Ricky Vision, not a 20/20

We all thought that Ricky Rubio, since his first preseason game, would be the next big thing. We're talking like a young Jason Kidd or the next John Stockton. I mean, let's be honest, the guy has some resemblance.

Even after suffering an injury on his knee, we still saw glimpse of this guy's play making ability. Watching him making a living on floor spacing, dishing out fancy passes to hype up the energy, no look passes here and there, and his bounce passes are sick men. Just the way he sets up his teammates for easy basket is what separates him from most of the guards.

Judging Rubio by his impact on the floor makes him a worthy contender to be inserted for the best point guard in the league talk.

A true and classic point guard which has a pass first mentality with the capability to convert himself into a scorer or a shooter when the need arises is a mark we all have witnessed from great PG's. Rubio has them all, however, there's one big aspect of his game that is a remarkable letdown. Defense. I saw it this season against Chris Paul and recently against Tony Parker on a disappointing road loss at San Antonio. The unwillingness to fight over the screens, the reluctance to get it physical, and above all, his poor decisions in a one-on-one situation which makes him, in my honest opinion, the soft spot of the T'Wolves during clutch times especially on guarding scoring guards.  But he is not a bad defensive player at all. Talk about off-ball defending, reading the passing lanes, or crafty pick-pocketing, this kid's got it.

  

There were great guards who have come before Ricky who were also paired to great bigs, played great in pick and rolls, shined on an up-tempo game, and were highly praised by not just analysts and fans. John Stockton and Gary Payton for example, the former never won a ring and the latter won one but no longer on his prime but at least they have proven their 'A' game in the strongest era of basketball - 90's. And the aforementioned guard, Jason Kidd, though no longer on a jersey but on a suite, showed how sneaky he STILL is for spilling that soda to get the timeout they need. All these three gentlemen are in the circle of top 10 in assists - all time, and top 5 in steals - all time. And Payton, whose also called "The Gloves", was the only Point Guard in the history of the NBA to ever win an award of Defensive Player of the Year proving even guards can be an anchor in the defensive standpoint.

 We all might remember that one international point guard sensation was playing same direction like Ricky Rubio's. The one that was paired with a powerful 4, surrounded by legit role players, and was the one in charged to lead his team running and gunning. We all know what happened to that Canadian who could score and could allow his teammates to score easily thanks to his play making skills as he now hopes to win his first ring playing alongside an ailing Superstar there at Staples.

That former Phoenix Suns star guard couldn't play defense, too.

One thing's for sure in this point in time; despite the sharpness of those Spanish eyes looking for holes to thread a pass, Ricky Vision has yet to see the importance of a guard who plays defense.

Team RP to aspire at FIBA ASIA 2013

Two days to go, Filipino basketball fans are sure excited as the players of the team Gilas Pilipinas to test the waters of Asian hoops. I, personally can't wait for another two nights of sleep for FIBA ASIA to kick off, it's leaving me restless. The tournament will start at August 1 and is pegged to culminate at the 11th, with the bracket ready, Lebanon suspended, and the RP basketball squad in good shape, I think our guys are destined to bring home the bacon this time.

Saw their tune-up bout about against Kazakhstan with obviously taller players; Gilas Pilipinas showed how Filipinos would fight despite being vertically challenged. Half the size, twice the heart. The equation our athletes have always shown. 

As the opening of the tournament draws close, however, two of the vital piece of the puzzle is still recovering from the aftermath of that bloody tune-up match, versatile forward Ranidel de Ocampo and spitfire guard Jayson Castro respectively. An update on their status here.

Catch the Gilas Pilipinas on their/our rise to the top of the Asian basketball supremacy on the following schedules:

FIBA Asia Championship – First Round

Philippines versus Saudi Arabia
– August 1, 2013 – SM Mall of Asia Arena
– 8:15 p.m. LIVE ON TV5
– Replay on HYPER: August 2, 12 noon

Philippines versus Jordan
– August 2, 2013 – SM Mall of Asia Arena
– 8:15 p.m. LIVE ON TV5
– Replay on HYPER: August 3, 10 a.m.

Philippines versus Chinese Taipei
– August 3, 2013 – SM Mall of Asia Arena
– 8:15 p.m. LIVE ON TV5
– Replay on HYPER: August 4, 10 a.m.

Let's show the patriotism during these dates. Laban Pilipinas!

Senate Scrutiny, Educational Background

A month prior the inauguration of the newly elected senators of the Republic of the Philippines, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) released another laudable research  which tackles all our honorable senators' highest educational attainment. For my personal viewpoint, the findings were quite comforting as majority of the members of the senate have degrees that are advantageous for legislative purposes. However, the findings of the research itself can't put us to ease and ask "is this the best of what our country could offer?"

Let me share to you the summary of the report from PCIJ:

Senators Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Joseph ‘Chiz’ Escudero, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Grace Poe-Llamanzares, and Joseph Victor ‘JV’ Ejercito were all political science majors.

Senators Gregorio ‘Gringo’ Honasan II, Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara, Pilar Juliana ‘Pia’ Cayetano, Teofisto ‘TG’ Guingona III, and Jose ‘Jinggoy’ Estrada took up economics.

Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Franklin Drilon earned degrees in the arts, while Senators Cynthia Villar, Ralph Recto, and Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino IV studied business administration, commerce, and management engineering, respectively.

Senator Lorna Regina ‘Loren’ Legarda took up broadcast communication while Senator Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III majored in English.

Senators Antonio ‘Sonny’ Trillanes IV and Ma. Lourdes Nancy Binay-Angeles, meanwhile, earned degrees in engineering and tourism, respectively.

Senators Sergio ‘Serge’ Osmena III took up various courses, but did not finish. Senators Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. and Manuel ‘Lito’ Lapid did not obtain college degrees as well.

Nearly half or 10 of the 24 senators were Iskolar ng Bayan, or graduates of the University of the Philippines with a bachelor’s degree. They are Binay, Alan and Pia Cayetano, Drilon, Escudero, Estrada, Honasan, Legarda, Villar, and Santiago. Poe also took up Development Studies for two years at UP Manila.

Four senators — Aquino, Enrile, Guingona, and Pimentel — earned their undergraduate degrees from the Ateneo de Manila University.

Ejercito and Recto earned their college degree from De La Salle University (DLSU).

Trillanes also studied at DLSU but obtained his engineering degree at the Philippine Military Academy. Sotto, meanwhile, studied at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila.

Angara, Marcos, and Poe studied abroad at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Oxford University, and Boston College, respectively.

We all know the executive-legislative relationship aids the development of the country, that the laws  enacted and enforced determines the fate of the nation, and that the congress composed of the House of the Representatives and the Senate acts as lawmakers that provide guidelines to our state. 

In your own sentiment, are you satisfied with the line-up of our 16th congress? Will this phenomena be considered a normalcy in our country? Can this, call it whatever, end or change? 

Source: PCIJ's Got degrees, no degrees?

The Flu, The Flash, and The Worse Way to get 'ROB'bed

Game 5's all about momentum shift. On a  2-3-2 format, this is the game the either sends you home via 4-1 or prolonging the anxiety via 3-2. Game five is the last home game of the lower seeded team in the NBA finals so this game is a deciding one for the series and for the past few NBA championships we, basketball fans, have witnessed game five is as good as advertised.

Let's take a look back at game 5 performances of the ages.

1. Michael Jordan (1997)

"That was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done" - Michael Jordan

In front of a 19, 911 anxious crowd, being diagnosed with stomach virus, and Utah winning two straight games, his airness gave the basketball world a performance with no excuse.  Tim Grover, Jordan's athletic trainer, claimed that MJ's sickness was brought by a food poisoning because of the pizza he ate a night before the game. You can read the story here. MJ was told by his trainer that there is no way he can play for game 5 due to the fact that he can even barely sit up. With the series tied at 2-2 and the Bulls' fate unclear as their leader's presence remains questionable hours before tip-off, Jordan, visibly weak and pale carried the Bulls to win the game putting them in command of the series 3-2.  Forever remembered as "the flu game", Michael Jordan, just gave the Utah Jazz' fans one more reason to hate him. Playing with flu-like symptoms or, we should say being food poisoned, yet providing 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block all in a jam packed 44 minutes of action add insults to injury. Witness the flu game here.

2. Dwayne Wade (2006)

Wade torched the Mavs with 43 points and setting an NBA Finals record of 21 free throws made in a single game.

Before the Big 3, "the flash" was already a force to be reckoned with in the NBA. His first NBA Finals appearance was, up to date, the most highly adored performance of all-time. Topping the ESPN's Greatest Finals Performance defeating Michael Jordan on the race; 2006' NBA Finals was a series to remember because of this man and game 5 of that series out-shined all his other games. He was clearly very unstoppable at that time that the only way to minimize his damage was to send to him to the stripe - Wade then attempted 25 free throws on that game alone. Mark Cuban, Mavs' team owner, was fined with a head shaking 250,000 dollars for "acts of misconduct" on this game due to controversial fouls and questionable officiating he violently questioned. Judge it for yourself, watch as "the flash" rolled his way to his first championship ring here.

3. Robert Horry (2005)

'Big Shot Rob' does it again!

12 lead changes and 18 ties, Spur-Pistons series came down to the wire. Game was so close that even 48 minutes of basketball isn't enough so they proceeded to overtime. Disregarding Duncan and Manu's stats because we are always expecting them to deliver big numbers, Robert Horry was more like the story of the game. Providing 21 points off the bench with a 5-out-6 shooting beyond the arc, and more importantly, the late game winning jumper were Horry's contributions. Watch as the Pistons got robbed here. How's that for a Horry's scale, eh?