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Kiefer “The Phenom” Ravena

In his fifth playing year of his UAAP career, Kiefer Ravena is trying to chase his third UAAP Men’s Basketball Seniors Division Championship with Ateneo De Manila University. His credentials are no short of amazing: three UAAP Men’s Basketball Juniors Division Championships while claiming two of the three Finals MVP honors, mythical team during his junior and senior year in high school, two UAAP Men’s Basketball Seniors Division Championships, one UAAP Season MVP; and he is now member of the Philippine National Team pool.

Throughout the years we’ve seen him improve his game, from developing that deadly mid-range jumper to learning to score from the post. He has truly taken his game to a whole new level.

One of the most amazing performances I’ve seen from Kiefer was his game against De La Salle University during the FilOil cup last June1, 2013. He was third Year College at that time and he gained lots of muscle comparing from the previous year. He scored 31 points that game and did post moves I could compare to Kobe Bryant (yes, you read it right) – getting the ball from the high post and shooting fade away jumpers over defenders. It was incredible. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see much of him during the UAAP season during his third playing year since he suffered an ankle injury early in the season, which had ruled him out from playing to his potential. In his fourth playing-year though, he showed that he was the best player in the league by claiming the UAAP season MVP, but his team would come short from winning it all as the National University Bulldogs eliminated them at the semi-finals.

His game yesterday against the Adamson University Falcons – September 12, 2015 – he had a typical “Phenom” like game where he scored 24 points in a variety of ways; three-pointers, mid-range jumpers, fast break opportunities, post moves and he even had a dunk to add to the terrific game he had. Kiefer Ravena is a great example of a player who embodies a “high-level work ethic” as we’ve seen his game improve each year he plays.

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Gilas Pilipinas stuns Croatian National Team

Gilas Pilipinas played against Croatia to open up the FIBA World Cup last 8/30/2014. The Croatian National Team had won the game against Gilas after an overtime, the final score being 78-81. The person who led Croatia’s victory was Bojan Bogdanovic, scoring 26 points while Andray Blatche dominated for the Gilas Pilipinas with 28 points.

In the first quarter, Andray Blatche made only 1 basket while having attempted 7 shots, most of which came from mid-range jumpers. By the end of the 1st quarter, Croatia was up by 14 points, led by Dario Saric who scored 8 of the 14. Gilas caught up during the 2nd quarter, trimming the lead down to 6 points. This was a huge quarter for Gilas, Jeff Chan hit two 3-pointers and Jimmy Alapag made a four-point play from way beyond the 3-point line. Blatche also became more aggressive this quarter, not settling for mid-range jumpers but instead driving strong to the hoop and attacking the defense of the Croatian Team. The 3rd quarter was an amazing development for Gilas as they forced Croatia to reach penalty with 5 minutes still remaining. Gilas, on the other hand, got to the penalty only at the 2 minute mark. Since Gilas is the smallest team at the FIBA World Cup, with an average height at only 6’3, they tended to commit more fouls upon defending in the paint.

It was only during the 4th quarter that Gilas Pilipinas grabbed the lead with less than three minutes to go. With the game tied at 71, Gilas had a chance to win the game but that did not happen due to a missed 3-point shot by Chan.  During the last possession of the 4th quarter, I believe Castro shouldn't have passed the ball to Chan but instead drove strong to the hoop. Doing that, he would have had a chance to get a foul or throw up a prayer. He had nothing to lose, it was a better way to get the call from the refs rather than a difficult 3-point shot.

At the OT period, it was pretty much an exchange of baskets until Bogdanovic was fouled twice, giving freethrows to Croatia to claim the lead at 79-75. Blatche hit a long three to make it a one point game, 79-78. Gilas fouls Croatia leading the score to 81-78. With five seconds to go, Jayson Castro was unable to hit the three that would have led to a double-OT.

The Croatians (#16 FIBA World Ranking) did not expect the Philippine Team’s (#34 FIBA World Ranking) excellent performance. It would’ve been a HUGE upset if Gilas Pilipinas defeated the Croatian National Team, with Croatia being 18 ranks higher than the Philippines.

Points to ponder on:

-Blatche should be more aggressive with his play and try to hit the post more often. He has the size and speed advantage against most of the forwards and centers. Gilas has enough shooters to space out the floor, what they need is a dominant inside presence.

-Gilas should limit their swiping for the ball and attempting on-ball steals, instead they should play honest-D. The more times they swipe, the more chances of fouls to be called.

-Gilas should also contest every shot. Croatia had numerous possessions where they were given open looks.

  If the Philippine’s continue to play at this level and manage to win two games, they might just advance to second round.

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Spurs, Title Contender?

Once again, the San Antonio Spurs are under the radar this off-season as the championship contenders. With Kevin Love bringing his talents to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Pau Gasol heading to the Chicago Bulls next season, these two teams are making a lot of noise as the top contenders to win it all this incoming season.

It’s amazing how every season fans fail to consider the San Antonio Spurs as one of the top title contenders. They are the defending champions, don’t expect them to give it up so easily. Finals’ MVP Kawhi Leonard has been working his heart out and improving his game this off-season, even giving up the chance to celebrate with the Championship Trophy.

Let’s not forget that the BIG-3 are still with the team: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan. Even though they are past their primes, these three players are still arguably at the top of their game. No significant player has left the team and they were also able to re-sign players Boris Diaw and Patty Mills, two players who have been significant in their past championship run.

Spurs Fans, there is no need to worry. The Spurs are still top contenders in this season’s upcoming championship. As long as Gregg Popovich is there to implement his system and the team stays healthy, there is nothing to worry about. Expect Timmy, Manu and Tony’s minutes to drop (maybe even miss games) this incoming season to preserve them for the playoffs. Because even if the BIG-3 doesn’t play, the Spurs could still beat most teams with their beautifully sound system. 

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Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett traded for Kevin Love

Andrew Wiggins, the 1st overall draft pick of the 2014 NBA draft, has just been un-officially traded off to the Minnesota Timberwolves. I say unofficially because due to Wiggins’ contract, he cannot be traded yet. He can only be traded 30-days after he has signed his contract, which is on August 23, 2014. Anthony Bennett, the 1st overall draft pick of the 2013 NBA draft is another player included in the trade. Bennett arguably had the worst performance by a #1 draft pick during his rookie season, averaging only 4.2ppg and 3.0rpg in 12.8 minutes per game, played in 52 games. But he has improved his performance in the Vegas Summer League and lost weight during the summer.

This trade works for both teams included, Cleveland and Minnesota. Cleveland gets a player who has already proven his game and has shown what he could do for his team. Love, a tremendous rebounder who averaged 12.2 rebounds his whole career and averaged 14.0rpg and 12.5rpg in the last two seasons.  He is also a player that would complement Lebron James, being a stretch forward who has the ability to play face up and shoot 3’s. This would open up the floor allowing Lebron a clear path to drive to the hoop. On the other hand, there are also cons to this trade. Love in the past few seasons has shown defensive lapses when playing with more physical PF’s like Blake Griffin and Kenneth Faried. Which means what they gain in offense, they may have to give up on defense. Love is also an injury prone player. He only played 18 games two seasons ago due to a broken hand. If Love is healthy, expect the Cavaliers to be a top contender to win in the NBA Championship.

On the other hand, Minnesota gets the #1 Draft pick of the 2014 NBA draft, Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins has shown a huge upside with his play in the Vegas Summer League. He is a freak athlete that attacks the rim and plays defense excellently. Being paired up with Ricky Rubio, this would be an interesting combination. Expect this team to run the floor and score numerous points on the fast break. This is also an excellent opportunity for Wiggins to grow. With Lebron James returning to Cleveland, Wiggins will be unable to play to his full potential. If he was still in Cleveland he would probably be the 3rd or 4th option with Kyrie and Lebron in the line-up. Although it would have been good to be mentored by Lebron James, there’s no better way to improve than by playing huge minutes.

Meanwhile, there are talks that Anthony Bennett will be traded for Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young. Minnesota gets a veteran player, something their team lacks and Philadelphia gets a young Anthony Bennett, since Philadelphia is fully set on rebuilding and surrounding its team with young players.

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UAAP Season77 MVP Frontrunners

This UAAP season is going to be one of the most exciting seasons compared to past seasons. No team is entirely dominating another team—unlike the previous seasons where ADMU (under Coach Norman Black) and NU (led by Bobby Ray Parks Jr.) dominated the league—and every team has already suffered a loss. But there are still teams like AdU (Adamson University) and UP (University of the Philippines) who are still chasing their first win of the season. For each leading team, there are corresponding leading players, and here are the players who have stood out and made the biggest impact to their team.

Kiefer Ravena #15, ADMU

-Kiefer has been a beast this season, averaging 21.2ppg, 4.6apg and 1.6spg in 5 games. He has also been able to make clutch shot after clutch shot every time the team needed him. During the DLSU game, he made four 3-pointers in the 4th quarter, and hit clutch freethrows and made a jumper from the 3-point area in the FEU game. Kiefer has proved all the doubters that he could come back strong after that horrid season 76 due to his ankle injury.

Mac Belo #12, FEU

-Belo, one of two players who I expected to blossom when players like RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo left the team to enter the PBA. He has been showcasing his athleticism very well by scoring most of his baskets in the paint and from time to time dunking on his opponents. He averages 18.8ppg and 5.4rpg in 24.8minutes per game in 5 games and he has an amazing 36.84 PER (player efficiency rating). If FEU can manage to grab the top spot after the second round, expect him to be the leading contender to win the MVP.

Mike Tolomia #13, FEU

-Tolomia is the second player I expected to blossom with the parting of RR and Terrence. Mainly because he is a very talented scorer but he was forced to be the 3rd option when the two were still there. In 5 games he averaged 16.6ppg and 3.6apg, and scored crucial baskets in the 4th quarter when the team needed him. He made 4 out of 6 3-pointers during their first game against DLSU leading the team to a comeback win.

Notable Mentions: Troy Rosario, Jeron Teng, Jason Perkins and Roi Sumang—they have stood out from the balanced statistical outings from their respective teams.

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Byron Scott: New Lakers Head Coach

Byron Scott is the Laker 4th head coach since 2011, a.k.a The Phil Jackson Era. He was preceded by Coaches Mike Brown, Mike D’ Antoni and for a short stint, Bernie Bickerstaff (when the Lakers were transitioning from Brown to D’ Antoni). Both coaches were unable to bring Laker Glory due to their bad regular season records and their inability to gel with the star players Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.

Based from Scott’s previous coaching records, each 1st season he spends with a team, he has not won more than 26 games. He’s coached 3 different teams and if you total the 1st season record of his three teams, his record is 63 wins and 183 losses.  He would have better records during his 2nd season onwards, leading his New Jersey Nets to two Eastern Conference Championships and obtaining 1 Coach of the Year Award with the New Orleans Hornets. His record after his 1st season with the teams is 353 wins and 338 losses, a record above 500.

Even though statistics show that Scott has had horrible 1st season records, we cannot say if that would happen to the Lakers this season. It’s because Byron Scott is exactly the coach that the Lakers need. A coach who knows how it is to be a Laker –the pressures, expectations, the PRIDE—of being a Laker and part of the Lakers Organization.

Scott has a history of working well with teams that have productive power forwards, a position in which the Lakers have a surplus of talent. They have veterans Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill, and potential star PF’s in Ed Davis, Julius Randle and Ryan Kelly. It would be interesting to see how Scott would rotate his players with this kind of line-up. Expect to see Randle and Kelly probably playing the SF from time to time when the Lakers are going to a big line-up.

Another important factor about Scott’s arrival in L.A is that Kobe actually approves him. Even though Kobe was never one to point out the coaches he didn’t like, Kobe has shown a lot of interest in Byron Scott which would probably help the team’s chemistry and dynamic in the long run.

What do the Lakers have to improve on? For starters, they have to improve on their defense. They were ranked as the 29th defensive team out of 30 teams and 15th in offensive rebounds. Hopefully Scott can implement an old-school “grit and grind” type of defense on his Laker team. If he is successful, expect this team to rank about 7th or 8th in the Western Conference.

Projected Starting Line-up and second stringers

PG- Jeremy Lin / Steve Nash

SG- Kobe Bryant / Nick Young

SF- Xavier Henry / Wes Johnson

PF- Carlos Boozer / Julius Randle / Ryan Kelly

C- Jordan Hill / Ed Davis

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DLSU Gets Their First WIN!

The De La Salle Green Archers grab their first win against the NU Bulldogs, ending the game with points of 57 to 55. This also ends their 2-game losing streak. The defending champions pounded the ball inside for most of the game and the team’s scoring leader was Jason Perkins who had 14pts and scored two crucial baskets during the 4th quarter. With NU forcing the DLSU to 1.9 seconds left in the shot clock and 8.6 seconds in the game clock, Perkins scored an inside basket coming from a baseline inbound just before the shot clock expired. This sealed the deal and gave the Green Archers a 4-point lead with 6.7 seconds remaining in the game clock.

Key Points:

-They were able to go to the post and utilize their height and strength advantage against NU, who had a difficult time defending the 3-big combination of DLSU’s Arnold Van Opstal, Norbert Torres and Jason Perkins with the three of them scoring 34 points combined.

-Kib Montalbo’s pesky defense was a huge part in limiting the offensive production of NU’s backcourt.

-Norbert Torres made his perimeter jumpers, which forced them to defend him at the high-post, opening up the paint for the Green Archers.

-Coach Juno Sauler finally found a comfortable 9-Man rotation for his team, a similar number on how he rotated his players last season.

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Lebron goes home to Cleveland

Lebron, the 4-time Regular Season MVP and 2-time NBA Champion is coming back to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that originally drafted him. He led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals last 2007; however, they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in 4 games. During his stay in Cleveland, he led his team in points and assists averaging 27.83ppg and 6.95apg.

The Cleveland roster is loaded with young players such as Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennet, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters, all with great potential. Bennet arguably had the worst season by a No. 1 Draft Pick in the History of the NBA. Although in this incoming pre-season, he lost weight and showed good performances in the NBA Summer League, averaging 13.3ppg and 7.8rpg alongside Andrew Wiggins.

It would be quite intriguing to see who would dominate the ball during the game. Would it be Lebron – an unselfish forward who has the “size and speed” advantage against most players in the league, or will it be Kyrie – a.k.a Uncle Drew – a quick point guard with excellent ball-handling skills and a long ball shot with incredible accuracy? The question will remain unanswered till the start of the season.

Projected Starting 5 and 6th man:

PG- Kyrie Irving

SG- Andrew Wiggins

SF- Lebron James

PF- Tristan Thompson

C- Anderson Varejao

6th Man- (SG) Dion Waiters

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Lebron James Sweeptakes

One of the biggest questions this off-season is “Who will win the Lebron James sweepstakes?” With Lebron opting out of his player-option in Miami, he is free to choose from 30 teams that would try to pursue his talents. The three teams with the highest possibility to land Lebron are the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Miami Heat:

The Miami Heat still has the highest chance of bringing back Bron-bron (Lebron James) to South Beach. If they have to max his contract, they’d do it. Lebron is too good of a player not to receive a big contract, he has proven it so by winning two straight championships with them and winning the Finals MVP both times. Miami also did a good thing by getting Lebron’s favourite player in the draft via trade (Shabazz Napier). Even though the Big Three have all opted out of their contracts, Pat Riley will find a way to bring them back with the condition that they would improve their lineup for next season.

Cleveland Cavaliers:

Lebron coming back to his hometown is highly possible. With the potential of the team, who wouldn’t want to play for the Cavaliers? What better way to improve then by bringing in Lebron who can give you MVP stats and championship experience which has been lacking for them. Grabbing Andrew Wiggins with the first pick all along made it more attractive to go there, continuing to mix it up with Kyrie Irving as point guard, Dion Waiters at shooting guard and Tristan Thompson at power forward. This Cavaliers team is a very formidable team, and a scary one at that, since most of their players are under the age of 25.

Los Angeles Clippers:

If I was Lebron James and I had to choose from a team other than Miami, I would choose the Clippers. The Clippers by far is the strongest team that Lebron could go to with a Superstar point guard Chris Paul and the face of the franchise power forward Blake Griffin. Though to land Lebron, they must clear some cap space which may result to trading away De Andre Jordan’s contract. But if a choice was to be made between Lebron and Jordan, Lebron is the way to go. What makes this team even more attractive is the Coach who brought the Boston Celtics to the championship two times and won it all in 2008! This team also has the best supporting cast in JJ Redick, Matt Barnes, Jamal Crawford and Glen Davis. Expect the Clippers to try and do everything they can to bring Lebron to Los Angeles. 

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First Seven Picks of the 2014 NBA Draft

The 2014 NBA draft was held at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn on June 26, 2014. This is said to be one of the deepest draft classes since 2003 (where Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh etc…), where you can get players in that could help your team even in the 2nd round. The first Seven picks of the draft are (in order); Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Aaron Gordon, Dante Exum, Marcus Smart and Julius Randle.

Andrew Wiggins | Cleveland Cavaliers

-Although Cleveland needed a frontcourt player in Joel Embiid, I am not surprised with them about selecting Wiggins as the first overall draft pick. Wiggins is arguably the most talented athlete in the draft, he has a 40-inch vertical, averaged 17.1 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game and he is an excellent one-on-one defender. He is also claimed as the player with the highest potential because of the number of aspects he still needs to improve on his game namely; consistency in his jumper, ball handling skills and weight/strength.

He will give immediate results for the Cavs because of his energy and athleticism. You could expect lots of fast breaks with Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters in the backcourt, Andrew Wiggins and Tristan Thompson in the wings and Anderson Varejao in the middle.

Jabari Parker | Milwaukee Bucks

-Jabari Parker is the player which the Bucks exactly needed. Parker is a very versatile scorer; he can shoot mid-range jumpers, three-pointers, off-the-dribble pull ups, spot up and finish at the rim. He’s also the most NBA ready player in terms of body and basketball IQ. After being coached by Coach Mike Krzyzewski, he is sure to take the NBA by storm. Although he lacks athleticism and quickness in his lateral movement for his defense, he can easily pick that up with hard work and focusing on his weaknesses.

I expect Parker to be their 2nd option in their offense since he would be playing alongside OJ Mayo, a shooting guard who has also excellent scoring ability. He would also be playing with young players like Brandon Knight and Larry Sanders, expect the Bucks to sign a veteran to help lead the team and mentor these young players.

Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers

-Joel Embiid, arguably the best Center in this draft class and possibly the player who could change a franchise. He is compared to Hakeem Olajuwan- a shoe probably too big to fill- because of his excellent footwork down low and in the post. He averaged 3.0 blocks per game in college but was side lined due to a foot injury which would leave him unable to attend training camp with his team.

Embiid would miss the first few months of the season, I won’t be surprised if the Sixers sit him out for the season. He and Nerlens Noel would make a strong frontcourt, they combine for height, athleticism and shot blocking. With Michael Carter-Williams as their facilitator, expect spoonfed assists and lobs at the rim for an easy finish. The only position they lack now is a shooting guard that could consistently give them good points per game.

Aaron Gordon | Orlando Magic

-Aaron Gordon is an athletic Power Forward/ Center who finishes well at the rim. During the draft combine, he maxed out the vertical leap courses which proves how athletic this player is. Expect explosive dunks and posters from this player once the season starts. Gordon, though, does have to improve on his defensive footwork, he’s good at blocking and contesting shots but when it comes to footworks that is an aspect he has to improve on.

What Gordon will do mainly for Orlando will not be seen in the stats sheet, it is called energy and hustle. This player will dive for loose balls, contest every shot and grab every possible rebound and that is a rare quality to see in players today. He also gives them athleticism in the frontcourt which they don’t get from Nick Vucevic and Tobias Harris, he also has a good shooting guard who can get him easy buckets in Victor Oladipo. You guys better get ready, expect this team to dominate the boards (rebounds) every game.

Dante Exum | Utah Jazz

-Dante Exum is a wildcard of the draft. He’s a player not used playing on American soil and play against American players since he played college basketball in Australia.  He may also turn out to be the best player in the draft, a combo guard (can play either Point Guard and Shooting Guard) who’s height is 6’6 who can shoot the jumper well and excellent finisher at the rim.

Exum is exactly what the Jazz needs, a point guard who can possibly change the franchise. Since Deron William’s left the team they’ve been lacking that player who can lead the team inside the court. Hopefully Exum can fill this need, and improve the team’s record from last season. His team has a lot of potential with Trey Burke, Gordon Hayward (free agent), Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors in the team.

Marcus Smart | Boston Celtics

-Marcus Smart, arguably the best point guard in the draft and probably one of the stronger players in his position. He is 6’4 in height and has a massive body frame which makes it easy for him to slash to the hoop. He’s also a good rebounding guard and excellent on on-ball defense and playing the passing lanes (averaged 2.8 steals per game). Smart is a triple-double machine just waiting to erupt. In the next few years we’ll probably see a Gary Payton-esque like of game in him. He’s one to watch.

What Smart will do for the Celtics is help bring in key players to their mix. I think the best way to rebuild the team is by finding a better place for Rajon Rondo, we all know he deserves to play for a contending/ championship calibre team, which the Boston Celtics are not as of the moment. Trading away Rondo is not bad as well since they can get high quality players in positions where they need work on which is the Power Forward position. The Celtics are probably the most intimidating team in the backcourt defense with Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley, two excellent on ball defenders, expect them to cause havoc for the Point Guard and Shooting Guard positions.

Julius Randle | Los Angeles Lakers

-The last time the Lakers had a Lottery Pick was during 2005 when the Lakers drafted Andrew Bynum with their 10th pick, which worked out well for them since they won 2 championships with him.

Julius Randle is a steal for the Lakers, I believe he is a player that could’ve gone at the Top 5 but since there were different team needs for each team he was moved down to the 7th. He’s the 2nd best Power Forward in the draft (1st Noah Vonleh, 9th pick | Charlotte Hornets) but he’s expected to have higher potential because of the availability of more room for improvement in his game like explosiveness at the rim and hitting consistent jumpers. He led the NCAA in double-doubles averaging 15.0 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game. He’s an excellent scorer at the post and can overpower most defenders with his 6’9 250lb frame.

Basically the Lakers need the best talent available, and Randle was the player available at the 7th pick. If the Lakers manage to resign Pau Gasol, it would be an excellent complement for him since Lakers were at the bottom 3 of rebounding last year and obviously that is what Randle brings to the table. Since he’s a good scorer in the paint, expect high-low plays from Gasol to Randle or Kobe to Randle making it a perfect fit for the Lakers. The question at hand now is, who will be their coach?

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Nick Young declines player option on Lakers contract

With Nick Young opting out of his player option, the Lakers currently have only three players on contract: Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Robert Sacre. Kendall Marshall, on the other hand, is currently waiting for his team-option to be picked up.

Nick Young a.k.a “Swaggy P” is a household favourite in Los Angeles because of his eccentric personality. He loves being in the media spotlight and his ability to put up huge numbers in games is what he’s known for. He averaged 17.9ppg (points per game) in the 64 games he played and put up 41 points in one game for his season-high. With him declining his player option, he is now considered as a free agent. This means other teams can pursue him and offer him larger contracts then what the Lakers offered him.

I believe the Lakers don’t need to offer him a huge contract. If Young wants to stay in L.A., he will stay in L.A. With Kobe returning from his knee injury, the Lakers need for quality point guards and centers is much more than their need for point makers. Young is an inconsistent scorer and I would compare him to JR Smith. They are wildcards for your team and there are games where they’d put up amazing numbers, but there are also inevitable games wherein they would just hurt their team with low-percentage shots and little scoring output.

With what Young did for the past season, he is surely to receive a huge contract from other teams. Is it worth it for the Lakers to match the offers of these other teams? I would say no, it’s not. Sources say that Lebron has just opted out of his player option as well and it would be better for the Lakers to pursue him, Kyle Lowry and Marcin Gortat. Then they should resign players like Jordan Farmar, Jordan Hill and Pau Gasol and hope they get a quality player in the draft be it Marcus Smart, Noah Vonleh, Dante Exum or Julius Randle (Assuming that Jabari Parker, Andre Wiggins and Joel Embiid have already been drafted).

Follow me for more updates!

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San Antonio Spurs NBA CHAMPIONS

The San Antonio Spurs are the 2014 NBA champions of the world and they did it in classic fashion. They beat the Miami Heat 4 games to 1 and in each game they won by 15+ points. 

They won game 5 by 17 points 104-87 with Kawhi Leonard leading all scorers with 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Parker had an abysmal start by only making 1-11 shots in the 1st half but bounced back by scoring 14 points in the second half.

KEY POINTS:

The Spurs were down by as much as 16 points in the 1st quarter which was led by Lebron James. Lebron had a great start, who put up 17 points in the 1st quarter  and nailed 3 after 3, dunk after dunk. The Spurs were able to trim the lead down to 7 by the end of 1st because of their terrific three-pont shooting. During a time-out in the 1st quarter, Gregg Popovich said "Just remember, we have to do this together. The great part is we got all night long to take care of a bad start but we can only do it if we keep doing what we normally do." A lot of you probably didn't notice how much this meant to their comeback. This quote showed how much Gregg trusted his team could bounce back no matter how big the deficit was. He was confident that his team was going to bounce back in to the game no matter how bad they played because he knows their system will work no matter what.

-Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh never got their groove offensively. They were too frustrated with the Spurs defense which led to Lebron having to carry the load of the scoring.

-Point guards of the Miami Heat were basically cancelled out with Chalmers and Cole only scoring 10 points combined. Without Miami having their Point Guards space out the floor because they couldn't hit their threes, they were forced to put up difficult shots at the inside which was clogged up by Splitter and Duncan.

-Patty Mills exploded at the right time by hitting 5 three pointers in the game, and 14 points, all in the 3rd quarter.

-Ginobili absolutely DOMINATED the 2nd quarter and demolished Chris Bosh with his left hand slam which was a big momentum boost.

-They left Udonis Haslem to guard Tim Duncan. Haslem may be a good post defender, but it was still a mismatch since Timmy had a good 4 inch height advantage which allowed him to shoot jump hooks and turnaround jumpers against him.

-Finally, the Spurs stuck with the system. They kept playing with this system from start to finish, even though it wasn't working well in the first quarter, the play eventually caught up with them which led them to the win.

P.S Hats off to Lebron James for an amazing Finals performance. This is probably the only NBA Finals Lebron has played in, in which he did not get bashed as much as he normally does AND Miami isn't being criticized on how bad they play, but on how the Spurs are greatly playing.

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This will be my first blog again so please bear with me guys.

People are saying that the 2013 Finals was the best and probably the last chance of the San Antonio Spurs to win a championship; then again I believe all those comments will be proven wrong. It’s been atleast 4-5 years straight that...

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Gilas Pilipinas 2.0

Smart Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippine National Basketball team finally made its re-entrance to the FIBA World Championship after 36 years (last qualification 1978). They beat the Korean National team to reach the championship game against Iran which sealed our ticket to Spain (2014 FIBA world championship). We lost to Iran during the gold medal game (w/o Marcus Douthit) but what mattered was we placed at least 2nd place which was enough for us to qualify.

The team we had was strong, and what amazed me was that it was a Philippine National Team which was not full of "Superstars" unlike the past National teams. We had role players like Marc Pingris and Shooters like Jeff Chan and Larry Fonacier. In the past teams we would've gotten the best players in each position even though we were not sure if they would actually FIT together.

I would like to point out players who have not played well.Gary David, a great scorer in the PBA but he did not find his way scoring against faster and taller defenders. The team did their best to get him the ball and get him going but there was only one game wherein he got a good game (22pts). Junemar Fajardo did not also have a big impact during the FIBA Asia, probably because it was his first time playing overseas and having players taller, stronger and quicker than him to defend him. Where in the Philippines nobody could keep up with his height and strength.

Some players I would like to see in the Gilas Team that would be sent to Spain are Chris Lutz, Marcio Lassiter, Arwind Santos, Greg Slaughter, Mark Caguioa and JV Casio. Although I could not say which players to replace since every player their has proven their worth and shown why they made the team

1.) Chris Lutz- Chris Lutz is a very capable defender for his size and he can keep up with the fastest players in the PBA while standing at 6'3. He's an excellent 3point shooter --the only way possible the Philippines could score/win games in the FIBA world-- and he can score off-the-dribble. He also has international experience which gives him a great advantage.

2.) Marcio Lassiter- Marcio Lassiter is basically a Chris Lutz carbon copy when it comes to style of play and level of skill. Nothing really to add to him, just read what I said about Christ Lutz and that's basically Marcio Lassiter.

3.) Arwind Santos- Probably one of the best players in the PBA today. He is a stats filler, he could give you atleast 7rpg, 4apg, 1spg, 1bpg. He can impact a game without scoring, a rare quality you'll see in Filipino style of basketball. The same as Marc Pingris, except Arwind has way better shooting ability and scoring ability in general the Marc Pingris. Arwind is tall (6'6) but he's fast and an excellent defender. He would fit in to Coach Chot's defensive style of play and thrive in the Gilas offense by spotting up in from 15ft-23ft.

4.) Greg Slaughter- Nothing to add really to Greg, he's basically what the Philippine team needs. HEIGHT. 7'0 Filipino who has range up to 18ft and capable rebounder and  post defender. With his shooting he could space the floor and probably open up space for slashers like Jayson Castro and Japeth Aguilar.

5.) Mark Caguioa- No comment. If he was not injured he was supposed to be in the Gilas Pilipinas team which won the qualifying round. He's an all around scorer and heart like no other, Ginebra Never Say Die mentallity,

6.) JV Casio- He's young yet experienced. After playing for Coach Rajko Toroman, his skill and IQ for the game is well above for his age. He's one of the elite point guards in the PBA today and he has the confidence to shoot like Jimmy Alapag. Great 3point shooter, quick, smart. Only downside is he lacks height. But you cannot question the skills of this guy. One of my favorite players of all time

[miggi-santos]

Pre ADMU vs UST

One of the most exciting UAAP season's in a long time! No team has been overly dominating this season, ALMOST every team had a chance to enter the Final Four, and now only 1 slot remains and Ateneo and UST are gonna play for that spot on Wednesday (September 18, 2013)

Both teams are very good and have multiple talents. Ateneo has Kiefer Ravena while UST has Jeric Teng. These two teams also have been plagued with injuries to key players (The two I mentioned previously). Kiefer suffered with a pre-season injury in his ankle while Jeric suffered with a shoulder injury due to a illegal elbow against NU and followed up by a strained hamstring. Both are now playing with their teams, and both of them have not yet gotten their rhythm perfectly.

Jeric prior to the injury averaged 19ppg while Kiefer averaged MVP numbers during the Fil-Oil league. I was expecting both of them to be contenders for this years MVP Race, unfortunately they got struck by untimely injuries.

Im sure it will be a good game on Wednesday, let's try to break it down and see who has the better chance to win. UST came from a 3 game win streak before losing to DLSU last Sunday. They got their wins through team work, defense, fast break points and late game heroics by Aljon Mariano. Aljon is a player im impressed with, he can shoot from the 3pt line, midrange and from the inside. He has a strong body and can bang with most forwards and he is a very capable rebounder. An intriguing matchup I see is Mariano vs Newsome. Newsome is a very athletic player, he can drive to the hoop with his speed and hops although he has to improve his consistency on his jumpshots. Meanwhile Ateneo before losing to NU beat FEU by a landslide, a team which dominated the first round. I'm amazed with how Ateneo plays because I didn't expect them to reach this far. They won because of their pesky defense and grabbing fast break points from their stops. They can score in bunches and have very experienced late game players in Kiefer and Ryan Buenafe.

Projected matchups: Daquioag vs Elorde (I say Elorde because I'm not sure whether Juami Tiongson can keep up with Daquioag's speed. Although Tiongson will be a threat from the corner 3)

Teng vs Ravena (both players still haven't gotten their rhythm right, although Kiefer has shown sparks of his game during the past 2 games. Although I expect Kevin Ferrer guarding Kiefer to keep Teng from tiring himself out)

Mariano vs Newsome (This is the matchup im looking forward to, two very athletic players and excellent defenders)

The game will be close and I believe it will only be decided by a few points. Don't expect a blowout game since both teams will give out their all.

[miggi-santos]

Smart Gilas vs Hong Kong

8/7/2013

We were set to fight against Hong Kong, a team with no wins yet. This team is by far the weakest team to advance to the second round since their are only 3 teams in their Group with Lebanon being disqualified to compete. Most of their basketball players aren't even professional players, one is a doctor and others in different fields of experience.

As we played against them, I saw again the weakness of the Philippines. Not playing to their level, they played to the level of the weaker team which makes the Philippines look weak. Honestly I believe we could have easily dominated the other team with our stifling defense and offensive executions. Instead we gave them wide open cuts to the basket and settled for ugly shots in the offensive end.

During the first quarter I was very disappointed with our play. I thought we would start out the quarter the way we started against Japan and Qatar; instead we had a lack luster start and settled with them leading at the end of the 1st quarter. We were beat at the defensive boards which allowed them to grab lots of offensive rebounds which led to second chance points. We had very little effort on defense leaving them wide open for threes and leaving open lanes for cutters to pass through. I was very angry while watching because the thing I hate most in basketball is under estimating your opponent. As Coach Chot Reyes said, their is no such thing as a sure win.

On the second quarter, we had a better run rather than the first yet I was still not contented with our play. We were still leaving them wide open and giving them easy second chance points. I don't care whether Marcus Douthit is hurt or not, that is not an excuse for his lack of effort and intensity. He gave up lots of offensive rebounds by not boxing out and when he held the ball he would just let it be swiped away or tapped away. I know it is not right for me to single him out because rebounding is a team effort, be Marcus is our main rebounder. He is our focal point in the defensive end and rebounding. If he does not do well on those aspects what else can we expect from the others. It has to start with Marcus.

Third quarter was a better quarter. This is the quarter where we always dominate against the other team. We outscored them, but still I was not contented with the effort we were showing. We were still underestimating them and still not rising above them. Some players were now showing a little bit of brilliance in their game and it made it a little bit more exciting to watch.

Fourth quarter was when we finally got our game. I gave out a sigh of relief when we finally were showing the kind of defense and offense we were suppose to show in the previous quarters. LA Tenorio was brilliant during that run and I truly commend him for the 2 straight And-1's he converted and hitting a 3 after (3rd-4th quarter).  I'd name LA and Jeff Chan as the players of the game. They didn't have spectacular games but I appreciated the effort they gave out and the Consistency that Jeff Chan has shown this whole series.

IF we want to beat Kazakhstan on Friday, we cannot play like this. We have to beat them to advance to the Semis.

GO GILAS!! #TeamPilipinas

[miggi-santos]

Smart Gilas FIBA Asia.

Smart Gilas is the Philippine basketball national team. We are the hosts of this FIBA Asia Championships in which the Top 3 teams will move on to the FIBA World Championships.

It is now the second round of this FIBA Asia where we started in group B where we faced Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Chinese Taipei in this order. Now that the second round has started we are now in Group F where we are set to face Japan, Qatar and Hong Kong.

On the first day of this FIBA Asia Championship we faced Saudi Arabia. We played a sub-par game against them, it was very disappointing to watch. I notice the little things in basketball; the screens set, the effort a player puts, the intangibles, the un-noticeables. Smart Gilas could have easily defeated the Saudi Arabian team YET we played to their level. We cannot do that, it is very disappointing to watch. We beat them 78-66 pulling of with the win.

Second day of the tournament we played against Jordan, this was a better coming for Gilas as they gave out their all but sadly we had bad games from a few players notably Larry Fonacier and Gary David. But 1 player stepped up and it didn't surprise me when he caught fire: Jeff Chan. He put up 17pts and 15 of them came from three pointers. It was very exciting to watch and an encouraging site to see since we beat strong contender for the championship.

Our third game was against Chinese Taipei. Sadly we lost by a few points because of their elite shooting. This Taipei team is a team to watch out because all players on their squad can score three pointers especially their main man Lee-Hsueh Lin who played for 37 minutes in the last game. Good things sighted in this game was we gave out all. A very commendable performance to Larry Fonacier who made it rain threes and got back after a bad game during the Jordan game. A factor that caused us to lose that game is the different rotation Chot Reyes (Coach of Smart Gilas) played. But we cannot blame him since we had to adjust to the three point shooting of this Taipei team and we needed quick players to come up and close out on the shooters. 

We had a 1 day break on August 4. A needed rest by the players. During these 3 games, players I liked the effort and play they gave out are; Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro Williams, Larry Fonacier, Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood and Marc Pingris. Marcus Douthit just being himself putting up good numbers and commendable effort shown by Japeth Aguilar. Im still waiting for Gary 'El Grenada' David and LA Tenorio to show their real game and explode scoring wise.

Yesterday the game against Japan, the true potential of the Philippine Team has been brought out. We dominated against Japan inside and out. Marcus scoring over their centers, Castro driving against their guards, Chan, Jimmy and Larry shooting the lights out from deep. Japeth slamming it down 3 remarkable times yesterday; first on an alley-oop, second on a driving dunk and third off a dish from Ranidel De Ocampo and he slams it down with two hands. Nothing really to comment about this game, if they keep this up their is no doubt that we will end up somewhere in the top 3 seeds.

Things I noticed during all those games that we have to adjust too. Our defense is strong and pesky, but we tend to keep on committing unnecessary fouls. It is a disadvantage since we are at the penalty too early in the game. We are used to professional style of refereeing, where we are allowed to bump and grind as much as we want and no foul is called. Or a 'No blood no foul' mentality given that Filipino players are what we call "Dirty basketball" or in Filipino terms Magulang mag laro. As what we saw Ranidel did to that Taiwanese player dropping two elbows on his face. Gary David must also explode like what he does in PBA. These are all the noticeable points I see in this Smart Gilas team.