Saturday, June 09, 2012
Back then I hated Jason Webb because he sounds too
robotic to host an important PBA
event like the draft.
Years later, he is one of the
best play-by-play men in the current landscape of PBA broadcasting.
One will never admit but the 2007 PBA Draft was kind of deep. It had
a lot of nice collegiate sensations and at the same time, a couple of prime
foreign recruits.
But five years later?
Hmmm…
What you’re going to see are 1)
my reaction when the guy was drafted by
the team, 2) my reaction after the
guy was drafted, and 3) what
happened to his career at present.
Here
is the original
entry I did for www.hoops.blink.ph!
Basically this is my countdown
before I start my mock drafts for the 2012
PBA Draft.
Game starts now.
First round
1 – WELCOAT: JOE
DEVANCE
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2007
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2012
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Great
pick for Welcoat. The former
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I predicted right as Welcoat
managed to snag super amateur Gabe Norwood in 2008. What I didn’t get was
Welcoat (now called Rain or Shine) trading Devance for Alaska’s fifth pick
Solomon Mercado and Eddie Laure hours after draft day. These guys were
important to ROS’ rise from the gutter. Devance also did well with Alaska as
he almost won the MVP with the Aces at one point. He is now with the B-Meg
Llamados.
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2 – SAN MIGUEL:
SAMIGUE EMAN
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2007
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2012
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Great
trivia on the fact that Eman was named after the same franchise that drafted
him. This too is a good pick for SMB. While he is not that polished as
Devance, the former
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Yes, his faults were hidden
because he barely played for the Beermen. His height fooled a lot of people
but there was a consensus that once he gets the playing time, he will
blossom. A bad SMC decision was enough for Alaska to sign Eman from free
agency in 2010 but until now he hasn’t unleashed what is expected from him.
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3 – STA. LUCIA: RYAN
REYES
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2007
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2012
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Bad
pick. Not bad as it seems but bad nonetheless. The former Cal State-Fullerton
standout is a big point guard with rebounding ability to mix with his
offensive awareness. They still have Dennis Miranda and Paolo Mendoza in the
lineup and with Kelly Williams better off as a small forward, they should
have gotten a big man. On the bright side, more minutes for Marlou Aquino…
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Goodness gracious and talk about
getting eating a bunch of erroneous sentences! Not only was Ryan Reyes the
Top Rookie of that season… but he was one of the vital cogs to SLR’s second
and last championship. He is a great clutch player – whether on offense or
defense – and he played like winner from his days with Sta. Lucia to his
current ride with Talk and Text.
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4 – AIR21: JC INTAL
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2007
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2012
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Just
as I predicted! Great pick for the Express. With Gary David nursing injuries
and most of their players out of contract, the Rocket can be that explosive
energy boost Air21 needs. The former Blue Eagle is versatile, quick, and at
6’4 he gives his team edge if they shift him to the guard spots.
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It was a great pick for the
Express but Intal was a dud for them. He never scored heavily and he was a
liability in defense. I was drawn to a conclusion that Intal will just be a former college star with a nice taste in women. That all changed when he
was traded to Ginebra where he became a monster scorer for one conference. He
is now with the B-Meg Llamados… where hopefully he can explode anew.
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5 – AIR21: DOUG KRAMER
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2007
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2012
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Air21
is following the footsteps of Red Bull and San Miguel as Ateneo havens. I
hope this is coincidental. Kramer is not that skilled offensively compared to
Bono and Quinahan but in terms of quickness, this guy has the advantage.
Girlfriend Cheska Garcia also attended the draft. Hmmm…
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Kramer had a so-so rookie
season for the Express but he was better than Intal in all aspects. When
Intal exploded in Ginebra however, he sagged on the Gins’ bench. His career
was slightly resurrected in Rain or Shine and it went full throttle with
Powerade where he averaged a double-double in the 2011-12 Philippine Cup. He was
recently traded to Barako Bull Energy.
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6 – ALASKA: KEN BONO
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2007
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2012
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How
Bono could go this low must have something to do with his figure. 6’4 and 250
lbs? The guy touted as the local version of Shawn Daniels can fit in with the
Aces. The former Adamson Falcon was also coached by Luigi Trillo, the Aces
current assistant coach. He can shoot at all corners and is a great passer,
something Tim Cone wants in his triangle offense playing squad.
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Tim Cone was never a fan of
rookies and this didn’t help Kenneth Bono who struggled in his first season. He was
traded to San Miguel with Mike Cortez to get the services of LA Tenorio
and then he was used as trade bait with Marc Pingris to get Arwind Santos to
the Beermen. He played for Coke and for the old Barako Bull team before
getting stuck in free agency. I know he’s now with the B-Meg Llamados but I
hope he’ll have a decent push soon.
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7 – ALASKA: JR
QUINAHAN
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2007
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2012
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Remember
the days when Ricky Relosa and Yoyoy Villamin were the Bruise Brothers and
they were playing like rule-breaking hockey players on the court. Well, the
former UV Lancer has the same built as Bono and they also play the same
style. Tim Cone going old school is funny.
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No, my proposed Bono-Quinahan
Bruise Brothers Version 2.0 combo failed to exist but what we had is a bigger
and better version of the original. After the trade that sent him to Burger
King, he and Beau Belga became Team Extra Rice – which is a subsidiary of the
Yeng Guiao Construction Supply when they met up again in Rain or Shine.
Before joining the Elasto Painters, Quinahan briefly played for Talk N Text
and Coca-Cola.
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8 – AIR21: YOUSIF
ALJAMAL
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2007
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2012
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The
Express are in dire need of big men after trading 6’6 Mark Telan off to Coke.
They also traded 6’7 Mark Andaya to Red Bull. What Air21 found out was the
draft’s biggest weakness: LITTLE STAR POWER LEFT. Sure, this San Beda Lion is
a great scorer that overachieves in the power forward spot despite his lack
in size but had there been other choices, this selection should have not
happened.
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Tough look for this guy as he
became the first of many San Beda players to languish on the bench of the two
Manny V. Pangilinan teams. This Vic Pablo play-alike actually had one good
season with the Barako Bull Energy Boosters but once he returned to the MVP
squads, he barely saw any action. He was one of the Sta. Lucia holdovers
before the team became the Meralco Bolts.
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9 – SAN MIGUEL: JONAS
VILLANUEVA
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2007
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2012
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With
Jeff Chan opting out of the draft, Jonas Villanueva was the best for a FEU
player to get drafted. Landing as a Beerman, Villanueva went from star player
to third-string guard. San Miguel got a good choice but this is wrong in so
many aspects for the rookie.
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Again I am wrong… thankfully.
Jonas Villanueva at one point was hailed as Olsen Racela’s heir apparent at
San Miguel. The guy also won a Finals MVP and a Most Improved Player award
after piloting San Miguel to strong performances. He is currently providing
veteran leadership as one of many PG’s in Tim Cone’s B-Meg Llamados lineup.
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10 – GINEBRA: MACKY
ESCALONA
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2007
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2012
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The
drafting of Escalona is startling. They could have gotten Marvin Cruz if they
need a point or any big man left available but they chose a point. Either
they are getting ready to send Johnny Abarrientos to retirement or Jayjay
Helterbrand is hurting or none of the other guards like Paolo Hubalde, Jec
Chia, and Egay Echavez will be back next season. But certainly, the former
Ateneo Eagle will have a hard time to break in the Gin lineup.
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I was right – this pick was a
bad one. Although Ginebra loves to pad their PG rotation and they had later
success with the acquisition of second rounder Rob Labagala – this former
Ateneo guard struggled to find his place in the PBA. After failing to make
the Rain or Shine lineup after his Ginebra stint, he retired from the PBA to
pursue other endeavors.
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Second round
11 – COKE: RONJAY
BUENAFE
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2007
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2012
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I’m
happy he’s drafted by the Tigers. He was a scoring monster for the
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Buenafe is one of the best
players in this batch. He is crafty player that has the tools to become a
streaky scorer and a pesky defender. There was a point in his career that he
was Coca-Cola’s go-to-guy. He moved to Burger King where Yeng Guiao favored
to use him instead of El Granada Gary David. This may also be the reason why
Yeng Guiao was ready to give up Jay-R Reyes for him when he became the coach
of Rain or Shine.
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12 – WELCOAT: RYAN
ARANA
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2007
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2012
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Ryan Arana is another big
time surprise for the Welcoat Dragons because he brought toughness, dagger
crunch time plays and bench scoring which is what the team lacked in their
debut. The former DLSU scorer is also consistently averaging seven points or
more in his five-year career. He is currently the longest-tenured player of
Welcoat/Rain or Shine.
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13 – STA. LUCIA: MELVIN
MAMACLAY
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2007
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2012
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For
those that don’t know this guy, he walked out of Adamson after a UAAP ruckus.
The UAAP had and still has a rule of UAAP players applying to the PBL must be
at least a junior instead of being a sophomore. Many were against the rule
and one of those players was Mamaclay. That was I think five years ago.
Anyway, this was why I was against Sta. Lucia picking up Reyes. The lack of
big tolerable men in this year’s draft haunted this pick.
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Mamaclay played a total of 21
games in his two-year career where he was Philip Butel’s benchwarming
companion in Sta. Lucia. Mamaclay was one of the players who should have
entered the draft earlier when his stock was more valuable.
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14 – AIR21: MARVIN CRUZ
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2007
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2012
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Air21
was lucky to snag Cruz this late in the draft. He should have also been a
first round pick. UP had some nuts last season because he held the core with
his leadership! He was the key player at the SEABA FIBA Qualifiers and can
run both sides of the floor. I’m beginning to think some team owners are
dumb.
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Marvelous Marvin Cruz got his
scoring precision when he played awesomely… for the ABL’s Bangkok Cobras. Cruz
just couldn’t get his PBA game going. Don’t get me wrong – he didn’t have
enough playing time despite his abilities but for a sweet-shooting but
turnover prone second round, pick his exposure was pretty much appropriate.
He also played for Powerade and Barako Bull but none of those stints were
game-changing thus his trip to the ABL.
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15 – RED BULL (acquired
from Purefoods): JOJO DUNCIL
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2007
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2012
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This
is another trade I didn’t understand. I don’t know if this came from the Don
Camaso-Romel Adducul trade but this spelled the end of things for many
draftees. Duncil coming to the Bulls is great… had not for the abundance of
off guards in their roster. At least a UST Tiger was drafted.
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Yeng Guiao had high hopes for
Duncil but the former UST Tiger joined Red Bull when the team was about to
hit rock bottom. He was a fantastic talent though and there were times where
he played as if he’s a superstar. With the departure of Guiao as well as the
rest of the Bulls’ talent, Duncil was unable to help the squad rose out of
their hell. When Barako Bull was up for sale and failed to finish the 2010-11
PBA season, Duncil was loaned to Petron where he became a factor in their
title win. He has since been re-claimed by the Blaze Boosters.
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16 – ALASKA: ARDY
LARONG
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2007
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2012
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Little
is known about Larong except that he came from Butuan, got his chance via the
PBL Vis-Min tourneys, played for several teams in the PBL and doing well at
the rookie camp. The former San Jose-Recolletos forward is an old guy though.
If the Aces want a guy with the same build in the same position, they should
at least get hold of the others guys other than him.
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I now know Ardy Larong –
that’s the good news. The guy had a respectable stint playing for Purefoods
and Sta. Lucia. He was never a big time scorer but when the teams he played
need an extra boost on their defense, he was there to give the opposing
team’s main man hell. He saw action this season in the ABL while playing for
the Air-Asia Philippine Patriots where one of his notable performances
happened when he made sure people will think twice in angering him.
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17 – RED BULL PASSES
18 – TALK N TEXT PASSES
19 – RED BULL PASSES
20 – AIR21: RJ MASBANG
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2007
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2012
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At
least Air21 tried. Although, Masbang won’t make the roster. Not being mean
but last season’s 20 guy was Ollan Omiping. Like Masbang, he came from UE.
Like Masbang, he played forward. And like Masbang, he will hardly make an
impact (or even make the roster).
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Can’t say what he’s been
doing right now because this UE guy failed to play in the PBA. At least he
got picked when three selections were snubbed.
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UNDRAFTED
Masbang may have missed a PBA
stint but there were some undrafted players in this batch that saw action for
several PBA teams.
REED JUNTILLA
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Juntilla’s snub was a shocker
because he was known in the amateur circles as a skilled marksman. He was
picked up by Red Bull in 2008. However, Juntilla returned to Cebu without
telling anyone and Yeng Guiao called his AWOL unacceptable and was released
from his lineup. Juntilla returned to Red Bull (now Barako Bull) when Guiao
moved to Burger King but he was then dealt to Meralco and eventually Air21
before surfacing with the Air-Asia Philippine Patriots in the 2012 season of
the ABL.
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JR AQUINO
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The DLSU Green Archer was
signed by Barangay Ginebra in the 2007-08 season and for years revolved
around 12th man to practice player. He then surfaced with the Shopinas
Clickers (now known as Air21 Express) in the 2011-12 season.
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CHRIS BALUYOT
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This San Sebastian Golden
Stag was signed by the Air21 Express in the 2007-08 but never saw PBA action after
that year’s Philippine Cup. He was a tolerable backcourt guy but proved too
raw for the PBA’s grind.
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FRANCIS BARCELLANO
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This former FEU Tamaraw saw
action for the Talk N Text Phone Pals in the 2007-08 but only for two games.
While height was scarce in their batch, TNT was loaded with it which is why
he never really stuck. Besides, he also was too raw for the PBA.
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If there’s one player that
really, really stood out in this draft’s batch, it has to be Joe Devance. JDV is the only player in
this batch to become part of the Mythical team and before he bailed on Alaska to join the SMC, he was one of
the leaders to win the MVP award. While sure, Ryan Reyes has the most rings and JC Intal has the most fans and Sam Eman is… well… big, there’s no question that Devance in his
best day will score in all spots, rebound like hell, and lead his team to
victory.
Game over!
this draft batch sure will not rival 2001 or 2003 edition. the sad part is that a lot of big time college names failed to stay longer in the pba. ken bono has to be on top of the list and i doubt if he can resurrect his career with ping back and yancy's improved game lately. tough luck also goes to marvin cruz and for all the other up players like cervantes,nestor david and abby santos cos they are not named jireh ibanes.well even boyet bautista did not enjoy what labagala is enjoying(sorry marcy arellano).i watched eman paled with sistah(welcoat) and i really had high hopes for him up to now but all the benching did not do him well.jonas was a great steal on that draft batch and should be starting for bmeg.masbang was the top suzara UE player(i follow UE)who had a great stint but lik olan is not destined for pba.JDV was a beast indeed but since his transferto bmeg can not get the same statline.as for the bedan players, it sucks that MVP supports their school but can not find a place with tnt or meralco.maybe maynilad should hop in the pro league.
ReplyDeletenice insight. i doubt maynilad would be an effective pba squad. besides taking in more money hits mvp has to contend on the fact that most of the big talent aren't in their "side".
ReplyDeleteala ung draft nila James Yap?
ReplyDeletewala akong ginawang draft review noon (not yet a blogger then eh) but perhaps pag sinipag ako. :)
ReplyDelete