BMEG Derby Ace says Goodbye, SMB takes a seat at the Finals, & The Alaska Aces vs the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters Game 7!

The Derby Ace Llamados is done for this Import-backed Conference, James Yap is done for this Conference.. and for what I can say their whole team needs a break, and most of all James Yap needs a break from all the things he has faced this Conference/Season. Truly a very busy basketball season for James, non-stop action since playing for the Powerade PBA-backed Philippine National Team.



James had an "Absolute MVP Quality Performance" since winning the All-Filipino Championship and until now in this Import-backed Conference. Fatigue has been a big factor in their last ball-game against the Beermen. Also a big loss was Kerby Raymundo only watching on the sidelines the whole series because of his injuries. The Import selection was also a big impact for the team, Chemistry was their strength in the start of this Conference but ruining that chemistry by the selection of those imports (Lorrenzo Wade, Clif Brown, and Tony Washam) really lowered their team rating.

*James have always been in the eyes of the public since his UAAP days but my Favorite James Yap moment was this one:

*This was his statement in TV Patrol World after that happened:

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The San Miguel Beermen, after defeating the BMEG Derby Ace Llamados takes the Finals Seat and waits for the winner of the upcoming Game 7 Alaska - Talk 'N Text match-up to no surprise.

San Miguel has always been the team to beat in every Conference because of their "All-Star" line-up, it's very hard to beat this team because of their athleticism, their veteran leaders, their experience, and their very deep bench. I'll really not be surprised if they win this Championship. In fact, it would delight me to see this team give some of their unused players away to other teams.. Well, that's how they like it, We "fans" can't really do anything about it.

Moving on, the battle of Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters against Alaska Aces will take place on Wednesday 7:00 PM Philippine Time on Solar TV!

These teams both have good players so it's hard to say or comment anything, We will just have to watch this game to see who will advance and who will go home...

This one really is a great game to watch!

*Who will win it all? Who will go to the Championship? Who will go home?

-Deerman

The Miami Heat is now the Justice League Unlimited!

Collecting all of the unsung heroes/players of the generation, the Miami Heat is now a formidable team to contend for an NBA Championship. Pat Riley did a good job luring these players to form a Championship team. Now here's the data I've collected in NBA.com:

Eddie House -- The latest veteran to climb aboard the bandwagon, House is returning to the team that drafted him in 2000. He can be a bundle of points and energy off the bench as he showed while winning the championship with the Celtics in 2008.

Mike Miller -- With his move from Memphis to Minnesota two seasons ago, he altered his style of play and virtually ruined his game. The trade to Washington last season didn't help as he continued to play away from his strength -- shooting. Maybe it had to do with the bad situations he was in. Now all Miller has to do is find the open spaces that will be created by the big three and go back to firing away. There's no reason to think he can't.

Udonis Haslem -- The rock on the front line and a bridge with Wade from the 2006 championship to the dawn of the new era gave up more money than anyone else to stay and play in Miami. He can defend up front, will be a more than willing and capable garbage man on offense and in a locker room atmosphere that will be part circus and part backstage at Las Vegas, he's simply dependable.

Joel Anthony -- After using a salary cap hold of just $1.6 million to clear out extra space for the riches of the Supremes, the Heat get their starting center for the bargain basement price of $18 million for five years. They'll be looking for him to defend and block shots. And any buckets he scores will be almost by accident.

Juwan Howard -- Sixteen years later, who'd have thought he'd be the last of the Michigan Fab Five still playing? The itinerant forward is far from a defensive stopper, but he can still score around the hoop in a pinch and is another one of those solid citizens who'll keep the ship steady as he seeks to finally get his ring.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas -- LeBron didn't have to call twice to get the Big Z to jump out of the sinkhole in Cleveland to join the party in South Beach. Entering his 13th NBA season, Ilgauskas can be a solid backup and take up plenty of space in the middle. The many teams that chased after him when he became available as a free agent last February tell you that he can still be effective.

Jamaal Magloire -- The 10-year vet has definitely seen his stock plummet from an NBA starter to a deep sub over the course of four years. But you're talking about someone to fill a role of limited minutes in the event of foul trouble or injury. Not a bad third option at center.

Carlos Arroyo -- Somebody has to handle the ball when it's not in the hands of Wade or James. Arroyo started 35 games for the Heat last season with an outstanding assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.17.

James Jones -- First he took a buyout from the Heat and then signed a veteran's minimum contract to stick around in Miami for the star-spangled gala. He's looking for a chance to show he can stick his 3-pointers with regularity and join the show.

Mario Chalmers -- Entering his third training camp, Chalmers has to finally show that his career didn't peak with that jumper for Kansas over Derrick Rose and Memphis State in the 2008 NCAA title game if he wants to stick around for a shot at another championship.

Dexter Pittman -- The rookie big man has plenty of size and now all opportunity he needs to put a disappointing senior year at Texas behind him and hitch a ride on the bandwagon.

Shavlik Randolph -- The five-year veteran forward impressed the Heat coaches with his play at the Las Vegas Summer League enough to earn himself a non-guaranteed contract and an invite to training camp.

Kenny Hasbrouck -- The D-League veteran could potentially swing between both backcourt positions, though his non-guaranteed contract probably just become a little shakier with the addition of House.

--Now that the basketball world had seen this impressive line-up, expectations are high for this team and these fellas to show what they got and to prove that they can win it all.

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**Haha posted the picture of the Justice League Unlimited just to make things colorful! lol!

-Deerman

So.. What's New now huh?

After the buzz about the new big three in Miami the other teams in the NBA are now busy collecting other pieces for their team.

NBA.com tells TNT's David Aldridge that free agent forward Tracy McGrady will work out for the Chicago Bulls next Monday, his second workout for a prospective team. McGrady worked out for the Clippers on Tuesday.
McGrady could take additional visits after working out for the Bulls, according to the source. A signing is not imminent for the seven-time All-Star, who finished last season with the Knicks after being traded briefly to Sacramento by the Rockets. The 31-year-old only played in 24 games last season as he came back from microfracture surgery on his left knee in February, 2009. would He hoped to come back for Houston but after he and the team disagreed on how much playing time he'd get the two sides mutually agreed that McGrady would stay away from the team until a deal could be made.
McGrady started 24 games for New York, averaging 9.4 points and 3.9 assists in 26.1 minutes.
McGrady wrote on his Twitter account Wednesday, "clippers, bulls, lakers, heat....but that could change by the morning...lol..this is the NBA".
The Clippers said that McGrady had a good workout with them but did not commit to making him a contract offer. Los Angeles has a need at small forward, with rookie Al-Faroqu Aminu not ready to handle major minutes. A league source said Wednesday that the Clippers have asked about Philadelphia forward Andre Iguodala, though there was no indication that Los Angeles has made or will make an offer for Iguodala.
Injuries have greatly slowed McGrady in the last two years; he has played in just 65 games during that time. But McGrady still believes he can return to the form that made him a two-time NBA scoring champion and one of the best late-game finishers of the past decade. He has worked out in Chicago almost non-stop when not playing the last couple of years with famed trainer Tim Grover.
The Bulls have already had a very busy summer, signing power forward Carlos Boozer to a five-year, $80 million deal, shooting guards Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver for three years and $12 and $15 million, respectively, and completing a sign-and-trade earlier this week for backup point guard C.J. Watson from Golden State. McGrady could provide veteran insurance at small forward behind Luol Deng, who has also struggled with injuries in the past few seasons.

The New Jersey Nets meanwhile, after failing to grab LeBron James moved to plan B signing FOUR free agents by the names of: Johan Petro (C), Travis Outlaw (PF/SF), Anthony Morrow (SG), and the two time Laker champ Jordan Farmar (PG).

They drafted two good players in the draft: Damion James (SF), and Derrick Favors (PF).

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In the PBA the Semi Finals have started and the First Round was quite a rumble!

The San Miguel Beermen took game 1 by storm against the BMEG Derby Ace Llamados with the stellar game of Jay Washington 28 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assist, and 1 block in 32 minutes of play.

Final Score: 101-88

The BMEG Derby Ace Llamados needs a gameplan defending the San Miguel Beermen in order to win this series.

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On the other side, Coach Tim Cone of the Alaska Aces never runs out of tricks up his sleeve beating the invulnerable Talk N Text Tropang Texters and shocking the Philippine Basketball World with its 104-88 win in the game 1 of this Semi-final showdown.

The bench played a big role with their win, FIVE Players scored double digits for the Aces and Tony Dela Cruz almost had a double digit score (9 points for him).

The bench of the Aces must be consistent with their play to beat this Talk N Text squad, while Talk N Text must pick-up the pace and double their output in rebounds and assists for them to succeed.

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-Deerman

The New Big Three in Miami, The curse of LeBron James, The Alaska victory against Barangay Ginebra, and The James Yap 31 point performance

The hottest news on basketball today: LeBron James, Chris Bosh, & Dwayne Wade all on the same team. LBJ's decision was aired on ESPN the other night and the much anticipated "DECISION 2010" lived up to it's expectations ( Well, mostly to the Heat fans ).

Different reactions transpired specially on both camps (Miami and Cleveland)

The Heat fans were all jumping out of joy when they heard that the self-proclaimed basketball "KING" was going to play on their side while on the other hand, the fans and residents of Cleveland weren't that much happy when they heard about the news. The fans who once loved James in Cleveland, burned the James jerseys, t-shirts, and all off the stuff that makes them remember they were "betrayed" by their "Savior to be".

Seeing these three all on the same team makes me wonder if Kobe Bryant can win his second three-peat? Just looking at the "New Big Three" really makes me chill.

http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gilbert_letter_100708.html

(The open letter to the fans of the Cavaliers by majority owner Dan Gilbert)

So.. After all the hype and stress this news had given to the universe, will the Miami Heat score a title with this juggernaut big three? Will "the curse of LeBron James" take it's form in Miami?

and will the Los Angeles Lakers take it's three-peat this season?

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The Alaska Aces took the game 1 of the PBA Q-finals with Cyrus Baguio outscoring it's trade counterpart Willie Miller. Cyrus Baguio scored 15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assist and 2 steals while Willie Miller only with 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assist, and 1 steal.

The game was boring in the first quarter with both teams missing a ton of their shots and I didn't finish watching it because I already knew that the Aces would win and take game 1. Obviously for me, when I saw Barangay Ginebra's shots not falling from the outside, spelled big trouble for the team. Game 2 will be on Sunday @ 4pm in the Cuneta Astrodome!

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The "Man with the Million moves" or should I say the "Man who will fight for your honor" is at it again.

Finishing with 31 big points, 4 rebounds, 4 assist, and 1 block James Yap showed his focus, determination, and devotion to basketball.

PJ Simon a factor to this ball-game contributed 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.

“James kept us alive the whole game and PJ provided the finishing touches,” proclaimed by Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio, who said he felt good surviving the challenge from a “highly athletic” team.

Gabe Norwood and Sol Mercado gave good performances too, Norwood scored 24 with some ring rattling dunks and Mercado layed 14 points with very good power drives to the hoop.

Expect this Q-Finals to be a wild-round-up with these two teams. Game2 will be on Sunday, 6:30pm at the Cuneta Astrodome!

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-Deerman

Is Nate Robinson really a Filipino?

Philippine Star - Nate Robinson, a Boston Celtic player was once quoted in Dime Magazine's website as confirming he’s 1/8 Filipino and “Pacific Rims” author Rafe Bartholomew said the 5-9 guard’s mother Renee Busch mentioned in an interview that her grandfather was Filipino.

But in a Star conversation the other day, Busch said from what she knows, Robinson has no drop of Filipino blood. The conflicting versions put to doubt whether Robinson could play for the Philippine national team as a dual citizen in the future.

Sounding uncertain, Busch couldn’t be too sure of her son’s lineage. She referred this writer to her mother Arlene for a clearer picture of Robinson’s heritage. Her mother did not return calls on a home telephone number.

Robinson, 26, is the oldest of three half-brothers and four half-sisters. He is the only child of his parents Jacque, a former University of Washington football player, and Renee. His father has two sons and three daughters with another wife while his mother has a son – Anthony, 24 – and a daughter – Jasmine, 22 – with another husband.

Robinson himself has three children – Nahmier, 5, Ny’ale Cameron, 3, and Navyi Caiann, 1.

"2009 dunk contest, Nate Robinson dunks on Dwight Howard!"

“As far as I know, Nate has no Filipino blood but was raised in a Filipino family environment,” said Busch. “My mother or Nate’s grandmother should be able to fill in the details of his Filipino background. Our friends are either Filipino or black. In Seattle where I live, our closest friends are Filipinos – the Bacanis.”

Robinson, interviewed by writer Gerald Narciso in dimebag.com, said he grew up eating Filipino food like lumpia with sweet and sour sauce. His mother said he was influenced by Filipino values as a boy.

"Nate Robinson blocks Yao Ming! (2006)"

“My little sister speaks Tagalog – that’s how close we are with Filipinos,” said Busch. “I understand a little Tagalog myself. And I suppose so does Nate. I know he’d love to visit the Philippines. He’s been to China promoting basketball for the NBA and I’m sure he could do the same in the Philippines.”

Busch said Robinson, a restricted free agent, is busy sorting out offers for the next season.

“Nate’s due for a big contract because he played real well for the Celtics in the playoffs,” said Busch. “It’s difficult to reach him now. He’s busy negotiating. This is his chance to secure his future. I tried to watch as many games as I could during the playoffs. In the Finals, I watched all the Los Angeles games and two in Boston. It was a wonderful run for Nate. I think the Celtics had a real chance to win it all.”

Busch said she’ll support her son wherever he goes in his NBA journey. Robinson began his career with the New York Knicks in 2005-06 and joined the Celtics last February.

“I’d prefer Nate to play closer to home (Seattle),” she said. “He’s played in the East Coast his entire NBA career. It would be nice if he could play in the West. But anywhere he goes, I’ll be there for him.”

Busch said playing for the Philippine national team is an intriguing possibility.

"Philippine National Team (June 2010) vs Jordan National Team"

“Why not?” she said. “I’m sure Nate will consider it with his manager if that option is possible. He’d love to go to the Philippines because he’s heard so much about the country from his Filipino friends.”

Busch said there was never any doubt in her mind that Robinson would become a star in sports.

“Nate was always very athletic,” she said. “He started walking when he was six months old. When he was two, he started playing sports. He did track and football in high school until he concentrated on basketball.”

Robinson was 13 in the eighth grade when he first dunked, using a volleyball. In 2002, his father veered him away from football and made him focus on basketball.

Busch, 48, is the dance coach at Rainer Beach High School which Robinson attended and also manages a beauty salon in Seattle.

Robinson, the NBA’s only three-time slam dunk champion, averaged 10.1 points in 56 games, including 26 with Boston, last season. In the Finals, he hit at a 4.9 clip for the Celtics. Robinson has averaged 12.0 points in 338 games, including 61 starts, in his five-year NBA career. He’s only the second NBA player standing 5-9 or less to score at least 45 points in a game – the first was Calvin Murphy.

(source :http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=590739&publicationSubCategoryId=69 )

-Deerman

San Miguel gets the semis spot, Ginebra to face Alaska in the quarters

The Ginebra Kings showed the balance in their firepower while parading their new import Christopher Daniels.
Daniels made 19 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks while JayJay Helterbrand wakes up from a slump and delivering 17 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals. It was a total team effort from the Barangay, everyone of them was so generous with the ball.

Final score: Ginebra 115 - Rain or Shine 88

The BMEG Derby Ace Llamados and the San Miguel Beermen showed

a magnificent show from start to finish. It was like a championship

game, both teams gave such intensity in both sides of the court.

DonDon Hontiveros was a big factor in the ball game scoring 21 points. BMEG's import Clif Brown showed a poor performance scoring 9 points and grabbing 10 rebounds compared to the Beermen's import Gabe Freeman who contributed 20 points, 19 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. James Yap scored 28 and Canaleta with 16.

Final score: SMB 88 - BMEG 83

***James Yap gave a great performance but still this wasn't enough, his lay-ups and short range shots failed to connect. Clif Brown's performance was affected because of foul trouble, it really puzzles me what'll happen to Clif once Kerby returs... mmm?

So is this the end for James and the Llamados? Well, we don't really know because the conference isn't over yet and they can still pull a punch for revenge against the Beermen.

We all still have to wait in the edge of our seats and hold on for a rough ride...

-Deerman

Smart Gilas Team Evaluation

The Smart Gilas Philippine National Team did a great job with their last competition in the MVP Invitationals, though 'twas only 5 teams who competed ( Dongguan NT, Jordan NT, Talk 'N Text, Barangay Ginebra, and the Smart Gilas PNT ), they did very well specially in their last game against the Jordanians led by Rasheem Wright, Sam Daghlas and Zaid Abbaas.

These are my evaluation on their players and the whole team:

Chris Tiu:

Christopher John Alandy-Dy Tiu is the Captain of the team, a very good shooter and passer, very composed player. He keeps himself pretty calm in difficult situations. Coach Rajko has a deep trust with him

Mark Andy Barroca:

Mark Andy Barroca has earned the international basketball title "The Panther" because of his stealing ability against the other guards of different teams.

He is such an explosive scorer and truly an X-factor for the team. As a starter for the team, he carries a lot of responsibilities as much as Tiu does.

He is the epitome of a natural Filipino basketball player.

JV Casio:

Joseph Evans Casio is a very lethal weapon for the team.

He is very reliable as a point guard for the team, he hits those wonderful tear-drops and swishes those 3-point daggers with accuracy.

And most of all, he orchestrates the offense properly and perfectly.

Mac Baracael:

Mark Louis Baracael is a streak scorer and a hustle player.

Once he gets hot, it will spell trouble for the opposing team.

He creates a lot of mismatches in offense as well as in defense. The mismatches he creates in offense is good, he gets a lot of clear looks because he plays the 4 spot while in defense his size is a liability, but he definitely has a big heart and his hustle makes-up for his lack of size.

Japeth Aguilar:

Japeth Paul C. Aguilar is a very gifted and talented player.

He has the vertical leap that is equivalent to an NBA player but still, his skill and technique is pretty raw and unpolished. He is by the way developing slowly as I watched the SGT vs Jordan Team. He must improve his physical game and strengthen his physical and mental toughness to endure the physicality of basketball and the criticism that he gets in and out the court so that he can give his 100% in every game.

Greg Slaughter:

Gregory Slaughter is a very impressive player, the whole development in his game is like watching a caterpillar evolve into a butterfly. His height and his inside presence is import-like. With him in our team we can now fight eye to eye with our opponents.

I am expecting great things to him.

Marcio Lassiter:

Marcio Lassiter is a very reliable defensive specialist, he showed his good defense, accurate perimeter shots and sizzling 3point bombs in the MVP Invitationals. He is an exceptional player with his scoring and defense. In the rate of 1-10 I would rate him an 8.5 for the SG spot and 8 for the SF position.

Chris Lutz:

Chris Ryan Lutz is a very good shooter too. He never breaks his form ( a sign of a well trained shooter ).

He is deadly accurate in the 3point land when he's open. A very good defender and a smart player.

In the MVP Invitationals, he and Lassiter showed signs of similarity in their game ( which is a good sign, considering that both of these guys are very good players! ). I'm looking forward to see those similarities and their fiery defense again.

Dylan Ababou:

Dylan Ababou like Lassiter and Lutz is a very good shooter and defender but compared to those two players, he is slower than them. That's why Lutz and Lassiter ate the playing minutes that Ababou had in their rotation. He was sparingly used in the MVP Invitationals because those two were faster and quicker than him.

Marcus Douthit:

Macus Douthit showed a lot of heart playing against Jordan even though he has an ankle injury. He is a smart player and he passes very good. He has the height, skills and defense too. He has a pretty decent post-up game ( though I want to see him improve his face-up game and perimeter shooting ). All in all, he'll be a good import for our team.

**Sorry if I forgot to mention the other members of the team, I only posted who I believe the core players of the team are. Thank you for your understanding..

*Imagine if Kelly Williams joins the team now? and how about projecting the possibility of Douthit being naturalized so that we could get a second import for our team who can play the PF spot

( a strong and athletic 6'9-6'10 who can run the fast break and at the same time a defensive threat ). Just imagine that and think of the possibilities!

Is it too good to be true? or is it do-able?

-Deerman