J-Wash Out, Mr. Swat In

So after my previous entries previewing the bigs and wings, I was supposed to be previewing our guards next, but as recent rumors surface regarding the San Miguel Beermen's wish to re-acquire Alex Cabagnot back to their fold, I'm going to put that one on hold. Well, nothing's clear at this point, but we all know that whatever SMB wants, more or less they'll find a way to get it. We'll see how that develops.

On the other hand, as had been hinted before, Jay Washington is indeed a goner as he was shipped out in a three-team trade that netted us Nonoy Baclao and Talk N' Text's 2017 first round pick. Given that TNT have always been a contender and will continue to do so, that pick will probably in the bottom-half of the first round.

Personally, I think this deal isn't that bad at all. The first round pick is a nice asset, but the key acquisition here is Siverino "Nonoy" Baclao, a 6'5" 27-year-old defensive stalwart. He is mostly known for being picked #1 in the 2010 draft over more-heralded college teammate Rabeh Al-Hussaini. Some may consider him a bust, although I think it would be a little unfair to call it that way. It's just that in most cases, top overall picks are usually scorers, and people who didn't know anything about Baclao's game were bound to be disappointed.

Mr. Swat may not score much, but he'll make sure you don't either.

Baclao is no scorer and probably never will be. Even in college, when he was a key part of Ateneo's championship teams, he never even averaged in double figures. Baclao may score on putbacks or off drop passes, but you'll never see him post up, throw up a hook, or beat his man off the dribble, at least not consistently. That has never been his game.

Where Baclao does wonders though is on the defensive end. Baclao is a "defensive-specialist" in the truest sense of the word.  Do a quick search of Nonoy Baclao in YouTube and the videos that come up are all rejection/block highlights, even a couple against 6'10" behemoth June Mar Fajardo.

Just in the recently concluded Governor's Cup, Baclao averaged 1.67 blocks per game, good for top 5 in the league. But given that 3 of the 4 guys above him (Fajardo, Hodge and Slaughter) all averaged much more minutes, then Baclao is essentially ranked 2nd in terms of blocks per minute, only next to 6'7" Raymond Almazan.

Some may view replacing Washington for Baclao as a downgrade, but we really don't have to look at Baclao as Washington's "replacement." If Washington really wanted out anyway, the management did a good job acquiring a first round pick and a young big in return. Replacing Washington's scoring will fall on the hands of guys like Terrence Romeo, Stanley Pringle and Keith Jensen. Baclao is just another good addition, both now and for the future.

In what looks like a new era in Philippine Basketball ushered by the emergence of young dominating bigs, a 6'5" defensive demon is definitely not the worse thing a coach can have at his disposal. If we can't have a Fajardo or a Slaughter, then we might as well have someone who can swat their shots into oblivion.

Port out.

Roster Preview: The Wings

In my previous post, I previewed GlobalPort's big men for the upcoming season. This time, we'll be taking a look at our wing players, which we'll be featuring an entirely new cast from the ones we began the previous season with.

Stability from the '3' spot has been one of the many issues for GlobalPort last season. Marvin Hayes and Mark Yee were good defenders, but don't provide much offensively. Ronnie Mathias and Mark Macapagal had moments of brilliance, but both lacked consistency. Rookie Nico Salva, a talented scorer, just struggled to find his niche with the team. The same can be said about Val Acuña.

A sneak preview of GlobalPort's practice sessions.

This year, the 'swing' position looks significantly better already, especially with the arrival of Keith Jensen from Barako Bull. This 6'5" 26-year-old is your prototypical small forward. He's an all-around player who provides length, athleticism, shooting and defense. He averaged 8 points and 2 rebounds in just 22 minutes last season for Barako Bull. He's projected to start for GlobalPort and he's likely going to be one of the team's key players.

While known for his mid-range game, Jensen also shot a good 38% from threes, and while his 2 rebounds/game average isn't eye-catching, this could be attributed to him playing mostly in the perimeter. He scored 17 points in the quarterfinal game against Talk N' Text.

Another new acquisition is veteran journeyman Jojo Duncil. While this 6'1" 31-year-old is naturally a shooting guard, he could slide to small forward, and is likely to see more minutes there especially with the trio of Romeo-Pringle-Cabagnot taking up the majority of minutes in both guard spots.

Duncil is tough-as-nails. Every team could make use of that type of player, and we had Hayes and Yee last season. The difference is Duncil being a much better scorer than both Hayes and Yee. Duncil is another solid addition.

Ronjay wowed Coke fans back in the day with his acrobatic moves.

Ronjay Buenafe was one of my favorite players back when he was with the Coca-Cola Tigers. This second-round pick was the steal of the 2007 draft and Tiger fans loved him for his exciting plays and clutch moments as a young rookie. Even after Ronjay was traded, I still continued to root for him and follow his career.

Now 31, Buenafe continues to be a solid contributor for every team he played, especially on the offensive end. He's a streaky shooter who could heat up at any moment, and once in a while he still pulls out those spectacular lay-ups that earned him the nickname of "The Red Dragon" when he was a rookie.

Buenafe's role in this team will probably be more of a spot-up shooter than a go-to shot creator. He could start at shooting guard or play as a sixth man, and just like Duncil, he could slide up to the '3' spot at certain situations or when GP go small-ball.

I can almost hear GlobalPort's lady fans rejoicing
when the team drafted Anthony Semerad.

Model-looks aside, Fil-Aussie Anthony Semerad is a talented young player who like Jensen, has the size and skill set perfectly suited for a small forward. I admittedly haven't seen much of Semerad in the NCAA aside from his rookie year, in which I likened his game to Tony Dela Cruz.

He'll be taking up Nico Salva's spot in the team as a project wing, although I hope he'll be a much better fit. While not quite as good a scorer as Salva was, Semerad is a better defender, and he could find his role as a 3-and-D guy for GlobalPort. He was frequently matched-up against Calvin Abueva back in college, so he'll be no stranger to physical play. He'll have much work to do, but he's got all the tools to become a very good player for the Batang Pier down the road.

There are still other players trying out for the team, and we could probably see another wing player added to the roster, like Adamson's Roider Cabrera.

Next up, I'll be previewing our guards.

Port out.

Roster Preview: The Bigs

In each of its first two years in the league, GlobalPort fielded an almost entirely overhauled roster at the beginning of the season. It won't be the same this time, as half of the team will be holdovers from the previous season's squad, although the team will still be welcoming new faces to the team.

First, we'll take a look at the bigs in the roster. Apparently, there's been a hold-up with Jay Washington re-signing with the team. J-Wash led the team locals in rebounding last season, so his possible departure could be quite significant. Despite that, the team still have quite a solid cast of bigs that should be able to hold down the post for the Batang Pier.

Yancy De Ocampo / 6'9" / 34 y.o. - An 11-year veteran, Yancy brings a lot of experience and savvy to a relatively young squad. If he's healthy, he'll be playing significant minutes for GlobalPort as the man in the middle. He still is a pretty good shooter and has been a decent rebounder throughout his career. He's also a big body who we can throw on the Fajardos and Slaughters of the league.

Kelly Nabong / 6'5" / 25 y.o. - I just love Kelly Nabong. He's not afraid to do the dirty work for the team and he plays hard every time. He crashes the boards and he defends well. Kelly has put up good numbers last year despite limited playing time. His minutes and role will likely increase next season, especially if Washington leaves.

One simply does not mess around with Kelly Nabong.

Mark Isip / 6'4" / 33 y.o. - An 8-year veteran, Isip will be playing for his 9th team. He's a good mid-range shooter and a decent rebounder. Isip is a solid addition to the roster.

Jewel Ponferada / 6'5" / 26 y.o. - Despite not given consistent minutes last season, Jewel has shown flashes of skill whenever he's on court. He'll have to earn his minutes again next season, but he's a young big who is proven to contribute whenever his number is called.

Carlo Sharma / 6'6" / 33 y.o. - Another veteran big. The main reason that Sharma has stuck in the league for almost a decade now is his soft touch from the outside. As a good mid-range shooter, he'll be a likely recipient of kick-out passes from GlobalPort's aggressive guards.

Sharma played for Shell; that's how
long this guy has been in the league.

Prince Caperal / 6'6" / 21 y.o. - Barring significant injuries to the other bigs, I don't see this rookie cracking into the rotation, but he'll have a chance to learn from the veterans.


Final Word: GlobalPort's got size now. We've got a good mix of veterans and young bigs. Guys like Yancy, Isip, and Sharma will add another element to the team's offense with their outside shooting. Nabong and Ponferada provides muscle. The main weakness I foresee is our lack of a reliable post scorer, although I hope that Isip, Kelly and Jewel will work into that role as the season progresses. On the other hand, we'll have lots of scoring from the wings and the guards to offset that deficiency.

Hopefully Washington's issue eventually gets resolved, but this group of bigs will be ready to bang bodies next season, with or without J-Wash.

Next post, I'll be previewing our wingmen.

Port out.