Much of the action has happened off court
TITO TALAO MANILA
A colorful carousel of coaches and team managers to
rival a carnival merry-go-round. A fading superpower
aching to regain respect. An old crowd darling
longing to rekindle its passion for winning. A
defending champion looking to prove a point. A rebel
without a cause.
These are the gripping subplots to a compelling story
line that is the PBA-Talk ‘N Text Philippine Cup, the
first of two conferences in the 2006-07 season of
Asia’s pioneer professional basketball league.
But first, the bullet points:
The 10 ball clubs, including the expansion Welcoat
Dragons who bought the franchise of the defunct Shell
Turbo Chargers, independently have something to say.
Barangay Ginebra Kings – They’ve been down so
many times. They used to have a mixture of marginal
players, aging stars and enforcers for a team. These
days the Kings are mighty and proud.
San Miguel Beermen – The usual suspects are at it
again. It’s scary to have the Beermen in the upper half
of the standings. If only Danny Seigle can keep
himself fit throughout the tournament, the Beermen
would be the top favorite again.
Sta Lucia Realtors – It’s been a while since the
Realtors started out this strong. Top overall pick Kelly
Williams is leading the team in scoring and
rebounding.
Red Bull Barako – Coach Yeng Guiao and the Barako
are still searching for their first all-Filipino title. The
departure of top gunner Lordy Tugade in the middle of
the classification phase could make the search
harder.
Purefoods Chunkee Giants – The defending
champions are expected to be right up there. After a
sluggish start that had them winning only once in four
games, the Giants worked their way up and into
contention for a third straight outright semifinal
appearance.
Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals – The signal remains choppy
for the Phone Pals, at least in the classification phase
of the tournament. Asi Taulava and Jimmy Alapag are
still dishing out all-star numbers. But the Phone Pals
need Renren Ritualo to burn the hoops from afar the
way he did when he’s still playing for the Air21
Express.
Air21 Express – The highest scoring team in the
league still finds it hard to outscore its opponent.
Inconsistency is bugging the team, chalking up back-
to-back wins only once so far.
Alaska Aces – The loss of Mike Cortez to an ACL injury
gives the Aces an inferior hand. But coach Tim Cone
knows anything can happen after the flop.
Coca-Cola Tigers – The future looks bright for the
Tigers with promising rookies Joseph Yeo and Chris
Pacana at the helm. But the present is a struggle.
Welcoat Dragons – A couple of upsets here and there
gives some colors to Welcoat’s season. There’s not
really much to expect from a team with a pro discard
for a leading scorer.
One-sided trades, draft surprises and marquee off-
season acquisitions are nothing out of the ordinary in
an unpredictable league like the PBA.
But pulling out a coach with multiple championships
and bringing him to another team with another
champion mentor is something unprecedented.
Jong Uichico, winner of six titles with San Miguel, was
reunited with former assistant and two-time champion
coach himself, Siot Tanquingcen, at the Ginebra
camp. It was just the first step of the carousel, with
Binky Favis going to Coke and Chot Reyes activated to
coach San Miguel from the dormant national team.
Seigle’s health will most likely decide San Miguel’s
fate in the all-Filipino tournament.
Ginebra’s massive build-up during the break is paying
dividends this early. Rudy Hatfield, easily the biggest
catch of the Kings in the off season, makes the
boldest prediction of them all at halftime of their
opening game.
Purefoods Chunkee, meanwhile, is trying to prove that
its successful campaign last season is no fluke.
“We’re not the most talented team in the league but
nobody wins on paper,” said Purefoods coach Ryan
Gregorio.
Speaking of the Realtors, their season nearly got off
on the wrong foot when prodigal son Alex Cabagnot
tried to stow away the second time. But the family feud
has since been settled and they’re off and running.
TITO TALAO MANILA
A colorful carousel of coaches and team managers to
rival a carnival merry-go-round. A fading superpower
aching to regain respect. An old crowd darling
longing to rekindle its passion for winning. A
defending champion looking to prove a point. A rebel
without a cause.
These are the gripping subplots to a compelling story
line that is the PBA-Talk ‘N Text Philippine Cup, the
first of two conferences in the 2006-07 season of
Asia’s pioneer professional basketball league.
But first, the bullet points:
The 10 ball clubs, including the expansion Welcoat
Dragons who bought the franchise of the defunct Shell
Turbo Chargers, independently have something to say.
Barangay Ginebra Kings – They’ve been down so
many times. They used to have a mixture of marginal
players, aging stars and enforcers for a team. These
days the Kings are mighty and proud.
San Miguel Beermen – The usual suspects are at it
again. It’s scary to have the Beermen in the upper half
of the standings. If only Danny Seigle can keep
himself fit throughout the tournament, the Beermen
would be the top favorite again.
Sta Lucia Realtors – It’s been a while since the
Realtors started out this strong. Top overall pick Kelly
Williams is leading the team in scoring and
rebounding.
Red Bull Barako – Coach Yeng Guiao and the Barako
are still searching for their first all-Filipino title. The
departure of top gunner Lordy Tugade in the middle of
the classification phase could make the search
harder.
Purefoods Chunkee Giants – The defending
champions are expected to be right up there. After a
sluggish start that had them winning only once in four
games, the Giants worked their way up and into
contention for a third straight outright semifinal
appearance.
Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals – The signal remains choppy
for the Phone Pals, at least in the classification phase
of the tournament. Asi Taulava and Jimmy Alapag are
still dishing out all-star numbers. But the Phone Pals
need Renren Ritualo to burn the hoops from afar the
way he did when he’s still playing for the Air21
Express.
Air21 Express – The highest scoring team in the
league still finds it hard to outscore its opponent.
Inconsistency is bugging the team, chalking up back-
to-back wins only once so far.
Alaska Aces – The loss of Mike Cortez to an ACL injury
gives the Aces an inferior hand. But coach Tim Cone
knows anything can happen after the flop.
Coca-Cola Tigers – The future looks bright for the
Tigers with promising rookies Joseph Yeo and Chris
Pacana at the helm. But the present is a struggle.
Welcoat Dragons – A couple of upsets here and there
gives some colors to Welcoat’s season. There’s not
really much to expect from a team with a pro discard
for a leading scorer.
One-sided trades, draft surprises and marquee off-
season acquisitions are nothing out of the ordinary in
an unpredictable league like the PBA.
But pulling out a coach with multiple championships
and bringing him to another team with another
champion mentor is something unprecedented.
Jong Uichico, winner of six titles with San Miguel, was
reunited with former assistant and two-time champion
coach himself, Siot Tanquingcen, at the Ginebra
camp. It was just the first step of the carousel, with
Binky Favis going to Coke and Chot Reyes activated to
coach San Miguel from the dormant national team.
Seigle’s health will most likely decide San Miguel’s
fate in the all-Filipino tournament.
Ginebra’s massive build-up during the break is paying
dividends this early. Rudy Hatfield, easily the biggest
catch of the Kings in the off season, makes the
boldest prediction of them all at halftime of their
opening game.
Purefoods Chunkee, meanwhile, is trying to prove that
its successful campaign last season is no fluke.
“We’re not the most talented team in the league but
nobody wins on paper,” said Purefoods coach Ryan
Gregorio.
Speaking of the Realtors, their season nearly got off
on the wrong foot when prodigal son Alex Cabagnot
tried to stow away the second time. But the family feud
has since been settled and they’re off and running.
Pulling out a coach
with multiple
championships and
bringing him to
another team with
another champion
mentor is
something
unprecedented
with multiple
championships and
bringing him to
another team with
another champion
mentor is
something
unprecedented
| All rights reserved. Filipino Globe |
|
|
| |||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
ADLINKS
| ANG BANSA |
|
|
Twists and turns of the pro ball carousel
| |||||||
|
IN THE NEWS SPORTS
|
Submit your
public service
announcements
public service
announcements
| COMMUNITIES |
HK-based artist
Ferraris breaks
into art scene
in Pennsylvania
Ferraris breaks
into art scene
in Pennsylvania
|
search this site
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| p a l a k a s a n |
filglobe.com
filipino globe online edition