Monday, June 04, 2012
I still remember when he was
drafted third in the 2010 PBA Draft. In some ways I can
understand why Yeng Guiao chose Nonoy Baclao over Rabeh Al-Hussaini – it’s because either way they are in one team.
But Rey Guevarra?
Hmmm…
Basing from the details I have
on the guy, he is a Letran Knight
who serves as compliment to RJ Jazul.
For some reason he got to join the Smart-Gilas
squad but rarely got to play in their international events because of injury. When
he got healthy, he merely rode the bench. If Jazul – a player who got to see
most of the action in the Dubai
tourney and the Australian exhibition but was discarded with the entry of Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz and Al-Hussaini who never
got into the good side of then-Smart-Gilas coach Rajko Toroman – what more for Guevarra?
Also, the mere fact that he’s a
NCAA guy means he’ll always take a
backseat to the UAAP guys. If former
NCAA MVP’s Kelvin Dela Pena and Jay Sagad never made it big in the PBA, what more for a support scorer?
In my mind I felt he was
drafted too high and Air21 could
have used Elmer Espiritu, Josh
Vanlandingham, Sean Anthony, or Jimbo Aquino as trade baits. When he was
drafted, a lot of critics were dumbfounded but you can’t really blame Air21 for
taking Guevarra because there are some who look at him as the second coming of
PBA great and fellow Letranite Avelino “Samboy”
Lim. Air21 also had four first round picks (they did select Anthony as
their sixth and they would later trade him to Powerade) and two second round
picks and I doubt if Yeng Guiao will give time to all of his rookies (Air21
trades one of their second round picks to Powerade – which turned out to be Jai Reyes and they passed on their
other second round pick).
I can’t really see Guevarra as
some sort of new and improved version of The
Skywalker because of his high-flying acts alone.
But I was also the guy who
thought Brixter Encarnacion would
become a bigger star in the PBA.
Just like Rabeh Al-Hussaini and
Nonoy Baclao, his career suffered a setback as part of the Petron Blaze Boosters. However unlike Rabeh and Baclao, Guevarra
never really had significant success in Air21. When he was traded to Powerade
as part of the Marcio Lassiter trade, I felt the trade was imba. While Rabeh
will improve the frontline of the Tigers, I merely see the entry of Guevarra
and Lordy Tugade as third and fourth
options to Vanlandingham.
But then something exploded.
And now I’m eating my words.
Jun
Marzan
and Freddie Abuda weren’t supposed
to last in the PBA. They are not pretty boys and they aren’t athletic. What
they had however is the coach’s trust and the playing time to back it up. These
guys rewarded their playing time with unwavering dedication to lead their teams
to victory. While Baclao continues to languish on the bench of Petron, guess
who’s taking off from the bench of Powerade. After posting his career-high 15
points against Alaska, he made history again against Talk N Text where he made
his first back-to-back double digit games.
It’s too early to tell on
whether or not Rey Guevarra is the real deal. What Powerade have now though is
a more complete lineup. We have doubted their intentions on why they made such
moves but in some ways, we are paying for our doubts.
Powerade doesn’t have a
dominating lineup but as long as they help Gary
David do his damage, it is enough for the Tigers to win. When Rashad McCants was replaced by Omar Sneed, the Tigers suddenly have an
import that was willing to play inspired team ball. Since Sneed’s entry, the
Tigers have rediscovered their winning ways.
Rabeh Al-Hussaini is as
promised the player that should be manning their inside. Jondan Salvador, another player deprived of playing time, is now making
the Powerade fans forget about Doug
Kramer. And while I am still stressing that Powerade should have insisted
on Baclao over Tugade, the Alaminos
Assassin could be the mentor behind the growth of Guevarra.
And of course, there’s Rey
Guevarra.
What Guevarra needed was a way
to jolt his career and that thunderous dunk where he kind of ankle-broke Bonbon Custodio and posterized Jason Forte may have done just that.
Now has the legend of Fafa Dunk started?
Game over.
as a Powerade Fan, it was hard to see Marcio go... but a door is closed, the window of opportunity opens for another... and he's definitely making the most of it!
ReplyDeleteWe will proudly say that in this team, people like Doug Kramer, Josh Vanlandingham, Sean Anthony... were given the time to shine... especially during the Cinderella Run...
And now the same opportunity is being given to Rabah, Rey, Lordy, and Jondan... and its really encouraging to see them now in Tiger uniform... and on the court.. doing what they do best. They just needed the opportunity to get out on the court and do their thing.
such inspiring words. hopefully these guys will have a nice time in Powerade and hopefully they won't get traded once they become important.
ReplyDeletefrom the looks of things the tigers have a nice set of fanbase so people shouldn't dismantle the squad that easily.
but as avid fans... we're also aware that we may be changing the name of the team soon... but yes, we hope this set of players stay be kept intact... not just for the new guys, but esp for Gary David... he waited so long to be part of a "winning" team... i hope he finally gets the respect that he deserves too... I guess, he's the ultimate "redemption" story, when it comes to the Powerade Tigers... and everyone else, who were "outcasts" of other teams, are now being given a chance to earn back their self-respect
ReplyDelete- I guess, you can learn alot
more than just basketball from the Powerade Tigers (halatang fan talaga.. he he)
nah it's all good. i welcome fans (and hecklers). especially those that don't just say "I L0Ve U s0brah Papahh ______________ (random person).
ReplyDeleteand yeah, if the tigers make it in the next round I'm sure Gary D will be MVP. :)