The Unseen

     With the Sinag Pilipinas Basketball Team running roughshod over their opposition on their way to winning the basketball gold medal in the 26th South East Asian (SEA) Games, it's easy to overlook certain things, good or bad.  Here are just some that may have been unseen.


Cliff Jumping a.k.a. the other Chris

     The least known among the players were Filipino-Americans Cliff Hodge and Chris Ellis of the PBA D-League NLEX Road Warriors, but they won't be as anonymous now.  Both have shown tremendous athleticism which of course made them instantly popular, but it's clear their time with Sinag will do them tremendous credit.  Both need more work, especially in terms of decision-making so that they can harness their athleticism properly.  Hodge plays hard and seems willing to do dirty work, but developing a more steady outside shot and better defensive rotation instincts will make him a PBA star.  Ellis jumps out of the building and seems comfortable scoring from everywhere, but he needs to cut down on turnovers and develop more defensive skills for someone as athletic as himself.  It may serve them in good stead to hold off the PBA first and join Gilas for additional seasoning. 


Ditching Iverson

     Coming into the SEA Games, one of the worries was that both point guards of Sinag, Emman Monfort and RR Garcia, were shoot first guards, or what I call graduates of, "The Allen Iverson School for Non-Passing Point Guards."  Their play in the SEA Games disproved that and made me a believer.  Monfort and Garcia got their shots and points, but made it their first priority to get teammates involved.  Their passing both in fastbreak and drive and dish situations were impeccable and went a long way in helping the Philippines dominate.  This actually makes them better players and makes me wonder why they don't play like this in the UAAP.  Perhaps they should.


Undertaker and Vitor say, "Not Yet."

     Coming in with a wave of success, skills and hype, it's easy to be swept up in calling Kiefer Ravena, "The Phenom."  International ball, however, has a funny way of revealing what aspects players need to work on and Ravena's list is larger than people would like to admit.  At this point Ravena is already a tremendous talent. He can shoot the mid range, step back and pull up jumper accurately which is more than his dad could ever do, he is ultra quick and athletic (a fast break savant)  and he is whip smart (his basketball IQ is tremendous). Yet, his defensive play left Sinag in the cold several times. He can steal the ball but he goes for it too often and his one on one defense suffers because of it.  Many an opponent has blown past him, leaving Greg Slaughter or Cliff Hodge to cover for him. He also needs to shoot better from the 3-point line and he needs to learn the point guard spot faster if he wants to maintain his "status" in international ball and in the PBA.  With all that being said, he is a tremendous talent and asset to any team even at 18 years old.  Perhaps instead of "Phenom," he should be dubbed, "The Prodigy," because that what he really is.  


The Old Hand

      As everyone celebrated the basketball gold, the names of Slaughter, Ravena and Bobby Ray Parks were dropped as the heroes, as well they should.  One name, though, has not been mentioned and it is easy to see why.  Captain Chris Tiu's contributions are easy to overlook as he posted ordinary numbers but his effect on the game was no way near that.  Tiu, who faced infinitely better competition in his last 3 years with Smart Gilas, looked bored at times in the elimination round.  In Sinag's last 2 games, however, when they seemed to face just a tinge of competitiveness from Malaysia and Thailand, the "old guy" perked up. Whether it was assists, steals, lay ups or just plain old words of wisdom, Tiu's mark was indelible.  In both games, Tiu played an average of 8 to 10 minutes per half, and he entered when Sinag needed separation.  In both games, Tiu led Sinag's 2nd five increased the lead and put the game out of reach, leaving the 1st five to clean it all up with the fast break highlights.  In the Malaysia game, Tiu entered the 3rd quarter with Sinag leading by 3.  A few steals, assists and points later, he left the game for good with Sinag leading by 25.  In the finals against a more competitive Thailand, Tiu came in with Sinag protecting a 4 point lead.  10 minutes, a few lay ups, spin moves and passes later, he left with Sinag leading by 20.  Some wondered, but that is why Coach Norman Black never started the Gilas captain.  You send in the guy when the young ones need to reminded on how to play.

5 Things the NBA Lockout is Making Me Miss

     The Southeast Asian Games are coming up and Manny Pacquiao has a fight in less than a week's time, but a lot of sporting hearts in the Philippines are still unfulfilled.  The culprit is the NBA Lockout, which for reasons valid or not, has gone on for far too long.  It's deprived sports fans like me from finding out some of the most interesting things, and here are my top five.


5. Peace Brothers!!!

     For some, it's completely stupid, and as much as I love a good debate, I really can't argue on this point.  Ron Artest has successfully changed his legal name into Metta World Peace in his hope to promote well, um... world peace.  This means that his latest Laker jersey would read either "World Peace" or "Peace" on his back.  Imagine the possibilities for the TV commentators.  "What a hard foul by World Peace!" or "Peace calls a timeout." or "Kevin Durant has been shut down by World Peace!" 


4. New Blood


     This year's crop of rookies is considered a lean one, but there are interesting stories there. Did the Cavs pick the right number 1 pick in Kyrie Irving? What about the long-awaited Ricky Rubio? Will his game translate well in the NBA?


3.  Coaching Carousel

      As usual, the roster of NBA coaches has changed and these new coaches, whether 1st time coaches like Mark Jackson of the Golden State Warriors or those brought back for another run like the Houston Rockets' Kevin McHale, bring intriguing prospects. Whose coaching philosophies will bring positive changes to their teams?  Can Mike Brown handle the circus that is the Los Angeles Lakers? Who will be the 1st coaching casualty of the season and is there ANY possibility that Jerry Sloan will come back to coach?!?


2.  Emergence


     Last year saw the slight decline in Kobe Bryant's game and the shrinking of Lebron James'.  In the same year, though, emerged Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant.  The MVP and Scoring Champ, respectively, emerged as the league's newest bonafide superstars, leading their young teams into the conference finals.  Will the two remain as the league's greatest individual talents or will new names emerge yet again? Will the old, supposedly forgotten names come back with a flurry?


1.  Deadlines

     For some teams, the pressure is not as large to win immediately.  The Mavericks just won an NBA title, so no one will really burn them in effigy if they fail to repeat.  The Bulls and Thunder are young and another year deep in the playoffs with no title won't be too bad.  For some teams, though, the pressure is huge.  The Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs are aging and probably have only this year to win again or face the team blowing up.  The Orlando Magic have only this year to win as well or Dwight Howard will probably leave to free agency.  The Miami Heat have spent over a hundred million (and more in PR money) to bring in their "Big Three" of Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh.  Another year without a title could break Heat President Pat Riley's patience.  Can these teams beat their deadline? At best, only one of them will.