Fantasy Hoops

     Talks are that the NBA owners and the players are making progress in their efforts to end the lockout.  While that is in the works, it's good fun to think about the possibilities of NBA players playing in the Philippines again. With the PBA Commissioner's Cup allowing unlimited height for imports, which NBA players would make great imports in the PBA?

Alaska Aces - The Aces are a mess right now but the good news is that they're very talented.  Obviously, they are struggling to find themselves after losing Coach Tim Cone and trying new sets different from his triangle offense, so what they need is someone to take over and score when the new plays go to hell.  They need a go to scorer who can create shots and someone who can shoot threes with accuracy.  Kevin Durant would be a tremendous help. 



Barako Bull Energy - The Energy are living up to their name and that energy has brought them up in the standings.  The team is a lot more talented than in the past, but they need help in the back court.  Both point guards in Wynne Arboleda and Paul Artadi are good players and Willie Miller can still light up games, but none of them are consistent enough. They need a guard that can drive and dish, drive and score and shoot the occasional three.  The Energy would benefit by taking in Derrick Rose as their import.


B Meg Derby Ace Llamados - The team possesses a great balance of talent in the line up but they are struggling to master the triangle offense, as expected.  While it's advisable for a team to slowly master this complex system they need help if they want to accelerate their growth process.  They need an import who will be a great post presence and someone who can jumpstart the triangle plays with his post play.  Pau Gasol would be the perfect anchor for Cone's triangle offense and B Meg would jump up the standings immediately.

Baranggay Ginebra Kings - The Kings have always been loaded with great talent but they have relied on Erik Menk for front court help for far too long. The Kings need a defensive center to be their protector.  Having a center who can block shots allows their cat-quick guards and swingmen to take gambles from time to time and steal the ball. Rebounding better will also allow the Kings to run and get the crowd involved.  The Kings would be devastating if they could sign Tyson Chandler to be their center.


Meralco Bolts - The Bolts have all their players back but if they want to win the championship, they need better balance in their line up.  They have good defensive bigs and they have great scoring guards, but they need some shooting and help up front.  They would love some post play as well.  Dirk Nowitzki would be the perfect player to fill up all those needs for the Bolts.


Petron Blaze Boosters - The Blaze Boosters are coming off a championship in the Governor's Cup and while they did it with a small import, they would benefit with a large one in the Commissioner's Cup.  They need a center with some nice post moves so that they can go to him in half court sets.  The post moves and shooting of La Marcus Aldridge could be what the doctor orders for Petron.


Powerade Tigers - The Tigers have found new life with great rookies in Jvee Casio and Marcio Lassiter and their success is thanks in no small part to Gary David's newfound game of passing the ball more.  The Tiger though are really small and they could use a lot of help in defending and rebounding.  They need an energetic, defensive big man like Marcus Camby as center.

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters - The Elasto Painters are doing well early in the conference, as is their wont, but they struggle in the playoff, mainly because they lack the toughness inside and they have no big man that can be relied upon in pressure situations.  They need a big man that can provide the toughness but still be quick enough to push their up tempo game.  They need a big guy with post moves as well, as they have no inside threat right now.  Blake Griffin could fill in all the holes for the team and help them go deep in the playoffs.


Shopinas.com Clickers - Well, obviously this team needs help from all angles.  As the legendary Ron Jacobs believed, weak teams always have a chance to beat the most powerful of teams, as long as they play great defense.  So while one import cannot fill in all of the team's offensive holes, he can provide defense and rebounding enough to get the Clickers competitive enough to surprise teams.  When you talk defense, Dwight Howard is the only name the Clickers need.


Talk and Text Tropang Texters - With Javale McGee visiting the country to promote Smart (and Talk and Text), McGee looms as a real possibility to play as import.  Why not? McGee provides the Texters with the center that they need and his speed and freaky athleticism will go great with the Texters up tempo offense.  With a solid running game, imagine the countless opportunities for McGee to give the country a show with his slam dunks. and planking.