(c) PBA Media Bureau
The first seven days of the 2019 season of the Philippine Basketball Association were full of great games and explosive performances.
CJ Perez and Robert Bollick legitimized themselves as the cream of the crop of the 2018 draft. Phoenix and Northport are the surprising leaders after the first week as San Miguel Beermen suffered an embarrassing upset at the hands of Columbian Dyip.
It is time to rank the 12 teams according to how capable they are in winning the 2019 All-Filipino Cup.
#12 Blackwater Elite
I told you, JP Erram will be a huge loss for the Elite. That was pretty obvious in their first two games were they played confused and their defense was really lacking.
#11 Columbian Dyip
I am starting to enjoy watching the Dyip. CJ Perez is currently the league-leader in terms of points per game after his 26 points explosion against San Miguel. CJ should maintain his aggressiveness because that is his only option in helping his team win games.
#10 Meralco Bolts
Even though they grabbed the W against the Elite, it is hard for me to see the Bolts as a legit playoff contender because their frontline rotation is really weak. Teams with giants will be having a feast in the paint.
#9 NLEX Road Warriors
I am a believer of the Road Warriors after they added JP Erram but won't bet on them not until Kiefer Ravena returns. Grabbing Marion Magat in the free-agency is a steal but they are still lacking the ace player that a contender needs to win in the playoffs.
#8 Phoenix Fuel Masters
Phoenix won two close games to start their season. That is a great indication that they know how to win 50/50 matches which is important in the playoffs. It is just mind boggling though that they are not attempting that many three-pointers which are counter-productive in a way.
#7 Alaska Aces
Alaska has not played a game but with the way the other teams played last week, I am afraid the Aces may have a hard time wiggling in this conference. Joachim Thoss is a year older and they just let go of Marion Magat.
#6 TNT Ka-Tropa
The trade to get Terrence Romeo is getting uglier and uglier every game because of the performance of the centers of TNT. Remember that TNT gave up Moala Tautuaa in their trade with Globalport. He could have been a perfect fit with this outside shooting heavy scheme that I love.
#5 North Port Batang Pier
You know what, I think we should better take the Batang Pier seriously. The addition of Robert Bollick decreased the workload of Stanley Pringle on the offensive end, giving him now the leeway to be more aggressive on the defensive end which is paying dividends.
#4 Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
ROS has the depth and is a playing a modern style that could be a fascinating fit against the SMC teams. If they continue to launch a lot of long bombs and take care of the ball, the Painters could turn out to be a real threat.
#3 Magnolia Hotshots
I am excited to watch Magnolia in this conference although I do not expect much of a change because they just won a championship last month. The biggest question mark in their line-up is Marc Pingris. Can he still play?
#2 Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel
Their defeat last Sunday is an eye-opening that San Miguel could be on a tier above everyone else. It ended up as an 8-points loss but it was really a bad loss. Their defense did not have a bite while the Beermen's defense forced them into tough shots and situations.
#1 San Miguel Beermen
Their emphatic victory against Ginebra was just the right bounce back after they humiliated themselves against Columbian. I still believed that the minute's distribution that they are employing could hamper them from retaining the title.
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