PBA PREVIEW: TnT, Alaska teams to beat

To many, it’s a case of the strong teams getting stronger as the 31st PBA season unfolds with the import-laced Fiesta Conference on Oct. 2 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Talk ‘N Text and Alaska loom as the top favorites after emerging winners in a lean, off-season wheeling-and-dealing. The Pals acquired prized amateur players Anthony Washington and Mac Cardona while the Aces beefed up their lineups with former Shell stars Tony dela Cruz and Rich Alvarez.

While defending champion San Miguel and crowd favorite Ginebra deserve a second look and the rest of the nine-team field capable of pulling off surprises, the fact remains that the balance of power has tilted on the sides of Alaska and Talk ‘N Text.

Here’s a short outlook on how the season could be for all nine teams.

TALK n TEXT - The Pals are raring to nail the big one after coming short twice last season. While the team may miss the flamboyant Willie Miller early in the Fiesta Cup, it will have a more focused Asi Taulava back in the roster surrounded by talented players on all spots.

ALASKA - For the first time in nine years, coach Tim Cone admits his Alaska Aces have never been under the microscope than this season. The team added Tony dela Cruz and 2004-05 Rookie of the Year Rich Alvarez to a core considered one of the most athletic and promising in the league today. Add veteran import Tee McClary to the mix and voila, Cone has in his hands a potential championship team that reminds him a lot of Alaska’s 1996 Grandslam squad.

SAN MIGUEL - The team has kept intact the same core that won the Fiesta Cup title late last season. But this same nucleus, according to coach Jong Uichico, is not getting younger anymore. Adding to the Beermen’s woes is the off-season injuries suffered by two key players — Dondon Hontiveros (fractured hand) and Dorian Peña (stress fracture). Hardly is there a doubt however, that once healthy, San Miguel is a force to reckon with.

GINEBRA - Although ranked alongside the league’s elite teams, much of the Kings’campaign hinges on how fast league MVP Eric Menk would be able to rejoin Ginebra. The continuous absence of the do-it-all big man — on account of the issue surrounding his citizenship — is a major concern for coach Siot Tanquingcen he’d rather put his team "just in the middle of the pack" as far as where the Kings stand coming into the season.

RED BULL - Other than adding two more Ateneo players in Larry Fonacier and Paolo Bugia and a former NCAA MVP in Leo Najorda to their mix, the Barakos didn’t tinker with their lineup for the season. Banking on cohesion and another year of maturity, coach Yeng Guiao is looking to preserve the gains earned from last season’s success, one which saw the Barakos made the finals and the Final Four.

PUREFOODS - The Giants (formerly the Hotdogs) are entering their first full season in the post Alvin Patrimonio era. Aside from their new monicker, they are bringing in rookie big man Jondan Salvador, the former PBL MVP, who’s not exactly in the same mold of the team’s former franchise player but whom they hope will blossom to one of the league’s all-around power forwards. The acquisition of the 6-foot-4 also added youth and quickness to the franchise, a factor coach Ryan Gregorio said would help compensate the Giants’ lack of size.

AIR21 - The Express is starting the season with a new coach — again. But in Bo Perasol, the management hopes to have found a young, creative mentor who’s more than willing to embrace the team’s unique philosophy of utilizing all 12 players during games. FedEx may have lost Washington and Cardona in off-season trades, but they remain a team of fresh legs and full of potentials.

COCA-COLA - Following the departure of Chot Reyes, the Tigers obviously groped for form as was the case under coach Eric Altamirano last season. So it wasn’t surprising when management employed Binky Favis to handle the team this year, the youthful mentor being Reyes’ assistant when Coca-Cola won the 2002 All-Filipino Cup prior to his transfer with Ginebra. His first order of the day — adopt the same coaching philosophy the Tigers had under Reyes, but with little variation especially on offense.

STA.LUCIA - The mere mention of Sta. Lucia and the name Alex Cabagnot easily comes to fore. Picked No. 2 overall in this year’s Rookie Draft, the highly-touted University of Hawaii Hilo star is projected to be the pure point guard missing in the Realtors’scheme of things. Sta. Lucia also got an added bonus in Far Eastern U rookie Cesar Catli whom the team drafted in the second round and may yet turn out to be the year’s biggest steal.