Philippines Senior National Team Thread Vol. V

[PaVi]

Let's just say by June 2023 Kai is as good already as Kouame.
If this is the situation and you had to pick between Kouame and Clarkson as your NP. who would you pick?
Note in scenario where Kai is starting Center assume AJ is not ready yet . So your back up is Geo or Go

For me, i will choose Kouame. I don't believe we will get approval for Clarkson. And even if we will, i can't get over the thought that Gilas will play out ala-Blatche - too instinctively reliant on JC. By that time, I believe chemistry with the Gilas pool is great. I would rather prefer that, than a superstar in the cast.

Remember, no matter how Green's team tried in the NBTC, they still lost in the well oiled NU baby bulldogs, in 2 consecutive years.

[DAdmiral]

Additionally if Parks joins Gilas and allots 2 months to prepare instead of 2 weeks if Clarkson joins (NBA insurance). I think the 2 week hugot Clarkson situation is not ideal..

[Rodbi]

My Gilas Senior National Team Priority list

NP
1. JC
2. Kouame

LOCALS

1. Kai Sotto - Self Explanatory

2. AJ Edu (Healthy) - Self Explanatory

3. Dwight Ramos - Perfect fit in Coach Tab's system His skillset and playstyle really get a boost under coach tabs system. He is a great Complementray player too.

4. Kiefer Ravena - As a former hater of him in 2019. I am willing to admit he is the best available local PG right now for Gilas.

5. Justine Baltazar - Balti is lowkey already a veteran (25-26 yrs old?). His transition from a Big to a Wing is crucial. As he have the height and size in Wing position.

6. Ray Parks - Literally our closest local player to reach nba before Kai arrived. Great 1V1 player. Can play off ball, and have the length and size for the guard position.

7. Carl Tamayo -Tough and Solid PF. Like Balti, he is transitioning into a Wing. Him and Balti will alternate positions.

8. Calvin Oftana - Right now, I will take him over Kobe. Oftana is more solid as a combo forward.

9. Will Navarro - Good perimeter and role player.

10. Lebron Lopez - (Developmental Player) - Yes, I will include him even if he is a teenager. To develop him faster.

BONUS:

Bolick or Panopio (A backup PG for Kiefer) - I did not rank because idk if Bolick will be available. If he is, I will put him same priority as Kiefer. If not, I want to test Dalph Panopio since he already have chemistry with Kai and AJ.

FOR SHOOTERS

Heading, Wright, and Pogoy, Tuffin would probably fight for those spots.

Probably, I forgot some players.

Solid line-up, but I think this roster needs a very capable go-to guy who can switch to bwakaw mode if needed to, in case Tab's plays won't work on some crucial moments of actual FIBA games. I don't see Parks and Kiefer as those guys right now, maybe because it's possible they'll carry over their current team player-mentality (and slightly diminished offensive capability) from the their respective B. League teams to Gilas.

[IPC]

I actually can't wait for Balti to play internationally. He is our best home grown defender. He can even defend international centers a bit on switches. He needs more reps playing on the perimeter though.

He did have a tough time against Jakrawan and the MENA bigs, though. He'll defend better with experience and mentoring. And, yes, he'll have to spend more time in the perimeter. Good news is that he's switchable and versatile.

[IPC]

Suerte and Bulanadi called up to Gilas pool for Feb window: https://www.facebook.com/17579596944...4274/?sfnsn=mo

Their Gilas contracts expire this year, so they can play in the PBA.

Hope to see Bulanadi in the lineup, and I wanna see how he develops within Tab's system. Sucks that he got injured a lot. He had upside as a shooter and probably as a defender with his length.

[thatweirdguy]

Solid line-up, but I think this roster needs a very capable go-to guy who can switch to bwakaw mode if needed to, in case Tab's plays won't work on some crucial moments of actual FIBA games. I don't see Parks and Kiefer as those guys right now, maybe because it's possible they'll carry over their current team player-mentality (and slightly diminished offensive capability) from the their respective B. League teams to Gilas.

Bolick fits the bill. A PG tandem of him and Kiefer would be awesome

[IPC]

Bolick fits the bill. A PG tandem of him and Kiefer would be awesome

Bolick just needs to work on his efficiency. He's already a playmaker and a gutsy player, but he needs to be a bit more selective with his shots.

That said, his playmaking would give something that Gilas would badly need for their PGs, and he's confident enough for being a go-to-guy.

[Rodbi]

Bolick fits the bill. A PG tandem of him and Kiefer would be awesome

A play-making combo guard and a volume-shooter point guard, both good-sized. That would be interesting. I'd like that team-up to be given a second chance after 3 years just to see if it's going to make a huge difference this time. I hope it does work as both are much more mature with their games now.

[tomcat]

Let's just say by June 2023 Kai is as good already as Kouame.
If this is the situation and you had to pick between Kouame and Clarkson as your NP. who would you pick?
Note in scenario where Kai is starting Center assume AJ is not ready yet . So your back up is Geo or Go

A back-up naturalized player or a go-to-guy naturalized player? I'll go for JC..

[BJ_Reloaded]

There’s no doubt Bolick has game offensively but as per my observation I am not totally sold about the dudes defense be it locally or internationally, yes he had some few steals here and there but he still needs to be consistent on that part(defensively), maybe a stint in the B. League or KBL may somehow gave him some valuable experience on how to play proper defense on a FIBA level, overall I like him to be part of the pool for 2023 and beyond.

[ja.he]

A back-up naturalized player or a go-to-guy naturalized player? I'll go for JC..

It depends who are Kai's back-up at the 5. So far, other bigmen in the Gilas pool are Geo Chiu, Tzaddy Rangel, Ladis Lepalam and Isaac Go. I don't see any bigmen in the PBA as potential back-up to Kai. AJ Edu is rehabilitating. Erram is primarily a 4 that can play 5 occasionally. Junemar sucks on D.

All things considered, I will for Kouame as our naturalized player. 2/3 positions are already covered by Navarro, LeBron, Dwight, Dave, and, possibly, Ray Parks and Calvin Oftana whereas the 1/2 positions are covered Robert Bolick, Kiefer Ravena, Jordan Heading, Matt Nieto.

I believe that Clarkson, as a naturalized player, is a bit out of place in Gilas.

[tomcat]

It depends who are Kai's back-up at the 5. So far, other bigmen in the Gilas pool are Geo Chiu, Tzaddy Rangel, Ladis Lepalam and Isaac Go. I don't see any bigmen in the PBA as potential back-up to Kai. AJ Edu is rehabilitating. Erram is primarily a 4 that can play 5 occasionally. Junemar sucks on D.

All things considered, I will for Kouame as our naturalized player. 2/3 positions are already covered by Navarro, LeBron, Dwight, Dave, and, possibly, Ray Parks and Calvin Oftana whereas the 1/2 positions are covered Robert Bolick, Kiefer Ravena, Jordan Heading, Matt Nieto.

I believe that Clarkson, as a naturalized player, is a bit out of place in Gilas.

2 and 3 position are already covered? Those players over a legit NBA scorer? Kai's back up will only get to play 8-10 minutes, so why waste the naturalized spot for a back-up center..

[DAdmiral]

I think we should also factor that realistically JC will only practice with Gilas for 2 weeks tops as compared to Kouame 2 years

Additionally Kouame even if Kai is as good. Is not limited to just being a back up . You can play them together for prolong stretches

[IPC]

I think we should also factor that realistically JC will only practice with Gilas for 2 weeks tops as compared to Kouame 2 years

Additionally Kouame even if Kai is as good. Is not limited to just being a back up . You can play them together for prolong stretches

Kouame actually fits with Gilas' defensive identity as well. However, with a few more years, I think he could be a featured scoring option, given that he has improved in the post.

With Kouame and Kai, we'd have TWO inside scoring threats, in addition to defense.

[ja.he]

2 and 3 position are already covered? Those players over a legit NBA scorer? Kai's back up will only get to play 8-10 minutes, so why waste the naturalized spot for a back-up center..

Basically because we need size and strength underneath. If Kai sits, there might be a huge hole in the middle. They will not overwork Kai. The backup could end up with 10-15 minutes of playing time and this period is still long. You need one that can fill it. The only bigman that I can think off is AJ, who has been recovering from his injuries.

Clarkson is just a mere redundancy at the 1/2/3 positions and a possible liability in Gilas scheme of things.