East Rombo: The Blog with Balls

Bonzi: There there, Kevin. Everything will be alright. Don't cry, we'll beat them next time.
Kevin: But I'm OK! I'm fi --
Bonzi: There, there, Kevin. Don't cry. Here's a hug.


Bonzi: Here's the foot-in-ass position I was telling you about the other day.
Bowen: Man it hurts! Move your foot a little bit to the left... there... ahhh...



Brian: Don't leave me! I'm sorry! I'll never do it again!
Walter: Um... Ah... I...
Brian: Please! Don't leave me!


Cuttino: Yeah! Did you see that! C'mon give me a kiss.
Sam: No! People will learn about us! I'll just give you a complimentary handshake. Yeah a handshake.

--

By the way, besides that E.T. pic (does anyone of you have that pic of Sam Cassel with a towel on his head? The one in which he looked like E.T.?), here's another pic of Sam that shows he is not human:



Sources:
Yahoo! Sports NBA Gallery
Faux-News.com(for the alien pic)

I've always been a fan of the ad campaigns that the athletic shoe companies (Nike, Adidas, Converse) put out. They always seem to make their whole campaigns about more than just the shoes. A lot of the recent ones give you that sort of tingly feeling that what you just saw was something magical.

Nike's newest "creation" Witness is almost as awesome as the Jordan ad they released earlier:


I couldn't find the Adidas Impossible is Nothing ads that I really liked but here's one that's not very magical but very entertaining. (plus it's KG. Yay!)

[aside: Apparently, this features many of KG's closest teammates, family members and friends. His sister, Sonya, his close friend, Wyakim, then-teammates, Fred Hoiberg and Gary Trent, and Wolves mascot, Crunch, all make appearances in the spot. Couldn't find Crunch though. Can you?]

And of course, the magic of Jordan:

Waitaminit. Were those really “hate posts”? Because I never intended them to be so. They were supposed to be “I don’t want these other teams to win” posts, simple as that. (There’s a difference — probably a very subtle one, but I do believe there is.) This is simply what fans — well, probably those of the "die-hard" sort — do: we want our team(s) to win really bad. So of course for that to happen, we would want the rest to lose.

Apparently, my blog series didn’t turn out the way I had originally intended. It was supposed to be funny, or at the very least, amusing. My original idea was to post a “Why I don’t want the Nets to win,” where my reason would be that if the Nets win, then Richard Jefferson would be happy; thus, he would smile, to which I would add we don’t really want that, do we?

I shouldn’t have made it a series, because I really didn’t have enough ideas for the other playoff teams — that’s why the entries seemed to end up all related to my hardcore-Suns-fan-ness. I got carried away. I did realize that after my first three entries. And then the rest started to post their own. Two distinct posts against the Suns, at that. And another pair neatly posted in single entries. Ok, I get it. My bad. But I figured, hey, I started it, so I’m going to finish it.

As everyone has seen, recent developments have indeed made me decide to discontinue the series. My apology, as I had posted in the comments page a couple entries back, couldn’t be any more sincere — and I extend it, especially to the readers who are not part of the Contributors’ team.

Just my side of the story. Peace to everyone.

Go, Suns!

Found this article by Raphael Bartholomew [free registration required] in the New York Times.

Foreign players are expected to do "pretty much everything," according to Ronnie Magsanoc, assistant coach for the Purefoods Chunkee Giants. That includes averaging at least 20 points and 12 rebounds a game while being a vocal leader and guarding the other teams' best players.

In the 2005-6 Fiesta Conference, the association's nine teams were each allowed one import who could be no taller than 6-6. Only four of the nine imports lasted the entire regular season, and two of those four did not make it through the postseason. One team, the Santa Lucia Realty, played four different imports during the 16-game regular season.

It goes on to mention Darvin Ham's circumstances a few months ago:

"They try to put the pressure on the import," Ham said. "It's a team sport. Everyone should be held accountable. I think the imports suffer for the lack of performance the natives might put out."

Ham, who was described as "no extraordinary player" on the Philippine Basketball Association's Web site, said he was treated unfairly; Talk 'N Text went 1-2 and lost their playoff series with him in the lineup. "I averaged a double-double over here with like 16 and 12," he said, referring to points and rebounds. "These articles the P.B.A. is putting online are like propaganda."

Inquiring minds want to know, why try and stop the latest and greatest phenomenon from sweeping the nation with "I Don't Want This to Win" fever? For one, they would absolutely beat the living light particles of the Phoenix Suns to submission. The team known as the "Ginebra Gin Kings" don't even warrant mentioning. But more importantly, they're not the Timberwolves. These movements have no other purpose than to serve as smoke and mirrors for the eventual christiening of the Philadelphia 76ers as NBA Champions.

Society has long been terrorized with maladies such as the Black Plague, Kobe Bryant and the BackStreet Boys. Each new addition only fuels the hate spewed forth from the giant hate-spewing machine in the sky. Every moment spent praying for something or someone to "not win" is a moment spent praying for something or someone to "not win". We live in a society where courage and nobility are words without meaning, savagely replaced by cunning and guile. Let me just give a shoutout to the Los Angeles Clippers for reminding me of this fact. All their years of losing has finally paid off, in a stunning and masterful display of losing the coveted 5th seed. It took them many years of losing to master the art of losing, but they were able to lose when it counted the most. Congratulations!

Once long ago, I too ascribed to this culture of hate. I didn't want the Lakers to win because they were skanky, whiny scum. They were skanky, they were whiny and they were scum. I watched, with great disgust, as the legendary Robert Horry sank clutch shot after clutch shot. Every Laker victory spiraled me further and further into depths of my manic soul. I remember one fateful night when I could no longer bear the strain as I ran the streets naked screaming, shouting, nay, imploring for both reason and reprise. As I sat in the silence of my own loneliness, I received no answer. Police would later watch in horror and wonder how a man such as this came to be. Prison helped little other than to hide me from the rest of the world. There was no place in this world for a being as lost as this. I spooned with a man that night. I felt not shame nor remorse, only emptiness. From that moment on I realized that the life I was leading could no longer be.

Just the other day, I was at the supermarket purchasing my usual pack of blueberry bubblegum. I approached the clerk and paid for the gum, an exorbitant sum to be sure but neccessary to taste the blueberry taste only this blueberry gum could provide. I was about to consume my purchase when he suddenly whispered "No". The pangs of blueberry addiction started rumbling inside me as I asked him why. "I don't want blueberry to win" he said in a tone that betrayed his allegiance to strawberry bubblegum. The rage bottled up in me all these years started yearning for release that I was barely able to resists its' call. He held out his hand offerring me a fresh pack of strawberry bubblegum. "The manufacter recalled the blueberry bubblegum. There was some kind of problem with the mixture". We stared at each other for seemingly an eternity. "Strawberry can't be so bad" I thought. I reached out slowly for the strawberry bubblegum. In that instant everything made sense to me and I knew that I must do the right thing. Like a bolt of lightning, I grabbed the blueberry gum and escaped into the darkness of the night. I devoured the blueberry gum that night, poisoned mixtures be damned. "I don't want strawberry to win" I repeated to myself. "I don't want strawberry to win."

PBA teams I don't want to win and why:

1. Alaska Aces - They're probably the strongest team in the PBA right now, and that unforgivable trade between Bong Solomon and Ginebra's draft pick (which turned out to be Jeffrey Cariaso) back in 1995 really gets to me. Oh, that 4-1 Alaska win in the 1996 Governor's Cup at the expense of Ginebra en route to their Grand Slam season doesn't help matters.
   
2. Purefoods Chunkee Giants - For that humiliating defeat back in March 22, 2006 (when Ginebra scored 57 points and Artadi was just so good). Oh, and their 1997 All Filipino Cup champtionship victory (when they were Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys) against Gordon's Gin (Eric Altamirano's Cinderella finish as a coach)
   
3. San Miguel Beermen - For having defeated Ginebra twice this conference, and for that 2001 All Filipino Championship at Barangay Ginebra's expense (Caguioa's rookie year). They must be the hottest team right now.
4. Red Bull Barakos - I hate them with all of my guts for defeating Ginebra last Fiesta Conference Semifinals in Feb 5, 2006. Those treys by James Penny and Celino Cruz. UGH. And yeah, they're so damn good, Yeng Guiao can pluck somebody from his bench anytime to step up.
5. Air 21 Express - For that 3rd Place finish back in Feb 8, 2005 at Ginebra's expense (again). And oh, I hate Tubid's kiti-kiti defense.
6. Talk 'n Text Phone Pals - For those two defeats back in April 17, 2005 and May 28, 2005 (Yuh, I recalled the dates). Ah basta, I just hate them. I hate PLDT and their DSL connection at home. BOO.
7. Sta. Lucia Realtors - For that defeat back in October 9, 2005 (how Alex Cabagnot owned Mark Caguioa) and April 22, 2005. And bring some security on my GF's village! haha. And their winning streak against Ginebra back in 1997.
   
8. Coca-Cola Tigers - I hate them. They're #3 in the rankings right now.

Ginebra, don't make me add you to my list for your humiliating loss to Red Bull last Friday. GAAAAH.

I see the some of my fellow EastRomboys have caught on. Hurrah for hatred.

Anyway, let's have the Indiana Pacers take the stage. As of right now, they hold the distinction of being the only road team to win so far in this young 2006 postseason. They are matched up against the third-seeded New Jersey Nets, one of the hottest teams to close out the regular season. Seems like an exciting series to keep an eye on.

Honestly, I find this case pretty similar to my Bulls post last night. The Pacers have been one of my preferred Eastern Conference teams for several seasons already. This year though, I guess I can identify some angles that I can call reasons for not liking them.

Well, aside from the fact that I like Jersey, this particular Pacers season was not a very impressive one for me. Blame it on Ron Artest, perhaps; but even I consider his departure a blow to the Pacers' appeal to me (click here for an example of what the Pacers lost in parting with Artest). Other than this sort-of-identity-crisis, though, this year's Pacer team has become a little too dysfunctional for me to like. Quoting Jermaine O'Neal, sometime near the close of the regular season:

"We're just embarrassing ourselves each and every night. We don't even deserve to be in the playoffs."

"I don't know if we're tanking the season and don't want to go to the playoffs. I don't know what it is."

"In this world there's talkers and there's doers. We're just talking. That's all we are, a talking team. I don't understand it for the life of me."

(Props to Yaysports! NBA for giving me a heads-up on these soundbites.)

Jermaine probably won't even be a Pacer anymore come next season. Go figure.

(Pacers logo from www.sportslogos.net)

_______________________________________
See Why I don't want the Lakers to win
See Why I don't want the Bucks to win
See Why I don't want the Kings to win
See Why I don't want the Bulls to win

The following is a list of teams I don't want to win.

1. Atlanta Hawks - Because they're not the Timberwolves and because JJ is a selfish SOB
   
2. Boston Celtics - Because they're not the Timberwolves
3. Charlotte Bobcats - Because they're not the Timberwolves
4. Chicago Bulls - Because they're not the Timberwolves
5. Cleveland Cavaliers - Because they're not the Timberwolves
6. Dallas Mavericks - Because they're not the Timberwolves and just to spite Carlo
   
7. Denver Nuggets - Because they're not the Timberwolves and their whole frontline's in and out of the IR
   
8. Detroit Pistons - Because they're not the Timberwolves, and even if they'll probably win it all anyway
   
9. Golden State Warriors - Because they're not the Timberwolves
10. Houston Rockets - Because they're not the Timberwolves and T-Mac bothers me
11. Indiana Pacers - Because they're not the Timberwolves
12. Los Angeles Clippers - Because they're not the Timberwolves
13. Los Angeles Lakers - Because they're not the Timberwolves
14. Memphis Grizzlies - Because they're not the Timberwolves and to spite Eumir
15. Miami Heat - Because they're not the Timberwolves and I don't like Antoine Walker
    
16. Milwaukee Bucks - Because they're not the Timberwolves and I don't like how "Milwaukee" is spelled
    
17. New Jersey Nets - Because they're not the Timberwolves and Vince Carter should be damned for the Raptors debacle
    
18. New Orleans Hornets - Because they're not the Timberwolves
19. New York Knicks - Because they're not the Timberwolves and there's no point in rooting for them since its impossible for them to win anyway
20. Orlando Magic - Because they're not the Timberwolves
21. Phoenix Suns - Because they're not the Timberwolves and to spite Jase and his fanaticism
22. Philadelphia 76ers - Because they're not the Timberwolves and Chris Webber sucks
23. Portland Trailblazers - Because they're not the Timberwolves and Darius Miles and Z-bo both suck
24. Sacramento Kings - Because they're not the Timberwolves
25. San Antonio Spurs - Because they're not the Timberwolves and they're damn boring
26. Toronto Raptors - Because they're not the Timberwolves
27. Utah Jazz - Because they're not the Timberwolves and they don't have a chance in hell without Stockton and Malone
28. Washington Wizards - Because they're not the Timberwolves and Arenas' perpetual search for revenge and hatin' cannot lead to good things, so says the Good Book

There you have it. All of my "Why I don't want the [team name] to win" entries in one long list. And for formality's sake, here's a list of teams I wouldn't mind winning and why:

1. Seattle Supersonics - Because Ray-ray, Ridnour, Shard, Petro, and Swift are awesome.
   

First, because they don't have a token European guy with a beard(Peja? Pau?), and second because they have a point guard who always reminds me of John Stockton, the dirtiest player who ever lived...next to Reggie Miller.

Just a little change in my schedule folks. I just realized that I'll be out of town this weekend so I might try to speed things up with this blog series. Expect to see more than one feature each day. I still hope I can deliver clear--and, well, entertaining--insights in the process.

Here we go. We now take a look at the Chicago Bulls and why they won't go far in these playoffs--according to my book, that is.

Oh-kay. Disclaimer time. This is going to come out as my suckiest reason in this series yet because I actually cannot think of a single reason to not like the Bulls. It even works in their favor that they're currently matched up against the Miami Heat--one of the teams I most strongly oppose (check right back here in a few days for my post about the Heat).

Anyway, let's get to it. I don't want the Bulls to win simply because... well, they're not the Phoenix Suns--which I've long established to be the team I'm rabidly rooting for... Yup. Sucky reason. Don't say I didn't warn ya... Nope, not the Suns, not in terms of system/game philosophy and especially not in the existential sense (mweheh).

So there. I'll go sleep and dream up better reasons for the rest of the teams. Haha.

In the meantime, though--i.e. at least for the first round--GO, BULLS!

(Team logos from www.sportslogos.net)

_______________________________________
See Why I don't want the Lakers to win
See Why I don't want the Bucks to win
See Why I don't want the Kings to win

The Sacramento Kings are seeded number eight in the Western Conference and face the defending champs, the San Antonio Spurs. (Sacto has dropped Game 1 already, by the way, losing big time at that.)

In these playoffs, I give the Kings my no-love for two reasons:

For starters, I kinda wanted the New/OklaCity Hornets to make the postseason just to give Chris Paul a nice end to complete his stellar rookie year--even if that meant being owned by the Spurs in a first-round matchup. The Kings late-season surge--combined with the Hornets' own slide around the same time--pushed the latter out of playoff contention.

Another thing I have against the Kings was that they sort of killed me in the fantasy league. Okay, this is a lame-ass reason, but since I'm at it, I might as well put it down in writing. Brad Miller had been something of a disappointment for me all fantasy season long, not delivering the numbers (or not doing so consistently enough) I had expected from him as a starting center. Anybody think Fortification has anything to do with this?

Perhaps this was my fault, not knowing Brad's game enough. But this doesn't take away the fact that my fantasy finals opponent, who himself is widely regarded as "King" (haha), had two other Kings on his lineup--one of which I consider particularly responsible for the decimation of my title defense hopes: Verne Troyer Mike Bibby. (The other King was the Tru Fantasy Warier himself.)

(Kings logo from www.sportslogos.net; NOH pic from Yahoo! Sports; Brad Miller pic courtesy of Joe-poy)

_________________________________________________
See Why I don't want the Lakers to win
See Why I don't want the Bucks to win

Today (pardon me for posting this late), we look at the eighth-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks.

Led by the dead-eye shooting of Michael Redd and the... um... well... okay. *Ahem* Led by the dead-eye shooting of Michael Redd, the Bucks look to somehow distract this season's top-ranked Detroit Pistons on their road to the Finals. Good luck, Buckeroos. There probably isn't any point in writing this Why I don't want... anymore. Taking even just one game in this series is already considered a longshot in many circles (most of them round).

But hey, that's beside the point of this entry. This is my reason for not wanting the Bucks to win:


Vengeance! Milwaukee owned the Suns in this game--incidentally, the Suns' first game to send Amare back on the sidelines since his much-anticipated return. Yeah, this one hurt. They gave the Suns a dose of their own medicine, alright:


18-of-32 threes! That was a franchise-best for Milwaukee, but what made it worse (for us, Suns fans, at least) was that they hit an NBA-best 11 in one quarter (the third)--I'm just not sure whether these marks were tied/broken in any of the later games.

Oh, and another thing: The Bucks wear green, which is the same color worn by DLSU, which now happens to be suspended from a year's participation in the UAAP games. Tsk.

(Bucks logo from www.sportslogos.net)

_________________________________________________
See Why I don't want the Lakers to win

I'll have to agree with Scottie here. It's premature to say that. I will concede that it might be possible one day given the right circumstances - Kobe plays on and leads a team with the talent and cohesion of the greatest teams in NBA history, and win a championship a few times while doing it. Until those circumstances come to pass, there shouldn't be even second-thoughts that there's a greater player than MJ.

[Heck, with all of the recent rule changes that have favored perimeter players and the level of physicality the NBA meta-game had during the Jordan-era, we can probably never say if Kobe can even approach MJ's game.]

I remember being one of those who believed that this Sacramento would not make to the playoffs this year. As soon as injuries struck the Kings, with Peja and Bonzi down, I assumed that their franchise would be one of those who would get early lottery picks. Even after Artest was traded to the Kings, I still had my doubts. I must admit I was very disappointed when he asked for a trade from Pacers president Donnie Walsh. In fact, betrayed would be a more fitting term. I was rooting for the Indiana Pacers then and hoping that they would finally win over Detroit in the post-season. But then again, things change. Fate would not allow a rematch between the Pacers (with Artest) and Detroit.

When Artest was finally traded to Sacramento, I didn’t think he would fit in to their system. For years, Sacramento has been known for their team game and terrific offense and I couldn’t imagine where Artest would fit. He even made a bold prediction that they would make the playoffs and as I saw it during that time, I must admit I had my doubts. But then again, things change. The Kings renewed their identity and became a defensive team, relying on tough half-court defense to create opportunities for their offense. It all seemed that the moves they made since their loss to the Lakers during the Conference finals was to build a defensive team, and that Artest was the final piece of the puzzle.

As the Kings started to come back from a seemingly hopeless season, some players stepped up, showing what they could do and raising some eyebrows in the process, including mine. These players are 2^nd year Kevin Martin, rookie Francisco Garcia, and veteran Kenny Thomas. Kevin Martin showed the league that he could be a scoring threat, averaging more than 20 PPG during the first few weeks since Artest’s arrival. Francisco Garcia was not bad either, running the point and having his share of jumpers despite being a rookie. And Kenny Thomas, despite being smaller than most power forwards could have double digit numbers in the rebounding department if given enough playing time. They were having good chemistry during their run. My friend and I even imagined what if they would make it to number 6 and match up against Denver. It would have been a good match-up and the Kings could come out on top. But then again, things change. Kevin Martin was injured and was replaced by Bonzi Wells. Shareef Abdur-Rahim also returned and replaced Kenny Thomas from time to time. Little did I know, the Kings would never reach no.6 this season.

As the line-up changed, I noticed that their offense had also changed. The team’s offense relied more on one-on-one match-ups, which I found it dull to watch. Watching missed baskets and turnovers whenever they did their one-on-one’s would make me grimace and say, “Dapat pinasa mo!!” Despite their worse offense, at least their defense was still worth watching. I found their games exciting whenever the other team is being suffocated by their stingy defense.

The Kings would eventually clinch the number 8 spot with Artest making good with his previous guarantee. But then he recently made another as he promised that the Kings would make through the first round. They’ll be facing defending champions San Antonio Spurs, and I must say it would be no easy task. Nawili ata sa guarantees niya. But then, things change. I wouldn’t mind Sacramento surprising me again. But for now, Sacramento, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

I'm sorry, everyone, but everyone's going down to the one and only...

Oh. Right. They're not in the playoffs... well, then that only means the team that will go all the way this year will be none other than the mighty...

Waitaminute. They're even lower in the rankings.

SCREW IT.
I'm looking forward to the off-season.

"I put together our roster on 'NBA Live' and we're pretty good"
-Jalen Rose on the Knicks $125 million roster

I suppose we can blame the game designers for their skill rating methodology but the reality is that team chemistry is too difficult a concept to formulate in both videogames and reality. Teams with players openly trashing each other doesn't neccessarily mean it's lost on them, just ask Shaq and Kobe. It's obvious, however, that building a team with a winning attitude and like-minded players is always a good start in creating a semblance of togetherness. More and more teams are following the Pistons or Spurs model in building their franchises, and with great success. Isaiah Thomas' favored trading partner, the Chicago Bulls, have made consecutive playoff appearances with a team that traded talented but incompatible players in Jamaal Crawford and Eddy Curry. Looking at the NBA teams' performances this season show the importance of developing a team with focus and stability. For teams such as the Knicks, Sixers and Warriors, they only need to look at the Sonics, Magic or Raptors' improvement after trading malcontents from their roster.

The 2006 NBA Playoffs begin this Sunday (Manila time) and while my fellow bloggers here are posting their thoughts about who will win what awards and stuff, this is what I offer for the postseason.

Every day beginning today (I hope I don't run out of ideas), I'm going to feature a Playoff team and the reason/s I don't want the said team to win--a particular round, the whole thing, whatever. Of course, the Phoenix Suns are exempted here, since this is the team I'm hoping to go all the way. (I leave it to the rest of the guys to do the Suns-bashing, just to be fair.)

Our featured team for today is the storied franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers.

This one's pretty easy.

No, it's not a Laker-hater thing. Their non-dominance the past couple seasons have allowed me to go easy on them. I actually rooted for the Lakers at some points this season. And it isn't a Kobe thing, either. I sort of considered this year as one of redemption for the guy and I've come to respect him and his talents (finally).

The real reason I don't want to see the Lakers winning in these Playoffs? Simple:



The Lakers face my Phoenix Suns in the first round. What else can you expect from me? :)

See y'all tomorrow!

(Team logos from www.sportslogos.net)

Congratulations to Alvin's TheShikaka for winning it all in the recently concluded 2006 East Rombo Fantasy NBA League!

While I'd like to blame bad schedules and rested players for my failed title defense, fact is, my Whomping Willows were simply outmatched and outclassed in this one. There's always next year (and even more, right?), anyway. :)

Starring James Yap of Purefoods Chunkee Giants and Billy Mamaril of the Coca Cola Tigers.

Notice how Billy Mamaril stares at James Yap while doing his thing on the court.

[photo by Virg.]

[Mula sa Philippine Star]

Hindi lang iilan ang nakapagsabi sa amin na bading na ang isang dating college player na hindi nakatuntong sa PBA.
Hindi na raw napigilan ng dating college player na ito ang bumigay.
Madalas siya sa mga spa at doon nang-hahanting.
Nakakaloka!

Ooh... nakakaloka nga!

Nagtataka rin ang mga dating teammates ng isang magaling na dating college player na nakarating din sa PBL at sa MBA.
Medyo may idad na siya pero hindi pa rin nag-aasawa.
Noon pa man, napansin na ng mga teammates niya na medyo iba ang kasarian ni player dahil kung maligo raw ito eh pagkatagal-tagal, at pag natapos nang maligo eh sangkaterba na ang seremonyas sa katawan niya.
At lahat ng nagiging best friends niya since college at PBL days eh guwapo.
Tama nga ang suspetsa nila, bading nga si player.

Matagal nang tsismis at matagal na ring misteryo sa mga players ng isang PBA team kung ano ba talaga ang kasarian ng isa sa kanilang top executives.
Madalas pa naman ito sa dugout kapag nagbibihis na ang mga players kaya naman naiilang din sila.
Hindi nila makumpirma kasi nga ay macho ang dating nito at parang walang trace ng kabadingan.
Pero kwidaw, ayaw naman matapos-tapos ang tsismis na kabilang na rin siya sa federacion.
Ayaw lang daw umamin.
Ayaw pang bumigay sa PBA community.
Ha ha ha....

eto pa ang isang pinagdududahang dating pro player na ngayon ay basketball coach na din.

May asawa siya pero kahit na pamilyado, hindi tumitigil ang bulung-bulungan na isa na rin siyang kabaro sa federacion.
Madalas din siya sa mga gym at spa, at suspetsa ng ilang nakakakita sa kanya, hindi siya nagpapalaki ng katawan dahil malaki at maskulado na siya.
Mahilig daw siyang tumingin sa katawan ng mga lalake.
Kaya magpahanggang ngayon, patuloy pa rin ang mga tsismis na bading na nga si former PBA player

Some friends leave you just when you need them. Some friends rub your faults in, making you feel worse than before. But some friends are just plain dicks that even if they're better off than you, they even TRICK you into losing your money.

I present the Superdick Friend of the Year: Gilbert Arenas.

Arenas pretended to be a novice at the video game until he and McCondichie agreed to bet their respective vehicles on it: a Cadillac Escalade vs. the Monte Carlo, straight-up.
"He beat me real bad," McCondichie says. "It wasn't even close."
Arenas had his newly secured possession shipped to the District and has been thoughtful enough to send photographs of it to his buddy this year. Or perhaps those photographs are the basketball equivalent of a taunt.
"Darnell has a year-long bus pass," Arenas says with a proud grin.
That is not really true, of course.
McCondichie used public transportation for a spell before purchasing a 2005 Yukon.
"He even offered to lend the Monte Carlo back to me to help me out," McCondichie says. "But I had too much pride for that. He is just being retarded."

I mean, wow, he earns millions per year and he tricks his friend into betting his friend's only car against his Cadillac. What a guy. Well maybe it's just something that he did once, you know, like a prank of some sort to spite his friend (just like someone I know *cough* Josh Smith *cough*) but there's more:

The two pals are planning a bowl-off this summer, with the Monte Carlo representing Arenas' ante. Arenas has agreed to a bowl-off knowing McCondichie is a considerably stronger bowler than him.
"I intimidate him in bowling," McCondichie says. "He is usually in the 160 range. I am in the 190-215 range. The Monte Carlo is coming back to Los Angeles."

You might think that Arenas may be planning to give back the car to his friend discreetly by losing in bowling but no. That's what you and McCondichie thinks.

Bowling? He has three custom balls, one featuring a boxing glove with Sugar Ray Leonard's signature on it. He'll bowl for three to four hours every day during the summer, usually in the 200s, and his high score is 277.

"He'd rather go bowling on a Friday night than go out to the club and party with his boys," Jamison said

GOOD LORD. I think he's planning to take all of his friend's money just to spite him. What a friend.

From:
The original article
Where Bit found the rumor
Gilbertology 101 (where I read about his bowling skills)

I present to you a quote directly from my selection for "Selfish Bastard of the Year":

"I think that since I left, they [the Supersonics] knew there was no more chance for the playoffs," Radmanovic said. "They've been playing younger players and trying to build the team up for next year. It's hard to see that, but I'm really happy that I'm in the playoffs."

That also makes Radman one of the leading candidates for the "Player Most Delusionally Impressed With Himself" award.

The other day, I read an article by Steve Kerr regarding the dilemma the Portland Trailblazers front office is currently in. Apparently, management is losing money and if worse comes to worst, it even might take them to sell the whole team just to save it. According to the article, the Portland Trailblazers’ problem started when team owner, Paul Allen gave then-general manager Bob Whitsitt a seemingly unlimited budget to create a team that would lead them to the Promised Land. With such budget, he acquired the services of highly paid veterans such as Scottie Pippen and Shawn Kemp despite already having highly paid players in Rasheed Wallace and Damon Stoudamire. The 2002-03 payroll vaulted to $105 million, meaning the Blazers had to pay upwards of $50 million in luxury tax fees to the league. However, the team that was assembled never met the franchise’s high expectations. Players such as Rasheed Wallace, Bonzi Wells, Rod Strickland had their share of distractions on and off the court. They were even given the monicker “The Jailblazers”, as they had their respective run-ins with the law. With such a team, the community of Portland, including local businesses, slowly withdrew their support from the team. Adding to that, Allen and Whitsitt – both of whom lived in Seattle – would fly to and from Portland from time to time, forging little or no bond with the community.

The New York Knicks, a franchise with a rich tradition, is currently having a similar situation to the Portland Trailblazers then. Isiah Thomas was given the liberty to use its bottomless budget to assemble a team that would push them further in the playoffs. During the off-season, he acquired veteran coach Larry Brown and talented players such as Jamal Crawford, Eddy Curry, Jerome James, Quentin Richardson. They also traded Antonio Davis for Jalen Rose during the mid-season. With these players’ performances during last season, one would expect a team that would at least reach the Conference Semi-Finals during the playoffs, but then the plan backfired. The New York Knicks currently hold one of the worst records (if not the worst) in the league and conflicts have arisen between players and personnel.

Both of these franchises had a dream of building a team that would go all the way. However, these two franchises thought that their money would be the key to success. They failed to see the difference between a good team and a group of talented individuals. The Trailblazers and Knicks franchises both built a group of talented individuals. But then they lacked the chemistry that brought success to championship teams of the past. Phil Jackson, who coached the Bulls’ championship teams during the 90’s and Lakers’ championship teams that ruled during the early in the decade, always emphasized the team game. He always reminded and encouraged the players to sacrifice a bit of the “I” in order to attain the goals of the “We”, which in their situation is the NBA Championship. As Bill Cartwright would put it, “Everyone wants to win, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes to win”. Even Michael needed REAL teammates to win the big one.

I was tweaking the site template and suddenly found a jumble of code instead of our regular quality content. Turned out that either by my fault or Blogger's, the template code abruptly stopped somewhere in the middle of the CSS styles and no longer had the succeeding HTML code. Yikes.

Fortunately, I remembered most of my changes so I was able to recover our signature look. Unfortunately, our custom links and features in the sidebar are gone. Could I request my fellow bloggers here to put them in there again?

Sorry for the inconvenience.
I'm just doing my job as the self-appointed editor. :-)
It won't happen again.

By the way, this new layout is too wide for people stuck on 800x600 screen resolutions. If anyone reading our awesomeness is still stuck with that, I suggest an upgrade. ;-)

The NBA season is coming to a close and each of us is rooting for our teams: me for Memphis, Bit for Minnesota and Seattle (though both teams are out of the playoffs now), Gerald for Utah (this one too), Jason for Phoenix, Alvin for Philadelphia, Charlo for Ginebra, I mean um Dallas, Jopoy for the LA Rapers and Jep for the Bad Boys in Detroit (I really don't know which team Jep roots for, but seeing that he's black he probably would root for a team with black bad boys in it).

Anyway, with the season ending, the season awards are also in sight. I saw Marty Burn's article on the season awards (I haven't read it all yet, so as not to influence my own judgement - I just checked the awards to be given and some likely candidates for coach of the year, aside from the obvious choice of Flip Saunders).

Here are the awards:

Most Valueable Player: Steve Nash
Yeah, as much as he really reminds me of John Stockton (I don't know why. Is it the assissts? Or just the way he plays? I don't know.) , he really is his team's most valuable player. Some said that after Quentin "Q" Richardson and Joe "JJ" Johnson left, the Suns would also fall, since they wouldn't have any outside threats anymore. You better ask Jason about how the Suns play, but the bottomline of those rumors was that the Suns relied on Nash and their shooters too much, because by spreading the defense, they also open up the post, for Amare and Marion.

(They really love calling each other with letters, huh? So I guess they call Nash, S or N, or SN... never mind.)

Look at where the Suns are now. Even without JJ and Q, even without Amare, the Suns still found ways to score. And that's where Nash comes in. His brilliant play makes their jobs easier, because he almost always finds the open man. With that kind of play, the only thing you really have to worry about is making the shot. Actually, my first vote for this award would be either Elton Brand or Chauncey Billups, but Nash really showed how important he was to the team when he was injured. The Suns lost all (I think) of the games they played without Nash. Yeah, the Lakers will also most likely lose if Kobe didn't play (actually they did win some games without him) but that's because he is their leading scorer. Nash isn't.

Other candidates: Elton Brand, Chauncey Billups, Lebron James

Most Improved Player: Boris Diaw
Although most think that Boris Diaw's level of play right now is just because of his minutes doubling, I still think that he really is the league's Most Improved Player. Actually, this award is very hard to give, since I don't even know the basis of the award. Is it the stats? Or is it how the player plays? There are so many 'improved' players to choose from, like Mike James, Delonte West (he is considered a rookie but he played 39 games last season), Smush Parker, David West, etc., but Diaw is the best candidate. Not only did he improve his skills in almost all of the major categories (points, rebounds, assists, FG%, steals and blocks), but he also has raised his overall play to a higher level. He can now play in almost all of the positions (except shooting guard) and with this versatility, he really is a threat to most opponents. Plus, he is part of the 'Elite Three' of players who are averaging 6 assists and rebounds to go with a double digit scoring average. (The other two are Lebron James, and Jason Kidd - Dwyane Wade is supposed to be here he's 0.2 rebounds short last I checked.) I think Jason is puffing his chest out now since Boris Diaw also comes from the Suns.

(I'm just being realistic here. If I wasn't, I'd vote Pau Gasol for MIP since he also improved his game, but he got minus points for not 'improving' his looks. I mean, first he looked like some Spanish cassanova, and now, he looks like a terrorist.)

Other candidates: Delonte West, Smush Parker, Mike James, David West, Kevin Martin

Sixth Man: Mike Miller
Finally! A Grizzly! He gets my vote because of his stellar play this season. Although his field goal and free throw percentages are a bit lower this season, he makes up for it with his improved scoring and rebounds. What really made his case were the two stellar games he played this season: getting his (and his team's) first triple double and setting a career and franchise high for points (41 points - but this was broken by Pau Gasol 5 games later). He was the first Memphis reserve to ever get a triple double (not to mention the first Grizzly) and he was also the first to score that much. I mean all that from a reserve? If all of Memphis' reserves played like that, they'd have the deepest bench in the league.

Other candidates: Mo Williams, Speedy Claxton, Alonzo Mourning, Eddie House

Rookie of the Year: Chris Paul
This is a no-brainer. He leads the rookies in points, assists and steals and rebounds (I think he is at 2nd or 3rd in boards among rookies) making him a mini Jason Kidd. This kid CAN play. I'm sure the Hawks are shaking their heads right now for not choosing Paul in the draft. I mean, look at his stat line, 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game. He is just beginning to develop his skills more and who knows what kind of monstrous stat line this kid will produce in the next several years. I think this guy will be part of the all-star cast by next year.

And speaking of kids, Jason Kidd's stat line during his rookie year was: 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.7 assists, to go with 38.5% shooting and 69.8% in free throws (as opposed to Paul's 43.2 and 84.5 respectively).

Other candidates (this is only applicable if Chris Paul is kicked out of the NBA fbefore this season ends): Albert Caus..I mean Raymond Felton, Charlie Villanueva

Coach of the Year: Flip Saunders
The fight for this award is close. There are other coaches who turned their teams around this season, like Mike Fratello, Mike D'Antoni, Mike Dunleavy (what's with all the Mikes?) etc., but Flip gets it because of how he managed the Pistons this year. Not only is he leading the Pistons into a stellar year, but he's doing so by not changing their style of play. He made them better by incorporating his offense into their defense. I mean, the Piston's were a defensive team last year, and we all know that Flip Saunders' plays are all offense based, but look at what he did. Personally, I didn't think the Pistons would be a top-caliber team when they hired Saunders because of his previous job in Minnesota, so I was really surprised when the Pistons started winning early this season. What amazes me is how the Pistons managed to retain their suffocating defense and then explode with their offense. We saw this earlier this season, with Hamilton torching their opponents with hot scoring (37 and 26 points in their first two games) and even now, they are still trying to find more ways to score, like going to Big Ben and Rasheed.

Other candidates: The 3 Mikes

Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Wallace
This was also hard to give, since sometimes we shouldn't look at the stats to choose who the best defensive player is. Sometimes shutting down opponents could be a basis, but I don't watch the games that much to actually pick someone with this criteria. People have been rooting for Bruce Bowen ever since the Spurs won a championship, but I don't know. I haven't watched him play that much to even compare him with other perimeter defenders like Tayshaun Prince or Greg Buckner or whoever. So my basis right now are their stats, so bear with me. Actually, if you just look at the stats right off the bat, Gerald Wallace wins immediately. He is the only player averaging at least 2 blocks and 2 steals per game right now, but due to his injuries (yeah, you know, he's just like Baron Davis and Marcus Camby - the injury magnets), it decreases his 'value'.

So why did I pick Big Ben? Well actually Shawn Marion is the closest to Gerald Wallace, averaging 2 steals and 1.7 blocks, but with 1.8 steals and 2.2 blocks, Big Ben really shows how much of a defensive player he is. Sure there was a time where Marion had a monstrous 8 steals, but there was also a time when Big Ben was averaging almost 3 blocks and steals per game (not to mention his monster game where he had 5 steals and 6 blocks - I mean, with that kind of stat line, no one should even want to go near him). AK47 and Alonzo Mourning can also be candidates, but they only contribute in 1 area: blocks. That's kind of easy to do especially with people their size. I mean look at the top 10 in steals: with the exception of Marion and Artest, all of them are guards. Wallace is a forward-center and that's saying it all. Even with his size, he is still that quick to steal from his opponents. Maybe it's just the fro. Or his Ultimate Warrior look (not to be confused with the 'Tru Warier').

Other candidates: Gerald Wallace, Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirilenko

And that's it folks. Have a Happy Easter and don't forget to paint your eggs. I mean for the Easter Egg Hunt. Yeah. Paint them for the Easter Bunny.

I'm usually very careful of my choice of words when talking about relatively sensitive subjects. I pay attention to what I say, how I say it, and how others could possibly understand what I say. It's borderline paranoid, really, but my point is that sometimes no matter what your intentions are, sometimes what you really wanna say unintentionally comes out.

Read this quote from the New York Times (registration required):

"I've got an owner who is committed to do what's right and a general manager committed to do what he thinks is right, so we'll figure it out," Brown said. "We've already made a lot of progress in that regard."

Larry Brown said that. He believes that he's got an owner who will "do what's right" and a GM who does "what he thinks is right". Doesn't sound like he's very confident in his GM's view of what's right.

While I'm doing some quoting, here's one from the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

"If I move on in order for them to get 'Ticket' more help here, so be it. I just want to see him win. Because he deserves it." So Hassell would "sacrifice" himself to the cause? "I would. Even if I got to go, I'd rather see that," he said.

I salute you, Mr. Hassell. I salute you.

First, Paul Shirley. Now this:



"Boy, I'm jealous..."

Hahahahahahahah!

Taulava loses big stake: his hair

Agnes R. Cruz
http://www.philippinestoday.net/April2002/sports3_402.htm

MANILA: Hair today, gone tomorrow.

Fil-Tongan Paul Asi Taulava, six-feet-nine, strong and very mobile, and, oh, yes, he with long blonde-and-black curls, has just lost one of his most precious possessions in life.

It is priceless in every sense of the word. It would only take another Paul Asi Taulava to possess it. Only he could rightfully own it.

But make no mistake about it because normally it would only take a few weeks, maybe a month the most, for Taulava to reproduce it.

	Paul Asi Taulava tries to keep the ball.

As a matter of fact, it would not even make him touch his fat bank account if only to replace it. And he would not need at all to hire someone else to search for it.
All he has to do right now is plain and simple: let Father Time take care of it, go about his daily business, and learn to wait for it come back - and wait patiently.

For before he knows it, that God-given treasure could be in his possession again, and inevitably out in the open for the public, particularly his big legion of fans across the country, to see it for themselves - literally.

So what's that priceless possession then, huh?

Well, what else but his hair. Yup, that's right, his blonde-and-black hair.

No thanks to bosom buddy Davonn Harp, Taulava has just paid the price of having to shave his locks off. And right now, all the curls are gone.

Harp knocked in a Hail Mary shot from beyond the three-point arc to beat the buzzer and lift RP Hapee to a pulsating 65-64 win over Taulava's RP Selecta just a while back in the two national training teams' first showdown in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors Cup.

Truly, it was a thriller of an encounter between the two teams of aspirants for the Asian Games in the Governors Cup eliminations.

So cruel was fate to RP Selecta, which is arguably the odds-on favorite between the two which are using their Governors' Cup appearance as a preparation for the Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, in September, that it allowed Harp's squad escape with the victory in the most unexpected, if not bizarre, way.

And it was up to Taulava to pay the price.

The mammoth slotman who is largely considered as a shoo-in to the Asiad-bound Philippine team had just lost a big wager, which cost him his fashionably elegant hair.

"He said he would shave off his precious locks if they lost," revealed Jeffrey Cariaso, Hapee's ace slasher who fuelled the team's searing endgame comeback punctuated by Harp's close-to-impossible triple with 1.5 seconds remaining.

"Off with the hair," Andy Seigle kept repeating as he joined a virtual pandemonium on the hardcourt at the sound of the buzzer.

The happy cluster of players after the game ganged up on Taulava who had bet he would cut his hair short if lesser-hyped Hapee would win over his Selecta side, which had consistently won in their scrimmages.

So he lost the bet - and to go with it was his thick hair.

With the bitter consequence all registered on his mind, Taulava took it all in stride, walking off the noisy dugout with an enigmatic smile written all over his massive face.

Actually, it would have been better if anybody had taken the make-or-break trey that arranged Taulava's unscheduled date with the hairstylist.

But, hey, not Harp, who could well be the PBA's own version of Shaquille O'Neal when it comes to shooting bricks from the foul line.

So how would you expect a man who can hardly even make his free throws to have the heart and the guts to take a shot from beyond the trifectaville at a time when the game was on the line, huh?

"There was no more time, and I was not expecting him to make the shot," said Taulava, breaking into a big juicy laugh, "but he did."

Rightly so, Harp himself was surprised to have taken the shot - and made it.
"It was fluke shot," recalled Harp. "I was looking for a foul, but time was running out and I shot it."

Harp never expected to have the leather still resting on his hands with time running down and the crowd holding their breath and growing impatient waiting for what could be the final sequence to the thriller. Worse, Taulava was all over him.
Stuck from way behind the rainbow area, the Red Bull standout leaned back on Taulava, made one chest-high dribble, and pivoted out of the beanpole's reach and, with a fraction of a second left, launched an awkward shot he rarely takes that banged into the rim as time expired.

What followed instantly was wild celebration on the hardcourt. The players of Hapee ganged up on Taulava. Rudy Hatfield doing a piggyback ride on him. Some clambered up Taulava's massively-built shoulders, tugged at his blonde-and-black curls.

Now, this is my kind of writeup.

Go, Suns! Hahaha.

Due to my untimely elimination care of a 4-5 loss (just 6 damned assists short), I will no longer report the happenings in the league. It will be enough to say that Alvin (boo!) and Jase have made it in.

Boo!

Last Friday, after the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings won a close game over the Coca-Cola Tigers, 84-81, in the ongoing eliminations at the PBA Philippine Cup, Ginebra coach Siot Tanquincen told the media that the Kings are trying out a new system after they lost to Red Bull in the last PBA Fiesta Conference. Yesterday's game against the Alaska Aces was witness to the new system that Ginebra's trying and struggling to implement.

Ginebra's old system focused on their big men at the post. Ginebra's strength has always been in the post with big men, Eric Menk, Romel Adducul, then import Chris Porter, and Andy Seigle manning the paint. However, in the semifinals match against Red Bull, the Bulls had the post covered so well by double-teaming each post player (I saw how Chris Porter struggled on each possession) causing Ginebra to bleed, missing those seemingly easy high percentage shots. I hate to admit it, but Enrico Villanueva did a good job of defending Eric Menk, Romel Adducul, and even Chris Porter. The norm against the double team is passing the ball to the open man, but Ginebra's jumpshooters couldn't shoot the ball (remember how Jayjay Helterbrand was 1/8 from the floor in Game 7 of the Fiesta Conference last Feb 5, 2006?). Also, in that semifinals match, as far as I can remember, Ginebra's guards couldn't drive to the basket because of Red Bull's pesky defense.

In Ginebra's three game skid against San Miguel Beermen, Purefoods Chunkee Giants, we saw a struggle for shots by the Ginebra camp, hence the low scores: 59 against SMB and 56 against PF. Aside from the fact that Menk (2/10 FG against SMB and 2/14 against PF) was injured at that time and that Romel Adducul was struggling at the post (1/6 FG against SMB and 1/4 FG against PF), Ginebra went to its post players despite the suffocating defense thrown at them. Horrible. Siot Tanquincen would later claim that it was a toss between implementing the old system involving more postplays and their new system. Ginebra lost to Air21 Express again, but I wasn't able to watch that game (OMG!) neither live nor on TV.

Ginebra barely escaped Coca-Cola last Friday, March 31, 2006. I didn't watched the game except for the last two minutes (after I woke up), but Siot would later tell the media that they implemented the new system and "it's up to the other teams to find out what that system is." Maybe I'll consider Ginebra to be lucky on that day when the breaks of the game went to Ginebra's favor as Dale Singson pulled costly turnovers and hurried shots. Ginebra won 83-80 after Mark Caguioa sealed the win with two freethrows off a foul by Dale Singson.

Then came Ginebra's game against the Aces. As Quinito "the Dean" Henson explained, Ginebra shifted from post-plays to a guard-oriented offense led by Mark Caguioa, Jayjay Helterbrand, and Kalani Ferreria (with Sunday Salvacion and Rodney Santos coming off the bench) with Eric Menk and rookie Mike Holper - far from their usual tall line-up of Adducul-Menk-Holper-Caguioa-Helterbrand.

The guard play is similar to what Red Bull is doing with their wingmen Larry Fonacier, Lordy Tugade, Cyrus Baguio, and Diego... err.. Junthy Valenzuela. Remember back in Game 7 of the PBA Fiesta Conference Semifinals back in Feb 5, 2006? Ginebra's guards scored only 33 against Red Bull's 54.

Even if they were downed by Alaska in the first quarter as the Aces led by as much as 10 points, Ginebra noticeably never went to the post, and moved the ball around as if each player had touched and passed the ball in each possession. It was notable that Ginebra relied on its outside shooting than post plays. Well, when did you ever see Romel Adducul take jumpshots? Of his three field goals in that game (against eight attempts), two came from outside the paint (well, his free throw is another story as he muffed all of his two free throws in that game). Eric Menk was seen driving to the basket more than he posted up. The style of Ginebra was to take more outside shots, to let the big men do the rebounding and to have a lot of passing and ball rotation. Trigger-happy Mark Caguioa had 25 points, mostly coming from fadeaway shots off a post play with Jeffrey Cariaso.

Ginebra though, didn't play rotate their men: from a 10 man rotation which included shock troopers Mark Macapagal, Aris Dimaunahan, and Ervin Sotto, Ginebra played with only eight players, with Sunday Salvacion, Rodney Santos, and Romel Adducul coming off the bench. The risk though was that all of Ginebra's big men go into foul trouble with at least five each by the end of the fourth quarter, and tiring its major players - Menk, Caguioa, and Helterbrand each had played at least 45 minutes in that game. (No one has beaten Jaworski though for playing ALL minutes with 3 overtimes when he was 40 years old.) To make things worse, Ginebra lost Rodney Santos midway through the fourth quarter to a knee injury. Somehow, Rodney's injury crippled Ginebra's guard rotation, forcing Sunday Salvacion to play unusually extended minutes to fill Santos' gap.

Still, I can say that Ginebra got lucky with its win over Alaska. It's not easy to adjust to a new system, just like what happened to San Miguel last 2006 PBA Fiesta Conference. The Beermen almost finished deadlast while trying to implement a new system. Ginebra got away with it because of Alaska's turnovers towards the end of the game courtesy of Tony dela Cruz (poor guy, he missed the shot that could have won it for Alaska instead of going to overtime, and then he turned the ball over as the ball went between his legs off a pass from Jeffrey Cariaso in the dying seconds of the first overtime, and finally, Sunday Salvacion shot a triple in his face), Nic Belasco's rebound that he lost off his foot and rolled out of bounds in the last two minutes of overtime.


Sunday Salvacion's saving grace on that Sunday evening


This one's for Rodney!

The problem with this system is concentrating the offense too much on the guards. I'm sure other teams will find a way to stop the guards of the Gin Kings. Gang rebounding by other teams may work against Ginebra since this system seems to make them too small compared to other teams (and this sytem would require Eric Menk to substitute for Romel Adducul and vice versa). Also, the risk for Ginebra is that they're shooting more from the outside rather than in the paint. What if their shots don't fall as desired? Other teams may exploit Ginebra's relatively small line-up when it's Ginebra's turn to play defense.

What's nice about this system is that Ginebra can run again, with three guards on the floor at the same time. It was nice watching Helterbrand, Caguioa, and Ferreria running at the same time in that game against Alaska. This system involves everyone rather than having just one or two passes between the post player and the passer. Should Ginebra's gunners connect from outside, the defense would extend on them, and this would give more opportunities for the post players to operate inside the paint. In this passing game, the offense won't be as predictable as before. Again, who would have thought that Romel Adducul would shoot two baskets from outside the paint? Or when was the last time Eric Menk drove into the lane rather than posting up?

Changes to the existing system may bring growing pains to Ginebra. It may bring frustrating losses as well, or possibly winless games in the approaching second half of this Philippine Cup tourney. It will be up to Ginebra's players to believe in their new system and adjust to their new roles in this system and possibly give justice to the word "System" - a term used for "a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole".

"This is you, this is you, this is you ha" was the old system impemented by old Ginebra great Robert Jaworski.

Go Ginebra! Payt payt payt!