by Patricia Hizon | patriciahizon.blogspot.com
One of the prevailing issues enveloping the local basketball scene concerns the Smart Gilas squad’s need to get reinforcement for their formidable team.
Formidable for finishing 3rd in the 10-team 21st Dubai International Basketball Tournament armed with a great system, big hearts, awe-inspiring Filipino fans, and an import who contributed chump change.
New team manager Frankie Lim is currently hard at work touring the US to find a candidate for naturalization. Coach Rajko will be joining him next week. Some considerations include height and athleticism, high basketball IQ, ability to follow and stay within a system, willingness to relocate, good knees, good back (and being upfront about injuries), and a big heart. Big enough to love this basketball crazy country of ours.
As of now, there’s a shortlist of imports they are seriously considering. Last Wednesday, Darian Townes flew in to try out. He just played with the Utah Flash in the NBDL last December but only averaged 1 point and 28% FG in his 6 games there. He had a longer stint in Holland (yes Hollanders got game!) where he normed 10.4 ppg in 19.9 mins.
He’s 26, 6’10” and weighs about 240 lbs. He was a vital cog for the Arkansas Razorbacks, where he became part of the school’s all time blocked shots, 1,000 point club, and was part of the top 10 in rebounding. He’s been lauded for his ball handling ability and his proficiency in the paint. His competitive spirit will be tested by Coach Rajko in the next couple of days.
Remember Jameel Watkins? He played for Shell and Magnolia here, and was impressive in college playing for the Georgetown Hoyas in the NCAA Big East… in the 90s! He’s making waves in China and is part of the short list. He’s already 32 years old which may be an issue.
A younger dominant big man could be a better choice. How about 7’1” former Gin Kings and 2008 Best import Chris Alexander? According the Assistant Coach Allan Gregorio, Alexander is 30 now and in 2 years (Olympic year) he can still be ripe. “Coach Rajko has hard practices every night so age will be a factor. He has to be able to survive the hard practices”.
They’re also checking on Earl Barron Jr. who played for the Red Bull Thunders and went on to get an NBA Championship ring in his 3 year stint with the Miami Heat where he logged 82 games, started in 15 of them, had 13.9 minutes on average with 4.9ppg and 3rpg. He’s a year younger than Alexander but the evaluation of the two (and all the rest) will boil down to athleticism and efficacy in the system.
Despite the possibilities that are brewing, no one can blame Gilas for thinking that they might not need to go transcontinental to find another piece of the puzzle. Besides, they can only naturalize 1 import but will still need another big man. So they’ll need to go local for that. There are a plethora of great talents in the PBA who could fit the bill, and Kelly Williams is the top candidate for locally flavored reinforcement.
Earl Barron pours in 25 points to power the Energy past Bakersfield on the final day of the NBA D-League Showcase.
Chris Tiu and I talked about it but I guess it’s best to just share his text: “I think Kelly Williams will fit our team well because he’s a hardworking, physical, tough, athletic and smart player. I thought Coach Rajko’s wish to bring him on board was confidential but somehow it reached the sports columns which probably preempted talks with the PBA and caused some misunderstanding. But I’m sure there will be an official request coming and a solution will be worked out for the good of the country”.
Well, the boat has been rocked and Mr. Buddy Encarnado (and the PBA) has been vocal about his disappointment because this has wedged them between a rock and a hard place. Saying no to the offer could make them look unpatriotic, while agreeing to lend their MVP could dampen their chances in the next PBA conference.
When I asked Williams about it, of course he’s “flattered by the compliment of being touted by Coach Toroman” but also said it would be difficult for him to leave Sta. Lucia at this point. He loves his team and is aching to boost them after a shortened All Filipino stint.
Well, everyone just has the greatest of intentions and this spat is all just a misunderstanding. What’s more important is that the next couple of days will be crucial in terms of finding the right man or men for our national team. (From my Mla. Standard column 02/05/10)
by Patricia Hizon | patriciahizon.blogspot.com
follow Patricia Hizon on Twitter--> www.twitter.com/patriciahizon
UPDATE (related news):
3rd import for Smart Gilas in town (click here)
SBP wants Asian test for Smart Gilas five (click here)
SBP needs to touch base with PBA (click here)
Pro league execs: Smart Gilas doesn’t need PBA reinforcement (click here)
Sta. Lucia protests pressure from SBP (click here)
Toroman wants Williams to beef up Smart Gilas (click here)
Lim to US to find big man for Smart Gilas (click here)
Signing pros could be the solution (click here)
PBA teams still mum on lending players to Gilas (click here)
Gilas part ways with naturalized prospect Samspon (click here)
Smart Gilas 5 to go all-Filipino in Asiad? (click here)
Smart Gilas-RP five ready for Asiad, says Toroman (click here)
Smart Gilas has 80-game sked for Asian Games (click here)
Smart Gilas to play all-Filipino in Asiad (click here)
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earl barron na lng bata pa mas ok yan...
I HOPE k. WILLIAMS WILL BE JOINING SMART GILAS TEAM.... HE IS A GREAT ADDITION IN THE TEAM CONSIDERING THAT HE IS A GREAT POWER FORWARD AND ATHLETICISM..... DAPAT TULONG2X TAYO SA IKA U-UNLAD NG ATING BAYAN..... GO GOOOO....GO
nice Patricia. u r smart sexy lady.everytime i see u in araneta i have a crush on u. heheheh.
what about pag kinuha si kelly eh bigyan sila ng import na kapalit? sila lng at ung kasing height din ni Kelly.they need to compromise for the country. win and win situation. ung d naman kawawa ang SLR. me business nd team din sila inaalagaan.agreeako sau Pat.
i suggest BRIAN CARLWELL 7 foot tall he is dominant and athletic,in short mas magaling pa kay giles at sampson....he is perfect for gilas...pag nakuha nila to tapos na ang laban....
mj55
nice list!!
Earl Barron or Chris Alexander for me!
and Frankie lim is in the US sarching for more prospects... the problem is the naturzalization "time" process here in PI.. s*cks! so Sl0w!!!
Gilas players + K Williams + Earl Barron = Asian Dominance!!!
wag tayo kumuha ng matanda na. sayang ang naturalization. dapat kumuha ng bata na naturalized cenetr at pede maglaro even beyond 2012. let's continue to have consistent National teams.alam natin ang kulang sa team so we can get the good qualities. we need a strong center. rebounding and power moves. mga ala Howard Johnson o Chris Bosh.
goodluck po sa Smart Gilas.. sana makabalik na kayo d2 sa Dubai!!
woohooo!! thanks!!
good news!
Ilan bA heiGht ni BarrOn?
a good selection of Naturalized import is only the Solution. habang ginagawa ang pag pili. hasain ng husto mga Gilas sa shooting. matindi na sila pero i want more. ung katatakutan sila ng asian countries at mapraning sila sa kadedepensa. turuan sila ng systemang mobility away from the ball at perfect screening. That way pag na open patay na.we are quick and can pass and dribble.just 1 man in the middle to take care of defense and rebounding solve na tayo.
Maczie from Toronto
Si Earl Barron na lang! Di na kailangan ng naturalization dahil isa siyang Fil-Am. Di ba kamag-anak siya nung dating weatherman na si Ernie Barron (RIP)???
just 1 naturalized player is allowed by FIBA.ok good enough we can find one. remember other countries will get 1 as well. so even na naman. in that way we need to work hard on our other big men. if we r lucky K.Will is good but he need to improve his 3pt shooting. d pa ako bilib sa shooting nya dami tira konti lng pumapasok. but his mobility n defense is a plus.
Aguilar, Ballesteros and Slaughter..these guys need to improve more. lalo na si Japeth..lots of expectations from him. well he has the basics he need to improve more where he is comfortable. i watched him too many times, he is good in open court. he can jump and dunk.i think a good pic n roll play will be good for him. kelangan nya mag weights at wag matakot. he needs to improve more on his perimeter shooting. not necessarily 3pts. kahit ala danny seigle style lng. 1 dribble then jumpshot.
Si Ballesteros, though he played good in Dubai, he will be playing the 4 spot so we need him to get more physical at concentrate on rebounding kahit walang outside shooting. Dennis Rodman role.Slaughter??? more physical and more quickness. we need him to defend bigger guys in asia. at pamalit sa centro pag na foul trouble. mabagal pa. pero bata pa shet man u can still improve if u work out.
Topax, USA
dapat kunin nilang naturalization ay willing sacrifice for the team. with the likes of earl barron (7'0) or chris alexander (7'1) kunin ng smart gilas. saka kelangan naman ng smart gilas ay center position to man at the middle. saka isama pa nila sin kelly williams, gabe norwood at jared dilinger mas lalong lalakas. nga pala, bakit pala di kinuha si junemar fajardo 6'9 from university of cebu?
AS OF THIS TIME... I AM WATCHING PBA QFINALS.TALK N TEXT N MANNY V PANGILINAN GROUP WALKED OUT IN THE GAME AGAINST GINEBRA.
I THINK LUMALALIM NA ANG PERSONAL NA HIDWAAN NG MVP GROUP AGAINST THE PBA. THERE IS MORE THAN THE GAMES ITSELF. NAGSIMULA NOONG SMART GILAS AGAINST PBA. TNT IS A SISTER TEAM OF GILAS TEAM.
NOW U KNOW THE EQUATION.
THERE IS A COLD WAR BREWING IN THE PHILIPPINE BASKETBALL.
MALALIM NA ANG SUGAT.
Too sad for PBA..TNT walked out the game against Ginebra at 1st Q.
MVP group (also Smart Gilas owner)against the PBA?????
abangan ang mga susunod na kabanata.
Politics in Basketball.
there are lots of things behind the scenes.
SAYANG ANG BINAYAD NG MGA FANS SA ARANETA.
OW MAN???? NAGKAKAPERSONALAN NA SA PBA??????MVP GROUP VS PBA.
MABUHAY SMART GILAS...KAU NA ANG BAGONG BAYANI SA PHILIPPINE BASKETBALL.. MVP FOR SENATOR.
BWAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHHAHHAHAA.
IsamA nilA c Junemar fajardo........6'9 pa naman!!
pwedeng pang power forward.....
Suggest ko si Steven Hill....sana ma-include sa list ng pagpipilian....Great defensive player...
wat happened?
Si Jerome Jordan kaya baka kaya natin ang rate nito. Maganda to dahil bata pa, matangkad at malapad ang katawan. Medyo mahal yata ito dahil NBA prospect na to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Jordan
OO.. PERSONALAN NA TO KAY SIR MVP FROM THE PBA... TINITIRA NA TNT... TSK TSK TSK... BOLA LANG HABOL NI RANIDEL DUN.. PATI REF NA I IMPLUWENSYAHAN!
dagdag naman sana si samigue eman sa gilas..
tama si kelly william and samigue eman lang kunin sa PBA ok na...
bakit hindi ba prospect si samigue eman ni coach toroma? mahirapan kasi ung 1 naturalize lalo kapag na injured pa later on, haba pa ng 3 yrs.
Coach toroma kindly consider samigue eman to man the middle with kwilliam...
bat pa hanap ng malaki anjan nman c japweth aguilar!!! dba magaling daw un???
pag nagkataon, sa ABL na maglalaro ang TNT. wla na talaga kwenta liderato sa PBA.
Legitimate center ang hanap ng Smart Gilas. Si Aguilar ay hindi pwede center dahil manipis ang katawan. Small Forward ang dapat kay Aguilar.
once na magpalaki ng katawan si japeth aguilar, dami na pahihirapan ng batang yan.
2 words:
NATE ROBINSON
Just dominate the asian scene ! then foreign players with a little drop of foreign blood will be playing for philippines... if they can retain the supremacy in asia then maybe they can pull out DeMarcus Cousins, Christian Standhardinger to play for the philippines.
tingin ko wlang personalan its just a game..bad calls lng ng flagrant fouls from refs or posibleng scripted lng yung walk-out as a part of marketing strategy ng pba to increase attendance sa araneta and tv ratings.
iba kc isyu between smart gilas at pba pati ung uniform protest ng smb against tnt...
kaya ang focus ng tnt d2 yung flagrant foul sa game nila vs bgk wlng kinalaman yung mga previous isyu at personalan.
aside from hiring potential imports for gilas.sbp must scout yung mga fil-am and other foreign players na may filipino roots na 6'9 and above..pwedeng maghanap sa china,africa,latin america at europe ng tall foreign players na may dugong pinoy.
How about Jeremy Miller? I am not sure if he got a filipino blood. , but I'm sure that His father's wife is a pure blooded filipina I dnt know if she;s the mother of Jeremy Miller. but He said in a certain interview that his mother encourages him to play basketball not his father who wants him to play football. I dnt know if his mother is really the filipina wife of his father
Miller is 7'0 Center on his Senior Year. / he's a very consistent bigmen average 12.3 rebounds per game, 8.1 points , 1.9 block shots. , I think he's entering this years nba draft. and he's projected to be in the late first round or will be undrafted !just search him. if he's a filipino then i think he can be a great addition to the team! a solid center , he also average 17 minutes of the bench !
RANIDEL DIDNT INTENTD TO HURT TUBID! THEY"RE JUST EXXAGERATING! SPECIALLY THE GIN KING FANS! FO SHO THERE IS A FOUL BUT NOT FLAGRANT! LUTONG MANI NMN ANG LARO NANG GINEBRA E!
Sam Ekwe na lang para mura lang papayag yun for sure...
sama nyo c sol mercado
sna isama c eman, junmar at c arwind.
chris alexander and earl barron...pwede naman 2 naturalize dba bast di pgsasabayin sa loob ng court
mga tol dina natin kelangan mga maliliit marami na tyo mga shooters parating narin si cris lutz. kelangan natin puro big man para mabantayan yung gitna kasi palagi tyo nalulusutan dun. Eman, Fajardo, & Williams...
sana 2 dito makuha ntin...
KUNG I-ANALYZE NYO YUN SENTIMENT NI KELLY WILLIAMS AY HINDI SYA NAGDADALAWANG ISIP NA GUSTO NIA MAGLARO SA NATIONAL TEAM KASO NAHIHIYA LANG SIYA SA MOTHER BALL CLUB NYA.
PERO ANG MASAKIT, SI BUDDY ENCARNADO ANG HUMAHARANG SA ISSUE NITO.
EWAN KO KUNG BAKIT MASYADONG SIPSIP ITONG BUDDY ENCARNADO SA STA LUCIA AT WALANG SIYANG PAKIALAM SA INTERES NG ATING BANSA.
chris alexander ang dapat kunin nila. naalala nyo ba ginawa nya sa pba. ginebra was 0-6 in standings and then he came in, straight 13 wins for ginebra. and he delivered the ginebra kings to the championships. average nya yata ay 20/rebounds per game. how about that.
If wala talagang ibang mas impressive na makita ang Gilas management, next better option na siguro either Barron or Alexander. Yan ay kung mag commit sila. Hindi pa naman siguro masyado handicap ang kanilang mga edad. Kaya pa rin naman siguro nila makipag sabayan kahit sa mas bata sa kanila. At least they are both 7 footers, tested to respond offensively and defensively and already seasoned to many battles... But for Watkins, I don't think he will be a good choice. Yes he could be a hardworking guy but during his last stint with San Miguel, his offense was not that impressive. Besides, I think he's too short to match up with Asia's top centers, being measured at only 6'7-7/8".
MindMaster1221
7"2 dapat na consitend bigman at yung matindi sa ilalim ... ipasok ndin si james yap we know wat he did naman pati si asi alam nmn ntin pano nahirapan si ada-di kay asi .. matalinong pag iisip lang dapat .. big guard na shooter, big man n matindi .. dapat 7footer center di n pwde si aguilar jan 6"10 nga sya kaso payat pang small forward p.forward na 6"11 pababa at big guard ... at matalinong couch ,,, yun lng ,,
-fafajosh^_^
i saw earl barron played nbdl all star games...he dominated the boards and lead scores!
we need back up naturalized center just in case ma injure or topakin yun import. given the budget constraints, si ekwe pwede na
wag niyong kalimutan na si junemar fajardo 6'11 this october ay tapos sa kanyang pag-aaral at according to my source puede na siya maglaro sa smart gilas. he is 20 years old at talagang magaling maglaro ang batang yon. nakita ko siya naglaro sa hongkong kasama ang mga cebuano kalaban nila yong south california at natalo nila. hindi mapigilan ng south california si fajardo kahit na mayroon silang 7 footer at 6'11 na player. from maynila to hongkong gumasto ako para lang mapanuod ko si fajardo.......watch this guy.