Now that the PBA Commissioner's Cup, the nation can finally unite into one. No longer will the members of the Gatas Republik feud with the Barangay. The Petroniverse will no longer have to completely worry about the scrutiny that they will receive from the other fan bases. Now, we unite to form the ultimate fan base, and that's the Filipino nation. All of us. Fil - Am, Cebuano, Kapampangan or even Bicolano. As long as you are a Filipino, you are part of one nation, the Filipino nation. Now, what is the team that we are to support?
The Gilas Pilipinas national team.
Our Gilas pool originally consisted of 17 players, but now it is down to 15 players because of the illnesses past Gilas standouts Jared Dillinger and Kelly Williams received. This proved to be a huge loss for our line up, since the two were expected to be shoo ins in the final 12. This opened up a hole in our 3 spot (You can read more on this issue right here), since both players, most notably Jared, are usually tasked to defend the bigger 3's in international play.
This opened up discussion of sending replacements for the two players. A month ago, Coach Chot wasn't too fond of the idea, stating that the chemistry that the team developed with their Monday practices might get messed up.
Well, now.. it's a completely different story.
Reports have said that the Gilas brass is considering adding more players to the national pool. The notables are Arwind Santos and Beau Belga because of their performance against the Shanghai Sharks a few weeks back. A couple of weeks after those reports, a new name entered the conversation.
Enter Calvin Abueva.
So, why did Calvin join this conversation all of a sudden? Well, the following tweets of Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes should explain why.
Now, comes two questions... is Calvin Abueva deserving of entering the current pool of players of Gilas Pilipinas? And, is Calvin just the guy that they need to replace the losses of Kelly and Jared?
I'll give my take on the two questions by comparing Calvin with the two aforementioned players who are being considered for the pool as well.
Calvin Abueva vs. Arwind Santos
What Calvin has that Arwind doesn't: Believe it or not, Calvin actually has a more consistent jump shot than Arwind. Both players can make threes, and they KIND of have a mid range game. The only knack with more players is that their jumpers are really inconsistent. Calvin though, has shown flashes of consistency with his jumper, most notably in Game 4 of the series of the Aces against the San Mig Coffee Mixers. In that game, Calvin had a 12 point explosion in the fourth, hitting a number of treys of lift Alaska against the Mixers. Second, Calvin has energy that can actually benefit the team. As a number of basketball pundits have said, The Beast's energy is infectious. Just look at the way he has energized the Aces. Next, Calvin can actually create his offense better than Arwind. Abueva can play the 2, 3 and 4 spots, while Arwind is more of a 3 and 4. He definitely has better handles than Arwind, thus allowing him to drive to the basket. Arwind on the other hand, gets his points from jumpers and put backs. A lot of put backs. Lastly, his angas. The swagger of Abueva is incredible. This can impact Gilas in a number of ways. First, the crowd will get into it. Since Abueva is now for their team, they will LOVE his antics. The displaying of the tongue, the flopping, the crowd will love it. Para sa bayan eh. And, his swagger will piss his opponents off. He will get in the heads of his opponents, thus destroying their games. It's perfect.
What Arwind has that Calvin doesn't: Unlike Calvin, however, Arwind actually has international experience, albeit limited. Arwind was part of the Powerade Team Pilipinas national team under Coach Yeng Guiao during 2009. For sure, Arwind must have an idea what it takes to beat international opponents, after suffering an 8th place finish during the 2009 version of the FIBA Asia. Next, this is obvious but, Arwind is taller than Calvin. In the spots that the two will probably take up (the SF spot), the height that is more suited for the international game is around 6'6 - 6'9. Arwind is around 6'4 - 6'5, 3 inches taller than the San Sebastian alumnus. Plus, his skill in the 4 position will give the team more options in it's rotation. Next, Arwind is a SLIGHTLY smarter, and controlled player, compared to The Beast. Calvin may have more gulang compared to Arwind, but Arwind usually makes better on court decisions compared to The Beast. Calvin can be incredibly reckless at times, thus resulting to a turnover or a careless error for his team. He can be helter skelter when it comes to his shots, thus resulting in unfortunate misses. Arwind, on the other hand, is a more controlled player who can control how his shots will fall, and doesn't just throw shots off. Lastly, the leadership factor. Arwind is a better leader compared to Calvin. Calvin may be the energy guy, but he isn't much of a leader compared to The Spiderman. Gilas has their share of leaders (Jimmy, Gary, LA, Marc, and may be even Gabe), and another one in Arwind won't do much harm.
What both players have: Both players are excellent rebounders who rely on their athleticism and positioning ability to grab boards for their team. They are undoubtedly two of the best rebounders in the league, with both players being double double threats every time. Next, both players have an amazing amount of heart. PUSO. These two do not have the terminology "give up" in their dictionary. Calvin will always find ways to go for that ball. He lives and dies for that ball. Arwind on the other hand will never give up in motivating his team, no matter how bad the situation may seem.
Calvin Abueva vs. Beau Belga
The Gilas Pilipinas national team.
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| Para sa bayan. |
Our Gilas pool originally consisted of 17 players, but now it is down to 15 players because of the illnesses past Gilas standouts Jared Dillinger and Kelly Williams received. This proved to be a huge loss for our line up, since the two were expected to be shoo ins in the final 12. This opened up a hole in our 3 spot (You can read more on this issue right here), since both players, most notably Jared, are usually tasked to defend the bigger 3's in international play.
This opened up discussion of sending replacements for the two players. A month ago, Coach Chot wasn't too fond of the idea, stating that the chemistry that the team developed with their Monday practices might get messed up.
Well, now.. it's a completely different story.
Reports have said that the Gilas brass is considering adding more players to the national pool. The notables are Arwind Santos and Beau Belga because of their performance against the Shanghai Sharks a few weeks back. A couple of weeks after those reports, a new name entered the conversation.
Enter Calvin Abueva.
 |
| The Beast to Gilas Pilipinas? It could happen. |
So, why did Calvin join this conversation all of a sudden? Well, the following tweets of Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes should explain why.
Great!!! "Alaska willing to lend Calvin Abueva to Philippine national team" | InterAKTV interaksyon.com/interaktv/alas…
— Chot Reyes (@coachot) May 21, 2013
@jsaradpon24 @micohalili Onga
— Chot Reyes (@coachot) May 18, 2013
Now, comes two questions... is Calvin Abueva deserving of entering the current pool of players of Gilas Pilipinas? And, is Calvin just the guy that they need to replace the losses of Kelly and Jared?
I'll give my take on the two questions by comparing Calvin with the two aforementioned players who are being considered for the pool as well.
Calvin Abueva vs. Arwind Santos
 |
What Arwind has that Calvin doesn't: Unlike Calvin, however, Arwind actually has international experience, albeit limited. Arwind was part of the Powerade Team Pilipinas national team under Coach Yeng Guiao during 2009. For sure, Arwind must have an idea what it takes to beat international opponents, after suffering an 8th place finish during the 2009 version of the FIBA Asia. Next, this is obvious but, Arwind is taller than Calvin. In the spots that the two will probably take up (the SF spot), the height that is more suited for the international game is around 6'6 - 6'9. Arwind is around 6'4 - 6'5, 3 inches taller than the San Sebastian alumnus. Plus, his skill in the 4 position will give the team more options in it's rotation. Next, Arwind is a SLIGHTLY smarter, and controlled player, compared to The Beast. Calvin may have more gulang compared to Arwind, but Arwind usually makes better on court decisions compared to The Beast. Calvin can be incredibly reckless at times, thus resulting to a turnover or a careless error for his team. He can be helter skelter when it comes to his shots, thus resulting in unfortunate misses. Arwind, on the other hand, is a more controlled player who can control how his shots will fall, and doesn't just throw shots off. Lastly, the leadership factor. Arwind is a better leader compared to Calvin. Calvin may be the energy guy, but he isn't much of a leader compared to The Spiderman. Gilas has their share of leaders (Jimmy, Gary, LA, Marc, and may be even Gabe), and another one in Arwind won't do much harm.
What both players have: Both players are excellent rebounders who rely on their athleticism and positioning ability to grab boards for their team. They are undoubtedly two of the best rebounders in the league, with both players being double double threats every time. Next, both players have an amazing amount of heart. PUSO. These two do not have the terminology "give up" in their dictionary. Calvin will always find ways to go for that ball. He lives and dies for that ball. Arwind on the other hand will never give up in motivating his team, no matter how bad the situation may seem.
Calvin Abueva vs. Beau Belga
What Calvin has that Beau doesn't: Calvin is obviously (no offense to Beau) faster compared to the Extra Rice Inc member. Calvin is practically a bigger version of Jayson Castro. Beau on the other hand, is really slow mo, showing that he really is a center. Next, Calvin is a better rebounder compared to Beau, as evidenced by their rebounding number. Calvin is a more athletic player than Beau, so that can explain as to why his rebounding numbers are better than Beau's. Lastly, Calvin brings more energy compared to Beau. He dives more for loose balls, and hustles more compared to the PCU alumnus.
What Beau has that Calvin doesn't: Beau has a more reliable jumper compared to Calvin. His range extends up to the three point line, and he is quite consistent when it comes to doing so. If he will play either the 4 or 5 spot for Gilas, he will give the team some versatility, and he will be able to stretch the floor in doing so. Another thing that Beau has is his ability to box out. This will reduce the load for Marcus when it comes to rebounding, because Beau will be there to box out his opponents using his size, and instinct.
What both players have: Both are incredibly physical players. Both are notorious for their street style of play as enforcers, regardless of their height. Second, parehas silang magulang. As I said, both play a similar street type of game, although is it more prevalent for Calvin. Next, both players can give Gilas that physical player that they need. Fine, Marc Pingris and Ranidel are there, but there is something about Calvin and Beau that make them so different compared to the two power forwards. Opposing teams despise their physical brand of play. Their crowds love it. So their physical play plus the Philippine crowd? Killer combo.
Now, what do all players have? They all have the willingness to sacrifice for the national team.They are all very much deserving of a spot. But, if I were to choose a player for Gilas, I would choose Calvin. Why The Beast? He may be undersized, he may have difficulty in defending Fadi El Khatib, but for sure he will pester the players he will be tasked with. This gives Gilas a guy who can piss the players of the opposing teams. Fine, Beau can do that. But as seen with the different reports, the impact of Calvin is so different. He has pissed off guys like James Yap, Vernon Macklin and Gilas standout LA Tenorio. He knows how to get into the head of his opponents. He's done that to a guy who is usually calm and composed in James. For sure, he can do that to other players in the international game who aren't too familiar with the Philippine brand of play. Well thing is, Calvin is the perfect example of how Philippine Basketball is played. Helter skelter. Diving bodies for the ball. The arrogance. It is so Calvin. And it is the epitome of how Philippine Basketball is played. Not just in the pro leagues, but even in the streets. Lastly, the crowd factor. Did you guys see how much Gatas Republik loved this guy every time he'd piss his opponents off? Can you imagine the whole Philippine basketball community going nuts when Calvin pisses off guys like Yi Jianlian or Hamed Haddadi? It would be crazy. It would be insane. The amount of energy that would be in the crowd when Calvin does his antics... just out of this world. It would be the perfect boost for the Philippine five.
#GoGilas #LabanPilipinas
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