Players that we can have naturalized

[kangaroo]

I hope we get to naturalise a center and a small forward/power forward. Play one of the two according to opponents or tournaments we play in. It may be expensive though. I suppose they get paid only when they are called up to play, are they? I felt that one of our weakness has always been the center spot and a tall two-way small forward player. Despite having Kai and Edu in the pipeline, I still think we need another big to sub one for the other. Anyone local player in mind? If we do then a small forward makes sense. A player who can score and defend as well. We rarely have a player of this type suitable for international level. Either the player lacks height, mobility or offensive punch. Closest we have are De Ocampo and Norwood. For me one of the key piece of having a good a team is an elite SF.

[BJ_Reloaded]

Scratch off Diamond Stone now

That stone is a lemon...period.

[deviant]

That stone is a lemon...period.

He should not even be comsidered.
What we really need for the senior team is a sf/pf that is on his mid 20's and atleast 6'7 in ht.

[Alex07]

He's still raw but even if he is, he could still deliver monster numbers.He needs to work on his left hand,offensive skills polishing and his footwork.SBP might consider him, after all he would not be as expensive as Blatche.

"The Ivorian big man exploded for 33 points on 15-for-18 field goal shooting and hauled down 27 boards (14 offensive) to help the Blue Eagles avenge their first-round loss to the Tamaraws".

http://tv5.espn.com/basketball/colleges/story/_/id/25030540/kouame-monster-game-lifts-ateneo-feu

here is a highlight against UST

[sausaged]

Is there a chance for him to play for us as a local?

[Alex07]

Is there a chance for him to play for us as a local?

winning 6/55 lotto is more probable.The guy has no Filipino blood for pete's sakes

[reamily]

winning 6/55 lotto is more probable.The guy has no Filipino blood for pete's sakes

hahahhaa sobra we have one slot for them and we still want him to steal spots from our locals..kaya nilalaban yun yun mga ineligibles natin eh..

[NOiNU]

I understand our fascination with Kouame as he is the flavor of the month, so to speak. But don't you guys forget we actually have someone better than him in AJ Edu. Almost the same physical attributes but Edu is lightyears ahead in skill set. Understandable because Kouame is relatively new to the sport, but my point is, even if we miss out on him as a naturalized, no big deal because we already have someone who brings the same thing, only much better. Had Edu been playing in the UAAP, he'd be producing monster stats all season long and would be a frontrunner for the MVP plum.

[mangangalakal]

I understand our fascination with Kouame as he is the flavor of the month, so to speak. But don't you guys forget we actually have someone better than him in AJ Edu. Almost the same physical attributes but Edu is lightyears ahead in skill set. Understandable because Kouame is relatively new to the sport, but my point is, even if we miss out on him as a naturalized, no big deal because we already have someone who brings the same thing, only much better. Had Edu been playing in the UAAP, he'd be producing monster stats all season long and would be a frontrunner for the MVP plum.

it won't hurt to have another AJ Edu though. However, even if we can naturalize all the foreign players in the UA and the NC, they will still have to play overseas as long as the PBA requires "Pinoy blood" to join the draft

[NOiNU]

it won't hurt to have another AJ Edu though. However, even if we can naturalize all the foreign players in the UA and the NC, they will still have to play overseas as long as the PBA requires "Pinoy blood" to join the draft

Of course, it won't hurt. But with Kai and Edu around, and Junemar, Slaughter, Aguilar and Erram still serviceable for a few more years, I am thinking we are better off having a skilled sf/pf type of player as naturalized to plug a glaring hole in our team composition. We have Paras, but as of now nothing is imminent. I believe a Balkman/Hepa type of player would complement our current crop of young players more than another Edu.

[analyzed]

Here is the thing you have to consider about using Kouame as our naturalized player, because he's going nowhere but staying in Katipunan of the next 5 years, MVP and the SBP bascially don't have to pay a cent more to keep him... or work on trying to get him available ( e,g NBA, cBA foregin leagues etc)

[NOiNU]

Here is the thing you have to consider about using Kouame as our naturalized player, because he's going nowhere but staying in Katipunan of the next 5 years, MVP and the SBP bascially don't have to pay a cent more to keep him... or work on trying to get him available ( e,g NBA, cBA foregin leagues etc)

Not against Kouame as naturalized, moreso considering the convenience and availability as you've mentioned. I am just pointing out that even if we miss out on him, it wouldn't be such a huge "loss" like we did on someone like Hepa or Green. This is not a knock on his abilities but more on the composition of our future teams. I can't believe I am saying this but we've come to a point where we have not only serviceable but good centers and pf/c type of players who are not undersized by international standards.

Kouame is a welcome addition but he'd eat up on minutes of our local bigs. Worse, should Kai and Edu develop as world class cagers, Kouame might end up backing them up. A waste of a roster slot as a naturalized, and we go back to the argument that we should have gotten a sf/pf type of player that's more needed at this point. Now, IF Edu ends up a bonafide versatile player that is capable of playing even the 3 spot (not a tweener that is prone to bad match ups), then Kuoame would be an excellent fit, esp if he himself develops into a multipositional player that could play both big positions.

[analyzed]

Realise was posting in Kais thread, lol
BTW note AJ unlike kouame won't be available for many of the Qualifying windows in 2021 on words also sMe case for any player who plays overseas

[JAMSKIE]

Realise was posting in Kais thread, lol
BTW note AJ unlike kouame won't be available for many of the Qualifying windows in 2021 on words also sMe case for any player who plays overseas

Perhaps AJ Edu & Remy Martin would be available for Gilas in the 3rd (June-July 2022) & 4th (September 2022) windows of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. Its going to be summer vacation in the US during the 3rd window, but in the 4th window (September) it will already be the start of classes. But perhaps SBP can request Edu & Martin's respective schools to allow them to play in the 4th window. Japan's Rui Hachimura was allowed by his school to play in the 4th window of the current 2019 FIBA World Cup. Of course schools have different policies with regards to their players but I think it worth a try.

[deviant]

Realise was posting in Kais thread, lol
BTW note AJ unlike kouame won't be available for many of the Qualifying windows in 2021 on words also sMe case for any player who plays overseas

Is Koume already 21?