Philippines Senior National Team Thread Vol. V

[IPC2]

CTC is balancing between fans clamor and his big boss situation... This is not his control... Maybe he want a longer pool but only little of players are only acceptable both for him and for his bosses.. As i said i also want more players... But can we blame him? Actually i was surprised that Tamayo was picked because remember he choose to begged off for the FIBA World cup roster.. SBP might disappointed on his decision and maybe SBP will not tap him for that in the next Gilas iteration.. Even Ravena bros were not picked even we all know the Ravena family and MVP are in good terms... Even Parks, since he has good relation w/ Boss Al of SMC...We all know why CTC can't pick more players and we have nothing to do about their decision... If you look how many foreign based players were picked, It was Edu, Kai and Ramos are only selected because they are very necessity to the Gilas program.. Others such as Abando, Heading, Parks, etc... were not selected... Tamayo was selected just after he was released by his team in Japan... I'm sure from now, PBA and SBP might pursuing Tamayo to join PBA in exchange for Gilas spot... As Tamayo still undecided whatever he plans on his next chapter... You know the answer why only few pool members for this and we are nothing to do about that...

The general public approves too, since a lot of the players liked by the bosses are liked by the general public, such as Arvin, June Mar, Scottie, Perez, Terrence Romeo, Boatwright, etc. Names and firepower appeal to the bosses and the general public.

Guys like Ange, Navarro are overlooked. Despite them filling holes and an important role to the team (specifically defense), fans don't really look for defenders if they can't light up the scoreboard or wow them with highlights.

I repeatedly say that here. It's one of my frustrations with the Philippine context. Names and firepower often at the expense of balance (specifically defense).

 

[IPC2]

From Twitter

Baekpd1983

[Rumor] Troy Rosario will sign a short-term contract with the Sono Skygunners club until mid-December.
In addition, Kevin Quiambao, a college student, will join Sono at the end of December.

#TroyRosario #KevinQuiambao #SonoSkygunners

​I'm thinking. If Troy could have been able to play overseas earlier, do you think he would have been a better Gilas player than what he showed in his tenure?

 

[xenoloxy2]

​I'm thinking. If Troy could have been able to play overseas earlier, do you think he would have been a better Gilas player than what he showed in his tenure?

his ideal prototype is a 3nD wing so probably

 

[IPC2]

his ideal prototype is a 3nD wing so probably

Even if as a 4. If his defense improve, he might have been a useful PF. A guy that mobile, athletic and with a high motor should be a better defender than what he has been.

 

[IPC2]

Tim definitely is stubborn but probably is being given a past because he's more popular than Chot and hasn't embarassed us yet.
Well Japeth was getting KD comparisons back in college. Hasn't everyone seen that one picture where he has the same stance and posture?

I'm OK with Japeth being a reserve for now, because after AJ, JB, and to an extent Kai, that's it for interior defense. Japeth will be valuable if AJ goes down.

But Japeth's 37. We'll need a successor as he ages, especially considering that Bennie Boatwright will be the replacement NP, so we'll need a good defender next to Bennie most of the time. Maybe someone like Kemark Carino can help, but Mason Amos and Justin Arana could be more popular picks. Mason, fine because of shooting, but Arana looks like a right-handed Ian Sangalang.

 

[thatweirdguy2]

I'm OK with Japeth being a reserve for now, because after AJ, JB, and to an extent Kai, that's it for interior defense. Japeth will be valuable if AJ goes down.

But Japeth's 37. We'll need a successor as he ages, especially considering that Bennie Boatwright will be the replacement NP, so we'll need a good defender next to Bennie most of the time. Maybe someone like Kemark Carino can help, but Mason Amos and Justin Arana could be more popular picks. Mason, fine because of shooting, but Arana looks like a right-handed Ian Sangalang.

Wasn't he supposed to be retired from NT duties for like 2 years now? Maybe they should have groomed someone who'll eventually replace him ages ago. They can't just unretire him every tournament.. I don't see anyone who can help out AJ and Kai on defence maybe except Philips and Balti ( well Balti from 3 years ago. He admittedly looks very different nowadays)

 

[Rds2]

I'm OK with Japeth being a reserve for now, because after AJ, JB, and to an extent Kai, that's it for interior defense. Japeth will be valuable if AJ goes down.

But Japeth's 37. We'll need a successor as he ages, especially considering that Bennie Boatwright will be the replacement NP, so we'll need a good defender next to Bennie most of the time. Maybe someone like Kemark Carino can help, but Mason Amos and Justin Arana could be more popular picks. Mason, fine because of shooting, but Arana looks like a right-handed Ian Sangalang.

Sanggalang tore an ACL and MCL I think in his second year. Knee injuries such as those affect individuals differently. My guess is Sanggalang either does not feel comfortable pushing off his knees from long distance or has some shoulder issue like CS. But his FT form is not CS or MGR bad. So I think his knees are an issue.

Arana with basically the same height is mobile and healthy. But then again why settle for Arana when you could get a taller and lengthier Balti who has been decent in international comp.

 

[IPC2]

Sanggalang tore an ACL and MCL I think in his second year. Knee injuries such as those affect individuals differently. My guess is Sanggalang either does not feel comfortable pushing off his knees from long distance or has some shoulder issue like CS. But his FT form is not CS or MGR bad. So I think his knees are an issue.

Arana with basically the same height is mobile and healthy. But then again why settle for Arana when you could get a taller and lengthier Balti who has been decent in international comp.

Arana is almost exclusively in the paint as a center, though. He turns 25 next week too, so he doesn't have much time to transition to a mobile PF who is better fit in FIBA. It's just post moves and little in the way of a jumper.

 

[lurklurk2]

I can't believe the boatwright slander in this thread. Looking forward to him and Coach Tim Cone proving their doubters wrong.

 

[lurklurk2]

For the starting wing position, it's a tim cone team so it's going to be a scottie pippen-archetype. Top candidates i see are Malonzo, Oftana and Quiambao.

 

[IPC2]

I can't believe the boatwright slander in this thread. Looking forward to him and Coach Tim Cone proving their doubters wrong.

Sorry, man. It's just, we are thin on the frontcourt defense department. OK sana if AJ were always healthy, and we had a rich reserve of defensive bigs like AJ. Kaso, those bigs are rarely developed in our context.

And I just don't want us losing again due to poor defense (SoKor 2017, Lebanon 2017, Indonesia 2022, Lebanon 2022, and Japan 2022 come to mind). Historically kasi, we performed better if we defended better (2013 and 2015 Asia Cup medals, 2022 Asiad), and placed worse if we performed poorly on defense, even if our offense was good (2017 and 2021 Fiba Asia Cups, 2021 SEA Games). Given the history, you can forgive me for not believing in our teams that are poor defensively, even if their offense is good. Maybe the offense wasn't enough to compensate for poor defense in that period.

Also, I have a 'defense wins championships' mentality, given that I first followed the Bulls when Thibodeau was head coach. So, that got to my inclination with a defensive minded team.

That context explains my concern for our team if a JC-type or Boatwright type player is the NP. Our balance might be affected if we don't have the personnel to protect them.

As for calling Bennie a defensive liability when I reacted to the Bennie-Kai-June Mar frontline, that's what I saw. Yes, you did mention in your replies to me that he could defend in schemes in the G-League and Mexico, but he still needs a good defender next to him at 5. I saw Bennie struggle defending the 4, what more if he were moved to 3? That's why I thought moving him to 3 next to Kai and June Mar would multiply our struggles on defense, hence a bad idea.. Maybe if AJ and Kai were the bigs, that's when Bennie at the 3 would be feasible, sorry, I didn't realize that sooner.

That said, I hope my concerns prove to be overblown when Bennie plays for Gilas. Doubters like me are few anyway, a lot of people prefer him because of his high scoring.

 

[IPC2]

For the starting wing position, it's a tim cone team so it's going to be a scottie pippen-archetype. Top candidates i see are Malonzo, Oftana and Quiambao.

Scottie Pippen. So, point forward. All three have brought the ball up.

Pippen was a great defender, though. Oftana has regressed a bit defensively with TNT, and Quiambao has a ways to go, but Cone did mention in the interview that he's pushing Quiambao (and Carl) on defense. Malonzo was up and down on that end, but maybe it was because of his injury issues.

 

[IPC2]

Coach Tim had an interview with Carlo Pamintuan about Gilas plans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23jymNFj9bc

Around the 12:42-12:55 mark, he mentions Bennie Boatwright's versatility in his inside-out game, his size, his athleticism, and his shooting ability.

Cone says that Bennie fits alongside JB, and they can play together in non-FIBA games like the Asiad or even SEA Games.

https://www.spin.ph/basketball/fiba...ying-together-in-non-fiba-games-a795-20240514

Decent idea. JB covers for Bennie in a small ball setup, and they can play off each other, since they have good off-ball movement, and JB's a good passer.

JB and Bennie can also play 4-5 in a small ball setup. In another lineup, JB can play 3, Bennie can play 4, but we'll need a 5 who is good on defense.

 

[lurklurk2]

Scottie Pippen. So, point forward. All three have brought the ball up.

Pippen was a great defender, though. Oftana has regressed a bit defensively with TNT, and Quiambao has a ways to go, but Cone did mention in the interview that he's pushing Quiambao (and Carl) on defense. Malonzo was up and down on that end, but maybe it was because of his injury issues.

Scottie played point on a triangle offense team, so not really much of a point guard. He brings the ball up and directs teammates regarding where they need to go, but far from the point forwards of this generation where they play pnr ballhandler reads the backline and deliver pinpoint passes to open teammates. Scottie pippen archetype is just a versatile forward on offense--can dribble, pass, score (preferably on all 3-levels) and has physical tools and ball IQ to defend multiple positions (minimum 2-4).

I agree with your other points. Oftana defensive regression can be attributed to his increase offensive load, hopefully Cone can have him focused on defense for Gilas. Malonzo has tools but i think he lacks BBIQ, not sure tho just my opinion. Cone i think is the best coach to push Quiambao and Tamayo defensively so I'm optimistic on that end.

 

[lurklurk2]

Sorry, man. It's just, we are thin on the frontcourt defense department. OK sana if AJ were always healthy, and we had a rich reserve of defensive bigs like AJ. Kaso, those bigs are rarely developed in our context.

And I just don't want us losing again due to poor defense (SoKor 2017, Lebanon 2017, Indonesia 2022, Lebanon 2022, and Japan 2022 come to mind). Historically kasi, we performed better if we defended better (2013 and 2015 Asia Cup medals, 2022 Asiad), and placed worse if we performed poorly on defense, even if our offense was good (2017 and 2021 Fiba Asia Cups, 2021 SEA Games). Given the history, you can forgive me for not believing in our teams that are poor defensively, even if their offense is good. Maybe the offense wasn't enough to compensate for poor defense in that period.

Also, I have a 'defense wins championships' mentality, given that I first followed the Bulls when Thibodeau was head coach. So, that got to my inclination with a defensive minded team.

That context explains my concern for our team if a JC-type or Boatwright type player is the NP. Our balance might be affected if we don't have the personnel to protect them.

As for calling Bennie a defensive liability when I reacted to the Bennie-Kai-June Mar frontline, that's what I saw. Yes, you did mention in your replies to me that he could defend in schemes in the G-League and Mexico, but he still needs a good defender next to him at 5. I saw Bennie struggle defending the 4, what more if he were moved to 3? That's why I thought moving him to 3 next to Kai and June Mar would multiply our struggles on defense, hence a bad idea.. Maybe if AJ and Kai were the bigs, that's when Bennie at the 3 would be feasible, sorry, I didn't realize that sooner.

That said, I hope my concerns prove to be overblown when Bennie plays for Gilas. Doubters like me are few anyway, a lot of people prefer him because of his high scoring.

I lean more on continuity and scheme as major parts of a 5-man defense than individual player's abilities. I get where you're coming from tho, so i guess we just have different defensive philosophies. If it's chot reyes or tab baldwin as coach, Boatwright wouldn't be a good fit either.

 

[Rds2]

Bennie I think is more of a 4 than 3. Unlike JB that is really a natural SF. With this in mind, the SF position will be more important when Bennie takes over JB. Other than Dwight our other SF pool members have big questions marks. Oftana, defense and offense against high comp. Newsome, size and age. Malonzo, health and not yet adjusted to being an SF. I foresee players in this position will be the next addition to the pool when Bennie becomes our main NP.

 

[sroth38392]

I can't believe the boatwright slander in this thread. Looking forward to him and Coach Tim Cone proving their doubters wrong.

His performance against AUSNZ, West Asian teams and China will be the litmus test.

He holds his own against those bigs then my doubts are stifled.

That said, I don’t ever wanna see Bennie and Junemar on the same floor. Feels that is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[thatweirdguy2]

His performance against AUSNZ, West Asian teams and China will be the litmus test.

He holds his own against those bigs then my doubts are stifled.

That said, I don’t ever wanna see Bennie and Junemar on the same floor. Feels that is a disaster waiting to happen.

Or with Japeth. But we're thin on bigmen who can play and stay healthy.

 

[ARMIR2]

Cone says that Bennie fits alongside JB, and they can play together in non-FIBA games like the Asiad or even SEA Games.

https://www.spin.ph/basketball/fiba...ying-together-in-non-fiba-games-a795-20240514

Decent idea. JB covers for Bennie in a small ball setup, and they can play off each other, since they have good off-ball movement, and JB's a good passer.

JB and Bennie can also play 4-5 in a small ball setup. In another lineup, JB can play 3, Bennie can play 4, but we'll need a 5 who is good on defense.

This is really a nail on Ange's chance of ever playing in Gilas again,he won't even considered for anything not even the Jones Cup I believe,might as well take the his home country's offer to play for their NT if he really wants to play in any FIBA level basketball.

 

[JAMSKIE2]

Bennie I think is more of a 4 than 3. Unlike JB that is really a natural SF. With this in mind, the SF position will be more important when Bennie takes over JB. Other than Dwight our other SF pool members have big questions marks. Oftana, defense and offense against high comp. Newsome, size and age. Malonzo, health and not yet adjusted to being an SF. I foresee players in this position will be the next addition to the pool when Bennie becomes our main NP.

Correct.
I say Boatwright is a natural 4 while Brownlee is a natural 3. Becoz of Brownlee's physical strength, athleticism & defense, he can play the 4 spot, well at least in the Asian level. Boatwright may be able to play as a small forward at times becoz of his outside shooting but I think his handles is not in the level of that of a natural small forward like Brownlee.