Three cellar-dwellers

Expansion franchises Kia and Blackwater find themselves in the company of an unlikely cellar-dweller in the bottom of the early standings of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. While it’s almost expected of the Carnival and the Elite to struggle in their infancy, what’s making fans wonder is how crowd darling Barangay Ginebra has taken a turn for the worse in starting the conference with a 0-2 record despite collaring highly-touted import Michael Dunigan.

New Ginebra coach Ato Agustin is no stranger to the business. Before coach Leo Austria piloted San Miguel Beer to the top of the Philippine Cup, Agustin was the last tactician to bring a title to the franchise with Petron in the 2010-11 Governors Cup. But there’s something lacking in the way Ginebra shows up to play.

In the past, Ginebra was never afraid to lose because the players knew they had the spirit to bowl over any team in the league with the fans behind them. They came prepared to do whatever it took to win. They watched each other’s back. They were a fighting unit. They had chemistry. There was trust. Now, you’re not sure of everyone’s commitment to play hard. Now, you’re not sure how the team will play under pressure.

Ginebra hasn’t won a championship since coach Jong Uichico steered the Barangay to the Fiesta Conference crown in 2007-08. It’s been 17 conferences since that triumph and Ginebra has gone blank.  Thrice, Ginebra went to the finals in that stretch but couldn’t bag a crown.

Agustin is trying different things to get Ginebra back on track. Greg Slaughter didn’t start in the first two games. Japeth Aguilar did but was scoreless in the 85-74 loss to Meralco and shot only two in the 69-68 defeat to Barako Bull. Dunigan hasn’t been as explosive as he was when he suited up for Air 21 two years ago. He hasn’t even scored in the 20s. In the loss to Barako, Dunigan was held to 11 points.

Bowing to Barako was a huge blow. Three Ginebra players were “rescued” from Barako – Josh Urbiztondo, Eman Monfort and Dylan Ababou – while six Barako players came from either San Miguel Beer or Ginebra – Sol Mercado, Dorian Pena, J. C. Intal, Paolo Hubalde, Chico Lanete and Willie Wilson. Some fans claim what motivates Barako players is the promise of being picked up by other teams as a reward for a good performance. Barako coach Koy Banal, however, has instilled a fresh sense of self-esteem in the Energy. It’s now not about hoping to be rescued, it’s about playing for pride.  

Ginebra could’ve beaten Barako easily. The Barangay had more bench points, 44-7, more rebounds, 56-49, more free throw conversions, 12-of-19 to 6-of-15, more field goal attempts 83-74, more turnover points, 17-12 and less turnovers, 13-16. Six locals logged at least 20 minutes so Agustin did a good job of shuffling his players around Dunigan. What brought down Ginebra was its horrendous field goal percentage of 31. On the flip side, Barako shot a little better at 39 percent. Barako’s gambit was to keep the scores low so Ginebra wouldn’t get the chance to open big leads.

With Ginebra’s ship slowly sinking, Agustin can’t afford anyone playing hero. One man isn’t going to keep the ship afloat. It’s got to be a total team effort. The key is not to be predictable by going to the same option in offense over and over again. L. A. Tenorio’s leadership, more than Mark Caguioa’s, will be tested in this trying period. Tenorio holds the baton and has the ability to guide the ship over troubled waters. But he’s got to win back the trust and confidence of his teammates as a first step. Tenorio is averaging only 3.5 points this conference. Urbiztondo is averaging even more points. Somehow, there’s a discrepancy in the numbers. Chris Ellis has started in two games so far, scoring only two points. That, too, is a discrepancy.

As for Kia and Blackwater, they’ve shown some positives even if they’re still winless. The Carnival was up, 5-0, against Globalport, fell behind by 24 then roared back to trim the gap to 10 before eventually succumbing, 100-89, last Tuesday. In battling Meralco last Friday, Kia led by 11 at 25-14 then cut a 14-point deficit to four via a 10-0 run in the third period. Kia was on top longer than Meralco, 25:03 minutes to 22:37, but couldn’t sustain it.  Hulking center Peter John Ramos is averaging 37.5 points for the Carnival. If only Kia assistant coach Chito Victolero can get more production from his locals, Kia would be tougher to steamroll down the stretch. “It’s a learning experience,” said Victolero who’s calling the shots in the absence of head coach Manny Pacquiao.

Blackwater went importless against Barako and was down only by two in the third period last Wednesday. Then, the Energy unloaded a 13-0 bomb to start the fourth quarter and that was it. Against Talk ‘N’ Text last Sunday, the Elite showed up with Marcus Douthit and enjoyed a nine-point lead, 64-55, in the third period. The score was tied, 71-all, before the Texters broke loose with a 13-0 surge. Blackwater crumbled in the homestretch.

Still, the positives were encouraging. The Elite had more assists, 17-15, more steals, 8-7 and more three-point connections, 7-6.  Guard Brian Heruela continued to impress with 10 points, 10 boards and eight dimes while forward Bryan Faundo hit 19 points. Douthit had 14 points and 17 rebounds but was clearly not in game-shape, getting the call to play for Blackwater with a notice of only three days. He’ll get tougher as the conference progresses. Blackwater has now lost 13 in a row from last conference, one shy of matching Shopinas’ all-time longest losing streak. The Elite’s next game is against Purefoods on Friday.