aljamal? Well, I know someone who is, but I can’t write it here. I’ll be sued for libel and cleaned out for everything I own. Even cellphone load.

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings

Looking back: Mark “The Spark” Caguioa was out all year while he was nursing his sore pussy rehabbing his knee, but his backcourt partner Jayjay Helterbrand carried the undermanned team all season, capped by a runner-up finish in the Fiesta Conference. Helterbrand was named the season’s MVP for his troubles.

Looking forward: Caguioa is back, and he brought backup. The Gin Kings acquired former Ateneo stars Enrico Villanueva, Rich Alvarez, and Paolo Bugia, who were reunited with fellow Eagles JC Intal and Doug Kramer. Ginebra should have just gone ahead and called itself GSM Blue.

Analysis: Do you think the other Ateneo guys make fun of JC Intal after Carla Abellana broke up with him to concentrate on her showbiz career? Do they talk about it behind his back? I bet they do. And I bet it was awkward when Carla showed up as the muse of Rain or Shine at the PBA opening yesterday.

Burger King Whoppers

Looking back: There was a lot of excitement in the Burger King camp last season after it was announced that Harbour Center/Oracle Titans owner (and Melanie Marquez schoolmate) Mikee Romero was taking over the franchise, and Romero quickly scored a coup by signing coach Yeng Guiao. Then it turned out that Romero did not have enough money to buy BK, so control of the team went back to the Lina group. Team manager and incoming PBA chairman Lito Alvarez promptly sold off the team’s assets, including star forward Arwind Santos, leading to a profanity-laced tirade against him and owner Bert Lina on this blog. I bet that was the post that won me the Philippine Blog Award.

Looking forward: The Burger King offseason was consumed by the Japeth Aguilar saga. The former Western Kentucky stalwart decided to join the team two days before the opening of the season, but talk is already rampant that he’ll be sold off too after a few games. The only key addition apart from Aguilar was hotshot guard Ronjay Buenafe, and the team looks long on big bodies and short on talent.

Analysis: Burger King unveiled a craptastic weave play on offense during last night’s blowout loss to Purefoods. Instead of guards running the weave, they have their big guys doing it. It didn’t work. Not even once. My theory is that Yeng Guiao has decided to focus all his efforts on next year’s elections, and Joel ‘El Aparador’ Dualan is secretly coaching the team. How else would you explain the presence of Beau Belga and JR Quinahan together in the starting lineup?

Coca-Cola Tigers

Looking back: Coca-Cola has been a team in turmoil for several seasons now, and last year the management finally made a move by firing Binky Favis, installing Kenneth Duremdes as coach, and later signing former Air 21 coach Bo Perasol to be part of Duremdes’ brain trust. It led to an awesome moment in a couple of games last year when Duremdes contracted conjunctivitis, so he just sat behind the bench in sunglasses while Perasol coached the team.

Looking forward: The Tigers went on a major revamp in the offseason, acquiring PBL MVP Chris Ross and Sta. Lucia all-star Dennis Espino, among other players. Team officials say that they want to run more this year, thought how they’ll do that with dinosaurs like Espino and Asi Taulava in the front court remains to be seen.

Analysis: Coke team manager JB Baylon has been spending money like a congressman at an upscale girly bar this past few months; apart from their pricy offseason buildup, the Coca-Cola Company also bankrolled the Powerade Team Pilipinas campaign and yesterday’s opening ceremonies. By the way, Baylon is a pretty good writer. I read his columns in Malaya (they’re usually about politics) from time to time.

Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants

Looking back: The 2008-2009 PBA season was thoroughly disappointing for Purefoods fans, with the team failing to make it out of the wildcard stages of the Philippine Cup and losing in the quarters of the Fiesta Conference. Supporters called for the head of coach Ryan Gregorio in various online message boards. At one point, there were about as many threads in Pinoy Exchange calling for the ouster of Gregorio as threads about Hayden Kho.

Looking forward: Gregorio did a Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and clung to his post despite all the calls to resign, although he did suck up to Purefoods fans by trading back for fan favorites Marc Pingris and Paul Artadi. Fans would be elated if it weren’t for the fact that it was Gregorio who traded them away in the first place. The Giants also acquired athletic big guys Rafi Reavis and Rico Maierhofer, and the team, with stars James Yap and Kerby Raymundo, looks quite imposing on paper.

Analysis: I was talking to a basketball insider who is in the know a few days ago about strong teams in the PBA, and he thought that Purefoods had a good team. I told him that I didn’t really trust Ryan Gregorio. He hemmed and hawed before answering, “Well, it’s a given thing that Ryan is not a good coach.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

(Tomorrow: Part 2)