2007 PBA Draft Review
August 19, 2007 by SYDMAN
2007 PBA Draft Review
The next wave of stars is here. Who will make it and who will falter? Your guess is as good as mine.
Anyway, the production values in this draft was a big up from last year’s. While Jason Webb was his usual robotic self, his inanimate state did not hurt the sacred basketball ceremony.
At least Ed Picson replaced him as the Master of Ceremonies. More on that later.
I tuned in around 4:45 and yeah, I did not miss anything. By the way, I saw the new PCSO ad and what the fuck is Mirael doing? After doing an April Boys-like gig they now do a cutesy poppish song?
Mirael, YOU REALLY LIKE BEING CALLED “ANG BANDA NG GOBYERNO”!?!?!
Whuuuut??
Uhurm.
The logo looks good and the graphics look good. Jason Webb admitted that picking him in the first round was a bad decision for the Realtors.
Ginebra owns number 10??? Even the broadsheets don’t know that. PHILIPPINE STAR was wrong on this one. But then again, who can figure out Draft Day? If they had a better website though…
Two things I never expected in this draft: Ken Bono has a beautiful wife and yeah… more on that too later.
5:45… Got a bath, made a couple of sandwiches and still nothing. The trivia Richard del Rosario gave was funny though. He was the top second round pick in ’96 and he was interviewing Marlou who was the top pick in ’96. Richard del Rosario making a fool out of himself is gold.
ANG TAGAL!!! Finally around 6:30, the draft takes place. I doubt they were prepared to give statements but I was surprised that Ed Picson looked lost in hosting. Sonny Barrios, while giving a great story about Sonny Jaworski, certainly he knew he was doing a Rookie Draft and not a SEMINAR!!!
THE DRAFT PROPER:
1 – WELCOAT: JOE DEVANCE
Great pick for Welcoat. The former University of Texas Longhorn will quickly bust out his game for the Dragons. Eman is too raw to lead the team. Either way, Devance can’t do much for this weak team. At least if they become cellar dwellers anew they can grab Gabe Norwood from the amateurs next season.
DRAFT RATING: A
2 – SAN MIGUEL: SAMIGUE EMAN
Great trivia on the fact that Eman was named after the same franchise that drafted him. This too is a good pick for SMB. While he is not that polished as Devance, the former University of Mindanao slotman will learn the ropes from the best. His lack of offensive awareness also will be hidden by the slew of superstars in the roster.
DRAFT RATING: A-
3 – STA. LUCIA: RYAN REYES
Bad pick. Not bad as it seems but bad nonetheless. The former Cal State-Fullerton standout is a big point guard with rebounding ability to mix with his offensive awareness. They still have Dennis Miranda and Paolo Mendoza in the lineup and with Kelly Williams better off as a small forward, they should have gotten a big man. On the bright side, more minutes for Marlou Aquino…
DRAFT RATING: B
4 – AIR21: JC INTAL
Just as I predicted! Great pick for the Express. With Gary David nursing injuries and most of their players out of contract, the Rocket can be that explosive energy boost Air21 needs. The former Blue Eagle is versatile, quick, and at 6’4 he gives his team edge if they shift him to the guard spots.
DRAFT RATING: A-
5 – AIR21: DOUG KRAMER
Air21 is following the footsteps of Red Bull and San Miguel as Ateneo havens. I hope this is coincidental. Kramer is not that skilled offensively compared to Bono and Quinahan but in terms of quickness, this guy has the advantage. Girlfriend Cheska Garcia also attended the draft. Hmmm…
DRAFT RATING: B
6 – ALASKA: KEN BONO
How Bono could go this low must have something to do with his figure. 6’4 and 250 lbs? The guy touted as the local version of Shawn Daniels can fit in with the Aces. The former Adamson Falcon was also coached by Luigi Trillo, the Aces current assistant coach. He can shoot at all corners and is a great passer, something Tim Cone wants in his triangle offense playing squad.
DRAFT RATING: A-
7 – ALASKA: JR QUINAHAN
Remember the days when Ricky Relosa and Yoyoy Villamin were the Bruise Brothers and they were playing like rule-breaking hockey players on the court. Well, the former UV Lancer has the same built as Bono and they also play the same style. Tim Cone going old school is funny.
DRAFT RATING: B
8 – AIR21: YOUSIF ALJAMAL
The Express are in dire need of big men after trading 6’6 Mark Telan off to Coke. They also traded 6’7 Mark Andaya to Red Bull. What Air21 found out was the draft’s biggest weakness: LITTLE STAR POWER LEFT. Sure, this San Beda Lion is a great scorer that overachieves in the power forward spot despite his lack in size. Had there been other choices, this should have not happened.
DRAFT RATING: B
9 – SAN MIGUEL: JONAS VILLANUEVA
With Jeff Chan opting out of the draft, Jonas Villanueva was the best for a FEU player to get drafted. Landing as a Beerman, Villanueva went from star player to third-string guard. San Miguel got a good choice but this is wrong in so many aspects for the rookie.
DRAFT RATING: B-
10 – GINEBRA: MACKY ESCALONA
The drafting of Escalona is startling. They could have gotten Marvin Cruz if they need a point or any big man left available but they chose a point. Either they are getting ready to send Johnny Abarrientos to retirement or Jayjay Helterbrand is hurting or none of the other guards like Paolo Hubalde, Jeck Chia, and Egay Echavez will be back next season. But certainly, the former Ateneo Eagle will have a hard time to break in the Gin lineup.
DRAFT RATING: B-
SECOND ROUND
11 – COKE: RONJAY BUENAFE
I’m happy he’s drafted by the Tigers. He was a scoring monster for the Emilio Aguinaldo College and he proved his worth in the PBL. When Lyceum star Gary David entered the league, no one really knew who he was. Same goes for St. Francis’ Ranidel de Ocampo and UM’s Nelson Asaytono. It’s nice to see great talents rise that didn’t come from the big leagues.
DRAFT RATING: B
12 – WELCOAT: RYAN ARANA
La Salle not playing in his final year certainly hurt his chances of ranking higher but he’ll get a lot of playing time as a Dragon. He proved his worth in the multi-titled Harbour Centre as a potent scorer and defender and he should do the same thing for the Dragons.
DRAFT RATING: B
13 – STA. LUCIA: MELVIN MAMACLAY
For those that don’t know this guy, he walked out of Adamson after a UAAP ruckus. The UAAP had and still has a rule of UAAP players applying to the PBL must be at least a junior instead of being a sophomore. Many were against the rule and one of those players was Mamaclay. That was I think five years ago. Anyway, this was why I was against Sta. Lucia picking up Reyes. The lack of big tolerable men in this year’s draft haunted this pick.
DRAFT RATING: C
14 – AIR21: MARVIN CRUZ
Air21 was lucky to snag Cruz this late in the draft. He should have also been a first round pick. UP had some nuts last season because he held the core with his leadership! He was the key player at the SEABA FIBA Qualifiers and can run both sides of the floor. I’m beginning to think some team owners are dumb.
DRAFT RATING: B
15 – RED BULL (acquired from Purefoods): JOJO DUNCIL
This is another trade I didn’t understand. I don’t know if this came from the Don Camaso-Romel Adducul trade but this spelled the end of things for many draftees. Duncil coming to the Bulls is great… had not for the abundance of off guards in their roster. At least a UST Tiger was drafted.
DRAFT RATING: B-
16 – ALASKA: ARDY LARONG
Little is known about Larong except that he came from Butuan, got his chance via the PBL Vis-Min tourneys, played for several teams in the PBL and doing well at the rookie camp. The former San Jose-Recolletos forward is an old guy though. If the Aces want a guy with the same build in the same position, they should at least get hold of the others guys other than him.
DRAFT RATING: C
17 – RED BULL PASSES
18 – TALK N TEXT PASSES
19 – RED BULL PASSES
Red Bull traded for the Purefoods pick… robbing two kids a chance to be drafted. Red Bull also had the 19th pick… robbing three actually. And Talk N Text joined the prey by also passing. This was the draft pick that achieved the lowest output – even lower to that draft where the teams were reduced to 9 and drafted just 18. I guess they found out the lack of high profile players in the second round.
Anyway…
20 – AIR21: RJ MASBANG
At least Air21 tried. Although, Masbang won’t make the roster. Not being mean but last season’s 20 guy was Ollan Omiping. Like Masbang, he came from UE. Like Masbang, he played forward. And like Masbang, he will hardly make an impact (or even make the roster).
DRAFT RATING: C
All in all, seventeen players are with teams where three of them won’t make an impact. Reed Juntilla, Derrick Hubalde, Daryl Pepito, Alex Angeles, Khiel Misa, Francis Barcellano, Dom Javier, and the rest of the gang could still have a chance to make it in the big leagues but just like Sonny Barrios said, it would be hard.
The Preseason will happen this September and just like in the NBA, rookie aspirants sign up and try to battle it out for positions in the league.
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Man, your formatting sucks. You know what, it might be because of your uh 3 minute 2 rebound curse? Haha
Kidding aside, my thoughts
- How did Ginebra get the number 10 pick?
- Ken Bono and Quinahan going picked at 6 and 7 respectively is blasphemous. They could’ve gone up to number 3 and number 4 with Quinahan taking the third pick and Bono joining Air 21 because of his, Shawn Daniel-esque built.
- Kramer at number 5? Are you kidding me? He’s like an identical clone of Paolo Bugia with an uber hot girlfriend.
Anyway there’s more to come on my upcoming article. :D
GOING PICKED?? WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM?
That was GETTING PICKED. Hehe
[...] Chrisangelo: GOING PICKED?? WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM? That was GETTING PICKED. Hehe [...]
and that’s mr. 3 points and 4 rebounds for you!
anywho, alaska had the best night and sta. lucia had the worst.
Devance supposedly played at UTEP (UT El Paso), not Univ of Texas (which is in Austin, TX). Which makes him a ‘Miner’ and not a ‘Longhorn’. UTEP is in the Conference USA while Texas is in the Big 12 in the NCAA. But according to ESPN, he never played for the past 3 years he was at UTEP:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/gamelog?playerId=5674
Sounds like he was sitting on the bench the whole time he was in college. Also, his name was never listed to have played for UTEP on any of the college hoops preview magazines here (Sporting News, Street & Smith, etc). Strange. And he was the top pick?
musta mga fil-am diehards.
nadagdagan na naman ang mga fil-ams sa PBA, at first pick pa yung isa ha. tuwang tuwa na naman si chot reyes niyan, alam nyo naman yang si chot, in love sa mga fil-ams.
ang saya nito, may nadagdag na namang mga future Team Pilipinas Losers.
wahehehehe…
whats wrong with coke trading telan for a 1st round pick?
common coke, are’nt you guys thinking?
^^^ free scouting report right there from ngeh. we’ll soon see how devance fares. i got an entry too, ill post later, it just needs a little formatting. i just cant post like you know who. :-)
Further sleuthing on Devance, check out this game:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=263532638
If you are up 44-25 at the half, you would think the bench players get to hit the court. But still no Devance. I am still confused as to why he is not listed on the roster for the Miners, although when you search ESPN, that earlier link of him does show up, but mostly “DNP’s”. Go figure.
OK, I found this 2003 article and it looks like I was looking at the wrong year for his stats. Devance scored 5 points against Tulsa:
http://ardmoreite.com/stories/011703/spo_tulsa_men.shtml
Well, it was ESPN.com’s fault, why did they list 2004-2007 under Devance? He might have been long gone from UTEP by then. So it is possible that Devance had left UTEP a while back, perhaps even before 2004.
Another 2003 article on Devance:
Updated Feb 28, 2003 23:00:14
Miners Pick Up Win Over Bulldogs, 75-57
EL PASO, Texas — A career performance from freshman Corey Dean wasn’t enough Thursday as Louisiana Tech fell 75-57 to Texas-El Paso before a crowd of 5,278 at the Don Haskins Center.
Dean, a hometown product out of Ruston (La.) High SChool, poured in career highs of 17 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to help a flat Bulldog team which hit on only 37.7 percent (23-of-61) of their shots from the floor. Dean’s previous career highs were seven points and seven rebounds.
The loss was Tech’s third straight as the Bulldogs fell to 12-12 overall and 9-7 in the Western Athletic Conference. UTEP moved to 5-20 and 3-12.
“For whatever reason, and I don’t know what happened, we walked out and let UTEP beat us from the opening tip,” Tech coach Keith Richard said. “We prepared hard and motivated hard. I don’t know what’s wrong but we’ve got to try to find a way to fix it.”
While Dean came out hot, the other Bulldogs never seemed to get on track as the Bulldogs also struggled at the free throw line. Louisiana Tech connected on only 42.1 percent (8-of-19) of its free throw attempts on the night.
UTEP went to the perimeter early, pulling out in front 25-19 with 6:50 remaining in the opening half as the Miners had connected on 5-of-8 treys at that point.
The Miners moved out in front 28-20 on a 3-point play by Thomas Gehrke with 5:40 left in the half and pulled out to a double-digit advantage at 39-27 when Justino Victoriano put one in from under the basket with 1:11 remaining before intermission.
UTEP led 39-29 at the half and maintained the lead throughout the second half, going up 63-45 on a Giovanni St. Amant 3-pointer with 7:12 remaining.
The Bulldogs made a mini-run slightly later, with Darrian Brown’s trey at the 5:52 mark of the second half cutting UTEP’s advantage to 63-52.
Brown chipped in with 14 points for the Dogs while Lavelle Felton and Bruce Edwards added eight each.
Senior forward Antonio Meeking, who came into the contest leading the Bulldogs with 19.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, struggled against UTEP and totaled five points and four boards.
“Antonio wasn’t very good tonight,” Richard said. “When your leader looks that way it’s not good for your team. None of our seniors looked good tonight.”
Tech senior foward Zach Johnson missed the game with knee trouble as the Bulldogs used their ninth different starting lineup of the season. The Bulldogs tipped off the game with Brown, Meeking, Felton, Edwards and Dean.
John Tofi led UTEP with 13 points while Joe Devance added 12 points for the Miners.
Tech returns to action on Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest at Boise State.
my bad! the PBA grapix said Univ. of Texas.
University of Texas is in Austin, but UTEP is also University of Texas but it is in El Paso. Then you have UT-Arlington, -San Antonio, etc, which are all University of Texas too but are at different cities/campuses. But since the campus in Austin is the most prominent/biggest, they get referred to as the Univ of Texas. The others need to have their campus name written out as well.
In the same fashion, University of California (UC) would most often refer to the campus in Berkeley (they are actually known as Cal), but UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCD, UCSC, UCSF, Merced are also UCs but at they are at other cities/campuses besides Berkeley. Notice that the name Cal (used to refer to the Berkeley campus) would be applicable to all UC campuses, since they are all “Cal” campuses (as they are in California) but if you say Cal here in the states, you’d be referring to the Berkeley school.
OK, I don’t know if that made any sense.
Very similar to UP Diliman, LB, Cebu, actually.
[...] To tell you frankly, I am no amateur basketball expert, thanks to this and this, I get to know these players. So, let me just have some piece about the proceedings and get your scouting report else where. [...]
DRAFTED DOUG KRAMER…… I’D RATHER DRAFT CHESKA GARCIA.
hey…
paglaruin nio naman si ardy larong..
kc..
kulang playing time nia..
lagi siya bangko..
basta gus2 ko team nia welcoat o kaya sta.lucia..
para di siya mabangko sa purefoods..
hehehhe..
thanks
either he has gone back to the pbl, or moved to liga, playing a reserve role at some random team, or playing a practice player role at purefoods.