(This is the first of ten
articles called What They Need. Last
year, I made a version where we called out a PBA team’s roster and pick out the
slots they need to shore up. Most of these deficiencies are addressed via the
draft.)
Rain or Shine blew hot and cold for the
second straight year. The management saw their awesome Fire and Ice combo disintegrate
on their very eyes because Sol Mercado
had issues with Caloy Garcia’s
coaching style.
The
Painters started the season with Gabe
Norwood, Sol Mercado, and Jay-R Reyes being their main squad but ended it
with Yeng Guiao bringing the best
out of past players like Larry
Rodriguez, Jeff Chan, Ronjay Buenafe, and Beau Belga and making the Elasto Painters holdovers like Ryan Arana, TY Tang, and Jervy Cruz another version of the Red
Bull franchise.
TOP
FIVE ELASTO PAINTERS OF THE 2010-11 SEASON:
1
GABE NORWOOD
PHILCUP:
11.7PPG – 5.9RPG – 3.8APG – 2.1SPG – 0.7BPG – 15 GAMES
COMCUP:
9.9PPG – 6.1RPG – 3.3APG – 0.8SPG – 12 GAMES
GOVCUP:
8.8PPG – 7.0RPG – 4.2APG – 0.8SPG – 13 GAMES
2
LARRY RODRIGUEZ
PHILCUP:
9.3PPG – 5.8RPG – 1.0APG – 0.8BPG – 15 GAMES
COMCUP:
11.0PPG – 6.1RPG – 1.7APG – 0.7SPG – 1.0BPG – 12 GAMES
GOVCUP:
8.2PPG – 5.5RPG – 1.2APG – 1.2BPG – 13 GAMES
3
RONJAY BUENAFE
PHILCUP:
(AIR21) 17.1PPG – 2.4RPG – 2.0APG – 1.1SPG – 15 GAMES
COMCUP:
6.3PPG – 1.1APG – 12 GAMES
GOVCUP:
12.7PPG – 2.2RPG – 1.1APG – 1.0SPG – 13 GAMES
4
BEAU BELGA
PHILCUP:
(MERALCO) 3.7PPG – 3.7RPG – 0.8APG – 16 GAMES
COMCUP:
8.9PPG – 6.8RPG – 2.0APG – 12 GAMES
GOVCUP:
8.5PPG – 5.2RPG – 1.4APG – 13 GAMES
5
DOUG KRAMER
PHILCUP:
8.5PPG – 7.5RPG – 15 GAMES
COMCUP:
8.9PPG – 7.8RPG – 0.8APG – 12 GAMES
GOVCUP:
3.0PPG – 3.4RPG – 8 GAMES
WHAT
THEY NEED:
CENTERS: Unlike in past years, Rain or
Shine aren’t undersized. Doug Kramer
was a revelation in the second conference while Beau Belga was the bruiser Yeng Guiao drools upon. However, they
are compounded on the problem that they have no marquee big men feared by the
likes of Asi Taulava, Eric Menk, Sonny
Thoss, and Ali Peek.
FORWARDS: Larry Rodriguez is slowly becoming one of the best underrated
players of the league. Gabe Norwood
barely reached double figures this season because he is not getting his way in
terms of playing time and scoring since the system of Yeng Guiao is so
unpredictable. When Mercado left the squad, I thought for certain that Norwood
would follow suit. Jervy Cruz
continues to claim miniscule minutes because of his inability to adopt the PBA
system. John Ferriols, the team’s
elder statesman, is one of the team’s X-factors.
GUARDS: This team is loaded with shooters
and slashers. Rookies Josh Vanlandingham
and RJ Jazul were able to dispatch
their skills and become perfect complements for Ronjay Buenafe, Jeff Chan, and Ryan
Arana. In terms of defense, he can count on Jireh Ibanes. However on a daily basis, you can’t depend on all of
them because they are inconsistent. TY
Tang, a crack guard back in college has shown signs of readiness to claim
the starting PG spot but his career just wouldn’t move forward.
WHO
SHOULD THEY PICK?
Amongst
the teams, this is the easiest to decipher. The second pick overall will either
be Marcio Lassiter or JV Casio. The
second round selection will be admittedly hard but if there is one thing that
Rain or Shine needs to address, they must foolproof that SF spot and have a
marquee guard on the PG spot. Lassiter is a smaller version of Rudy Hatfield. He is a hardworker that
can hit the jumpers or penetrated amidst defenses. As for Casio, he’ll likely
fill the need of Elasto Painters to have a credible quarterback. It will also
solve the Painters’ lack of scoring options that has yet to be address with the
exodus of Sol Mercado. Sure, Buenafe and Arana are scorers but the more scoring
options they have, the more chances of them going to the next level.
The
Elasto Painters can pick a big man in Jason
Ballesteros however it will be a perfect waste of the number two pick if
the Painters would go for filling up spots than claiming the best talent.
Sure, Mark Barroca and Chris Lutz are still in the picture but if Rain or Shine is smart,
the best way for them to score an improvement from last season’s so-so stint is
through claiming a PBA-ready scorer.
Game
over.
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