Monkey Wrench into the NBA's Best Laid Plans

     It all started last summer, at the Beijing Olympics.  The U.S., hungry for redemption after their recent failure, brought along a team intent on winning.  It was the best team formed since the 1996 Olympics, and at the forefront were two huge, global stars, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. Branded as leaders, the two elevated their games and brought home the gold medal.  Right then and there, the NBA sensed something great and licked their chops.  Kobe vs Lebron for the NBA Title.  Now that sounded like a blockbuster and the NBA started a novena, praying for  divine intervention to deliver them their dream finals match up.

     Lo and behold, as the season wore on, the NBA was beginning to smile.  Lebron and the Cavs razed through the Eastern Conference just as Kobe and the Lakers romped through out West.  With both teams entering their respective conference finals, the NBA's best laid plans for a blockbuster finals (with massive TV ratings) was so close David Stern could taste it.  Now, though, someone has thrown a monkey wrench or two into the well-oiled plan.  Enter the Orlando Magic and the Denver Nuggets.  

     As things stand now, the Magic and the Nuggets have taken away the two favorites' homecourt advantage, with the Magic leading the Cavs 1-0 and the Nuggets ties with the Lakers at 1 all.   Will these two teams, who are looking for redemption themselves, prove to be the proverbial monkey wrench or will they merely be cumbersome obstacles that will be hurdled?

     The Orlando Magic has not exactly been on everyone's radar when talking about who will win the Larry O'Brien trophy this year, and the boys from Orlando have taken the snub personally.  They now pose quite a threat to the Cavs and it's not just because they aren't the Pistons.  As shown in Game 1, Orlando had the Cavs beat on two ends.  

     First of all, Orlando's frontcourt is huge, but lithe and lightning-quick.  A front line featuring 7 foot Dwight Howard, 6-10 shooters Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu and 6-8 Michael Pietrus are simply too quick for the equally huge but lumbering front line of the Cavs.  While James can match up with any one of the Magic's forwards, he can't guard all of them at the same time.  In game one, while it was Howard's 30 points that lit up the scoreboard, the Cavs lost because of the other three forwards, with Hedo and Lewis combining for Orlando's final 17 points.  If the Cavs are to make it to the finals, like they told the world they would do, then their tall lumbering front line (Anderson "Sideshow Bob" Varejao guarding Rashard Lewis, are you serious?) must find a way to become light on their feet.

     Secondly, the Cavs played to Orlando's strength, which I believe is not their three point shooting but more so their defense.  Everyone reverted back to their "watch Lebron" playbooks, standing around hoping to get a pass for a spot-up three.  Although James had a monster game, going 20 of 30 from the field, it took too much out of James.  In fact, I think he passed up a shot on a late drive that could have won the game, simply because of fatigue.  All Star Mo Williams and Delonte West must regain their regular season shooting and aggressiveness and Zydrunas Ilgauskas must make Dwight Howard work on defense if they are to beat the Magic in this series.

     The Denver Nuggets almost became the poster child of how not to build an NBA roster as the past few years showed the Mile High team as a group of shoot first, players with immense talent but no will to win a championship.  What a difference an old and wise point guard makes.  Chauncey Billups has come into Denver and changed the team's outlook (and therefore) its chances this season.  The "new-look" Nuggets actually feature the same core of players, save for the enigmatic Chris "Birdman" Andersen, but they have shown a desire and will for teamwork and defense that was last seen on a Nuggets team when Dikembe Mutombo was wagging fingers at opponents.  They could pose problems for the Lake show because, as seen in Games 1 and 2, the Nuggets bring in a toughness and and offensive arsenal that have the Lakers on their heels.

     First of all, the Nuggets this year are tough, in a good basketball way.  They are showing a willingness and the health needed to bang bodies inside, once again threatening to expose Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom as softies playing in a tough guy's game.  Kenyon Martin, Nene and Birdman have relentlessly attacked the lanes for both offense and defense, taking the Houston Rockets model of bullying the Lakers inside.  If the Lakers want to make David Stern happy, they must dig deep, fight back especially inside the paint to grab rebounds and loose balls, shoot high percentage dunks and layups and block and change shots.

     Secondly, the Nuggets while successfully approximating the Rockets' toughness on defense, are infinitely more talented on offense.  Carmelo Anthony has shown, at least in these playoffs, that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as King James and he has a lot of help.  Linas Kleiza and J. R. Smith are bringing it from the bench, K-Mart and Nene have been active and useful on the offensive end (Heck, Nene even had 6 assists in game 2. 6!!! OMG! The Black Hole of basketball learned to pass!) and most importantly, Billups has a stability to keep the Nuggets calm through thick and thin.  The Nuggets are clicking on all cylinders offensively, and if Kobe wants to get a chance to win his first title without Shaq, he must lead his team not just in offense, but more so on the defensive end.  They must clog the lane and force the Nuggets into shooting from the outside.  

     So now David Stern is beginning to sweat.  His dream blockbuster finals scenario is being pushed onto the brink of oblivion.  Will the Cavs and the Lakers bounce back and give Stern a reason to smile or will Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony be the Team USA teammates playing in the finals?

     As for me, you all know I love ruining best laid plans, so I will be in my usual place, eagerly awaiting Cleveland's and L.A.'s impending disappointments.  

How Now, Pacquiao?

     With his stunning second round demolition of Ricky Hatton last May 2, 2009, Manny Pacquiao is on top of the boxing world, with some claiming he is history's best.  Meanwhile, the very world the,  "Pacman" had enthralled is still under his spell, as everyone is awaiting word on what he is to do next.  Currently, Manny has been rightfully taking it easy and celebrating his latest conquest.  Pretty soon, though, he will have to decide what to do next.  Whether it be about his legendary boxing career or his polarizing political one, everyone seems to have an opinion on what Manny should do.  Of course, being the meddler that I am, I have some suggestions too.

Boxing Career

     Obviously, if Pacquiao stopped now, he would leave with a tremendous career and legacy that will be remembered by the world for generations to come.  I think, however, leaving this early will leave his legacy in question.  There are some unanswered questions I think he should answer before he retires and I have a plan of action that is not only feasible, but also fit perfectly into his desire to retire early and to run for congress.

     First, Manny should take on the winner of the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr., the man he replaced as boxing's pound for pound king or one of his greatest rivals, Juan Manuel Marquez.  Pretty Boy Floyd has talked some trash since announcing his return and some have already drank from the irradiated Kool Aid he has been serving.  Taking on Mayweather will finally answer the question of who is the best boxer in this open era, and Manny should not let an opportunity pass him by.  As for fighting Juan Manuel Marquez in what should be a farewell fight for both pugilists, Manny has the opportunity to finally rid himself of the pesky Mexican.  As Manny has been enjoying number one status in the "P4P" rankings, many consider Juan Manuel Marquez as "1A."  A third and final fight would be a fan's dream fight as we finally close the chapter on a wild and exciting rivalry.  This fight could indeed happen sometime in December, giving Pacquiao ample time to rest and prepare his political party for the May 2010 elections.

     Second, Manny should take a good look at Miguel Cotto.  While Cotto possesses power that could mean trouble for Pacquiao, I feel it is worth the risk because beating Cotto would give Manny a sixth world title.  This would enable him to match his idol, Oscar de la Hoya's belt career belt haul.  Now that would be a great way to end a career.  This fight could be penciled in at around September or October of 2010, giving Manny lots of time to rest and train after the elections.

Political Career

     I don't like the idea of Manny running for congress as much as anyone, but with having "Kabayan" Noli "extortion" de Castro as Vice President (and maybe even President) and Lito"the sound of silence" Lapid as Senator, how can we tell Pacquiao he isn't ready to lead us?  He should run if he truly wanted to and believe it or not, I would seriously consider voting for him if he ran in our district.  I, however, have an even better political plan for Pacquiao.

    If it were up to me, I'd have Pacquiao become president... of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP).  For years, athletes have begged to have former athletes lead their respective Nation Sports Associations (NSA), so that the leadership could empathize better, and Manny leading the ABAP would be great.  He knows boxing, its training, scouting, weight cutting, etc, and he would be in a prime position to advise ABAP on how to train and care for our boxers.  I understand amateur and professional boxing are different animals, but surely his talent would not be dominant on the pro ring alone.  Meanwhile, his current fame will go a long way in uniting a usually fractured ABAP leadership.  Furthermore, his international stardom will bring a level of credibility to our NSA, which would help garner more respect from the international boxing committee.  This, in turn, would help lessen the questionable judging we are always a victim of.  

     If Pacquiao is really determined to go along way politically, he can serve the ABAP for a while, then run for the presidency... of the Philippine Olympic Committee.  If Manny serves the ABAP well as president and unites it, then he deserves to be POC president.  In this position, Manny can take care of all the athletes and his well-respected character and discipline transcends all sports, so uniting the athletes is certainly doable.  I mean, if he can unite an entire nation enough to stop crime and war, he should be able to do it in sports.  I know he has mentioned that all he wants to do by running for congress is to help the people.  What better way to help than to unite a nation through sports?

     In the end, it's really up to Manny.  He's the one with five titles in five divisions.  He's the P4P King.  I think, though, my plan would certainly appeal to him.  After all, my suggestions for his boxing career would close his career and legacy elegantly, while my suggestions for him politically would help him achieve his goals.  

     The best part?  After he executes my plan successfully, he would still be young enough to run for congress.

Liking the National Team

     With the Philippine National Basketball Team coached by Yeng Guiao having played a total of five tune up games already, I thought it was high time to assess this team.  I watched all five of their games, including their series against Australia Hoopdreams, which I caught at Araneta Coliseum's courtside.  

The Good Stuff

Speed - Man, this team is fast and quick.  It looks like Coach Guiao is looking to run opponents to the ground to make up our size disadvantage, and he certainly picked up the right tools.  Players 1 through 12 can all run, and if they keep practicing together, they can form a formidable fastbreak attack.

Athleticism - Speed is not all we need to make up our lack of size and athleticism is that missing link.  With players like Gabe Norwood, Arwind Santos and Kelly Williams, our team has long-limbed, high-leaping bodies that when motivated properly, will be apt to tap loose balls, gather steals, grab rebounds and run.  

Camaraderie - This early, the team seems to have good camaraderie, especially in terms of the players liking each other.  Based on what I've seen during games and even during time outs and lulls, the players do genuinely like playing with each other.

Jared Dillinger - Among all the players, I am most surprised and pleased with Jared DIllinger.  The 6'4" guard has shown tremendous heart and passion, and I am surprised at his quickness, especially on his drives to the basket.  While I thought he might be the first player cut, he looks to be a more complete player than most as he can make long jumpers, drive the ball to the basket, bring the ball down court as a point and defend players from the 1, 2 and 3 positions.  I really wouldn't mind seeing him start for our team.

The Bad Stuff

Tentativeness - This has been, in my opinion, the disease that infects all our pro player-enforced national teams.  When all these unselfish superstars play together, they play like an All Star team, preferring to keep passing and passing, consciously avoiding being a "selfish" player that takes all the shots.  This disease actually makes our teams, including this one, ineffective in the half court game, with everyone passing and passing until the shot clock begins to run out and we are forced into a bad shot.  We would be best served to have a couple of players be the designated "go-to-guys" for half court plays.  Jay Jay Helterbrand, James Yap or a focused Willie Miller would be good candidates for this job.

In Between Game or lack thereof - While our players can all make threes (except maybe Asi Taulava) and finish strong at the rim, it seems none of our players are comfortable taking in between shots.  I know that most teams play zone defense, but having our players take (and make) pull up jumpers could help free up the lane for future incursions or post up plays.

James Yap - My goodness.  Has celebrity gone to his head or is he just going through a shooting slump?  After his first game against the Australians, Yap has been relatively bad, considering the reason why he is on the team is because he is supposedly our premiere three point shooter.  He has been missing consistently, even on open looks and if he can't make those, maybe he should consider playing defense.  And yes James, playing "matador" defense, where you look like a Spanish bullfighter is not playing defense.  If he keeps missing and not break out of his slump, would it be too late to ask Don Don Hontiveros to join the team?

     Overall, the National Basketball Team is on the right track and I think they will look even better with more practices under their belt.  Building a running team will take time as the players need to learn the little habits of their teammates so that they will run the fastbreak like they were a team that has been playing forever.  When the players get the hang of each other, though, Asia better watch out.