Aquino and Espino said they now have better offensive ammunitions with the entry of their new recruits but thought they lost some teeth on defense, which has become their weakest spot in the season-opening tournament.
"Our individual defense suffered. Our young teammates are offense-oriented, the problem is that they will score but the men they are guarding would also score points," said Espino in Tagalog.
"In offense, we’re in disarray, too. Just imagine, coming from a timeout, some of our teammates are already at a loss, confused with their spots and the play we’ll execute," he added.
"I envy San Miguel. Basically, their offense is like ours, starting from the post. The difference is they execute well, making up to four passes to spot the open man. In our case, it’s very seldom you see us swinging the ball up to four times. Sometime, just one pass and you’ll see one of our teammates already taking the shot," said Aquino.
Espino and Aquino made these observations although most PBA watchers thought otherwise, believing what’s bugging the Realtors is the seemingly half-hearted showing of the two Sta. Lucia behemoths.
For the record, the numbers of Aquino and Espino dipped from last year’s stats. Neither is faring well in the statistical charts with Espino averaging only 13.9 points and 7.6 rebounds and Aquino 11 points and 6.6 rebounds compared to less regarded players like Davonn Harp, Rey Evangelista and Rudy Hatfield who are averaging in double figures on both departments.
As a result, the team has the poorest norms in shooting (only 70.9 points a game) and in rebounding (39.8).
Sta. Lucia coach Norman Black refused to point an accusing finger at anyone but said: "With Marlou and Dennis being the major players and leaders of this team, I expect them to play their best each night."
Espino and Aquino admitted they’re losing intensity sometimes but said this is because they’re getting frustrated with their teammates.
Entering the final stretch of the eliminations, Sta. Lucia still languishes in the cellar with only two wins in 10 outings. The Realtors are hard-pressed to win their last four games versus Red Bull twice, Shell and Pop Cola.
Meanwhile, Red Bull seeks to formalize entry into the quarterfinals as it takes on Purefoods at the resumption of play at the Philsports Arena today. Tanduay and Alaska play in the other game at 7:30 p.m.
Anton Villoria suits up with the Thunder as the Red Bull second round pick in the recent draft was activated from the reserve list to take the spot of veteran Glenn Capacio who suffered an injury.