2019 Com. Cup Power Ranking 1.0: An NBA-Caliber Carrier

(c) PBA Media Bureau

After the first week of the 2019 Commissioner's Cup, the standings that we have is not as expected. Blackwater is currently at the top, going undefeated in three games. Even North Port and TNT are undefeated with two wins each.

Should you expect those three teams to be the top three in our ranking too?

Let us see.

#12 Columbian Dyip
For the Dyip franchise, the performance of their import is the most important. In two games, Kyle Barone totaled 47 points, 30 rebounds and 8 assists. Unfortunately, his presence may not be enough to overcome their talent disadvantage.


#11 NLEX Road Warriors
The Road Warriors are having some internal issues regarding their import. After an average first game, Curtis Washington was sent home and NLEX even played All-Filipino against North Port. Tony Mitchell is rumored to be on his way but with two losses now, there is no time for him to play around.

#10 Alaska Aces
There is something wrong about the Alaska Aces. Chris Daniels is not a bad import as shown by his 23 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks per game production, but I feel like they need more. Maybe, it is about the local players' inconsistency. Just look at Chris Banchero who recorded a single assist in the two games that he played.

#9 Meralco Bolts
Without Raymond Almazan in their first three games, Gani Lawal was forced to play full-time center. He was not comfortable at both ends of the court. The bigger issue is his defense, especially in protecting the rim. Which basically means, Almazan will be the key on maximizing Gani.

#8 Phoenix Fuel Masters
Rob Dozier will try to lead the Fuel Masters into another semifinals appearance. One crucial improvement that they can show in this conference is the efficiency of their two stars, Matthew Wright and Calvin Abueva. Both guys shot worse than 37% last conference.

#7 Blackwater Elite
I do not think I have ranked the Elite this high in the past, in my very first ranking in a conference. Of course, the biggest reason for this high ranking is the presence of Bobby Ray Parks. Parks averaged 23.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 37% 3FG per game. It seems like his presence with Alex Stephenson have given consistency to Allein Maliksi, Mac Belo and Michael DiGregorio. All of them are averaging more than 13 points per game.

#6 North Port Batang Pier
No Stanley Pringle, no problem for North Port. Winning those two games without their star guard is a good indication that his supporting cast could be underrated. That was even magnified by the fact that Prince Ibeh, their import, is not much of a scorer. Thus, Sean Anthony, Robert Bollick and Moala Tautuaa, were tasked to carry the scoring load and they did. With size in their frontline and superb guard play, Batang Pier has a reasonable chance to reach the semifinals.

#5 Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
The reunion of Denzel Bowles and James Yap in the Elasto Painters franchise will happen this conference. Overall, I am not that high with Bowles but maybe, he is in much better shape. The good thing about the Painters is their depth. With Almazan out, I expect Norbert Torres to gain more consistent minutes. If he sustains his improvements, he could be the key to another crown for the Painters.

#4 Magnolia Hotshots
The return of Marc Pingris will be the key storyline to watch for the Hotshots. If he is still an above average multi-positional defender, the Hotshots will have a better rotation. He will give more breathing room to Ian Sangalang on defense which should give more energy to Ian on offense.

#3 Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel
If you watched the game last night, you should have observed that coach Richard Del Rosario was calling the shots. In short, coach Tim Cone was not happy with the way Ginebra was playing. Even with Justin Brownlee, Ginebra is still attempting the least amount of three-pointers. They continue to defy statistics but until how long?

#2 TNT Ka Tropa
Terrence Jones is legit. In their blowout victories against Alaska and NLEX, Terrence averaged 42 points, 18 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2 blocks, 51% FG and 40% 3FG per game. Of course, he will not be able to sustain that, right? His playing style is an amazing fit for the trigger-happy TNT. If Ws keep piling up, the chemistry of the team should continue to improve, magnifying their plays.

#1 San Miguel Beermen
San Miguel is so loaded that I think I will still put them as the favorite even if they play All-Filipino. The championship in the Philippine Cup should bolster their chemistry and comfort with their roles. As long as they do not self-destruct, everything should be fine.