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The Japeth Aguilar Saga

  • Thread starter Thread starter Johnny A2
  • Start date Start date

The Japeth Aguilar Saga

  • Hell Yeah! let them teach him some lessons!

    Votes: 44 26.8%

  • Heck no! he just wants to play for the NT..it's his right!

    Votes: 120 73.2%
  • Total voters
    164
regierr said:
I really think it's the the coaches who are at fault here in not giving him the playing minutes even though he did perform well while playing for the NT. There was just too much lack of trust.
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they want him to be a player that he is not. :)
 
Aguilar didn't even play the 3 spot in college, he was used as 5 or some times 4 in Western Kentucky. Even thou he will play as 3 he still needs to be strong to absorb contacts from defenders and offensive players attacking him. IMO coaches here forcing him to play 4 and 5 is just fine. Kay Belga nalang talsik na pano pa sa mga Kano. He really need to improve his ball handling, shooting and Strength.
 
But guys, let's be objective here. Like JP and DT are saying, it can't be all on the 3 coaches. Think about that. 3 coaches just lost faith in him. Maybe it's partly their fault but Japeth himself is also at fault (as a player and with all the controversies with BK and Gilas which I believe affected him greatly from a mental standpoint). At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what positions he plays. He could still have focused on grabbing at least 10 rebounds per game (something he did on an on and off basis) and continue to be a great weakside shot blocker (something he's always been good at and will forever be good at; just great timing with shot blocking) and defender but he didn't.

And there's certainly nothing wrong with his physical tools and skill set. On the contrary, he has all the tools to dominate even at the Asian level. There's no player in Asia with his combination of height, length, speed and athleticism. He's certainly skilled and capable as I frequently watched him explode in many games with Gilas 1 (both live and on TV). But his main problem was that he was inconsistent. One game he would be the best player in the Philippines (charity game against Powerade/1st game with TnT just to name a few) and the next he would be lost on the court and benched for the rest of the game.

But I really still believe in the guy. All that I've read on his recent stint in the USA has been positive. His weaknesses have been identified by scouts and coaches there and that's a good thing. The important thing is he's focusing on correcting them. He's comfortable and he's in a good place mentally. Maybe all he needed was time away from here (Philippines) and more time in an environment where he could play the way he wants to play (and receive the training as well) and against a level of competition that will force him to become better much faster. Plus, as Sir Nards has been pointing out, it's different now that he's finally with his FAMILY. He's been away majority of his life from them and I think he just needs them right now. More than what we want, it's time he does what he wants. Good luck to him. I'll be rooting for him.
 
Imo, the problem with Japeth before was he's trying to do too much to meet the unrealistic expectations of himself, coach, fans etc. The result is he'll do things that are not part of the play/plan.

If he plays within himself, and just rebound, dunk, block shots, he'll be one heck of a player. Someone like an Andre Kirilenko\tyrus thomas. Not really a superstar, but a difference maker. Hopefully his US experience makes him realize this and he starts to build his confidence.
 
trig said:
Imo, the problem with Japeth before was he's trying to do too much to meet the unrealistic expectations of himself, coach, fans etc. The result is he'll do things that are not part of the play/plan.

If he plays within himself, and just rebound, dunk, block shots, he'll be one heck of a player. Someone like an Andre Kirilenko\tyrus thomas. Not really a superstar, but a difference maker. Hopefully his US experience makes him realize this and he starts to build his confidence.
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Like his trainer/coach Balayon said, they're focusing now on making him a "superstar" role player. A type of guy who just focuses on his strengths. Since he's playing as a SF, they're focusing on his ball handling, moving without the ball (cutting and catch and shoot situations) and shooting. Plus defense, rebounding and shot blocking of course. I feel like he's better suited to focus first on these facets of his game. He now knows his limitations and he's trying to address them. What remains to be seen is if he can actually put it all together. We'll see :)
 
I think in the PBA or at Gilas 1, Japhet cannot even achieve a decent "game shape" for lack of playing time, he doesn't even get sufficient minutes playing to build up on his game reason that he finds himself easily lost as to his role on the team. One day he will play significant minutes and contribute well enough to be picked “player of the game” then on the next scheduled game be benched or begging the head honcho to avoid a "DNP"- coaches decision. Perplexing? Better believe it!

Japeth has so much physical gifts evenly matched with his raw talent that it would probably not be a bad decision for an insightful and a forward thinking coach to build a team around his talent especially here in the Philippines where the ratio of finding a talent like his’ would probably be close to a ratio of 90 million to one!

To think that the ol' inflexible coach Japhet had in the national team would rather bench than mentor him whenever he proved difficult executing the coach’s blah “dictates”, to this day, still sickens some basketball “faithful” in the stomach.

Speaking of the former national coach, had he somehow found KD in his 12-man line-up by any stroke of the imagination… he would have been benched too! Harhar!
Lest I be mistaken for a fool though, let’s be clear here, I am not drawing parallels between the two, just a little pun at the expense of the ol’ jester, este, mentor.
 
manu_bol said:
the team as a whole was "lie lowing" even at tianjin. 8th place, remember?
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they get the respect in tianjin but reality middle east teams played hard but no special plan for Philippines that time :cool:"as if yeng also had" free flowing kasi


manu_bol said:
both were untested players in fiba asia and untested with toroman's system and with the late addition affected the chemistry with gilas 1 having already played over a hundred games with japeth.
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Out of hundred games he sees this Japeth is a good starting 4 with his athleticism but lacks toughness to play 4 sometimes 3 or 5.. so he get Kelly:cool:

Second Mac is a brave 4.. can shoot the outside and stretch the defense.. but lacks consistency and experience.. so he get ranidel..

to be fair that is the result of having a gazillion of games Toroman alreedy knew his strength and weakness in his roster.. he needed just to upgrade it thru the pool of players available in the Philippines.. can Chot do it? if he can swallow a little bit of pride and get some playbook from toroman.. the hundred games of gilaS will never go for naught..add it to the number of games he played as a nt coach in era 2005-2007 and his tnt days..
 
Sam (a.k.a.) Tuwid said:
I think in the PBA or at Gilas 1, Japhet cannot even achieve a decent "game shape" for lack of playing time, he doesn't even get sufficient minutes playing to build up on his game reason that he finds himself easily lost as to his role on the team. One day he will play significant minutes and contribute well enough to be picked “player of the game” then on the next scheduled game be benched or begging the head honcho to avoid a "DNP"- coaches decision. Perplexing? Better believe it!

Japeth has so much physical gifts evenly matched with his raw talent that it would probably not be a bad decision for an insightful and a forward thinking coach to build a team around his talent especially here in the Philippines where the ratio of finding a talent like his’ would probably be close to a ratio of 90 million to one!

To think that the ol' inflexible coach Japhet had in the national team would rather bench than mentor him whenever he proved difficult executing the coach’s blah “dictates”, to this day, still sickens some basketball “faithful” in the stomach.

Speaking of the former national coach, had he somehow found KD in his 12-man line-up by any stroke of the imagination… he would have been benched too! Harhar!
Lest I be mistaken for a fool though, let’s be clear here, I am not drawing parallels between the two, just a little pun at the expense of the ol’ jester, este, mentor.
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i believed that there were also some behind the scenes that went far between Japhet and Chot, probably some "tough and mean words" which absolutely will not help a man who wants to play.
 
Japhet plays like a stretch 4 in the phl setting, for him to really improve his game here/abroad he should play the game based on his strength just as someone said don't prohibit or scold him when his shooting threes because that's how he play.
 
Jay P. Mercado said:
Yeng has done that already - utilizing the 6'9 Mick Pennisi at SF with Davon Harp at center and Kerby Raymundo at PF. That was way back 11 years ago so you can probably say Yeng was a visionary or that there's no reason to doubt about the PBA's readiness to have 6'9 small forwards. Danny Seigle and Nic Belasco (c/o Jong Uichico) were also utilized as small forwards despite being taller than their centers in their respective teams. Ditto with Mike Hrabak (Leo Austria, Ryan Gregorio, Yeng). So I don't really think that's a problem.

What differs us compared to the coaches who have handled Japeth already? For one, we're all in unison to see Aguilar's huge potential as a player - that's actually a similarity. The huge, stark difference is that these coaches have all seen how he plays within their respective systems - and expectations weren't met. In as much as we all can see the hops in Aguilar, I'd submit to how these coaches evaluated him more than what we collectively believe in. They're definitely in a better position to make a judgement.

Now, if the American coaches will say otherwise and say, Japeth is a heck of a guy, no problem and should play in the NBA (and gets to play in the NBA), then it may mean that his 3 coaches misjudged his capabilities. And I won't disagree with that assessment.
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Don't mean to undermine your statement,but Kerby was hoping to be a SF during his tenure with Red Bull then, due to the fact the Mick and Davon gets the minutes at 4 and 5. Since he can't get the minutes(back then), he was traded.
 
ricodgame said:
IMO what happened to JA is just a series of unfortunate events.

1. He joined RP Team but Yeng favors the Veteran players
2. Yeng kept on saying that he will make JA tough and be a force to reckon in the PBA but instead he chose to be with Smart Gilas.
3. Toroman wants him to be more of a banger than a SF or stretch 4
4. Ditto with coach chot

For me, if he only stayed with Burger King then coached by Yeng, then we might have seen him play as a SF or a stretch 4. As we all know Coach Yeng is a freelance type of coach, so Japeth can do whatever he wants - unlike coach Chot/Toroman.

(JA is no KD but just comparing their lean figure)

Point 1
It's like KD being asked to guard Shaq or Duncan in the post. Heck KD can't even guard Pau GaSoft or some small bangers in the post.

Point 2
and as for the post saying that it is no coincidence that 3 coaches made a mistake on Japeth.(actually for me it's only Toroman and Chot as Yeng did not really had JA under his wings) - - - FYI many scouts and coaches in the NBA thought KD is the 2nd coming of KG, guess they were all wrong.

Actually for a player to realize his potential, coaches needs to adjust and play the certain player based on their strenghts.

Ex.
Dirk first was asked to play the C(failed miserably) - - look at him now..
KD was asked to play SG and SF - - look at him now.. (imagine if he goes to the coaches who envisioned him as KG)
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Well said.
 
elcian said:
But guys, let's be objective here. Like JP and DT are saying, it can't be all on the 3 coaches. Think about that. 3 coaches just lost faith in him. Maybe it's partly their fault but Japeth himself is also at fault (as a player and with all the controversies with BK and Gilas which I believe affected him greatly from a mental standpoint). At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what positions he plays. He could still have focused on grabbing at least 10 rebounds per game (something he did on an on and off basis) and continue to be a great weakside shot blocker (something he's always been good at and will forever be good at; just great timing with shot blocking) and defender but he didn't.

And there's certainly nothing wrong with his physical tools and skill set. On the contrary, he has all the tools to dominate even at the Asian level. There's no player in Asia with his combination of height, length, speed and athleticism. He's certainly skilled and capable as I frequently watched him explode in many games with Gilas 1 (both live and on TV). But his main problem was that he was inconsistent. One game he would be the best player in the Philippines (charity game against Powerade/1st game with TnT just to name a few) and the next he would be lost on the court and benched for the rest of the game.

But I really still believe in the guy. All that I've read on his recent stint in the USA has been positive. His weaknesses have been identified by scouts and coaches there and that's a good thing. The important thing is he's focusing on correcting them. He's comfortable and he's in a good place mentally. Maybe all he needed was time away from here (Philippines) and more time in an environment where he could play the way he wants to play (and receive the training as well) and against a level of competition that will force him to become better much faster. Plus, as Sir Nards has been pointing out, it's different now that he's finally with his FAMILY. He's been away majority of his life from them and I think he just needs them right now. More than what we want, it's time he does what he wants. Good luck to him. I'll be rooting for him.
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How can you be consistent when you are scolded everystep of the way? Check what's happening everywhere around you, people would ask you to be somebody. The only problem with JA is he can not adapt to what is being asked, he is so focused to be who he wants to be(Sige na, wala ng utak!). But if these coaches only adjust to players talent, then he could have been great. Elaborate?

Toroman uses Baracael at 4.
Reyes goes small ball when the game is on the line.

My point is, JA would never be the most talented SF here in the country. But if only these coaches entrusted him to develop at his comfort zone, then he could have been decent(atleast) in international competition.
 
daym, if God just given me skills, height and athleticism like what japeth have, i should have made a difference..:cool:
 
From all this , from a purely basketball development standpoint, not financial . I think it’s best for Japeth to be a “journeyman” playing in the different foreign leagues where he can get a contract . Just like imports play around the world. And simply be on call for the NT duties when needed. (hopefully he can be compensated for this just like Doulthit does or any naturalised player we are trying out)
Japeth’s game strengths and weaknesses are really not built for the PBA game. And it will only stunt his growth. If ever he returns to the PBA it will be better in his latter stage of his career , in his 30’s where his athleticism would have slowed down and he can simply play a specific role.
This career path is actually not uncommon for many of the more talented NT players of other countries. Take for example the NT players of Australia and NZ. Most of them ply the European leagues , American or even Iseral leagues before coming home to settle in the local Australian basketball league later in their careers , especially when they have families to bring up. Japeth is still single let him explore his potential. And when he wants to settle down to a more stable environment less all the travel as a “journeyman” he can come back to the Philippines and have a good 5- 8 year PBA career until his mid 30’s
 
Will he make an NBA training camp roster?

Will he make an NBA training camp roster?

The news of wheter he will make an NBA training camp rsoter will be know soon. Most NBA teams will have media day on Monday, where training camp rosters (maximum of 20 players) will be annonced. I really hope and pray he makes it even if he get's cut early (1st week)

Here is the list of the Spurs Training Camp Roster as of today: 18 players have been mentiond with 2 spots remaining open
(New)

Tyler Wilkerson
Derrick Brown
Tre' Kelley
Wesley Witherspoon

(Returning)

DeJuan Blair
Matt Bonner
Nando de Colo
Boris Diaw
Tim Duncan
Manu Ginobili
Danny Green
Stephen Jackson
Cory Joseph
Kawhi Leonard
Patty Mills
Gary Neal
Tony Parker
Tiago Splitter
 
1 comparable example to JA's dilemma would be Kevin Gamble. During his time as an import here(w/Ginebra), people labeled him as soft(BanBan). He was sent back after 3 or 5 games with the great Billy Ray Bates(who was also sent back). A 6'5 Gamble has been asked to play C here because of his height, unfortunately, that isn't his style. Fortunately for this fella, he found a spot in the Celtics roster as a SG/SF and eventually replaced Larry Bird in the starting 5 because Bird was injured.
 
analyzed said:
The discussion in hoopshype: (link) is really getting nasty and ugly. (nag mumara na). the IBN thread pales in comparrision in terms of number of crabs :) . the comments have gotten to a point where Americans are now taking notice and really can't get why we are pulling down our very own. It's not like we have heaps of Filipinos in the NBA .


http://hoopshype.com/articles/sierra/japeth-aguilar-trying-to-become-philippines-jeremy-lin
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I saw this too... Pathetic is all I can say. Pulling down their own countrymen. Tsk!
 
alchemist said:
daym, if God just given me skills, height and athleticism like what japeth have, i should have made a difference..:cool:
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Seriously, Japeth already made a difference by being the first full blood pinoy who got invited by NBA teams for a work-out...he broke the barrier...hope more full blood pinoy can do that
 
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