It's so prestigious that they had to sneak in the fact that the Finals are going to be played on BACK TO BACK DAYS.
+++
The match-up of ADMU versus FEU in the Finals is seen by some to be a correcting of a wrong in this season's UAAP finals. In other words, this was the Finals we were building up to, until FEU decided to chuck Mark Barroca out the window because of veiled whispers and innuendo.
The key to FEU's play has been Barroca's replacement, RR Garcia, who has been on fire in this tournament. Should the Tams come out on top, it's very likely that he'll be named MVP. That will result in him claiming the MVP trophy in two tournaments that don't really matter: The Fil-Oil Flying V Preseason Invitational and the PCCL. That might be seen as an achievement in some quarters, but I don't. When it came to the tournament that mattered, the UAAP, Garcia played well only against the bottom four teams in the league. Then when he was handed the reins of the team in the FInal Four, he shot his team out of the games versus the UE Red Warriors.
If ever there was a time for the Garcia train to get derailed, it's now. I fully expect Ateneo captain, Jai Reyes, to shut Garcia down. People forget that Reyes shut down JV Casio in last season's UAAP Finals, and honey, RR Garcia ain't JV Casio.
Up front is where things get dicey. The chances of Rabeh Al-Hussaini suiting up for the Eagles are as slim as he is tall. I'm expecting Ateneo coach Norman Black to stick to his line-up of Nonoy Baclao at the 5 and Nico Salva at the 4, matched-up against Aldrech Ramos and Riel Cervantes respectively. While Ramos and Baclao can cancel each other out, the Salva-Cervantes situation worries me a lot. Cervantes has more bulk, and is a better rebounder. On the other hand, Salva's speed and athleticism will give the guy fits. I think Oping Sumalinog might be a better fit defensively, and if he can come up with another 14 points like he did versus San Beda, then all will be roses.
Perhaps the biggest ADMU advantage is the depth of our bench, which goes deep, especially combined with the fact that each game has brought forth a new top scorer. For FEU, really the only people you have to watch out for are Garcia, Cervantes, possibly Cawaling, and Sanga, who seems to love to torch us. Toss in the fact that the games will be back to back and I can't think that favors us (and cue the conspiracy theories that we're being set up to win this one).
PREDICTION: ADMU in two games. (And by the way, what happens when it goes to three games? If they're playing it on Friday then you know this be whack.)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Does That Answer Your Question?
Allen Iverson returns to where it all started, agreeing to a non-guaranteed, one-year deal with the team that drafted him, the Philadelphia 76ers.
After "retiring" his way out of Memphis, the controversial guard will get his starting job for a team that's currently 13th in the Eastern Conference, and 2.5 games out of the 8th playoff spot.
You may choose to argue whether the move was done out of a need to drum up publicity for the club (29th in attendance this season), out of sentimentality, or as I think, a real need for bodies on the court (last season's big signing, Elton Brand, has been in and out, promising forward/center Marreese Speights is still a month off, starting point guard Lou Williams is about a month and a half from returning), but the fact remains that with coach Eddie Jordan promising Iverson a starting job, The Answer could be exactly that for your fantasy team.
First off, Iverson is PG/SG eligible, which means theoretically, he will start at either position, in his first game Monday (Tuesday, Philippine time) versus another former team, the Denver Nuggets.
The current starting point guard, rookie Jrue Holiday, has been pretty mediocre, averaging 6.5 points (29.7% FG, 0% 3PT, 66.7% FT), 4 assists, 1.5 rebs, 1 steal and 2.5 TOs.
Current starting shooting guard, Willie Green, has been on fire since getting the job, norming 20 points (42.4% FG, 100% FT), 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks to only 1.5 TOs in the two games he's had the job.
I still think though that Jordan will have Iverson at the SG spot, returning Green to the bench. Having Iverson on the floor means Holiday has an automatic go-to option when the play isn't going well, freeing him up from having to force a shot in bad situations. Iverson is also a better on-ball defender than Green, who can help the anemic 76ers bench production.
My projections for Iverson: 15 ppg on 42% FG with 0.5 treys per game, 2 rebs, 5 asts, 1 steal, 3 turnovers. Does that make him a must-add? In my book, yes. He's better than most of the people you've been throwing out there as your third-string point guard (guys in the vein of George Hill, Earl Boykins, and Marcus Williams) with the potential to explode for 25+ points each time he's on the court. If he's still on your waiver wire, I think he makes a nice, low-risk investment that will most likely pay dividends soon.
Is he a long-term keeper? Probably not. The language of his contract is that it's non-guaranteed, meaning the 76ers can drop him at any time with little financial backlash (coupled with the fact that his contract figure is pretty low in the first place). But if you're in need of a guard who can get you points and assists until around early February, Iverson's your man.
After "retiring" his way out of Memphis, the controversial guard will get his starting job for a team that's currently 13th in the Eastern Conference, and 2.5 games out of the 8th playoff spot.
You may choose to argue whether the move was done out of a need to drum up publicity for the club (29th in attendance this season), out of sentimentality, or as I think, a real need for bodies on the court (last season's big signing, Elton Brand, has been in and out, promising forward/center Marreese Speights is still a month off, starting point guard Lou Williams is about a month and a half from returning), but the fact remains that with coach Eddie Jordan promising Iverson a starting job, The Answer could be exactly that for your fantasy team.
First off, Iverson is PG/SG eligible, which means theoretically, he will start at either position, in his first game Monday (Tuesday, Philippine time) versus another former team, the Denver Nuggets.
The current starting point guard, rookie Jrue Holiday, has been pretty mediocre, averaging 6.5 points (29.7% FG, 0% 3PT, 66.7% FT), 4 assists, 1.5 rebs, 1 steal and 2.5 TOs.
Current starting shooting guard, Willie Green, has been on fire since getting the job, norming 20 points (42.4% FG, 100% FT), 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks to only 1.5 TOs in the two games he's had the job.
I still think though that Jordan will have Iverson at the SG spot, returning Green to the bench. Having Iverson on the floor means Holiday has an automatic go-to option when the play isn't going well, freeing him up from having to force a shot in bad situations. Iverson is also a better on-ball defender than Green, who can help the anemic 76ers bench production.
My projections for Iverson: 15 ppg on 42% FG with 0.5 treys per game, 2 rebs, 5 asts, 1 steal, 3 turnovers. Does that make him a must-add? In my book, yes. He's better than most of the people you've been throwing out there as your third-string point guard (guys in the vein of George Hill, Earl Boykins, and Marcus Williams) with the potential to explode for 25+ points each time he's on the court. If he's still on your waiver wire, I think he makes a nice, low-risk investment that will most likely pay dividends soon.
Is he a long-term keeper? Probably not. The language of his contract is that it's non-guaranteed, meaning the 76ers can drop him at any time with little financial backlash (coupled with the fact that his contract figure is pretty low in the first place). But if you're in need of a guard who can get you points and assists until around early February, Iverson's your man.
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