Should Abueva play for Gilas against Japan and Australia?

Guards: Kevin Alas, Jayson Castro, Jio Jalalon, RR Pogoy, Kiefer Ravena

Wings: Allein Maliksi, Gabe Norwood, Matthew Wright, Mac Belo
Bigs: Carl Bryan Cruz, June Mar Fajardo, Andray Blatche, Japeth Aguilar, Troy Rosario

That is the current pool for the second window of the FIBA World Cup. Other than choosing the 12 that will represent the country, the biggest question now is, should coach Chot consider Calvin Abueva?

Calvin Abueva was left out of the pool due to his several absences. Of course, we know that those absences was due to his family problems. But, knowing that practices are only few for the National Team, every practice that he missed was vital.

So, should he consider Calvin? Let us check each side.

No. Look at the depth at the wing. We have scorers and defenders there. And those guys are much longer than Calvin. And knowing that coach Chot will implement dribble-drive, the shooting and length could be more important.

Yes. Nobody can rive up the crowd, the way Abueva can. In International competition, the crowd is very important in pushing the team pass anything. Abueva is also the one who can energize his teammates.

He is the player that represents the favorite brand of Philippine basketball. Hustle and physicality. 

Let us not forget about his rebounding. Having an elite rebounder in the SF position could be a game-changer. You can even put him at the SG position and strengthen the line-up. 

At the end, the decision will be on coach Chot. No matter what he chooses, let us bring our all out support for Gilas.