PBA Games

In a debate over drinks with some friends, the conversation naturally moved towards a common passion: Philippine basketball and what it takes to succeed globally as a team and for the Filipino individually. Because to this day, no Filipino has stepped into an NBA hardcourt. Heck, a Japanese player has beaten us. Here were the factors discussed and the questions I had raised against them...

1. Filipinos just lack the height: "If we were taller we would win."
The most common sentiment/surest conclusion for most Filipinos.
If there was a world championship-- 6 feet and below, would the Philippines win against the U.S.?
Even if we make it 6'1" and below (so we could include James Yap), does a lineup of Yap, Baguio, Helterbrand, Tenorio and Willie Miller win against a lineup of Nate Robinson, Jameer Nelson, Chauncey Billips, Mike Bibby, TJ Ford and Earl Boykins? Hell we could even cheat and throw in Taulava in there, would we still win?

2. Even if we had height.
The Chinese team is taller than the American team. Do these Asians, that have similar genetic profiles to Filipinos, win against the Americans?

3. "We don't have an NBA player that could carry the RP team."
The Chinese team has Yao Ming, the tallest of all NBA players. Plus they have that other seven-footer to play power forward. Have they won? Nash is a two-time MVP. Where's the Canadian team?

4. The Philippine team lacks coaching: "If we were only taught to play the game right."
If Phil Jackson coached the RP team, and Riley, Poppovich, Rivers and Larry Brown were on his staff--winners of 22 NBA championships-- will the RP team win?

5. Lack of international exposure: "All our players do is play locally and get together only when a big international tournament starts." 

Once again, the Chinese team sets the benchmark-- their team is unified, it is the priority over their pro teams, and they have travelled together extensively for years since youth basketball. Where are they?
I see three basic problems with Fiipinos and basketball.

1-) We have the height for point guards.

2-) Everybody is a points guard but nobody has a jumper-- which makes us predictable defensively because defenders can just sag and wait to block your shot when you get to the paint. Most, if not all, are slashers. Not too many outside shooters.

I cannot emphasize this enough because even the best of slashers, eventually took their game to the next level when they armed themselves with not just a jumpshot but a fadeway jumpshot. From MJ, to Kobe, McGrady, Carter, Lebron, and now Durant-- the best players have that unguardable fadeaway. This is what most Filipinos fail to see. Steve Nash? Best fadeway in the business. His is exaggerated. But he makes it look so easy. And the proof is in the pdudding: how many MVP's?

I noticed one consistent trait PBA imports have: a jumpshot. Even the big guys that are hired to play center and grab rebounds, 9/10 can shoot. And the best imports have the best fadeways.

3-) Nobody can pass.

Our model should be Steve Nash-- 6'3", passes like Magic, shoots like Bird. Once again-- 2 MVPs to prove it.
Why don't we have an NBA-bound player in the RP?

Because no one likes to pass, and no has that unstoppable, fadeaway jumpshot.

How do I know? Because after 10 years of playing ball in the streets, I ended up joining a team coached by a pro. He put the brakes on me, told me I was a points guard, and that I needed to pull up more and hit that J instead of driving into the land of the trees all the time.  He told me the only way I would play was if I passed more and played defense first. I got benched and 4 games into the season I quit.

I am the reflection of RP basketball.

Maybe that's why I also play baseball and soccer? (At least I don't get benched while playing both!)

Three of the most violent things I've done in my life: play baseball in the diamonds of the USA, play basketball with the blacks in the hardtops of LA, and play soccer in the streets of Brazil.

Maybe, just like our Japanese and Korean counterparts, the Philippines should also start looking into these two sports where Filipinos could succeed a little more because gravity is more in the points guard's favor.