4th of July Final Call

Is it now safe to say that the Sta. Lucia Realtors played their farewell game last 4 July 2010? It was a losing cause from the opening tip with no fiery and explosive celebration of independence from a league dominated by skyrocketing salaries just to sell beer, gin, hotdogs, electronic load and milk. This is not to mention the unproven but very obvious violation of the league's salary cap. Instead it was a game of desperation highlighted by poor shooting night (26-for-86) or a conference-low of 30.2 percent.

Their opponents knew that this is the mindset of the Realtors that night and they struck hard. The Coca-Cola Tigers fired from all angles and over the lazy arms of the Realtors to stretch the lead to a commanding 75-57. The outcome became clear from that point on even if the Realtors tried to fight back to within seven points.

Everyone expected this. It was just a matter of time. It was surprising though that the league let this happen to a real estate company who stood with them since 1993. The green jersey doesn't have an once of fight left when the 2010 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Cup started and nobody doubts that it can't put up anything in the succeeding conference at the rate its stocks tumbled in the market.

So what is there left to do?

The public did not get any clear indication from either the SLR management or league officials of things to come. They were left reading between the lines and picking up rumors left and right regarding the fate of this once proud franchise.

But signs are filtering out. Former players are speaking up, although not intentionally. The team is stripping itself bare by shipping championship-caliber players in exchange for cash, financial cap and aging ballers. No major renovation work is being planned. No wrecking ball is flying their way to initiate the overhaul.

The signs point to one direction only. The Realtors are disbanding and are willing to entertain possible buyers.

There are no certified stars left on the team. And when you have Ali Peek as your local highest-scorer, then that means the final curtain is going down. If anybody thinks that the 6'9" aging behemoth Marlou Aquino can join Peek as the modern-day twin towers, then they deserve a dose of reality.

Sta. Lucia is on its way out. Sources have already identified one of its most ardent suitors, Meralco. The final buzzer hollered and the permanent retirement of a franchise is unmistakable inside the Big Dome on that fateful 4th of July.

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Lamest Reason to Close a Lopsided Trade

The Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters reportedly acquired former MVP, Kelly Williams, former rookie of the year, Ryan Reyes, and Charles Waters from the Sta. Lucia Realtors. The Realtors in turn got the services of aging Ali Peek and Nic Belasco, Pong Escobal all from the Texters as well as Yousif Aljamal and Ogie Menor from the Barako Bull.

The trade ended weeks of speculation and completed a nine-player, three-team trade deal, which is considered the biggest this season. Aside from Mark Isip, the Energy Coffee Masters also received a future pick. Charles Waters was also transferred from SLR to TNT.

Williams and Reyes, both played for the PBA-backed national team to the FIBA Asia Championship in separate occasions, were rumored to be going to the Tropang Texters as a diverting route to the Smart-Gilas Pilipinas developmental squad.

After trading all important members of its 2008 All-Filipino squad, the Realtors latest move is not at all surprising. In a season to forget up to this point they have decided it is time to blow things up and maximize their two most tradable assets. Williams is having a career year, but because he is receiving the maximum salary, the team does not feel confident in their ability pay him regularly.

That's when the Tropang Texters, who have never had any trouble paying anyone, became the most attractive trading partner. The Manny Pangilinan-owned team were willing to send them under-performing, slightly expensive and definitely aging Peek and Belasco. They did not even loose any of their starting five players in securing the services of one of the most sought-after duo. But in this deal the Realtors get players that they could decide to hold onto for another year or until they decide to sell their franchise.

This deal has to rank up there in the PBA record books as one of the best that the Tropang Texters have ever pulled off and the most stupid if not lopsided that the Realtors agreed to. The benefits the Tropang Texters receive in this deal are clear. The benefits for the Realtors .... nothing.

One thing clearly emerged from this trade though. All Realtors fans are not dumb enough to believe Manager Buddy Encarnado's reason that they are doing this "because of a higher calling and that is to represent the national team." Maybe they can also put this in the record books as one of the lamest reasons for trading potential franchise players.

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What The Heck Were They Thinking?

It all started as a rumor. Later on the team's very own manager confirmed that they are willing to part with their marquee player given the right price. Now that nightmare seems to have become a reality for the Sta. Lucia Realtors.

Just two days after General Manager Buddy Encarnado announced that the company is not turning its back from the national team and are willing to loan Kelly Williams to the Smart-Gilas national developmental team, a report was unofficially released that the offer was taken by Talk N Text Tropang Texters and a trade was consummated.

The former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) was sent to the Texters in exchange for Jared Dillinger. Williams, in turn, will not be allowed to play in the PBA until the time he has already fulfilled his commitment with the national developmental team coached by Rajko Toroman.

This is like the case of 2009 top draft pick 6'9" Japeth Aguilar, who was selected first by the Burger King Whoopers, but was later traded to the Texters after playing only one game. An arrangement was made where Aguilar can only play with the Tropang Texters after the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship and, if ever the Philippines qualified to the 2012 London Olympics, he will only play after the Olympics.

Inside sources reported that Williams was informed about the management's decision only after he had reported for practice at 5:00 in the afternoon yesterday (4 May 2010). He left the gym with a heavy heart because, after spending three years with the Realtors and leading them to their first ever All-Filipino title in 2008, they did not inform him that they are trying to shop him around. Since he was chosen by the Realtors as the top pick in 2007, Williams led the team in both scoring and rebounding and is averaging double-double in both categories.

With the departure of Williams, sports critics say that the Realtors are unloading player after player to ease their financial problems. This has also fueled rumors that the management is indeed contemplating selling their franchise.

It can be recalled that the major players who were responsible for that All-Filipino title run were already released by the Realtors. First to go was point-guard Dennis Miranda, followed by team captain Dennis Espino and Norman Gonzalez. Before the start of the import-laden conference, the Realtors traded high-flying Joseph Yeo to San Miguel Beermen for a virtually untested Bonbon Custodio.

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SLR Lot For Sale?

The rumor started flying a few months ago when several key players were traded for practically nothing, but future draft picks. The rumor only died down when the team continued to compete unsuccessfully in the 2009-2010 PBA Philippine Cup. However, the rumor started to pick up again this week after another player who was recently signed to a maximum contract for three years was shipped in exchange for an unproven bench player.

The trade that sent Joseph Yeo of the Sta. Lucia Realtors for Bonbon Custodio of the San Miguel Beermen allegedly took place when the former found its coffers slowly depleted as a result of the on-going economic downturn. Not even the rabid lobbying by some team personnel could convince the principals on the financial viability of keeping their PBA stake intact.

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More Lopsided Trade from SLR

Buddy Encarnado, the amiable manager of the Sta. Lucia Realtors, would like to have the fans think that a Joseph Yeo-Bonbon Custodio is not a lopsided trade. Instead, it has something to do with cap space and salaries. Suddenly, they want to turn this into some kind of technical term.

Sorry folks, but if there was one lopsided trade this year, definitely this is one of them. If the numbers are not clear, it's like this: SLR will be giving away a player whose average last conference is 13.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for somebody who spends most of his time in the bench and manages to produce 4.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per outing.

In short, when a team gives one of its best scorers for a piece of almost NOTHING, it's lopsided.

Yeo has a significant impact for the Realtors and is posting good efficient numbers for a 'sixth man,' which he relish according to its definition. His style fits the SLR game play and needs only the consistency of Willie Miller to reach another level. He is also considerably young and provides extra juice of energy for the team. And during the All-Filipinos Final series two years ago, he showed everyone why he was chosen number three overall in the draft by helping the Realtors top the Purefoods Giants in 7 grueling games.

SLR will get Custodio in the trade, who is a decent player hounded by game-fixing issues when he was still in the amateurs. Picked 8th overall by the Beermen in 2008, Custodio will give the Realtors a cheaper and smaller version of Samboy Lim minus the points production.

The Custodio/Ryan Reyes back court tandem is weird even if it is the least confusing thing about this whole situation. For one, the Realtors decided to pass of Jeff Chan in the 2008 draft to get overrated Kelvin Gregorio. They thought that a cheaper bigman can fetch them more in the market until he got injured.

Then there's the question of what the Realtors are thinking. Okay, so Yeo just signed a maximum deal for three years and is not getting younger. But giving all these for somebody nobody is sure can fill in his shoes? And all of these because the team is in dire financial situation? They could have asked unabashedly for more than that like a 'future draft pick' if they ever heard of one.

The Realtors may have been able to save from the Yeo-Custodio deal, but if they don't use that savings to acquire a more serviceable free agent, then they will have to kiss their championship aspirations for several years a wet goodbye.

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K-Will Should Try Pacing

For better and for worse.

Though Kelly Williams has enjoyed a fantastic first conference so far and SLR fans loved the way the the Realtors has hung around the top four teams in the elimination round of the 2009-2010 Philippine Cup, they are badly underachieving offensively. This is the main reason why they failed to get pass the Wildcard Phase and advance to the quarterfinals.

That's the 'for worse,' and it is not new to everyone that the Realtors cannot win a championship by playing exactly this way. Why they would want to, nobody really knows. Draft positioning maybe.

It hurts to even talk about it, but another reason why they want to play the way they did is because K-Will needlessly trying to dominate games offensively. It involves him playing the hero late, which he's done tremendously in several games before, but this year, it caused problems to the team offensively.

Take the case of the 18 games K-Will played during the elimination round in the last conference. He averaged 17.3 points per game, but if you take 16 shots every outing , he sure as hell better score at least 17.3 points. How would Realtors fans like it if Marlou Aquino or Gabby Espinas had a game that saw them take 16 shots to score 17.3 points since they both have at least a shooting percentage of 50.0 from the shaded area? Everyone from the water boys to TV analysts will ride them out of the dugout, chanting something rude like, 'bwakaw' or 'buwaya' the whole trip out.

Even National Basketball Association (NBA) superstars are not attempting these many shots per game, unless they really are in the zone like Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade or Lebron James.

Percentage-wise, Williams' 'volume shooting' accounts for 20.1 percent of all the shots taken by the whole team. There's no shame in that, it's just he could only manage to sink 37.5 percent of those shots. He fared terribly beyond the arc, where his shooting percentage is pathetically mind-boggling - 16.4 percent.

So this is why the Realtors will find it hard to win the any games beyond the elimination round. Missing 8 of 16 shots in two non-consecutive games can be considered a fluke. A blip. Something harmless to look back once the reinforced-conference starts. However, if it happens consistently for Williams, then the Realtors need to stop it.

In more ways than one.

Williams needs to take it easy. He is to be lauded to no end for his stamina and conditioning last conference and for his astounding dominance in rebounding the ball. But he is not to be lauded nor tolerated for playing at times beyond the three-point area and with a level of intelligence that is beneath him.

There is no reason a player like Williams, on a team that only lacks a formidable center, should be averaging 16 shots per game. That's over a shot more per game during the 2008-2009 season. While some may argue that it is insignificant considering that he is the team's go-to guy, it really is important. To say nothing of the fact that his shooting percentages the previous season from the rainbow arc is 23.7 percent.

The minutes are also up from 37.7 per game to 40.1 minutes, which means that Williams really needs to back off. He has to. For a team like the Realtors - even with a shallow bench, the coaching staff needs to partition the scoring load. There's no excuse for putting somebody like Chito Jaime on the floor and produce only 2 points per game. It all boils down to execution and decision-making.

Decision-making needs to be the point-guard's forte. He translate the drawn play on the floor. And if players like Chris Pacana got burned on defense as much as he does, then he has to stop calling his own number for long two-pointers early in the shot clock.

The execution? This burden should be weigh on coach Boyet Fernandez. The Realtors comes out of timeouts and runs a screen-and-roll set instead of the triple post, the ultimate teach-a-man-to-fish/give-a-man-a-fish situation. Coach Fernandez has been giving this team the fish for three years now. They did win the 2007-2008 year, but they could have won some more if the offense is more fluid like their defense.

Good thing going for the Realtors is that even they are not playing as well as they should on offense, this can still be corrected when their resident reinforcement, Anthony Johnson, joins the team in their bid to win another crown.

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Don't-Ask, Don't-Tell PBA

Beyond the ordinary warnings that goes along with trade calls and with league memos, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) appears powerless in admonishing sister teams from controlling the trade through prearranged deals. Even if it was quiet obvious that something was being cooked to ensure that a sister team will get the player they direly need (i.e. Enrico Villanueva, Marc Pingris, among others), the message is clear: push through with the deal, but don't let us catch any hint of a spurious arrangement.

PBA officials ought to confess to an irrefutable truth existing in the league for some time now: Unless teams are completely careless and foolish, the league is powerless, if not unmotivated, to police itself against powerful companies.

If PBA officials really want to catch teams, many fans believed that they can. However, truth be told, it appears that they don't. Since sister teams were allowed to trade with each other using a conduit, the league became a bowl full of one-sided deals. Do you think teams that employ potential franchise players will allow other teams to get their hands on him aside from their sorority members? You're kidding yourself. The phone calls come and go every day, but most of these calls are made to ask what sister teams really need to advance in the next stage.

There was a rumor a few years ago that a team manager called an agent every week, trying to convince that person to push his unhappy star to strike a deal with a sister team even if that same team will likely put the player in the injured list. Discussions started to fly around that the main reason for the force trade was to deny a powerhouse team a reliable sixth man because they were not part of the 'Company.'

Discussions between executives and agents about the draft choices in 2011 and 2012 are also well under way right now. Even it the discussion can be labeled as tampering, and its called about as often as the carry, nothing is being done to prevent or just minimize the talks. No investigation will likely be called either.

No one gets caught and no one gets punished. The PBA is the country's ultimate "don't-ask-don't-tell" league. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of improper discussions and, ultimately, deals that take place between sister teams. No one gets busted because the league is mostly interested that everyone just stays discreet.

Teams like the Sta. Lucia Realtors, Coca-Cola Tigers, Red Bull Barakos and Rain or Shine Elastopainters will continue to get the raw end of all these deals. But if their cause is not protected by the league, it will still be a business as usual in the Don't-Ask, Don't-Tell PBA.

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Threes Are Cheaper for SLR

Believe it or not, there's was one spectacle in the Sta. Lucia Realtors (SLR) game in the last two years that doesn't involve one-sided deals to accommodate cost-cutting measures. This one centers on the rate at which the players are pulling up 25 feet from the basket, letting the ball fly and not getting the much-needed 3 points.

The Realtors attempted about 365 three-point shots during the 2009 PBA Philippine Cup, or approximately 25 percent more than they did just 3 years ago. The number of attempts from the rainbow area translates to an average of 20.3 attempts each game or 26 percent of all shots thrown, including those from the two-point area.

This development could be attributed to many fathers: the legalization of zone defenses, the growing pool of capable shooters from college and abroad and the mindsets of some new coaches, to name a few. But unlike some PBA fads (i.e. alley hoop dunks, mohawk hair style and headbands), this one may have less to do with strategy than economics. Simply put, three-point bombers tend to be among the cheapest specialist players in the game — and right now, for the Realtors, cheap is good.

As the Realty company tries to shake off the effects of the sluggish economy, the average team payroll has dropped by trading away expensive low-post players (i.e. Dennis Espino and Norman Gonzalez) for some unproven draft picks. The team's available salary, which is directly tied to overall revenue they receive from all marketing programs, fell this season for just the first time in nearly two decades. Last September 2009, team manager Buddy Encarnado admitted that the company did not earn much to pay steep increases and maintain high player wage rates.

The SLR situation is similar to what happened to American baseball's Oakland A's. When faced with financial constraints, Oakland pioneered the trend of trying to build winning teams by identifying players whose skills were undervalued by the market.

During the 18 games of the elimination round, the key players with the most number of attempts for the Realtors, make much less than the team's top shot blocker and their top player in steals.

Josh Urbiztondo, who tries to loosen the defense in the shaded area by shooting threes, makes less than Marlou Aquino or Ryan Reyes. This is the case inside the team even if Aquino can only managed 5.5 points per ball game compared to Urbiztondo's 8.7 points. It appears that guys who can shoot are almost always going to have a place to play with the Realtors, but nobody will see them making PhP 200-300 thousand a month.

Before the three-point shot was instituted in 1979 in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most American teams used a system where a center would dominate near the basket while a midsize forward did most of the scoring and the guards picked up the scraps.

But as soon as it arrived, players here and abroad fell in love with the three, which gave them a way to score points and look flashy without getting manhandled by defenders. Maybe this is the reason why resident franchise player, Kelly Williams, takes about three 3-point shots per game even if he only averages 16.7 percent from that zone, the lowest among those in the team that took at least 25 attempts in the elimination round.

The correlation between the number of threes a team makes and its winning percentage is relatively weak in the NBA, 0.3 on a scale where 1 shows a direct relationship and 0 shows no relationship at all. However, even if the jury's still out as to whether or not three-pointers help Realtors win their games, one thing is clear: they cannot win CONSISTENTLY at all if they are shooting less than 26 percent from arc.

"Everyone loves that three-pointer," said NBA Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was famous for his close-in and almost indefensible skyhook. "It's childish if you ask me."

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SLR Will Rely on AJ Again

With their bid for another All-Filipino title abruptly cut short by an embarrassing loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painter, the Realtors will be looking for the uptempo and high-flying style of play that Anthony Johnson will be bringing on their campaign next Conference. The coaching staff will not have any excuse this time because everyone in the team is healthy. If some appear not worthy enough to play in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), then the management only has itself to blame for that. And with that comes pressure.

The Realtors expected big things from AJ ever since they tapped him to play for the Realtors in the 2008-2009 Fiesta Cup. They had watched him lead the team to the quarterfinals and then average 29.1 points and 17.3 rebounds before Burger King stopped their run.

The Realtors had also expected Kelly Williams would be able to help lead them that time, but he got sidelined by a rare blood disorder. However, even without their former MVP, management thought that Dennis Espino could adequately team-up with AJ and power them to the Finals.

But for all the defenders who have tried to impede AJ's explosive game play, the one he never seemed to be able to get past is motivate his teammates to perform beyond expectation. Espino, Marlou Aquino, Ryan Reyes and Joseph Yeo did not lift their game any higher with Williams off the court. The local players built a reputation of relying on their import first before looking for other possible plays. The only reason that SLR was able to reach the quarterfinals without Williams is because AJ was playing a freewheeling style and was often given the freedom to run what he wanted, which other teams find hard to match.

With injuries limiting Williams to just nine (9) games, the Realtors managed to win only seven (7) out of 14 games. But for all of the team's issues – and there were many – the most common diagnosis for the Realtors centered on the poor leadership of both AJ and Espino.

To the credit of both, AJ and Espino did their best to try to get on the same page by spending some time with the other players off the court. Hopefully, with Espino gone and Williams emerging as a more inspirational leader, the team can settle into a fast-paced and mind-boggling rhythm.

Coach Boyet Fernandez's approach was more structured and more precision in the half court and exploiting mismatches on Williams, Aquino and before Espino. But for AJ, Williams, Yeo and Reyes, it was different. They are used to pushing the ball, making the game fun, making the game kind of creative. Even Josh Urbiztondo, acquired from free-agency, knows that their strength as a team relies on their running game.

The coaching staff should not expect AJ to lead this team anymore. They should give this mantle to Williams and Reyes. They should give these two players a simplified playbook, based on a motion-based offense to accentuate AJ's preferred up-tempo style.

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Facing the Uncertain

When the Fiesta Conference starts, most of the public's attention will be devoted to figuring out who has paraded the most explosive import on its roster. But there's another prominent side-issue that will attract a lot of interest from the league and this is about who among the key players has changed teams.

Nelbert Omolon had the Sta. Lucia Realtors contending in the semis in the last two years. However, his inconsistent performance was one of the reasons being considered as a factor that led to the early ouster of the team from the on-going Philippine Cup Conference. This led many sources to say they wouldn't be surprised if the athletic shooting forward leaves the team that molded him, specifically to sign with one of the top three teams.

The Realtors perch at the bottom half of the standings in the 2010 Philippine Cup would like to keep the prolific albeit inconsistent player for another year or two, but rival team executives think it is wise to entertain trade offers at this time while Omolon is still at the prime of his career.

With Omolon, do-everything forward Kelly Williams, All-Star guard Ryan Reyes and sixth man candidate Joseph Yeo, the Realtors have assembled their youngest and explosive team since barging into the pro-league in 1993 with Vegel Meneses and Zandro Limpot playing in their prime.

One of the reasons why the Realtors are often overlooked is that their franchise players has little interest in the spotlight. They turned down numerous marketing opportunities and was overshadowed by bigger stars of popular teams. The same thing can be said about Omolon, who averaged about 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in the on-going Philippine Cup.

He enjoyed playing under the radar and does not grab too much attention. But he just play the game the right way and kind of go about his own business.

But Omolon also is one of the game's most proven scorers. Letting him walk would be a big risk for the Realtors. Unless, they can get a quality big man in return that can combine talents with Williams and Marlou Aquino to create the most potent frontline in the league.

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What Now?

After being eliminated from contention in the on-going PBA 2009 Philippine Cup, what is the next move of the Sta. Lucia Realtors?

Definitely the management will be busy this early in scouting for a more dynamic (Anthony Johnson) and less volatile (Lee Benson) import to fortify their lean frontline, but what else is expected from the team?

Multiple fan sources are requesting the management to be effectively involved in the bidding and acquisition of another big man to replace the slot vacated by the departure of Dennis Espino since it was clear as daylight that Gabby Espinas was more of a power-forward than a center and Kelly Williams is more effective coming from the wings to the shaded lane.

However, there are questions for the SLR to answer before these thing can materialize: Would they be willing to part with the personnel – including possibly Nelbert 'Bitoy' Omolon – to make a deal happen?

Do the Realtors have the resources to sign any quality bigman that could swell their payroll, such as Jay-R Reyes or Samigue Iman?

Do they even believe that there are some untapped talents in the league waiting for a chance to become the big difference for the team?

All questions with no clear answers for the Realtors – yet.

Nevertheless, the possibility of an athletic, offensive force has become too irresistible to easily dismiss. The Realtors were given two chances to advance into the quarterfinals, but in both games they blew it big because Marlou Aquino is not consistent enough and some of their guards were simply outplayed by their counterparts.

The import-laden conference may be months away, but there should be a sense of urgency at the head office. The Realtors need a young, athletic frontcourt complement for an aging Aquino. Despite taking a significant payroll cut by acquiring cheaper players (Jason Misolas and Chris Pacana) from the other teams, it's become clearer to the Realtors that their frontline is still ill-equipped to overthrow the likes of the San Miguel Beermen, Talk N' Text Phone Pals and Alaska Aces.

Coach Boyet Fernandez seemed to have maintained an interest in Barako Bull's Leo Najorda and Ginebra's reserve player, Homer Se. However, the management has yet to show a strong inclination to acquire these players before the next conference.

As painful as it would be for the franchise and fans, the Realtors could try to part with Omolon and his expiring contract to make a package work. What about burgeoning young center Rob Reyes?

Many league executives wonder, too: Would the Realtors be adverse to trading Omolon to a team they most often encounter at the bottom half of the standings? Perhaps, but they should understand that the market for Omolon is somewhat limited because so many teams already have resident personnel in the same position. But maybe the offer could become more palatable if they include Pacana, Paolo Mendoza, Ardy Larong and Charles Waters in the mix.

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Unconvincing SLR Wins

Usually, when the Sta. Lucia Realtors' put together winning streak, one can easily look at the numbers and see a significant improvement on either side of the ball. Perhaps they start clicking offensively or tighten things up on the defensive end.

Sometimes with a streak, a particular player gets hot or a change was made with the rotation. If not, then maybe it was just a soft schedule.

But the SLR wins was really a mixed bag. More of an illusion than a fluke. There were defensive wins and there were offensive wins. No player consistently stepped up and they have not beaten any good teams (San Miguel Beermen, Alaska Aces, Talk 'N' Text Phone Pals and even Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs).

Their average points per game is 78.38, while their opponents average 78.31 against them. The average margin of 0.07 in 16 games is nothing to be proud of. The Realtors' last four wins were won by a margin of 4.75. They are now 2 games above .500, but after their lost to the Aces they are out of the running for an automatic semis seat.

Late-game execution is nice, but consistency is better. The Realtors has not won any of the last quarters they played in those 7 losses that they have accumulated. There were pockets of execution here and there, but nothing close to 48 minutes of good basketball.

The numbers indicate that the 9 games they have won so far was somewhat of a fluke because they were not against the top two teams in the league. And that was confirmed when the they lost to the Aces last 13 January 2010 after scoring only 14 in the first quarter and 17 in the last quarter. They basically played only 2 good quarters of basketball against one of the best teams.

A look at the standings right now shows 4 teams with realistic shots at an automatic semis berth, with perhaps only the Beermen locked to take one of the two seats available. The Realtors currently stand in 6th place, just a game behind the fifth place Phone Pals.

But even if the Realtors maintain the 0.07 point differential over their succeeding games, that would still be not enough to give them a better chance in the quarters. Again, it must be taken into account that all the wins of the team were against those with worse record that them, except the two wins against Ginebra.

The Realtors have the talent to be a dangerous team. Kelly Williams is a top-five player in the league, Joseph Yeo has proven he can carry them offensively at times, and Ryan Reyes can be a defensive anchor.

But the team have been in a steep decline on both sides of the ball since this season began. Their core needs to be beefed up because Chris Pacana is no Denok Miranda and Gabby Espinas does not have the body of Dennis Espino. And the numbers say that their run of success is more illusion than reality.

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Helpless Realtors

Did the Sta. Lucia Realtors ever look this helpless against powerhouse teams last season?

Realtors' Believers know deep-down the answer to this question, but some will try to dismiss it by trying to appear optimistic and confident that something will change. These days, the thought of winning another All-Filipino title is playing above SLR fans' heads. The vicious beating that the team got from the Talk N' Text Phone Pals, the Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen should be enough to dismiss any thought of another Finals appearance this conference.

Nearly third-quarter of the elimination schedule is gone and the team has so far only produced wins against slightly weaker opponents. The most legitimate challenger they faced so far and emerged victorious was Ginebra San Miguel. But against the top power triumvirate of the Phone Pals, the Aces and the Beermen, the Realtors appeared restless while sleeping. The worse thing is that no one knows if they will ever wake up from this nightmare before the conference ends.

All of the top three teams have a common denominator and all of them has definitely grown since the off-season. Simple analogy will tell any first-year high-school student that a legitimate 6-7 center is far greater than a 6-4 Gabby Espinas playing the same spot.

The Realtors will argue that they still have a 6-9 behemoth in Marlou Aquino, but they failed to see that the aging slotman cannot anymore hold the fort against the more bulky Ali Peek, Dorian Peña or the more agile Sonny Thoss. It was very obvious, but nobody seems brave enough to admit it yet.

The financial decision to let go of the more sturdy Dennis Espino in a trade with Coca-Cola a few months ago is coming back to haunt the SLR defense and burn their rotation down low. Now, the Realtors have become a shadow of a team that everyone feared two years ago.

This is the reason why it is imperative for the management to sacrifice again and let some of its non-performing assets retire, like Paolo Mendoza. The money they save can help attract a legitimate center that can close the talent gap between the Realtors and the top teams.

More than ever, size matters against the Phone Pals, the Aces and the Beermen. All of the three teams have centers that are all long, athletic, and can pass the ball. Espinas is athletic, but does not have extensive qualification to meet the other requirements. Sure Aquino is long, but sadly not anymore in the mold of his old self.

Without a formidable front-court aside from Kelly Williams could cripple any hopes the Realtors had of reaching the PBA Finals. Some pundits would tend to think that the SLR could settle into a better flow offensively anchored on Ryan Reyes and Joseph Yeo, but bear in mind that this is also true: having no legitimate center aside from Aquino who can defend and rebound against the opponent's big men is an obstacle that is very tough to overcome.

The Realtors could try to compensate their own mismatches with double-teams, but the other team's shooters will bury them from the outside just what the Beermen effectively did. Not only once, but twice.

This is what the other teams in the PBA wanted the Realtors to be: an easy picking for a healthy, hungry and growing-stronger-by-the-week opponents. Once again, all Believers need not look elsewhere for the solution. They just need to stare directly at the management's pockets.

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Early Season Moves Backfiring?

When it was announced before this season started that the Sta. Lucia Realtors' management is facing a daunting financial problem ahead of them, not a few wondered if the players they have retained and acquired can perform above par. Halfway through the first round or after nine (9) games, there's no need to wait any longer to learn who among the off-season acquisitions have panned out and those who did not.

The new players that the SLR traded for and picked both from the free agency and the draft were all part of a grand design to fill holes and gaps and improve the team. However, early return showed that while some decisions will require months and even years to reach a conclusion, others are a bit more clear cut.

Here's a list of the early disappointments and promises:

1. Chris Pacana
   
   The Realtors did not try for Willie Miller because of financial consideration, but they flirted with Chris Pacana, who once again will play backup just like Paolo Mendoza. However, unlike Mendoza, Pacana do not have a 30 percent or more average from the three-point area or a shooter's mentality. And in hindsight, given his role so far, he's either a back-up point guard they don't need or a point guard who isn't good enough to start the second unit. If that makes sense.


2. Ardy Larong
   
   He had a nice start with the Realtors and averaged 3.2 points in his first five games as a back-up player, then his shots turned inconsistent. In any event, the Realtors did not pay that much for Larong, which means additional savings in the future.


3. Josh Urbiztondo
   
   This is turning out to be a Havlicekian steal by the Realtors, getting an undrafted quality point-guard in basketball for a glass of sweet tea. Urbiztonodo only had one break-out game so far, but by averaging 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover, he has fueled, in part, the team's 5-4 start, despite not having big names in their roster. The best news is that he's shooting 59 percent from the two-point area, but the bad news is that he can only manage to sink 15 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, including a 0-7 in their last game against Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs.


4. Jason Misolas
   
   For the salary they're paying Misolas, the Realtors are getting their money's worth. Misolas is giving the SLR 9.0 points in the last three games in just 23:00 minutes of action. More importantly, he is giving Nelbert Omolon and Kelly Williams enough rest on the bench. Hopefully, the savings they get from Misolas will be used to tap a quality big man next year.


5. Gabby Espinas
   
   He's playing the best ball of his professional career, which admittedly isn't saying much because of previous flops in the Barako Bull squad. He's a 6-foot-4 post player who'd rather rebound and defend than shoot like Dennis Espino. Still, a pleasant surprise so far for the Realtors.
   
   He's been on a rebounding binge lately after getting 9.11 average rebounds in their first nine games. He's still needs a lot of improvement as a scorer in the shaded lane and had to limit his tendency to settle for too many medium-ranged jumpers. He only had 3 rebounds to go with his 0 points in their last game against Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs because he was taken out of the ballgame after suffering a minor injury.

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Revising Player Expectations

The Sta. Lucia Realtors were not able to defend their All-Filipino title last year after bowing to the eventual runner-ups, Alaska Aces. That season marked the first time the Realtors were considered as one of the top teams in the league. One suspects that the management's move to select Kelly Williams, Nelbert Omolon and Ryan Reyes from the previous year's draft was the main reason for the high expectation. And although veterans Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino injected a sense of urgency in the way the team executes, it was really the defense-oriented plays of coach Boyet Fernandez that bolstered the Realtor's chances each and every season.

This season, the Realtors started without Espino, who was traded to Coca-Cola Tigers, and point-guard Dennis Miranda, who found a new home with the San Miguel Beermen. So far they managed to scrape their way to 5 wins against three losses, just enough to keep them in the middle of the pack. Translating this number into possible wins produced in a 16-game wind-up shows us that the Realtors can get up to 8-9 wins, or just enough to barge into the quarterfinals. In short, the Realtors are not the same as the team that dominated and won the Philippine Cup two years ago.

Turning to the individual players, one can see immediately who was responsible for the SLR wins by looking at the numbers in the last seven games or so. The numbers did not include the non-bearing game against SMART-GILAS and the out-of-town loss to the San Miguel Beermen because the last one is still unavailable on-line. Leading the way is Williams, who averaged 17.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He also spends the most time on the floor among the players by averaging 35.29 minutes per game and took about 20.0 percent of the team's 2-pt shots.

Williams was not the only player in the Realtor's bench that produced above average numbers. Reyes, who spent most of the time last conference nursing an injury, averaged 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game. New acquisition, Gabby espinas, showed that he had slowly integrated himself with the team by averaging 12.3 points and 10.9 rebounds, joining Williams as the only Realtors to averaged double-double each game.

Joseph Yeo, is still showing some inconsistencies on the floor, but this does not negate his valuable contribution by averaging 10.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists. If he can just limit his 3.3 turnovers per game, the highest among the Realtors, he can be a force to reckon with.

The other Realtor that produced some significant numbers is Nelbert Omolon, who averaged 9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. The only problem is that he needs almost 21:00 minutes a game to produce those numbers, whereas Reyes who spends 6:00 minutes more had a better production per minute. Also, Dennis Daa who spends half the time on the floor than Omolon, had a better average per minute, 8.9 points and 3.3 rebounds.

Of course there are a couple of surprises also, but knowing how Coach Fernandez can get the best out of his players, SLR die-hards are already expecting it. The first surprise came from an undrafted player named Josh Urbiztondo. He had one breakout game against Burger King last 30 October where he produced 24.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals that pulled his numbers up. He now averaged 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Unfortunately, these numbers were not sustained after that.

Jason Misolas, who came from Coca-Cola in what many thought was a lopsided trade involving Espino, has averaged 10.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in the last two games of the Realtors, against the Ginebra Kings and the Barako Bulls. He also shot 57.9 percent from the floor, the team's best.

Chris Pacana, a free-agent acquisition who was expected to stabilize the second unit in the absence of the injured Paolo Mendoza, was a disappointment. In the six games that he played so far, he can only manage to produce 1.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.7 turnovers for 10:00 minutes on the floor each game. In short, his points produced can be easily negated by committing those errors.

Fortunately, the Realtors can still count on their old reliable players and few new faces who were very efficient in producing the numbers given the limited playing they get. In fact, when the team’s current depth chart is closely scrutinized there is still a reason for hope in the team's chances for a Final's appearance.

First String

PG: Josh Urbiztondo - 5.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists

SG: Ryan Reyes - 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.3 steals

SF: Nelbert Omolon - 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds

PF: Kelly Williams - 17.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 1 block

C: Marlou Aquino - 3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks

Second String

PG: Chris Pacana - 1.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists

SG: Joseph Yeo - 10.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists

SF: Jason Misolas - 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds

PF: Dennis Daa - 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds

C: Gabby Espinas - 12.3 points, 10.9 rebounds

Of these ten players, five are above average performers. If these players maintain this production, then the Realtors will not be one of the worst teams in the 2009-10 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) season. In fact, it's possible this team will challenge the San Miguel Beermen, Alaska Aces and Talk N' Text Phone Pals for an automatic semis seat.

Before Realtors fans get too excited, there are a few bumps on the road to this vision. For all this to happen ...

• Williams and Reyes need to be healthy.


• Aquino needs to reassert himself more on defense and be active in offense. If he wants to retire next year, then this is the best time to go out in style.


• Unless Pacana can come in and be above average (not an unusual occurrence), Urbiztondo and Reyes will continue to play more minutes at the point.


• Chito Jaime has to play and be productive as a small forward.

In sum, there are some issues that need to be resolved. But if these issues are resolved the Realtors will be better than expected.

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Can the Realtors Defy the Odds?

The Sta. Lucia Realtors have played five games. They've won three convincingly, against Coca-Cola Tigers, Rain or Shine Elastopainters and Burger King Whoopers . They've lost twice, rather unconvincingly, to two of the perennial powerhouses of the PBA, the Talk N' Text Phone Pals and Alaska Aces. Unequivocally, the Realtors have stumbled out the gate.

At this juncture, the optimist points to this small sample. Yes, the Realtors have played 5 games. Yes, Ryan Reyes and Kelly Williams are still hurting. Yes, the team will still gel and understand each other and play as a team.

Statistical fluctuation happens in small samples though. This is the reason why Ryan Gregorio is still the coach of Purefoods TJ Hotdogs, why San Miguel Beermen managed to defy the salary ceiling, and why Japeth Aguilar cannot hit it off with coach Yeng Guiao. The common denominator in all these examples is the uncertainty of the event from happening. Increase the sampling, and the uncertainty is diminished from an overall sense. In basketball terms, this uncertainty can manifest in shots rimming out, low percentage players going on hot streaks, basketballs slipping out of hands, or any number of other possibilities that we've all seen happen.

These first five games will not define the Realtor's season, obvious as it may sound, because they are just five games. One may argue that's already one-fourth of the total games to be played in the elimination round of the current conference, but what we wanted to look at is its relevance to the rest of the season.

At this juncture, the realist steps in. Yes, these are just five games. Yes, a team with Reyes, Williams and Joseph Yeo will not go 10-6 or 20-12. But even in these five games, there are signs of systematic flaws, flaws that are not merely a function of statistical fluctuation, but rather of longer term issues.

The optimist says the team has yet to hit its stride and that these first five games, though already productive, may prove more absolute in the coming days.

The realist also says the team will eventually hit its stride, but that in these first five games, we've seen moments and plays that aren't entirely illusory, that aren't simply products of a small sample size.

What are those moments and plays? I think you know.

The Realtors are awful still as they struggle on defense. Absolutely confusing. There are times when the viewer cannot tell if they are attempting to break a pick-and-roll or tempting an isolation play until the opponent shoots the ball easily. Watching the Realtors execute their defense would be like watching Marlou Aquino guarding Paul Artadi as he brings the ball and hit the open man under the basket.

A lot of this is clearly due to the disconnection between Williams and Gabby Espinas. Williams was good at double teaming down low, especially when he played tandem with Aquino and former Realtor Dennis Espino. He realized that both Aquino and Espino can body-up with any of the best centers in the league and he could cover the negative aspects of their defense by rotating on the blind side. With Espinas, that learning curve has begun anew. It will take time for the two of them to sort it out. This is where the optimist's take is probably right.

The Williams-Espinas issues explain the myriad pick and rolls executed successfully by opponents and unfathomably high number of allowed layups from guys like Eddie Laure, Ali Peek, Joe Devance and even Richard Yee. Fortunately, they have not allowed these guys very many open jumpers. This has been the highlight of Coach Boyet Fernandez's defense since he joined the team. In his years with the Realtors, the team have consistently put up solid defensive seasons in the shaded area against jump shooters without necessarily having the best defensive talent around.

A key to this success is Fernandez preference to assign a single defender to most post players who are 10-15 feet from the basket. The Realtors have excelled at bringing help defenders onto post players at exactly the right moment - never too soon or too late. This is what Aquino and Espino brought to the team last season.

With the smaller Espinas, the strategy requires help defenders to be close; therefore, they're less likely to recover on kick out passes. Hence, in their 5 games so far, Realtor defenders were often seen scrambling to cover missed rotations, such as an open Mac Cardona, Gary David and Willie Miller. While some of this can be attributed to the new acquisitions that are unfamiliar with the system, it's also a case of the Realtors' system finally being gamed because of the absence of an intimidating center aside from Aquino. The key to beating the Realtor' defense is to use their post help against them, keep the ball moving once the advantage is gained, and find the open shooter. Some of the teams have yet to figure this out and those who did are not using it to the hilt.

And honestly, it was a really good defensive strategy when first implemented in 2007. It worked. It hid the weaknesses of the interior defense by showcasing the individual defensive talent of Aquino and Espino. It forced opponents into jump shooting games. The Realtors avoided many post confrontations, and this helped them into winning their first ever All-Filipino Title in 2008.

Teams have changed though and with Espino gone, other teams are changing or will change their strategy against the Realtors also.

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How About Pay Cuts?

Aside from the Barako Bulls, everyone in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) office suspects that the management of the Sta. Lucia Realtors is also facing financial difficulties as a result of the credit crunch. It was reported that last year, the company underwent corporate restructuring after they found out that they incurred a loss of about PhP 74.6-million from January to September, mostly due to operational costs and taxes.

The financial problem was said to be the main reason why SLR have been dumping salaries of their players through trades. They shipped off point guard Denok Miranda to San Miguel Beer, before sending their team captain and 14-year veteran, Dennis Espino, to the Coca-Cola Tigers. The Realtors received draft picks from both transactions, with back-up big man Jason Misolas coming on-board from the Tigers.

If the report is true, it might be prudent for the management to also ask basketball operations employees to accept a 10 percent pay cut in order to avoid further layoffs and remain competitive. The salary cut should cover everyone in the department, including team manager Buddy Encarnado, head coach Boyet Fernandez, assistant coaches, scouts and others.

Despite a slight recovery during the first half of 2009, with a net income of PhP 5.29-million compared to PhP 85.02-million in losses in the same period last year, the financial situation is not expected to change significantly anytime soon. Hence, the salary cuts could help stop the bleeding for now.

Reduction in player salaries may be hard to implement because they are guaranteed when they signed the contract, but these guarantees may be amended in the future to be at a certain level only. The management can argue that because of falling revenues, the players will also have to do their share in order to extend the life of the franchise.

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Miami Heat just recently asked many of its employees to accept a 20 percent pay cut because of the economic downturn. A few years back, players of the Los Angeles Lakers led by Karl Malone also voluntarily asked for a lower salary in order to play with some of the best players in the league and work with the best staff capable of giving them a championship ring.

Another option could be to asked the PBA Board to scale up the league's sponsorship deals to increase revenue and mitigate the impact of a worse-case scenario.

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Can the Realtors Still Run Hard?

The Sta. Lucia Realtors bolted from the gate in 2008 to win their first ever All-Filipino title at the expense of Purefoods TJ Hotdogs in a seven-game series. A year later, the 'Believe' slogan seems to have lost its luster as the team settled for a Third Place finish. Like Sam Eman, Lito Lapid's films and Erap's conviction, the cry of ‘Believe’ seemed so ‘last year’.

Is it simply that a new motivational concept was needed? Rally slogans like ‘We Are Family’ (1979 Pirates) ‘Ya Gotta Believe!’ (1973 Mets), ‘Reverse the Curse' (2004 Red Sox) each had a one year shelf life. Did 'Believe' quietly run its course?

It appeared as if the Realtors were pulling out all stops to get as high up the standings to try and get an automatic semis berth. Belching smoke and fire, near to ripping at the seams, the Realtors train click-clacked down the tracks at a speed that belied its condition. Coach Boyet Fernandez was stoking the engine with all the coal he could shovel in. Players, especially the remaining stars, were playing heavy minutes in an effort to keep speeding well above the posted limits in an effort to gain home court.

No doubt the Ryan Reyes injury was huge. Bench support was inconsistent. But the goal remained ‘win at all costs’, it seemed.

When Kelly Williams started to take more low-percentage three-point attempts that did not fall and less shots in the shaded lane, Fernandez properly downplayed the significance, yet did not down play the importance of inside presence. Defending their crown remained a goal, come heck or high water. One can only think that the 2007-08 finish could have inspired more innovative plays and active hustling from the veteran players. Sadly, it did not.

Ironically, the absence of Reyes in most of their games injury may have exacerbated the perceived need to press harder, which could have driven out their determination.

Seeing things as Fernandez saw them, all SLR fans would tend to think that he did a tremendous job. But there may be some who are wondering how different things might have been if Fernandez moderated the Realtors' mindset as he did in the 2007-2008 season, when defending a crown was not the big goal. Getting players worked in and getting a team to play together a certain way was the objective.

Fernandez had a choice to make. Continue to develop a bench that was experiencing difficulties or go with who brung you.

What if Fernandez tried to develop Chito Jaime, Dennis Daa, and even a bewildered Christian Coronel a bit more during that season?

This Season

This coming 2009-2010 season might be the better case to run for the top record even if the company is facing some financial difficulties. The bench is younger, faster and more set. The only unanswered questions are if Marlou Aquino or Paolo Mendoza can still help this team. Can Josh Urbiztonodo back up Reyes? Can Charles Waters offer something special aside from being Williams' brother-in-law? Who guards the opposing center when Aquino is out?

Kelly Williams

Should Doc reign in Kelly Williams just a bit from shooting those threes? Williams is still the league's most athletic bigman in the paint, but he doesn’t seem to unhook himself from that nasty habit of pulling those shots from beyond the arc even if he can only manage to shoot 23.66 percent during last-season's All-Filipino conference.

There is also a burden on Williams part to prove how healthy he is after contracting immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) last May – a blood disorder where blood platelet counts dramatically rise. There is a dance that Fernandez plays with this team and he often gives Williams a lot of latitude. How can Williams deal with the ambiguities of playing hard, but conserving enough for the long run?

This team have the talent and the toughness of mind to win games against opposing teams this season. Should they continue to use Williams for 38-40 minutes every game or give him the required rest for the long haul ahead?

In the last ten years, only Talk N' Text Phone Pals and Ginebra Gin Kings managed to win twice in the Philippine Cup. However, no team managed to win it twice in a row. Obviously, each year offers its own specific challenges.

This year there will be 3-4 other ‘superteams’. Because of that, would the Realtors pull out all stops to gain an outright entry to the next round? Or try to pace Williams' exposure on the floor, while strengthening the skills of the second unit players? The key really is turning the team to play their best ball each and every game, with no exceptions. The Realtors could run hard, but they should run at their own pace until they can sprint to the finish line.

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7 Pressing Questions for Team SLR

With Denok Miranda and veteran Dennis Espino finally becoming former Realtors, the Sta. Lucia Realtors look to be almost done (completely done?) wheeling and dealing this off-season. Since the roster is almost set, some Realtors started bring a list of questions facing the team for the 2009-2010 season. Here are some of the most common that can be found in several sports forums:

Will Kelly Williams remain healthy?

All Realtor Believers could make a strong argument that, with the 'human sensation' on the court rather than in street clothes on the bench, the Sta. Lucia Realtors could have been a possible finalist in the last Philippine Cup. The Realtors are a different team with Williams on the floor, especially defensively. If he makes a healthy return, it will go a long way towards reestablishing the Realtors as Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) title favorites for several more seasons.

Without K-Will, the Realtors still have a formidable frontcourt with the acquisition of Gabby Espinas. However, with him? They could be downright scary.

How quickly will age catch up to the Sta. Lucia Realtors?

By now, with Espino gone, the Realtors only have two veteran players who are over 31 years old - Paolo Mendoza and Marlou Aquino. Both players have not logged in a lot of minutes in the last two years and are not expected to do so in the coming seasons. However, with an improved bench, Coach Boyet Fernandez should be able to find a lot more rest for these veterans and reserve them for the crucial matches in the semis. Mendoza and Aquino have shown in the previous season that when they hit a certain amount of minutes played, they tend to hit a wall. They both looked bruised and battered after a game where they were spent lots of minutes on the court that they perform emphatically after that. Hopefully, the return of K-Will and the additions of Espinas and Josh Urbiztondo take some pressure of the veterans, and they will be energized and fresh entering the semis.

Can Espinas coexist with K-Will and Nelbert Omolon?

There are rumors that Espinas will only take away minutes from Williams and Omolon, that he will not be fully utilized on the floor, that his bad experience with the RedBull Barakos was a sign that he cannot carry the team to crucial wins. And these rumors may be true. Espinas is not anymore the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the amateurs.

But that’s fine for the Realtors. They don’t need Espinas to come in and be a star; all they need is a good defender off the bench and another big man who can spread the floor. If Espinas can comfortably accept a backup role and settle for being the leader of Realtors' second unit rather than one of the team’s stars, SLR will have a huge upgrade in its frontcourt. But if he sulks about coming off the bench, gets ill-advised technicals during the wrong parts of games and bombs too many threes at the worst possible times? The Realtors could have a problem on their hands.

Who will play backup point guard?

Coach Boyet Fernandez has not announced anything about who will start at the point after the departure of Miranda, but it seems that the Realtors are gonna be happy with Ryan Reyes playing the point. Urbiztondo and Chris Pacana are ready to play back-up for that position. However, for the whole season, it will not surprise anyone to see Reyes and Joseph Yeo sharing the off-guard spot, while the two new recruits direct the plays.

As an aside, fans should not rule out the capacity of Mendoza to hit some big-time shots. The undersize guard may be nearing the twilight of his career, but once he gets more comfortable with his offense, he can still shoot 31.75 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

Can Ryan Reyes take the next step towards stardom?

In the 2007-2008 All-Filipino Conference, Reyes showed just how close he is to being one of the top point guards in the entire PBA. When he’s going well, there is no point guard in the PBA who combines his defensive ball-hawking, terrific rebounding, great court vision and incredible speed.

Reyes was close to turning the corner last year, if not for the spite of injuries. And he could still improve in leaps and bounds if he improves his consistency and his jumpshot. With his blazing speed, Reyes doesn’t need a deadeye jumpshot like Yeo, just a sufficient one to keep defenses from collapsing off him.

How well are the top teams mesh after their new additions?

These questions may be about the Realtors, but including their closest competitors makes a lot of sense. The Realtors are the only top contender to make substantial changes in its core players – all the other contenders made a lot of moves, but retained their starting fives. However, the jury is out on how the new starting fives will coexist.

If the San Miguel Beermen, Purefoods Hotdogs or Ginebra San Miguel can reacquire the solidarity that made them so tough to play last year, the Realtors might be a step behind their rivals.

How many rebounds will Realtors lead the league by?

With a frontcourt that includes K-Will and brother-in-law Charles Waters, the question isn’t whether the Realtors will lead the league in rebounds ... it is by how much. The addition of rebounding-magnet Waters makes the Realtors a good bet to be one the highest rebounding teams this coming season. He has performed extremely well during their practice so far, but can he do the same thing during actual games?

Hopefully, those rebounds can also translate to points on the other end.

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What's Holding Up Espinas?

Everyone familiar with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will find it strange that Sta. Lucia Realtors' acquisition of Gabby Espinas - a small move to secure a bench forward - would take more than 2 weeks to complete. But in the crazy world of free agency, trading and draft picks, nothing is ever easy.

For the Realtors, the motivation is simple. They need to lock up a backup for prolific forward Kelly Williams and help aging Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino secure those rebounds, and Espinas is their guy. He's is willing to play for the Realtors and he's cheap. Just by giving up a small price tag (their number 6 pick in the draft), the Realtors can have a player that produces 12.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per night.

For Espinas, therein lies the problem. His current team, Redbull Barakos, is supposedly trying to rebuild around new guys from the draft. However, they are still trying to find out who can they pick at number 6 if they agree to trade Espinas for that choice. Espinas wants to be with a team with loaded enough with talents that could give a chance to win a championship. The Barako's cannot give him that and they are still uncertain who to pick at this time.

No one's at fault here. Both Espinas and the Realtors are in very understandable positions. Breaking down the Barakos' motives is where things get a little tricky.

The Barakos are being coached by a man who knows a thing or two about winning championships. His name is Leo Isaac. It's pretty easy to win titles as a player and Coach Isaac knows this, but as the brain behind the outfit, it gets a bit complicated. There are, of course, exceptions, but there are basically two ways to build a winning team in the NBA.

You can try to build for right now, by going after the best players available and spending big money on big contracts. That method works for San Miguel Beermen and and Talk N' Text Phone Pals. Or you can build for the future, picking up a bunch of expiring contracts now, losing in the short-term, and then dropping the dead weight in 2010 and going after the marquee free agents with all the newfound salary cap space.

The Redbull management defies the two-party system. Coach Isaac has no grandiose plan to win now, and he has no plan to win later, either. He's stuck in the middle of the road, setting up camp, and it's a difficult place for any PBA team to be. No one likes steering a team with alleged financial problems, which resulted to the migration of its core players to richer teams. The sad reality is that losing Larry Rodriguez, Jeff Chan, Mike Hrabak and possibly, Espinas has a way of breeding a couple of last-place finishes. Leo Isaac is stuck in basketball purgatory.

If the Barakos continue to dilly-dally with the Realtors, this whole trade idea surrounding Gabby Espinas might just be a pipe dream. Unfortunately for Espinas, he could easily end up the highest performing player of a luckless team with no chance of winning a title in the next 2 years or so.

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