NCAA UAAP Power Rankings: Week 12

Biggest jump: UE (3 spots); Biggest drop: SSC-R (4 spots); Re-entries: AU Chiefs; Dropped out: UST Growling Tigers

1 ADMU Blue Eagles (Last week: 1; UAAP; 14-1)

The Ateneo-UE match was postponed until Thursday, but nothing changes for the Blue Eagles. They’re going into the Finals as heavy favorites against a team they’ve already beaten twice this season. You can bet these guys are going into the series brimming with confidence.

2 UE Red Warriors (Last week: 5; UAAP; 12-4)

UE’s big problem going into the UAAP Finals was fatigue, having to play FEU twice while Ateneo waited for the winner. Not a problem now, after the UAAP was forced to reschedule their games. Paul Lee is playing out of his mind at the moment, and that’s exactly what they’ll need to beat the defending champs.

3 JRU Heavy Bombers (Last week: 3; NCAA; 14-2)

The Heavy Bombers were unimpressive in an 85-81 win over the cellar-dwelling AUF Great Danes. They might’ve been looking past AUF and toward their scheduled match-up against the no-longer-unbeaten SSC-R Golden Stags. That was all for naught, though, as their game against the wounded Stags was rescheduled as well.

4 SBC Red Lions (Last week: 4; NCAA; 14-2)

The defending NCAA champions must be licking their chops at the current situation. Not only are they (and the JRU Heavy Bombers) a solitary game behind league-leading San Sebastian, but the Stags may be softened up with a rescheduled game against JRU before they face San Beda on the last playing day of the elims. They just have to get by Letran on Friday, and the top NCAA spot looks to be within reach for the first time since San Sebastian beat them in the first round.

5 CSJL Knights (Last week: 6; NCAA; 12-5)

The gutsy boys at Letran found a way to do something no one else could do: beat the Stags. And to beat them by 17 points was just mind-blowing. Do they have one more miracle in them? They may be locked in place at the 4th spot, but if they can get by San Beda on Friday, this team will enter the playoffs knowing they’re capable of beating anybody in the NCAA.

6 SSC-R Stags (Last week: 2; NCAA; 15-1)

A four-spot drop may be a little harsh for the Stags, but that’s how tight it’s been up in the rankings all season. This may all prove to be just a little hiccup for the Stags, and they can still right the ship by beating JRU and San Beda in their late-season games. But this team has questions to answer, maybe for the first time all season.

7 FEU Tamaraws (Last week: 7; UAAP; 11-5)

The season couldn’t have ended worse for the Tams. Since the elimination round ended, they’ve lost their best player, and two consecutive games to UE, knocking them out of title contention. They had high hopes as the hosts for this season, but this only goes to show that storybook endings aren’t easy to come by.

8 ADU Falcons (Last week: 8; UAAP; 5-9)

The Falcons will be holding fort until the PCCL tourney begins, and it’s unlikely for them to drop out of the rankings until then. Coach Leo Austria has a lot of time to work on his team’s holes, particularly on the offensive end.

9 MIT Cardinals (Last week: 9; NCAA 4-12)

Mapua had no games scheduled this week, but they have a chance to add to their rapidly increasing momentum with a game against AUF on Friday. They’ll have to hope for a CSB loss to UPHSD, as well as likely EAC losses to AU and JRU, for them to have a shot at the sixth spot in the NCAA. If all that happens, then the MIT-CSB game on October 7 may essentially be the battle for the spot in the PCCL wildcard tourney.

10 AU Chiefs (Re-entry; NCAA; 8-9)

The Chiefs are going to finish the season in 5th place in the NCAA. No matter which way you look at it, this was an extremely successful season for the guest team. AU was clearly the best team outside of the Final Four, Gio Ciriacruz emerged as a star and the pint-sized Bimbot Anquilo became one of the most popular players in the NCAA. I’m liking AU’s chances of becoming a regular member in the NCAA now.

Ranked games this week: ADMU (1) vs UE (2), Thu; SBC (4) vs CSJL (5), Fri

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Butiki Bullets: Tuesday September 29

• Hard to keep track of the re-scheduling of games, but here's a try. The UAAP men's finals is on Thursday. The juniors' and women's finals are on Saturday. The San Sebastian-JRU game, originally set for yesterday, was moved to October 5. The San Beda-Letran game, set for tommorow, will be moved to Friday. The NCAA cheerdance competition is moved from October 9 to October 21.

• The late Barako Bull team manager Tony Chua will be honored at the October 9 PBA Hall of Fame Awards.

• Ateneo and UE players will not be participating in the Pinoy Basketbol Kakampi Nyo charity event.

• CESAFI quarterfinals are underway. Junmar Fajardo headlines today's games as his UC Webmasters take on the Don Bosco Greywolves. Greg Slaughter's UV Green Lancers play on Thursday.
  

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Smart Gilas vs Powerade

No, I'm not out to compare the merits and failures of our two basketball national teams. That headline you saw means exactly that. I mean, literally, Smart Gilas vs Powerade.

Pinoy Basketbol Kakampi Nyo. October 5. Araneta Coliseum.

CJ Giles, Japeth Aguilar, Dylan Ababou, Mark Barroca, J-vee Casio, Chris Tiu, Jason Ballesteros, Mac Baracael, Aldrech Ramos, JR Cawaling. I don't know who else will make the final roster, but I'm assuming this includes RJ Jazul, Rey Guevarra, and Ryan Buenafe. Those three are under contract but their teams might all still be playing in their respective leagues. Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Paul Lee, two guys whom the UAAP finals might be revolve around, are both not under contract but expected to join with the Smart Gilas boys after their college campaigns. Both could be candidates to make the squad for this game as well.

On the other side, you have the pros. Asi Taulava, Kerby Raymundo, Willie Miller, James Yap, Jayjay Helterbrand, Sonny Thoss, Mick Pennisi, Cyrus Baguio, and Arwind Santos. Potential Smart Gilas recruits Gabe Norwood and Jared Dillinger. And if they're recovered from their respective injuries, Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes.

Wow. That's a game I would pay to see. Personnel-wise, you have to lean towards the Powerade guys. Coaching is hard to judge, considering that Rajko Toroman's program has only just begun, and that Yeng Guiao had limited time with his squad as well. But as for having something to prove? Both teams have that. Powerade Team Pilipinas won't allow themselves to be embarrassed by a bunch of kids, and Smart Gilas will be in for a lot of unfair criticism if they lose to the (probably) disbanded all-PBA team.

Both teams are bringing it. Still, it's nice to know that SBP-PBA relations haven't been strained too much by the Japeth situation that they can't band together for an event like this.

The cherry on top? The UAAP-NCAA all-stars taking on a Liga Pilipinas-PBL selection in the first game. It didn't make much sense to have a UAAP vs NCAA all-star game because the best of the UAAP will mostly be with the Smart Gilas team that night. So yes, there's a possibility of seeing a Sudan Daniel-Nonoy Baclao-Elmer Espiritu frontline.

Try scoring on that, Eder Saldua.

Potentially, we're talking Jimbo Aquino, John Wilson and Eric Salamat on one team. JR Sena, Gio Ciriacruz, Pari Llagas, Khasim Mirza... that's a lot of talent. The Liga-PBL team will come in with much more experience. Many of them used to be UAAP and NCAA stars themselves. But the young guns look very very good.

And best of all, it's a benefit game for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. The basketball leagues aren't earning a cent for this. All of the money earned is going to the ABS-CBN Foundation. Even the Areneta Coliseum was provided as a venue for free.

A wonderful gesture from the basketball community.

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Mourning the casualties of Ondoy

The recent devastation caused by Typhoon Ondoy has spared no one, not even the basketball community. Reports have surfaced about the passing of Red Bull team manager and former PBA chairman Tony Chua in the wake of the widespread flooding around Metro Manila.

Chua was said to be retrieving something in his car despite the chest-deep water levels outside his home in Cainta, Rizal. A strong current took him, though he earned a temporary reprieve by grabbing onto a tree. Longtime aide Joenare Pedal rushed to him but both were swept away by the current.

Purefoods assistant coach and former FEU and San Beda head coach Koy Banal almost fell victim to the same. He was said to have hung onto a branch for several hours before eventually finding safety. TJ Manotoc tweeted this about coach Koy while it was happening.

We join many others in offering prayers for all the casualties and everybody affected by the recent tragedy, basketball community or not. The natural disaster tolled heavily not just on those unfortunate ones who passed but also on thousands of survivors who lost their property and belongings to the floods. Our prayers go out to everybody.

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Butiki Bullets: Saturday September 26

• An old video of Chris Tiu speaking up against game-fixing. Plus a special appearance by "Julius" (guess who it is) and a bedridden Mac Baracael.
  

• Ateneo vs UE finals moved to Thursday. Women's and Juniors finals are on Tuesday.

• PBA declares TNT-Barako Bull trade valid. Apparently, some quarters have complained about the lopsided nature of Barako Bull's sending of 2 future 1st round picks to TNT in exchange for Yousif Aljamal, Rob Reyes and Gilbert Lao. Alaska head coach Tim Cone said: "Barako Bull traded its two future first round picks for three practice players." Burn!

• Can't the PBA have a franchise owner this cool?

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On scandals, commercialization and college basketball

While grounded by the heavy rains that beset the country this Saturday, I was able to catch an interesting episode of ANC Square Off, which is a television program that featured debating. They set up a best-of-three series of debates between Ateneo debaters, led by James Bitanga and Leloy Claudio and La Salle debaters, led by Dino de Leon and RJ Ledesma. I got to see the third debate of the series, and one with a relevant topic.

Should college basketball be free of commercialization?

It was an interesting debate, with both sides making very good points. Ateneo Prime Minister (not for real, it's a debate thing) Bitanga touched on some basketball issues like game fixing, illegal recruitment and academic ineligibility. I thought that was a great place to focus the argument on. Are these harms results of the blatant commercialization of college basketball?

Unfortunately, the debate was sidetracked to whether or not student-athletes should be allowed to receive money for endorsements, which is, while certainly a good point of debate, is nowhere near as compelling or relevant as the issues mentioned above.

With the recent Mark Barroca game-fixing accusation and the Jobe Nkemakolam eligibility scandal rocking the college basketball world, these issues are definitely worth discussing.

Nobody is going to argue that these are good things. Game fixing, of course, is the most important. Not only is this against the rules of the basketball leagues, but it’s a crime, too. Yes, we’re talking possible jail time for offenders. But what can we really do about game fixing? It’s one thing to vilify student-athletes accused of taking money to throw games. But do fans even consider the darker side of the issue? It’s not all about the money. There are threats to safety that come along with it, as evidenced by the Mac Baracael shooting (if that is really what happened) and the rumors that Barroca, as he was moving from FEU to the Smart Gilas facilities after he was taken off the team, was accompanied by security people provided by FEU.

Sometimes, it feels like the right thing to do to protect these young athletes, even if it means dodging calls for further investigations.

Not that I don’t support Gary Mercado of Basketball Exchange in his call for further investigations. It just feels like, most of the time, we’ll be nabbing the wrong guys (mostly, the student-athletes will be the fall-guys when they should be more like state witnesses).

But can you blame the gambling syndicates for wanting a piece of the UAAP (or the NCAA, where there have been plenty of accusations flying left and right as well)? College basketball has transformed into a multi-millions peso industry, in terms of both over- and under-the-table deals. Everybody and his brother watch college basketball these days.

And as for shady recruitment processes and questionable academic standards for athletes? Well, it comes with the territory. Everybody wants to win, but more so now, when the leagues have become wildly popular. Schools these days want to recruit players purely for basketball purposes.

In fact, while many excellent students are working their asses off academically to get into top-level schools, these same schools are doing what they can to recruit these athletes, whether they meet the academic standards or not. Hey, universities are even transferring their recruits to schools like Reedley International School, for reasons that Tony Atayde of Inbound Pass guesses at.

And frankly, people had about as many questions on Mac Cardona and Arwind Santos actually studying at their universities as they have about Nkemakolam now. No school will admit to doing this, but who are they kidding. Why participate in basketball when you don’t have a chance of winning, right?

(For those curious, you may want to ask the UP Fighting Maroons about that. They know a thing or two about upholding high academic standards. And not winning.)

I remember when I was a senior in high school, my brother and I could decide to watch a UAAP game on the day itself, and still be able to get tickets when we get to the Blue Eagle gym. We were able to see all of the Ateneo-La Salle games then. Yeah, that included the finals.

You can’t do that anymore. Now you have to know the schedule when tickets go on sale, line up at the earliest possible time, wait all day, and that might still not be enough so you end up buying a scalped ticket at ballooned prices anyway. Or watching on TV.

And really? I blame commercialization. That 2001 season was awesome. The Green Archers had Renren Ritualo, Mike Cortez and Mac Cardona. The Blue Eagles boasted of Rico Villanueva, Rich Alvarez and a pre-injury Magnum Membrere. In their finals series, LA Tenorio scored 30 points for the losing side in a performance that can only be described as heroic. As a rookie. In the finals.

And the rest of the league? James Yap, Ronald Tubid and Paul Artadi for UE. That team missed the Final Four. You know who made it instead? The NU Bulldogs, that’s who. And the Leo Avenido-led FEU Tamaraws.

College basketball was no less good then as it is now. But it was so easy to watch games then. What was the difference? I’d point the finger at commercialization.

There was a noticeable spike in interest every year after that. Corporate sponsors began to produce little flags to wave with the team’s logo on one side and the sponsor on the other. (Didn’t anybody notice that the other side has the exact same flags, only with their logo and color but the same sponsor?) That turned into foam-fingers and long balloons and posters with school battle-cries, all with logos. They made celebrities of our student-athletes, too. Sometimes, literally. Remember the 2002 Ateneo Blue Eagles on the teen-oriented TV show Berks?

Commercialization took the league to an all-time high in terms of popularity and mass appeal. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But you take the good with the bad. And the bad in this case, is game-fixing, illegal recruitment, academic ineligibility.

FEU official Anton Montinola got it right when he said “we have become victims of our own success.”

Here’s an idea. Get rid of all the sponsors and endorsements. Uphold the academic standards. Make college basketball no different than, say, college debating.

My guess is, many superstars will find themselves sitting out to catch up with their academics. Many young recruits will struggle to pass the most difficult of entrance exams. And interest in the league will wane.

So good-bye to game-fixing (who bets on a basketball league that nobody watches?), to illegal recruitment, academic ineligibility.

What’re left will be leagues that play a lower level of basketball that we’re used to. But there will be real student-athletes, actual students who were accepted into the universities first before making the basketball varsity. There will be a brand of basketball without the stain of gambling and double-standards. A brand of basketball that’s pure. Or at the very least, a less dirty than the brand of college basketball we know today. It would look more like, I don’t know, Juniors basketball.

I know a lot of people wouldn’t watch that. But professional scouts still will. And so will students with endless school pride. And hardcore basketball fans. And bloggers.

Hey, I watch the Juniors division, don’t I?

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Butiki Bullets: Friday September 25

• Looks like there's going to be an NCAA Final Four after all. The tough Letran Knights just handed the previously unbeaten San Sebastian Golden Stags their first loss of the season, denying the latter of a historic elimination round sweep. RJ Jazul and Rey Guevarra led the Knights to a surprising 80-63 win. It was a rough, physical affair marred by technical fouls, a bloodied brow for John Foronda, and lots of players fouling out. The Stags looked lost in the face of unrelenting pressure, constant rough play and a sizeable lead for their opponents. They've spent so much time blowing teams out that they looked totally unprepared for a situation like that.

• Tony Atayde of Inbound Pass makes his UAAP Finals Prediction. On Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Pari Llagas, he says: "They are very similar in size and I honestly do not see any advantage for either one here." Can't say I agree. What about the Rabeh's 28.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks against UE this season? Compare that with the 6 points and 6 rebounds Llagas put up in his only outing against the Blue Eagles (he was suspended for the 2nd round meeting). I like Pari's game a lot but he's going to have his hands full of the big fella this series.

• Looks like Smart Gilas is seriously considering not playing in the PBA next conference. Because the PBA refuses to allow Japeth Aguilar to play for the national developmental team, Gilas might be looking at tourneys outside the country instead. Maybe that's why they signed up for a 3-on-3 tourney right smack in the middle of the PBA schedule?

• What an awesome stretch of days for basketball. We've seen the UE-FEU semifinal yesterday and got the Letran-San Sebastian game today. Saturday brings game 1 of the Womens (FEU vs Adamson) and Juniors (ADMU vs DLSZ) divisions finals of the UAAP. The opening game of the Men's UAAP Finals is on Sunday. And on Monday, it's San Sebastian vs JRU in a game that may decide who gets to be the number 1 seed at the end of the NCAA elimination round. Whew.
  

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UAAP Finals Storylines

Now that we know who's playing, let's take a look at what makes the match-ups interesting.

1 Runaway Trains

Momentum is usually a factor in basketball games. But what happens when both teams are the basketball equivalent of runaway freight trains? Ateneo has strung together 11 wins in a row, while UE will be bringing in an 8-game winning streak. The Red Warriors haven’t lost a single game since the last time they played the Blue Eagles.

It reminds me of that one Joker line in ‘The Dark Knight’: “What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?” I’m hoping the answer to that is: “Game 3, plus overtime”.

2 A Staglets Story

Paul Lee versus Eric Salamat.

This should be one of the most interesting match-ups in the Finals. These are two of the most exciting players in the game. Paul Lee is simply the most talented offensive player in the UAAP, period. Eric Salamat is the league leader in steals, and the way he rips the ball away from an opponent and turns it into a one-man fast break is electrifying. Both guys get to the rim whenever they want, both can hit a barrage of three-pointers and both have a penchant for taking – and making – difficult shots.

And more interestingly, these two were high school teammates. In their senior year, they led the San Sebastian Staglets to the NCAA juniors championship. That season, Lee was part of the Mythical Five and Salamat was Finals MVP. Now, they find themselves on opposite sides of the court. Lee is again part of the Mythical Five. Salamat as Finals MVP is a possibility, too. Can history repeat itself? Maybe, but not if Paul Lee can help it.

3 Bring the Rain

If you haven’t seen an Ateneo-UE game this season, then you’ve missed out on some very entertaining affairs. The Red Warriors are the kind of team that’s capable of shooting the lights out, regardless of who they’re playing against. The Blue Eagles know this all too well, being on the wrong side of a UE barrage not once, but twice.

In the first game, UE built a massive 17-point lead early in the 2nd. Ateneo had to spend the rest of the game chipping away at the lead methodically, and eventually pulling away to win by 15. In the second round, the Blue eagle cruised to a comfortable 20-point advantage in the 4th quarter before UE started making the most difficult of shots (mostly threes) before sneaking off with just a 5-point win. ADMU knows they can shut UE down in stretches, but when the Red Warriors bring the rain, there's not much anyone can do.

4 Block Party

This series will see the league’s leaders in blocks in Elmer Espiritu (2.8 bpg) and Nonoy Baclao (2.5). While both are excellent shot blockers, how they get it done couldn’t be more different. Espiritu is an athletic freak of nature. It’s not uncommon to see him seemingly out of position to affect a shot, but comes out of nowhere to get the block anyway. This guy can jump out of the coliseum. Then, he’ll probably land, take a second jump and still block your shot.

Baclao, meanwhile, is more cerebral. He’s a genetic wonder, yeah. He’s got some of the longest arms you’ve ever seen. But it’s the way he uses them that makes him a beast. Baclao will always be at the right place at the right time to challenge shots. He’s got impeccable timing. And suddenly, you feel like you’re being guarded by Mister friggin Fantastic. Don’t expect easy shots in this series, unless these two are firmly planted on the bench.

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Happy 100th Post!!

NeekoBoi and J Myxx wearing what may or may not be party hats...

Happy 100th Post, Patay Ang Butiki!!!

It's like a birthday.

But not.

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No Choke

The UE Red Warriors have one of the absolutely worst reputations in the UAAP. That these guys can’t deliver in the playoffs, that they don’t have the intestinal fortitude to survive the championship rounds; that the UE guys are, well, chokers.

They consistently make the Final Four, and they’ve produced some of the best basketball talents in the country. James Yap. Paul Artadi. Ronald Tubid. KG Canaleta. Bonbon Custodio. Mark Borboran. Marcy Arellano. And yet somehow, they’ve never been able to win a Final Four series.

They were able to make the Finals in 2007 behind an elimination round sweep and a bevy of talents like Borboran, Arellano, Kelvin Gregorio, James Martinez and holdovers Paul Lee, Elmer Espiritu and Pari Llagas. But they managed to cough up a choke job then, too, losing both of their games in the UAAP Finals to the DLSU Green Archers.

The choke tag is so firmly in place that I bet nobody would’ve been surprised if they had managed to lose this afternoon’s game against the FEU Tamaraws. That’s a team that just lost its best player in Mark Barroca, and a grizzled veteran in Jens Knuttel. That’s a team feeling the pressure of needing to win during their host year, on top of a slew of distractions from the Barocca game-fixing accusations to the Nkemakolam eligibility complaint which was rumored to have come from them.

And somehow, UE almost did just that.

FEU, at this point, was a wounded beast ready for the slaughter. They were still dangerous, sure. But this wasn’t the monster of a squad that terrorized the UAAP this season. This team was splintered, and on the ropes. And really, I expected more from the Red Warriors. No disrespect to the Tams, but Lee and Espiritu were the two most talented players out there. Llagas is no slouch either. I wasn’t expecting a blowout, but I feel the UE win should have been more… definitive.

This shouldn’t have stayed as close as it was that late in the game. Not with Paul Sanga shooting blanks all night (0 for 8). Not when Pipo Noundou, great as he was in the first half, was chucking up 3-pointers like he was Bader Malabes (with similar results). Not after Lee clearly got Reil Cervantes’ goat, drawing an unsportsmanlike foul on one of the most crucial stretches of the game.

But this one has to feel good.

UE had to overcome a coaching change, and a major injury to a star player (Martinez). Halfway through the elimination round, they had the same record as both La Salle and UST. Those teams aren’t very good. And somehow, here they are: the UAAP Finals.

That’s right, this team did something that not even Yap and Artadi could do; win a Final Four series. And with that, the choker tag, the curse, whatever you wanted to call it, it all goes away.

At least until the next choke job.

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Check out them Gilas boys

Japeth and CJ showing off what they can do against the Slingers.

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Butiki Bullets: Thursday September 24

• The PBA board has ruled that Japeth Aguilar will not be allowed to play for Smart Gilas in the upcoming PBA conference. SBP executive director Noli Eala is waiting to see the basis of the ban, before commenting. Is there any point in still joining the tournament if the PBA won't allow two of your more important players, Aguilar and CJ Giles, might not be allowed to play? The objective of Smart Gilas is to develop team chemistry and to gain exposure for the young ones; not to steal the championship from the other PBA teams. Just let them play, please.

• 3-on-3 action for the Smart Gilas boys. Coach Rajko Toroman is taking Rey Guevarra, Jason Ballesteros, Dylan Ababou and Jayvee Casio to Vietnam for the Asian Indoor 3-on-3 Championships, October 30-November 8. Wait, isn't that right smack in the middle of the PBA conference where Smart Gilas is participating?

• The San Sebastian Stags are nearing a historic 18-0 sweep of the NCAA elimination round. But first they have to get by an always-dangerous Letran squad, whom they managed to beat by only 3 points in the first round, 77-74.

• "One Miss, You Die!" The UE Red Warriors and FEU Tamaraws figure in a do-or-die for the right to enter the UAAP Finals today.
  

• Bonus Bullet! A recap of the Smart Gilas 70-67 win over the Singapore Slingers. Includes photos, videos and a boxscore.
  

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Butiki Bullets: Wednesday Sept 23

• CHED clears Jobe Nkemakolam.

• Rick Olivares of Bleachers Brew thinks the Jobe issue, which was reportedly leaked to the media by an FEU representative, was meant to deflect the attention from FEU's handling of the Barroca incident. Wouldn't hurt to distract the Blue Eagles from their preparations for the UAAP Finals either. Olivares also promises a scoop on another game fixing accusation after the season is over.

• Live updates of the Smart Gilas vs Singapore Slingers game. UPDATE: Smart Gilas beat the Slingers 70-67 behind 21 points from CJ Giles and 14 from Japeth Aguilar.

• Both San Beda and JRU surprisingly struggled against a hobbled CSB team and the AUF Great Danes, respectively. Bam Gamalinda and Jay-R Taganas sat out for the Red Lions.

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Report: former Ateneo Blue Eagle Jobe Nkemakolam ineligible?

This is starting to become the season of scandals for the UAAP. First, the Barroca case and now it seems that somebody is digging up the records of former Blue Eagle Jobe Nkemakolam, who played for Ateneo in 2004, 2007 and last year's championship season.

Lawyer Levito Baligod has filed a complaint with the UAAP board, saying Nkemakolam was not qualified to enter college. Waylon Galvez of the Manila Bulletin reports that Baligod was doing a background check on the cager on the part of his clients, the parents of a young lady pregnant with Jobe's child.

Baligod stumbled upon documents that prove that Nkemakolam studied in Reedley International School for Grade 10 and Grade 11 but no records of him in Grade 12, which is the equivalent of 4th year high school. Ateneo representative Ricky Palou maintains that the former Blue Eagle graduated from Reedley and that this is all a ploy by some parties to discredit the university.

This all eerily similar to the cases of Mark Benitez and Tim Gatchalian of De La Salle University, who were said to have falsified documents to enter the academic institution. Deemed ineligible, the Green Archers returned the championship they won with the players on the roster and served a one-year suspension from the UAAP.

None of the information on Nkemakolam is new, though. Back in 2006, a handful of newspapers like the Manila Standard Today and the Manila Times broke the news of the possible ineligibility of Ateneo players Nkemakolam and Japeth Aguilar. Both transferred to Reedley before pursuing their college education at the Ateneo de Manila. Neither the players nor the university was penalized, with Nkemakolam returning to the team in 2007 and 2008 after playing a year on Team B.

It's interesting to see what makes this current controversy different from the one in 2006. Let's all stay tuned in to what may be the biggest story of the UAAP since the La Salle suspension.

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It's going to be a La Salle-Ateneo Final after all

Just caught the tweet from the Inbound Pass Twitter account that the Kiefer Ravena-led Ateneo Blue Eaglets just knocked off the UST Tiger Cubs in their semifinal matchup. They needed to win twice to get to the Finals, and that’s exactly what they did.

And if you didn't know, it's the DLSZ Junior Archers waiting for them there.

There are plenty of interesting storylines that you can point to in this series. There's the Capacio cousins. Gwyne Capacio, the son of FEU coach Glenn Capacio, is an MVP candidate who plays for Zobel. Tim Capacio, son of Glenn's brother Ely, is a burly guy who adds a lot of heft to the Ateneo frontcourt. Both could see a lot of the other while on the floor.

There's the proliferation of second-generation stars. Aside from the Capacios, you have Ravena, son of former pro Bong Ravena. There's Ael Banal, the kid of former Ateneo head coach Joel Banal. And you have Ice Reyes, who comes from a long line of Ateneo basketball Reyeses, including his father Chot, his uncle Jun and cousin Jai. Ravena, Banal and Reyes all play for the Blue Eaglets. On the DLSZ side of things, you also have point guard Nico Elorde, the grandson of legendary boxer Gabriel 'Flash' Elorde.

Then, there's the strength of each team's programs, too. DLSZ and Ateneo have been trading championships for the last half-a-decade. La Salle coach Boris Aldeguer and Ateneo coach Jahmike Jarin have both been very successful in terms of titles; sometimes, at the expense of the other.

And that this could end up as a preview of the Ateneo-La Salle game in the seniors a few years from now. Joshua Webb and Simon Atkins were both part of champion Zobel teams. The current Ateneo Blue Eagles roster has Jai Reyes, Bacon Austria and rookies Juami Tiongson and Frank Golla, all former Blue Eaglets.

But even without all that, it’s La Salle versus Ateneo. There's enough history there to make this a can't-miss series.

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Butiki Bullets: Tuesday September 22

• Davonn Harp is coming back to the PBA. Suddenly, the Barako Bull Energy Boosters don't look so bad. Okay, they still do. But not as bad as before.

• Smart Gilas will be auditioning two Fil-Australian players when they play a tuneup game against the Singapore Slingers tomorrow. I don’t really have high hopes, since Business Mirror’s Joel Orellana reports that not much is known about either Sep Salinas or Matt Scheptig, except for the fact that both are based in Melbourne.

• Ginebra coach Jong Uichico questions some of the new rules to be implemented by the PBA.

• Get you creative juices flowing, Blue Eagles fans. Nonoy For President, a blog dedicated to the Ateneo basketball team, is holding a contest for wittiest Ateneo-themed banner for Game 1 of the UAAP Finals.
  

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NCAA UAAP Power Rankings: Week 11

Biggest jump: ADMU, UE, CSJL (1 spot); Biggest drop: FEU (2 spots); New entries: MIT Cardinals; Dropped out: AU Chiefs

1 ADMU Blue Eagles (Last week: 2; UAAP; 14-1)

Ateneo’s easy 17-point win over UST puts them in the UAAP Finals for the second straight year. Now, they get a chance to recover as they await the winner of the FEU-UE semifinal. Experts have been arguing about who the most valuable player is on this Blue Eagle squad, with last year’s UAAP MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao and Eric Salamat, all in the conversation. That’s a testament to how talented this team is, when two of those three wouldn’t even be MVP of his own team.

2 SSC-R Stags (Last week: 1; NCAA; 15-0)

The Stags continue on their dream run, re-setting the NCAA history books with an unprecedented 15-game winning streak. San Sebastian has overtaken San Beda in point differential after stringing together 4 consecutive wins of over 30 points. This team looks sharp, but with games against Letran, JRU and San Beda coming up, they still have a ways to go.

3 JRU Heavy Bombers (Last week: 3; NCAA; 13-2)

No love for the Bombers? They demolish the defending champs by 13 points and can’t even move up the rankings? Well, that’s how tight it is on top of the heap right now. Team captain Marc Cagoco came up with a masterful performance that nabbed the NCAA press corps Player of the Week award, the 4th such honor in a row that went to a JRU player. John Wilson won it twice before the surprise performance by John Lopez to take it last week.

4 SBC Red Lions (Last week: 4; NCAA; 13-2)

The Red Lions have a bunch of questions to face after a much smaller Marvin Hayes shut down San Beda’s Superman last week. There’s no doubt that this team is talented enough to win another championship, but this is a bad time to be slumping, heading into the games against Letran and Baste and the Final Four fast approaching.

5 UE Red Warriors (Last week: 6; UAAP; 11-4)

UE has played in the shadow of Ateneo and FEU all season, but they will gladly take this; 6 straight wins and a win-or-go-home showdown against the troubled Tamaraws for a spot in the Finals. Paul Lee is very likely not human, and if he can replicate his performance, particularly from beyond the arc, then this UE team can do something no UE team has ever done before: win a Final Four series.

6 CSJL Knights (Last week: 7; NCAA; 11-5)

Letran looks like the only team that can give any of the NCAA Big Three problems right now. When Smart Gilas standouts RJ Jazul and Rey Guevarra are on their game, this team can beat anybody. When they combine to score just 26 points and shoot 2-12 from three-point range like they did against JRU; they’re just another number on that 41-0 combined record of SSC-R, San Beda and JRU against the rest of the league.

7 FEU Tamaraws (Last week: 5; UAAP; 11-4)

The Season 72 hosts dream season has quickly turned into a nightmare. They lost consecutive games for the first time all season, and now face elimination at the hands of the streaking UE Red Warriors. And now, they have to overcome it all without Andy Barroca, who is easily their most talented player. They still have the talent to beat UE, but if they do pull it off, will there be anything left in the tank for the Finals?

8 ADU Falcons (Last week: 8; UAAP; 5-9)

Adamson won’t be playing any more UAAP games this season, but that second round blitz they made that nabbed them the 5th spot ensured that they had a shot at the Philippine Collegiate Champions League. They’ll be a wildcard at one of the zonal qualifiers, so the season isn’t quite over for them yet.

9 MIT Cardinals (New entry; NCAA 4-12)

The Mapua Cardinals just might be the NCAA’s version of the Adamson Falcons. Though they’ve been buried at the bottom of the standings for most of the season, they are actually 5th in the league in terms of point differential, slightly better than AU, which has been a Final Four contender for much of the year. With two games to go, the Cards still have a shot at taking 6th place, and like the Falcons, qualify for the PCCL wildcard tourneys.

10 UST Growling Tigers (Last week: 10; UAAP; 6-9)

Talk about ending with a whimper and not a bang. The Growling Tigers, brimming with promise at the start of the season, drop their last four games to finish their campaign. Dylan Ababou may have ended up with the MVP trophy, but to end your UAAP stint with four losses has to be disappointing.

Ranked games this week: UE (5) vs FEU (7), Thu; SSC-R (2) vs CSJL (6), Fri; SSC-R (2) vs JRU (3), Mon

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Butiki Bullets: Monday September 21

• Rabeh Al-Hussaini knows how to party.

• Only a few months ago, the Smart Gilas developmental team was a young all-college team with a squeaky clean image. Today, it's a hotbed of controversial figures. Naturalization candidate CJ Giles had his share of troubles in college. Japeth Aguilar, the number 1 pick who continuously refuses to sign a contract in the PBA, has begun to practice and play tuneups with the Gilas squad. And most recently, Mark Andy Barroca has rejoined the team after getting kicked off the FEU team for suspicions of game-fixing. Even Smart Gilas patron and SBP President Manny V Panigilinan isn't spared. He was recently implicated in a political scandal that involves former president Joseph Estrada and the buyout of PLDT. Maybe controversy isn't such a bad thing. Kobe Bryant was accused of rape. LeBron James is a sore loser who doesn't shake hands with the team that beats him. Carmelo Anthony sucker-punched a guy during a game and has been cited for DUI and possession of marijuana. Jason Kidd was accused of beating his ex-wife. And those guys were tasked to lead the "Redeem Team" version of Team USA. Maybe redemption is something the Smart Gilas boys can use as motivation as well.
  

• What's next for UST after both Dylan Ababou and Khasim Mirza played out their eligibility? Well, they'll return a pretty solid backcourt in Jeric Fortuna and Tata Bautista. Allein Maliksi will take over for Khasim Mirza as the too-skinny-to-be-a-4-or-a-5-but-plays-there-anyway role. And if rumors prove true, Soc Rivera. Rivera has been linked to Adamson and San Sebastian before settling in Espana and is said to be eligible to play for the Growling Tigers in 2010. Oh, and Jeric Teng.

• Tony Atayde of Inbound Pass names his personal choices for the UAAP awards. And no, he didn't choose a Lasallian as MVP.

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Tangled at the Top

Races for the playoffs don’t get any better than this.

San Sebastian, San Beda and JRU have all been special this season. Baste has been untouchable, nailing their NCAA record 15th straight win earlier today. San Beda, and Sudan Daniel in particular, have had many teams have been on the wrong end of a Red Lions blowout. And recently, the preseason pick JRU has kicked up its drive for the championship as well.

None of these three teams have lost to any other NCAA team this season. They are currently a combined 41-0 against teams 4th through 10th. JRU looked to be on the outside looking in after losing their first round games to both SSC-R and SBC. San Beda’s only two losses were the surprising early season loss to Baste and the recent beatdown at the hands of the Heavy Bombers.

And as of right now, there are still plenty of scenarios that can happen.

The Stags could end up sweeping the elimination round, and gaining easy access to the NCAA Finals. This would eliminate the Final Four setting, instead going to a step-ladder format where the Stags go straight to the championship round, while the 2 seed takes a twice-to-beat advantage in a match-up against the 3 seed. Considering the way these three teams dominated the league, a Final Three would be way more appropriate than a Final Four.

But the Stags have yet to face the always-dangerous Red Lions and the streaking Heavy Bombers. The Lions and Bombers are tied in their head-to-heads, so the tiebreaker would probably be who gets to beat Baste. A Beda win over Baste, coupled with a JRU loss, would all but assure them of the 2 seed and a twice-to-beat incentive for the semis. Same is true with a JRU win, Beda loss.

And should both teams beat San Sebastian in their 2nd round rematches? Then we might be looking at a three-way tie for first place. If there’s anything that could top last year’s amazing four-way tie for second place, then this would be it. The three teams that devoured the rest of the NCAA, all tied on top of the leaderboard.

How very fitting.

Races don’t get any better than this. And with the all-important SSC-R vs JRU (Sep 28) and SSC-R vs SBC (Oct 7) games coming up; well, the t-shirt can say it better than I ever can.

D’ Best is yet to come.

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Butiki Bullets: Saturday September 19

• UAAP Final Four action began today, with Paul Lee leading UE over a Mark Barroca-less FEU squad. He scored 26 points, including 14 in the final quarter. And I think this game perfectly illustrated my frustration with the UE offense. The Red Warriors pulled away after employing some NBA Live strategy, that is, to give the ball to your best player (Lee) and let him hoist a three-pointer while the defense is lulled. Lee hit three in a row in a crucial stretch of the game. Funny thing is, I caught coach Lawrence Chongson calling two different hand signals on two separate possessions, but both ended in Lee taking a contested three. This offense doesn't do him any favors, making him work for each shot, but man, can this guy make the game look easy.

• I also caught a pair of Final Four games in the juniors division. The DLSZ Junior Archers took care of the FEU Baby Tams to advance to the Finals, while the Ateneo Blue Eaglets extend their semifinal duel with the UST Tiger Cubs. Plenty of talent in the Juniors. FEU's Terrence Romeo delivered another virtuoso scoring performance. He started off slow but finished with 37 in a losing effort. Gwyne Capacio of La Salle is incredibly efficient with his shots, and has one of the most reliable midrange jumpers I've seen on a big guy. Kyle Neypes of UST looks like the second coming of Arwind Santos; and you guys know all about Kiefer Ravena. Ravena was spectacular on all fronts today, clearly emerging as his team's best scorer, defender, rebounder and creator.

• The official FEU statement on the Barroca incident.

• The PBA will be trying out some new rules in the upcoming PBA conference. Among them are the longer three-point line, some leniency on the jab-step and a return to the "no harm, no foul" policy.
  

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Butiki Bullets: Thursday September 17

• Biggest news of the day, and maybe the entire UAAP season. Due to the accusations leveled against him, FEU guard Mark Barroca has decided to quit the basketball team. The day has been full of drama, first with the Inquirer reporting Barroca as skipping practices before the news eventually broke that Barroca has officially left the team. Barroca will instead focus on finishing his sports recreation management degree and his commitments to the Smart Gilas developmental team. Suddenly, the Final Four is the last thing on anyone's minds.
  

• JRU proves worthy of contender status, beats San Beda 77-64. Peaking at the right time? It certainly seems so for the Heavy Bombers.

• Kiefer Watch! He may have been overshadowed for much of the season by the scoring exploits of FEU's Terrence Romeo, but we at Patay Ang Butiki love the bursting-with-potential game of Kiefer Ravena. It's Final Four time for the juniors this Saturday, starting with FEU-DLSU at 12:30 and UST-ADMU at 2:15.

• Clock is ticking on the Japeth situation, with the Oct 11 PBA opening fast approaching. The SBP says it will not intervene, leaving the decision all up to Aguilar. It would be interesting to see how this plays out, especially for MVP. He may be the President of the SBP but he's also a PBA team owner so he needs to handle this situation very delicately so as not to strain relations with the league. All this on top of Ping Lacson implicating him in a political scandal with former president Joseph Estrada about the purchase of PLDT.
  

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Butiki Bullets: Tuesday September 15

• Bleachers Brew's Rick Olivares addresses the rumblings that FEU guard Mark Barroca was involved in game-fixing this season. There are some interesting bits of FEU's history with game-fixing in the post. Former players JR Gerilla and Jeff Chan are mentioned.
  

• Ron Artest eats halo-halo and sings on the videoke machine. Isn't naturalization the logical next step to all this? Get the man a Team Pilipinas uniform.

• PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios wants PBA players in teleseryes.

• The EAC Generals have won two games in a row and mathematically, can still catch up to the Arellano University Chiefs. What happens to the NCAA guest teams after this season? I don't know. All I know is, at the end of the season, it doesn't hurt to be the best performing guest team. Look for the Oct 2 matchup between the Generals and the Chiefs to be a battle.
  

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NCAA UAAP Power Rankings: Week 10

Biggest jump: ADU (2 spots); Biggest drop: SBC, CSJL (1 spot); Re-entries: UST Growling Tigers; Dropped out: DLSU Green Archers

1 SSC-R Stags (Last week: 1; NCAA; 14-0)

Just when you think the Stags are at their most vulnerable, they hit us with three straight wins of over 30 points. Aside from keeping their win-loss record immaculately clean, SSC-R has closed in on the scoring margin lead that San Beda has held over them for much of the season. They now trail the Red Lions by just 2.6 points (at +19 to SBC’s +21.6). Talk about peaking at the right time, the Stags look like they’re doing just that.

2 ADMU Blue Eagles (Last week: 2; UAAP; 13-1)

Ateneo has been crazy good this season, dropping just one game going into the last playing day of the eliminations. And yet, they still found themselves fighting to keep from dropping down to 2nd in the UAAP. Well, the Blue Eagles deserve a celebration after staving off the pesky Tamaraws in what was the most important game of the season for either squad. They probably deserve a bump up these standings, too, but there’s no way the Stags are budging from the top spot after a week like that.

3 JRU Heavy Bombers (Last week: 4; NCAA; 12-2)

The top three NCAA teams (SSC-R, SBC, and JRU) are a combined 39-0 against the rest of the league. But Letran has given each of the teams a scare having lost to JRU by 3, San Beda by 5 and SSC-R by 3. That’s why we expected the JRU-Letran game, the first of any of the top four teams against another, to be a war. Instead, the Heavy Bombers turned it into a clinic. JRU has racked up 5 straight wins in the second round with an average scoring margin of +14.6 including the 18-point rout of Letran.

4 SBC Red Lions (Last week: 3; NCAA; 13-1)

The Red Lions sleepwalked to an 83-72 win over the Arellano Chiefs. San Beda was obviously not at its best, and the Chiefs may have plenty to do with that. SBC struggled to stop the inside-out game of Gio Ciriacruz, and even Ed Rivera seemed to have Sudan Daniel’s defense read by the end of the game. The Chiefs mounted a late comeback that ultimately fell short, but they did expose a couple of questions about San Beda that needs to be addressed before the Final Four. Maybe even before Wednesday’s game against JRU in a match-up that may decide who gets twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.

5 FEU Tamaraws (Last week: 5; UAAP; 11-3)

The Tamaraws blew a golden opportunity to take the top seed of the UAAP away from the Blue Eagles when Reil Cervantes failed to force overtime on a missed free throw. Still, they’ve proven again that they can compete with the defending UAAP champions. If FEU can get by UE, a team that beat them by 15 points in the second round, then the UAAP Finals looks to be one of the most hotly contested series we’ve seen in a while.

6 UE Red Warriors (Last week: 7; UAAP; 10-4)

There’s a long road ahead of the Red Warriors, as they have to overcome a tough FEU unit armed with a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four. UE has had a history of choking in important playoff games this decade, but maybe it’ll take an underdog squad like this year’s to take it back to the championship. Nobody expects them to beat both FEU in the semis and (likely) Ateneo in the Finals, but maybe that’s how UE likes it. No expectations, no pressure.

7 CSJL Knights (Last week: 6; NCAA; 10-5)

Letran looked ready to turn the NCAA Big Three into a Big Four, but all they got was a rude awakening in the form of an 84-66 mauling at the hands of the Heavy Bombers. The Knights are still a threat to upset SSC-R and San Beda in the second round, but there’s still plenty of work to do if they want a real shot at the NCAA championship this year.

8 ADU Falcons (Last week: 10; UAAP; 5-9)

The Falcons end their season on a strong note, with a 74-61 victory over the UP Fighting Maroons. They won four of their 7 second round games, and their last two by average of 16 points. They also finish with a positive point differential at +1.7, good for fourth behind Ateneo, FEU and UE. If one of those first round heartbreakers ended differently, this team could very well be in the Final Four. They’ll have to settle for edging out the DLSU Green Archers for 5th place in the final standings.

9 AU Chiefs (Last week; 9; NCAA; 7-7)

The Chiefs had Final Four aspirations burning brightly, before they ran into three consecutive losses to Letran, JRU and San Beda. They gave the Red Lions a lot to handle in their meeting, keeping their upset bid alive until the final minutes. Center Ed Rivera pressed Sudan Daniel into tough decisions defensively. Adrian Celada and Isaiah Ciriacruz were able to slash to the basket and Gio Ciriacruz is just a rock offensively. If they can carry some momentum from that game to their meeting with the Stags later this week, then Arellano could still complicate the playoff picture, maybe not for themselves, but for the teams that are already in.

10 UST Growling Tigers (Re-entry; UAAP; 6-8)

I’m not sure if they deserve to crash the rankings after dropping their last three games en route to the Final Four, but they can at least say that they are a playoff team in their league, something some of teams ranked higher than them can’t say for themselves. Dylan Ababou won the UAAP MVP award and Jeric Teng nabbed Rookie of the Year, so I guess they still had a better week than La Salle, who crashed out of the Final Four picture after a loss to NU last Thursday, and slid down one more spot after an Adamson victory last Saturday.

Ranked games this week: JRU (3) vs SBC (4), Wed; FEU (5) vs UE (6), Sat; ADMU (2) vs UST (10), Sun; SSC-R (1) vs AU (9), Mon

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Butiki Bullets: Monday September 14

• Dylan Ababou won the UAAP MVP award, with the decision based solely on statistics. There were no media, player or coach votes, "to avoid controversy". I think Ababou is as deserving as anyone out there but the decision to use only statistics to decide the winner probably makes this more controversial than if they stuck with the old way. And did anybody even consider the fact that Ababou's team plays way much more possessions than any other team? Or at least any other team with a legitimate MVP contender. UP and NU, who both play at similarly quick paces, don't really count.

• UP rookie Alvin Padilla led the UAAP in steals this season. Who leads the NCAA in steals? Kevin Alas of Letran and Argel Mendoza of EAC both average 1.9 a game. Both are rookies as well. Although in Mendoza's case, I don't know if he's a freshman but he's definitely a considered a rookie in the NCAA.

• Yeng Guiao is seriously considering giving a 45-year-old Allan Caidic a spot in the all-PBA national team after his brilliant shooting display in the PBA-NBA legends game. Should this be worth considering? Let's put it this way: if we found ourselves down by 2 points with less than a second to go, in whose hands would you trust with the ball for a last second catch-and-shoot? Caidic or any player from the Powerade Team Pilipinas?

• Something for the UAAP addicts to collect: UAAP-themed Coke bottles. Available at Jollibee. See pics here and here.
  

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Hitler's Reaction to DLSU's Elimination

Check this out.

I'm sure La Salle fans (like me) feel the same way.

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Butiki Bullets: Sunday September 13

• FEU wins the UAAP cheerdance competition this year. Ateneo came up with a surprising runner-up finish while perennial powerhouse UP finished third.

• You just don't get this kind of action in the seniors division anymore. FEU-FERN sensation Terrence Romeo scored 50 points in an 84-80 victory over the Ateneo Blue Eaglets. Kiefer Ravena scored 38 for the losing side. Now that's a duel.

• Four-time PBA MVP Alvin Patrimonio on the NBA Generations vs PBA legends game: "Malaki lang sila."

• The Adamson Falcons will get some consolation after a season of heartbreak losses. Though they've been eliminated from Final Four contention for a while now, the Falcons climb to 5th place in the UAAP standings after they beat UP on the final playing day. That gives them a respectable finish, and plenty of momentum going into next season. They will lose veteran Leo Canuday and Aldrin Margallo but will retain the core of this unit which could very well have been a Final Four team if they got a couple more breaks going their way early in the season.
  

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On lane violations

Something that has frustrated me all season long has been the referees' use of the lane violation call. Lane violations are called when a rebounder comes into the paint too early off a free throw. And this happens quite a bit in the college level. Players try to get every advantage they can, so they come in just a tad too early to get that small edge over their opponents.

And I have no problems with calling that. It should get called, and these players should be taught a lesson on stretching the rules to gain an advantage.

But this year, the refs have been calling double lane violations far too often. Now, this is a legit violation. That happens when two players both come in too early off a free throw. And again, this happens quite a bit. But the thing is, when you are out to get a rebound and your man darts into the paint illegally and gains position on you, it's your responsibility as a rebounder to fight for it. So you move in a second later in case the refs miss the call so you can still battle for the rebound, and next thing you know the whistle goes off.

And the refs call a double lane violation.

No, it doesn't matter to them that the other guy obviously came in first. Not this year. This year, if somebody, anybody, moved in too early and there are two guys in the paint, they call it a double lane violation. The referees don't bother checking who initiated the action in the first place. Is it really so difficult to actually penalize the player who was trying to get an unfair advantage?

No, the referees have been too lazy to do their jobs right and instead go for the easy call. Two guys in the paint? Double lane violation, no doubt.

And this is stupid. Because you can't risk the chance of the referees not whistling a lane violation on your opponent and getting an easy board; not when the game is on the line. You have to get in there and fight for your spot and hope that the refs call lane violation on this guy who moved in first and boxed you out. But that call ain't coming. All you're getting is another double lane violation.

And the consequences can be costly. I've seen times when a player of Team X comes in early, and a player from Team Y follows him in and player from Team Y, despite his disadvantage, comes out with the rebound. Then, the referees call them for the double, and possession arrow points to Team X. That's a bum deal right there.

Please, just find the guy who comes in first. You will rarely see a situation where both guys suddenly decide to dart in at the same time. Someone comes in and takes advantage, and another comes in just so his team stands a fighting chance.

That's not double lane violation. That's lane violation on the player who came in first. Refs, next time someone shoots into the paint too early, please just find the guy who came in first.

In lane violations, like in plays that end up in ejections and suspensions, catching the second motion is great, but it's always the guy who started it that should be penalized.

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View from the Backboard: where things just got real

This was one game that had everything.

At stake was the #1 seed in the UAAP Final Four, and the chance to play the slumping UST Growling Tigers instead of the surging UE Red Warriors. More importantly, this game was important because the Tamaraws needed to prove to themselves that they could handle Ateneo, and the Blue Eagles needed to prove that their first round victory on opening weekend was no fluke.

And both teams, well, they really seemed to want this one.

So they gave us everything. They gave us huge leads that went as high as 18 for one side; and they gave us a blazing fourth quarter comeback for the other side. They gave us struggling superstars (Andy Barroca scored 8 while Rabeh Al-Hussaini managed only 7); and they gave us players who stepped up big time (Aldrech Ramos 16 pts, 17 reb; Nonoy Baclao 12 pts, 17 reb, 3 blk). They gave us play that was physical and downright dirty. They gave us elbows to the face, hard screens, unsportsmanlike fouls and even a closed-fist that led to Nico Salva ejection.

Only fitting that in the end, they gave us 2.1 seconds on the clock and Reil Cervantes to the line for two with the Tams down, 74-72. First shot goes down, and the stage is set for what is essentially the ideal ending of any basketball-themed feature film. I couldn’t have scripted it any better myself.

And the dust settles with Ateneo winning 74-73 in a thriller of a game. And even that can’t possibly tell how close this game was. This game had all the emotions of a playoff game; all the drama of a classic.

This one had everything.

The spirit of the Blue Eagles has to be commended. They went down by as much as 18 points late in the 3rd quarter. Their top backup big man, Salva, was caught throwing a short punch to Jens Knuttel and had to be ejected. The fourth quarter opened with an unsportsmanlike foul on reigning MVP Al-Hussaini, which was his second-to-last foul in the game.

Nobody would've blamed them if they mailed it in the rest of the way.

But they didn’t. Much like that first round encounter against UE where they went down big in the first half, Ateneo simply chipped at the lead slowly but surely. There was no panic in their movement; only urgency. They showed a never-say-die attitude, believing fully that there wasn’t a lead big enough that could hold them off.

And that’s rare in a team that wins as much as these guys do. It’s difficult to develop that kind of mental toughness when you rarely ever go down big against opponents. But here they are.

Speaking of Salva, he definitely deserves to be thrown out for what he did. It was really more of a love tap rather than a punch. Punch makes it sound like there was a windup and a swing. This was more of a short stab with a closed fist, but that closed fist would do that every time. I just find it hard to believe that any incident that involves Knuttel didn’t somehow start by Jens initiating something.

Knuttel does get away with his fair share of cheap shots (check him when he sets screens). He got a nice elbow to Ryan Buenafe’s face after Buenafe stripped him of the ball in the fourth quarter, too. And who can forget his Greenwich Sobrang Cheesy Moment with former high school teammate Mark Lopez?

As for elbows to the face, Buenafe’s hardly the only guy who had to take one tonight. Bacon Austria was pulled out of the game in the first quarter when he was bleeding profusely from a cut on his one of his eyebrows. Ateneo courtside reporter Jessica Mendoza later said that was from an elbow, too. A few possessions later, Justin Chua received one jostling with Aldrech Ramos for a rebound. Rabeh Al-Hussaini later got one too, but to be fair to Jan Vinluan, the guy who threw it, he aimed low and there was no way of knowing Rabeh’s face would be in the area.

And Ramos – what can you say about the guy? Watching the duel between Ramos, the likely Defensive Player of the Year, and Baclao, the winner of last year’s award, was amazing. Kind of makes you feel sad that this is Baclao’s final year because this would be one heck of a rivalry. 16 points and 17 rebounds for Ramos, and this guy is still getting better. He was hitting outside shots left and right tonight. If Rajko Toroman can develop his inside scoring, then he’ll probably put up numbers similar to Kevin Garnett during his MVP season in Minnesota.

But if Ramos is Minnesota-KG, Baclao is Boston-KG. He put up 12 and 17 with 3 blocks tonight, and those are number he can probably get frequently if he cared more about his stats. But like Boston-KG, Noynoy doesn’t; all he cares for is making life miserable for opposing players. The way he anchors the Blue Eagle defense is a joy to watch. He’s the heart and soul of this defense and maybe, of this team.

Eric Salamat led all scorers with 20 points, though he scored 15 of those in the first half and never really got going in the crucial stages. FEU’s Paul Sanga was making it rain three-pointers all night, and was playing tough defense on the perimeter. Good performances for both guys.

As a matter of personal taste, I didn’t like the way the Tams were selling calls all night long. The FEU players were flying all over the place, and falling on the floor with every bit of contact. It wasn’t like they were being bullied tonight. They were dishing it out as much as the Blue Eagles were, but they were playing it up over and over again. We all know Rabeh is a big baby when it comes to the referee whistles but this was a whole team trying to get calls in their favor by doing acting jobs. If you play as physical as the Tams do, take it the same way you dish it out.

And how crazy was it that FEU needed to win by 5 points or more to nab the #1 seed? Ateneo could have aimed to lose by 4 and celebrated as if they won the game. The UAAP should have made it a head-to-head playoff for the top spot if the Tams won this game. Then we wouldn’t have had to see a situation like this, where they were obviously going for overtime instead of the win in that last possession just so they could have a chance to win by 5. They should have had the opportunity to play for #1 if they won that game; instead, FEU needed to aim for a draw and not a win because the rules are set up that way.

Still, they got the shot at overtime that they wanted. If Cervantes nailed that second shot, it would have went to overtime. And with Al-Hussaini fouled out, who knows what could have happened?

But this game, wow. This was tough, physical and dirty. This was playoff basketball. Enough of that child play early in the season, the Final Four is upon us and every game means something – something big – from this point on.

In other words, things just got real. Hope everyone else is ready for it.

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Butiki Bullets: Friday September 11

• The NBA Generations team defeated the PBA selection 109-86. The PBA squad was led in scoring by... Allan Caidic? Maybe he should lace 'em up again. I'm sure some PBA team could still use someone like him.

• This is interesting. Apparently, there have been rumors of a new expansion team in the PBA that might be jointly owned by San Miguel and the Manny V Pangilinan group. Both SMC and MVP have invested in Meralco, and PBA chair Lito Alvarez said that top officials from the electric company have expressed interest. So if Meralco becomes an expansion team, it would be sister teams with Talk N Text, Burger King, San Miguel, Ginebra AND Purefoods? Whew. If conspiracy theorists thought that the PBA was a farce back when SMC owned four teams, let's see what they have to say about this development.

• The JRU Heavy Bombers just handed the Letran Knights their worst loss of the season. The 84-66 beatdown marked the first time the Jazul and Guevarra-led Knights lost by double-digits this year, and it had to happen with their Smart Gilas head coach Rajko Toroman reportedly in attendance. JRU looks as dangerous as they've ever been, with support guys like Jhe Agas and John Lopez suddenly emerging. They face San Beda on Wednesday for a share of the second spot (and a shot at the twice-to-beat edge in the semis) in what may be the defining game for the Heavies this season.

• Former NBA star Vlade Divac wants stronger RP-Serbia partnership in sports. Divac is now Serbia's National Olympic Committee President.
  

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So who wins the UAAP MVP this year?

For most of the season, experts have been saying that if Dylan Ababou leads UST to the Final Four, he should be a lock for the MVP award in the UAAP. And for most of the season, I agreed.

But this wasn't the way we envisioned it. The Growling Tigers were supposed to win games and keep the DLSU Green Archers at bay; not lose their last three games and four of their last five. They gave La Salle, a team that won only one game in the entire second round, the opportunity to draw even with them in the standings on the second-to-last playing day of the elimination round.

The only reason UST is even in the Final Four is because La Salle couldn't find a way to beat the worst team in the league in what was essentially a no-bearing game for NU. Heck, La Salle couldn't find a way to beat any of the three teams with the worst records in the second round.

And that just shouldn’t be considered leading your team into the Final Four. Losing three in a row is not an achievement. Scoring 14 ppg on 29% shooting over the three most important games of the season after norming 18.9 on 40% for the whole tournament isn’t so hot either.

To be honest, I'm having my doubts about giving the prize to Ababou.

But then, who wins it? There is no precise definition of what the MVP award really is. In fact, it's been said that the results of the MVP award says more about the voters than it does about the player who actually wins it. There are plenty of definitions we can go by. Do we give it to the player who garners the most statistical points (probably Ababou)? The best player on the team with the best record (Rabeh Al-Hussaini)? The guy whose team probably can't survive without (Paul Lee of UE, maybe)?

Ababou had all the chances to prove that he could take his team to Final Four, and he wasn't able to. Not against La Salle. Not against Adamson. Not against UE.

Al-Hussaini may be the next option, but even his status as the best player on his own team is debatable. And like Steve Nash in the NBA, does Rabeh deserve to go down in the history books as a two-time MVP, ahead of guys like James Yap and Rico Villanueva, who each only won one?

Lee is probably a good candidate to win the award, but he plays with Elmer Espiritu, who probably deserves consideration for the MVP award for the same reasons as Lee. And if Shaq and Kobe taught us anything about the NBA, it's that it's extremely difficult to be MVP when you've got another MVP candidate playing beside you.

And can players like Mark Barroca and Aldrech Ramos even be considered, when guys like RR Garcia, JR Cawaling, Reil Cervantes, Pipo Noundou and Paul Sanga can lead the Tams to plenty of wins with or without either of those two?

There are plenty of reasons for each of the major candidates should win it, but maybe there are even more reasons against them. Could this be one of those years where the MVP award isn’t won by a contender, but rather it was lost by another?

So how do we settle this, really?

Maybe a good ol’ fashioned Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Eating contest is in order. RAH RUM RUH BUUUUUH!!!!!*

Who you got?

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NCAA UAAP Power Rankings: Week 9

Biggest jump: ADMU (1 spot); Biggest drop: SBC (1 spot); Re-entries: DLSU Green Archers, ADU Falcons; Dropped out: UST Growling Tigers, EAC Generals

1 SSC-R Stags (Last week: 1; NCAA; 13-0)

The Stags have re-asserted their dominance after a long break with two big victories by an average of 42 points this week. San Sebastian gets the chance to gain some separation in the standings as they take the contenders one after the other in the coming weeks. Baste will have the toughest schedule to close the elimination round, but their performance this week sent the message loud and clear: the road to the NCAA championship goes through them this year.

2 ADMU Blue Eagles (Last week: 3; UAAP; 12-1)

With their 93-75 win over UP, the Blue Eagles not only gained a measure of revenge against the only team that has beaten them this season, but they ensured themselves of at least a playoff for the #1 spot in the UAAP as well. Not a bad week for the defending UAAP champions. Next week could be even better: they have the chance to secure the top spot outright if they can beat the second-running FEU Tamaraws in the finals game of the eliminations.

3 SBC Red Lions (Last week: 2; NCAA; 12-1)

San Beda picks up another 20-something point win this week, which is pretty much the norm for the NCAA champs. They maintain a slight lead over the Stags in point differential (+21.3 to SSC-R’s +17.9) but that one game lead in the standings makes all the difference. If the Red Lions, or any other team in the NCAA, can’t put a blemish on that clean SSC-R slate, then Baste gets direct entry to the Finals – and the rest they’ll get from that easy way in might prove to be telling if San Beda advances to face them.

4 JRU Heavy Bombers (Last week: 4; NCAA; 11-2)

Despite an impressive record and a pretty good average scoring margin (JRU is +9.0), the Bombers have begun to look more like a darkhorse pick rather than a true contender. However, the other top teams must recognize that when JRU turns it on – they can beat any team in the college level. Behind the unbelievable scoring explosions of John Wilson and the rapidly improving bench, this team is capable of winning it all. They get to prove it as they have match-ups with the Knights and Red Lions scheduled five days apart starting this Friday.

5 FEU Tamaraws (Last week: 5; UAAP; 11-2)

FEU has been underwhelming of late. They dropped a game to UE a while back and this week, was forced into a tight overtime contest by a very young and very green DLSU unit. The Tams escaped with a two-point squeaker, but secured a twice-to-beat advantage for the Final Four and kept within striking distance of leaders Ateneo. They can erase all doubts when they go head-to-head with the Blue Eagles on Saturday.

6 CSJL Knights (Last week: 6; NCAA; 10-4)

Letran has stayed a small distance behind the NCAA’s big three for most of the season but they've been unbeaten in the second round and finally look to have beaten off the Arellano Chiefs for the last slot in the Final Four. They’ve banked on the emergence of Rey Guevarra, who has averaged 21 points per game in the second round. The Final Four looks to be in the offing for the Knights, but only if the Stags drop a game. Otherwise, it’s a stepladder semifinal – leaving the fourth place Knights as exactly that: fourth place.

7 UE Red Warriors (Last week: 7; UAAP; 9-4)

The Red Warriors are cruising into the final week of the UAAP elimination round, riding a five-game winning streak that includes the slaying of the FEU Tams. There’s still one game left on schedule against the slumping UST Growling Tigers but this game is no gimme. Uste won the first round match-up between the two teams, 92-88, and this time, the Tigers are fighting for a spot in the Final Four. Not a lot at stake for UE, though, as they’re locked in at the third seed in the UAAP.

8 DLSU Green Archers (Re-entry; UAAP; 5-8)

La Salle looked to be out of the race for the UAAP Final Four after a five-game losing streak, but now they’re one win and one UST loss away from forcing a playoff for the fourth spot. Considering that the Tigers are playing UE and the Archers are playing the NU Bulldogs, odds are good that the playoff is happening. And DLSU has won both head-to-head meetings with UST this season.

9 AU Chiefs (Last week; 9; NCAA; 7-6)

Arellano U looked to be strong contenders for the NCAA Final Four but back-to-back losses to Letran last week and to JRU this week took the air out of the Chiefs campaign. Mathematically, they’re still in this. Their late season schedule includes winnable games against MIT, UPHSD and EAC while Letran goes through the JRU-San Beda-San Sebastian gauntlet in three of their last four games.

10 ADU Falcons (Re-entry; UAAP; 4-9)

Adamson may be eliminated from the Final Four race but they get some measure of satisfaction in having beaten both DLSU and UST in the second round. The UST game this week was particularly satisfying – a runaway 83-64 victory. If not for a disastrous first round where the Falcons lost to both teams by a solitary point, and a couple other close decisions, this could very well have been their first Final Four appearance since 2006. The Falcons are behind in the standings, but are ahead of both the Archers and the Tigers in point differential, an indication of how high the level of play has been for the Falcons this season. A DLSU loss to NU on Thursday, coupled with an Adamson win over UP on Saturday, gives them a tie for fifth place; a small consolation for one of the unluckiest seasons of UAAP basketball.

Ranked games this week: JRU (4) vs CSJL (6), Fri; ADMU (2) vs FEU (5), Sat

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Butiki Bullets: Wednesday September 9

• Aris Dimaunahan and Manny Caceres were supposedly "released" by Coca-cola and signed by Barako Bull, even after reports surfaced that Coke was to loan these two players to the cash-strapped Photokina franchise. Aside from these two, Rob Reyes, Yousif Aljamal, Adonis Sta Maria and Gilbert Lao - all traded from TNT to Barako Bull earlier in the offseason - apparently all have existing contracts with their old teams. Barako Bull has been making a mockery of the rules for years. They've made money off of selling their best players for "cash considerations" but here's an idea: just sell the damn team. At least PBA fans will have another real team to root for, not a farm for young players that you know will be gone one year after their breakout season.

• PBA chairman and Burger King official Lito Alvarez says SBP President Manny V Pangilinan has offered support in resolving the Japeth-Burger King tiff.

• It's HOF induction time! And the inductees are... Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Ricky Brown, Hector Calma, the late Jun Bernardino, Bobby Parks and former PBA chair Carlos "Honeyboy" Palanca. Palanca probably gets into Hall for going through his entire adult life with a name like Honeyboy. Give the man a medal, too.

• San Sebastian is #1 in the NCAA with an unbeaten slate. But the upcoming schedule is just brutal. They end the season with games against Arellano, Letran, JRU and San Beda. Remember, the Celtics won 19 games in a row last season before losing 7 of the next 9. Bad habits sometime develop over long win streaks, and they go uncorrected because they all end up in Ws. The Stags haven't been challenged in their second round matchups against the league's lightweights, and they better hope they didn't develop any bad habits that the other top teams can capitalize on.
  

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Trade Grades: Dennis Espino to Coca-Cola

Dennis Espino finds himself a Tiger once more after the former UST standout was acquired by the Coca-cola Tigers for Jason Misolas and a future 1st round pick. The veteran big man will join Chris Ross, Larry Rodriguez, Ken Bono, Jojo Duncil and Marvin Cruz as new faces on the fast rebuilding Coke squad.

Sta Lucia Realtors

Espino is a good big man. One of the best in the PBA, in fact. He was huge in that Sta Lucia run to the title in the 2008 All-Filipino Conference. And he's seems like a nice locker room presence, too, considering the Realtors made him captain of the team.

But it should come to no surprise when SLR traded their captain, and one of the faces of the franchise, for Misolas and a future 1st rounder. Sure sounds like a small haul for a player of Espino's caliber, but this makes sense.

The Realtors already picked up Espino's eventual replacement when they traded their draft pick for Barako Bull's Gabby Espinas. The arrival of Espinas meant someone from the regular rotation was losing minutes this season, and it sure wouldn't be Kelly Williams. And considering that the Realtors gave Espino a max contract, well, it just doesn't make sense to pay max money to a backup center with a reduced role.

They'll get Misolas, whose shooting could land him a spot behind Bitoy Omolon, and that future 1st pick that could help the Realtors rebuild post-Marlou Aquino-Dennis Espino-Paolo Mendoza. These guys were getting on in age, and though you'd like to admire a team's loyalty to players who've been in one team for a while, it only makes sense to be thinking ahead.

This is a good move from a management, front office, number cruncher point of view. But games, and championships, are won on the basketball court. No fan of an NBA team gets beat in the playoffs and thinks, 'yeah, but they're paying deep into the luxury tax while we are safely within the salary cap and not having to pay that damned dollar-for-dollar tax.' This trade will be good for the organization, but this sure doesn't make them a better basketball team.

Grade: C

Coca-cola Tigers

It's been a heck of an offseason for the Tigers. Plenty of wheeling and dealing, landing a potential franchise player in Ross. And now, they've shored up the frontcourt with Espino alongside the always-dominant Asi Taulava.

With the deals they've been making, the message Coke is sending is simple: they want to start winning. And if you're a fan of the franchise, this is a very good thing. The Tigers may be realizing that Taulava, too, is getting older. And that championship window, that may start getting smaller and smaller once 'the Rock' advances in age too far. If you want to win with Taulava, you might want to start doing it now.

So the Tigers get older with Espino in the mix. They lose a draft pick, too, which limits opportunities to get younger in the next few years. But none of that is a concern to Coke. They wanted someone who can help them become contenders right now, and Espino looked like that kind of guy to them.

This deal makes Coke better. They won't miss Misolas, not with all the new players they've acquired coming in. And to get a player who can attract low post attention, like Espino does, will help a lot.

I don't know if this makes them contenders, though. Favorites like the San Miguel Beermen and Ginebra Gin Kings got even stronger with major acquisitions in the offseason and the Talk N Text Tropang Texters are still loaded, as always. I think Ross will be the X-factor for the Tigers, and how good Coke will be is dependent on how good Ross will be.

A very solid deal, nonetheless.

Grade: B+

Sta Lucia and Coke swapped players they won't really miss all that much. The Realtors and Tiger have other acquisitions that make the players involved dispensable for their squads. Espino is a much better talent than Misolas, but Sta Lucia needed to get rid of Espino's contract (for future flexibility, I assume) and Coke could afford to take it. In that regard, both teams got exactly what they wanted in this deal. The key to looking back on this deal in the future will be what Sta Lucia does with the future pick. If they are able to draft a franchise player with it years from now, then this would have to be considered lopsided as Espino really doesn't have many years of being a contributor left. For now, though, Coke comes out ahead in that they become a better team with this trade.

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Butiki Bullets: Saturday September 5

• The ASEAN Basketball League is almost ready to go. The Philippine Patriots are set to be bannered by PBA legends Johnny Abbarientos and Vergel Meneses, along with a couple of PBL mainstays. The league allows two non-Asian imports and three imports from within South East Asia - and Pinoys are in high demand for those import slots.

• Salary cap constraints - not financial trouble - prompted Sta Lucia to trade Denok Miranda and Dennis Espino. Both Kelly Williams and Joseph Yeo were inked to max deals this summer.

• Tony Atayde of Inbound Pass called DLSU's Joshua Webb a "franchise player". But is he one? I think he's the one of the better finishers in the UAAP, and his length makes him a great fit for Franz Pumaren's press. But it's widely acknowledged that he can only drive to his right, and he chooses to create or take outside shots far too often considering how good he is at finishing when he catches the ball on his way to the basket. His game reminds me a lot of Shawn Marion, who was probably the best third banana in the NBA in his stint with the SSOL Phoenix Suns. An all-star? Definitely. Franchise player? Debatable.

• Last season's NCAA Finalists San Beda and JRU posted easy wins last Friday. There are currently four teams in the NCAA who have not lost a game in the second round: San Sebastian, San Beda, JRU and Letran. Mark the dates because the meetings between those teams will be real wars; starting September 11 when the Heavy Bombers face the Knights.
  

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Yet another Japeth Aguilar headline

Aren't we all getting sick of Japeth Aguilar updates by now?

But here's another in a long line of twists and turns that makes this whole controversy seem more like a teleserye everyday. Apparently, the PBA commitment (or, since it's nothing official, let's call it a handshake agreement) is not the first commitment Aguilar has backed off of.

Virtual Sports Management, the agency that manages James Yap and Arwind Santos, are claiming that they have a 10-year deal to handle Aguilar, signed back when the young baller was in high school. Apparently, this was the group that brought Japeth from Pampanga to Mapua and eventually, to Ateneo de Manila. All of a sudden, they're claiming rights to represent Aguilar and are "reviewing what legal action to take."

Really? The whole Aguilar controversy has been raging for a while now, and suddenly they remember that hey, aren't we the ones who are supposed to be representing this guy? This is a very curious time for them to be coming out, but if they can come in and make sense of all this, then go ahead. Just find a way to get him in a Smart Gilas uniform.

Rick Olivares was right when he said this is a public relations game now. At this point, it's hard to remember if this was all even about basketball in the first place.

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Trade Grades: Denok Miranda to SMB

A busy offseason continues with a couple more trades this week. After acquiring defensive ace Arwind Santos from Burger King earlier, the San Miguel Beermen have just traded for Santos' former college teammate, Sta Lucia Realtors guard Denok Miranda. In return, the Realtors will be getting SMB's draft pick in 2012.

San Miguel Beermen

Gets: Denok Miranda
Loses: 2012 Draft Pick

This move is as confusing as it gets. There already is a logjam at the point guard spot with superstar guard Mike Cortez and the league's Most Improved Player (and Finals MVP) Jonas Villanueva sharing minutes. During the finals, one often had to play out of position so both players could get playing time. Firmly entrenched at the 2, of course, is Dondon Hontiveros and sophomore guard Bonbon Custodio is making a case for minutes as well.

Miranda is a great pickup. He's a point guard with good size, although he can play both guard spots. He can handle the ball reliably and provide plenty of good defense. Unfortunately, he isn't a clear upgrade over the incumbent SMB guys. Sure, it adds depth. But it also further complicates an already tough situation for the deepest team in the league.

I can understand if the Beermen would be getting a Jayjay Helterbrand or a Ryan Reyes, who can make a case for the starting lineup. But just another guy in a long line of guards? This could be a tough situation for Miranda, or one of the other guards. Another talented player only means someone's losing his spot on the rotation.

This is probably a move that prepares for Olsen Racela's eventual shift to full-time assistant coach. Still, I would have loved for SMB to free up their rotation by trading three or four of their solid-to-great guys for a perennial all-star. I love Denok as a player, and I'm pretty sure he'll find a role on this team, but this only compounds the Beermen's problems with playing time, especially with the entry of Santos and the impending return of injured forwards Danny Seigle and Lordy Tugade.

You have to wonder, is there even a plan at the SMB camp?

Grade: C

Sta Lucia Realtors

Gets: 2012 1st Round Draft Pick
Loses: Denok Miranda

On the surface, this looks like another lopsided SMB trade that, of course, has cash considerations involved. And it really might be. But it's interesting to note that most deals that involve draft picks say 'a future 1st round draft pick' and does not name which draft year specifically. I assume details like that are negotiated for later.

This deal, though, names 2012 as the draft they want to acquire a pick from. And really, that's a smart move on the part of the Realtors. Why? Because 2012 is no ordinary draft year.

2012 is the year of Smart Gilas.

That's right, that's when the three-year deals that guys like Chris Tiu and Jvee Casio signed will expire. Consider how many Smart Gilas players will enter the draft that year. These guys did not graduate from college ball the same year, but they're all eligible for the PBA on the same year.

Tiu, Casio, Mac Baracael, Jason Ballesteros, Andy Barroca, Dylan Ababou, Rabeh Al-Husseini, JR Cawaling, Aldrech Ramos, Paul Lee, RJ Jazul, Rey Guevarra, Junmar Fajardo, Greg Slaughter, Ryan Buenafe, Fil-American Chris Lutz. Or hey, how about naturalized player CJ Giles if his NBA career doesn't pan out?

Those guys will all potentially be available in that draft. And if you count them, you'll see that a bunch of those guys might be going in the second round. By that time, many of them wouldn't even be true rookies. They'd be two, three years ahead of the normal rookie age. And that means a lot of these guys will be ready to contribute, maybe even dominate, right off the bat.

So how valuable is a draft pick in 2012? It might turn out to be the deepest draft class in the history of the PBA. If I'm trading away one of my best players for a future draft pick, 2012 is definitely the year I'm looking at.

Grade: A

One team is looking at the future while the other is staring the present straight in the eye. That 2012 pick is a major asset, and I think SMB dropped the ball here by giving it up for a player that would be entering a logjam at his position. SLR, meanwhile, looks like it has some financial concerns (considering they also traded away stalwart Dennis Espino) but they come out of this deal with a pick that has plenty of potential. Definitely a good deal for the Realtors, regardless of where they will be picking in 2012.

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