 |
| Miller Time still looking to regain his timing. |
Of GlobalPort's touted MMDA (Mercado-Miller-David-Aguilar) connection, one guy is yet to find his game yet so far in the first 3 games; 2-time MVP Willie Miller.
Last conference, Willie had a resurgence in his game after an injury sidelined main man Gary David for several games. Although the team wasn't winning, Willie was putting up great numbers: 16.7 points (6th in league), 6.2 assists (2nd, behind Sol), and shooting 38.8% from threes (6th).
This conference though, Miller has been on somewhat of a funk, averaging only 4.67 points, 3.67 rebounds, 2 assists and a concerning 3 turnovers; playing 26.67 minutes per game.
One factor could be the perceived reduction in his touches with the arrival of Sol Mercado and Japeth Aguilar. Miller doesn't have to facilitate as much and he isn't as heavily relied to score as he was last conference.
In my opinion though, Coach Junel Baculi's move in the game against Ginebra to remove Miller fromthe starting line-up was a good move. Before the conference started, I've always seen Willie in a 6th-man role. With Sol and Gary getting most touches, Miller will be best coming off the bench, where he can be the second unit's focal point in offense. In his first game off the bench, Miller finished with 5 points with 5 rebounds and 2 assists and only a single turnover in 24 minutes. Not quite there yet, but in the long run, I think this will be the role more suited for him.
 | |||
| Yeethal Weapon. |
Perhaps known for his infamous poking of Anthondy Grundy's behind, Mark Yee has made a name in the league for being a tough-as-nail enforcer. He doesn't back down from anybody and relishes from doing the dirty work for his team. Whether it be defending the opposing team's best perimeter player, diving for loosed balls, or connecting on awkward-looking shots, Yee finds ways to contribute. All of these makes him the perfect compliment to GlobalPort's offensive players.
In the team's third game, Yee was inserted in the starting line-up, replacing Willie Miller. This allowed David to revert back to his natural shooting guard position, and gave the team a defender against Mark Caguioa. While Caguioa was still able to put up his usual numbers, Yee covered him like a blanket for most of the game, forcing him to tough shots. It's always tough to completely shut down somebody like Caguioa though, but Yee did a nice job.
 |
| El Granada, still as good as ever. |
Gary David has had a rare distinction of being potent in one-on-one as well as being great off-the-ball. At age 34 though, I'm still quite amazed at how his off-the-ball game is still as good as ever. Playing off-the-ball means constantly running under screens, making cuts at the baseline and moving from one corner to another. For a guy like David who plays like 35 minutes per game, that could take much energy. But as evidenced especially in the game against Ginebra when he baited 2 quick fouls from Mac Baracael (8 years his junior) on subsequent plays, David's game still pretty much features this type of play, which is always a beauty to watch. Mercado's arrival allows David to play more off-the-ball, with one instance connecting on his vintage reverse lay-up from a sharp bounce pass off the baseline from Sol.
Gary finished the game with 22 points on very efficient 9/16 shooting, while only attempting 2 three-point shots.
To the rest of the teams, good luck chasing El Granada all over the court. Well, I'm not really wishing them good luck, but you know what I mean.
Roar out.
No comments:
Post a Comment