Sorry
for the delay. I had a bunch of things I need to straighten out but all is well
in blogland now.
Before
you check out the next batch, again I suggest you to check out the guidelines.
This is to calm the violent reactions I expect to unfold.
If you
wonder how this system works...
Welcome
to the fifth part of the 100 Best
Careers in the PBA list. It is a long and pretty much mind-numbing attempt
to make people check out my site more often. Yes, I am an attention whore. Like
I said in my early blogs, I started from top to bottom because the
highest-ranked players in this list are pretty obvious.
This
will be a long read.
Are
you ready for more?
Game
starts now!
41 MANNY PANER
1975 – 86
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
Hall
of Fame
25
Greatest Players of the PBA
Played
in the 1972 Munich Olympics
Played
in the 1974 FIBA World Championships
5,000
Points
1,000
Offensive Rebounds
Top
25: Rebounding Average
1x
Season Champion: Total Defensive Rebounds
3x
Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds
1x
Season Champion: Total Rebounds
RANKED THIS HIGH:
Paner
is known as a monster inside the paint. Basically he is Dennis Espino and Jun
Limpot during the Pioneer Era. He will terrorize opponents by owning the boards
and convince people to get wary at his extremely accurate hook shot. He is a
Hall of Famer and was part of the last team to represent the country in
worldwide tourney.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Despite
his accolades Paner never really had a meaty PBA career. Sure he carved his
niche but he only had one Mythical selection in his entire career. Blame this
on his injuries and the fact that the San Miguel franchise is not the strong
franchise it is now. He could have been a MVP if he just played for top-tier
squads.
42 DENNIS ESPINO
THE MENACE
1995 – present
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
2x
Mythical Five
1x
Finals MVP
1x
Defensive Player of the Year
1x
All-Defensive Team
7x
All-Star
5,000
Points
2,000
Defensive Rebounds
1,000
Offensive Rebounds
2,000
Free Throws Made
Top
25: Rebounding Average
1x
Season Champion: Total Defensive Rebounds
3x
Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds
1x
Season Champion: Total Rebounds
RANKED THIS HIGH:
He
basically is the Manny Paner of his generation. He can muscle his way inside
the lane and is not afraid to bang bodies against the imports and the Fil-Ams. While
he is mainly a defensive player, for a decade he averaged in double figures.
Until Sta. Lucia’s closure he is the Realtors’ poster boy and he led the
“devotees” to a couple of championships.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Dennis
Espino is powerful inside the shaded area but throughout his PBA career he was
part of a twin tower combo (Jun Limpot, Marlou Aquino, and Kelly Williams).
Aside from his twin titles, Sta. Lucia had seasons where they played one of the
fewest games because they can’t get past the quarterfinals. Also for the last
four or five seasons, his playing time and dominance had decreased.
43 ALI PEEK
MAN MOUNTAIN
1998 – present
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
1x
Mythical Ten
1x
Best Player of the Conference
4x
All-Star
5,000
Points
2,000
Defensive Rebounds
1,000
Offensive Rebounds
500
Blocks
Top 10:
Rebounding Average
RANKED THIS HIGH:
This
mammoth force is a not an easy target on the shaded lane. He parks himself in
the paint like an immovable object and it will hurt once you engage with him on
a rebounding battle. He is also a big time blocker which is divine since he
can’t hardly expect a guy that looks like a bulldozer could leap and swat
shots. His best scoring years were when he played a couple of seasons with
Alaska.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Peek
can lead a team contrary to what people think. Like I said, he was the main man
during his stint in Alaska. Unfortunately, he failed to give a championship to
the squad. Since then Peek is more of a vital ingredient off the bench for
title-hungry squads. He got the second lease in his career when he got out of
second-string hell to got a Mythical Ten spot for the TNT Tropang Texters.
44 JUN LIMPOT
THE REAL DEAL
1993 – 2007
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
2x
Mythical Ten
Rookie
of the Year
1x
All-Defensive Team
8x
All-Star
5,000
Points
2,000
Defensive Rebounds
2,000
Free Throws Made
Top
25: Scoring Average
Top
25: Free Throw Percentage
1x
Season Champion: Scoring Average
RANKED THIS HIGH:
The
guy is definitely a marquee name. When he was selected top pick in the 1993
Draft by the Sta. Lucia Realtors, he was instantly named as the team’s savior.
He had a superb inside game and as the seasons progressed, he fine-tuned a very
dependable jump shot. He went on to play for Ginebra before hanging his boots
with the Purefoods TJ Giants.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Limpot’s
career is tainted on the sole fact that it took a long time for him to win a
championship. When he won a title, he was already past his prime and is a
benchwarmer. Sta. Lucia won its first title the year he was traded to Ginebra
and the Kings had the same fate when they dealt him to Purefoods. And then
there is the issue of him being soft and is afraid to muscle people in the
paint. These factors could have been vital as to why he failed to win the more
important awards.
45 LIM ENG BENG
1975 – 86
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
25
Greatest Players of the PBA
5,000
Points
1,500
Free Throws Made
Top
25: Scoring Average
Top
25: Free Throw Percentage
3x
Season Champion: Free Throws Made
RANKED THIS HIGH:
Lim
Eng Beng was one of the best players in the history of the NCAA. In fact, the
La Salle alumni respect his accomplishments that they retired his #14 jersey.
Fortunately for Lim he carried his talents to the pro level with gusto. In a
time where Crispa and Toyota players rule the individual and team feats, he
snagged a Mythical five selection.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Lim
Eng Beng, despite his skills, failed to claim one thing that ended up ruining
his chances further cement his legacy in the PBA. He was a superstar journeyman
in his twelve seasons in the league. He strut his wares to six teams and it
didn’t help that injuries slowed him down. He then brought his game down to the
PABL in 1988 as the player-coach of Agfa until 1990. Had played from one or two
teams that took care of his career, who knows what he could have had accomplish.
46 BERNIE FABIOSA
THE SULTAN OF SWIPE
1975 – 91
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Ten
25
Greatest Players of the PBA
5,000
Points
2,000
Assists
1,000
Steals
Top
25: Assists Average
Top
25: Free Throw Percentage
1x
Season Champion: Total Assists
7x
Season Champion: Total Steals
RANKED THIS HIGH:
Only
one man could facilitate a team spearheaded by five potential Hall of Famers.
Fabiosa is an excellent playmaker packed with intelligence, craftiness, and
defensive prowess. If there was an All-Defensive Team at the peak of his career
then he would have been a perennial member. Fabiosa is a seven-time season
steals champ!
RANKED THIS LOW:
Fabiosa’s
Hall of Fame stint gets derailed always because fact is – he is the “weakest”
member of the Crispa superstar core. He can’t be a scoring threat with Bogs
Adornado, Atoy Co, and Freddie Hubalde at the wings and he gives up the
rebounding chores to Abet Guidaben and Philip Cezar. And as for assists, his
numbers could have been more but since Baby Dalupan’s plays require the team to
swing the ball makes it difficult for him to score those dimes.
47 YOYOY VILLAMIN
THE BICOLANO SUPERMAN
1981 – 98
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
3x
Mythical Ten
Most
Improved Player
3x
All-Star
7x
All-Defensive Team
5,000
Points
2,000 Defensive
Rebounds
1,000
Offensive Rebounds
500
Blocks
1x
Season Champion: Total Defensive Rebounds
1x
Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds
RANKED THIS HIGH:
Elpidio
“Yoyoy” Villamin is a very, VERY big time power forward during the 80’s and
late 90’s. This is why he is called “The Bicolano Superman”. He can score at
will, rebound without fear, and swat shots. He enjoyed the best time of his
career while playing for Hills Bros/Alaska where alongside Ricky Relosa formed the
Bruise Brothers.
RANKED THIS LOW:
It was
said that Yoyoy Villamin was the more deserving player to win MVP honors in the
year Abet Guidaben won the plum in 1987. Despite the accolades he got, it’s
hard to batch Villamin from the pioneers and the late 80’s wonder bunch. He
spent a lot of his prime injured and he played his last years as a benchwarmer
that greatly messed up his averages.
48 JAY WASHINGTON
J-WASH
2005 – 10
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
3x
Mythical Five
1x
Mythical Ten
2x
Best Player of the Conference
2x
All-Star
RANKED THIS HIGH:
A
steady dose of J-Wash for the years to come will certainly give this guy a boost
to the top spot. The guy had a lot of accolades and the scary thing about him
is that he can certainly give more. After getting picked first by Air21 (then
sent to Talk N Text) his averages soar when he was traded to San Miguel. I’m
going to liken his stay with Petron/SMB as the second coming of Danny Seigle.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Here’s
the thing about the Seigle mention – Jay Washington is often injured. He was
plagued with injuries at the start of his PBA career and he hasn’t had a no-DNP
season since. He should have been a Mythical Five in the 2011 Leo Awards
because he won the Best Player of the Philippine Cup but since he missed a lot
of games, he was relegated to the Mythical Ten.
49 ABE KING
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
1977 – 94
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
1x
Mythical Ten
3x
All-Defensive Team
5,000
Points
2,000
Defensive Rebounds
1,000
Offensive Rebounds
500
Blocks
1,500
Free Throws Made
Top
25: Rebounding Average
3x
Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds
RANKED THIS HIGH:
He had
the pleasure of playing alongside the pioneers and the stars of the new
generation. The Chairman of the Board looked gruff and gallant way past his
prime but he is a ferocious rebounding mestizo during it. He was also a
dependable scorer averaging 10 points per game in his 18 active seasons. He was
also durable with an average of 42 games per season.
RANKED THIS LOW:
King
started his career in 1977 in Toyota where he played support to the superstar
trio of Mon Fernandez, Francis Arnaiz, and Sonny Jaworski. The squad will be
later joined by another talented scorer in Arnie Tuadles in 1979. I would have
liked to see leading a squad rather than supporting it because he has the tools
to do it. He spent his final years in the PBA in a Bill Walton-like role for
Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Codinera in Purefoods.
50 MACMAC CARDONA
CAPTAIN HOOK
2005 – 10
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
2x
Mythical Ten
1x
Best Player of the Conference
1x
Finals MVP
4x
All-Star
Top
25: Scoring Average
Top
25: 3-Point Percentage
2x
Season Champion: Total Points
1x
Season Champion: Scoring Average
2x
Season Champion: 2-Points Made
RANKED THIS HIGH:
Captain
Hook’s rise to glory started when DLSU and TNT teammate Renren Ritualo was
loaned to Chot Reyes’ FIBA-Asia 2007 squad. When Ritualo returned, his spot was
already infiltrated with Cardona asserting his self on the position. Dubbed
Captain Hook because of his unblockable hook shot, he has averaged 16 points
per game and more in his last five seasons.
RANKED THIS LOW:
One
thing Cardona lacks that James Yap has are two MVP trophies that are currently
filling up King James’ mantle. Cardona had one chance to covet the award but
Jayjay Helterbrand beat him to it. Anyway, the only way Cardona can win the MVP
award is by propelling the Meralco Bolts to a championship. He can up his
seeding if he continues with his stellar play.
So
here’s the rundown: there are no more MVP winners in the countdown and
apparently there are only three 2-time Mythical Five members left in the list.
Who
are they?
Check
out the sixth instalment.
Game
over.
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