Who is the best player in the PBA, today? The guy that is a candidate to be the Greatest of All Time in the PBA?
Yes, I am talking about Junemar Fajardo.
Remember the draft that he led? Yes, it was 2012 wherein he actually failed to win the Rookie of the Year. In this article, we will look back to that draft by having a re-draft.
You can also call it a power-ranking of the 2012 draftees but to provide more flavor, we will discuss it like a re-draft. I look at the players available like they are still the young and hungry ballers who are entering the PBA. The only difference is, I already saw how the first eight years of their career, turned out.
#1 Petron - June Mar Fajardo
This is easy. It was obvious during the draft that Fajardo will be impactful in the PBA. Although, it was still unbelievable that he is currently on a six-time Most Valuable Player streak.
#2 Alaska - Vic Manuel
Will it be Manuel or Abueva? I think you are not making a mistake, either way. I will go with Manuel for two reasons. He is capable of defending centers and center is currently the position that defines success in the PBA. It is also much easier to build around him than Calvin.
#3 Petron - Calvin Abueva
In the draft, his character issues were a point of discussion already. It was dismissed by a lot of people because of the talent that they saw from him. But last year, we saw it explode and all throughout his career, his issues had been a problem to his teams.
#4 Meralco - Cliff Hodge
Hodge was drafted as the #4 pick in the draft and he will also fall in the same spot in our re-draft. Hodge did not end up as a perennial all-star forward that he was hyped for but the guy has been a consistent source of energy and fine play for the Bolts.
#5 Barako Bull - Jewel Ponferada
A good indication that Ponferada ended up as a steal in the draft because he was drafted at #13 by B-Meg. Jewel kept on improving in his career and last season. He has the size to handle the giants of the league and his non-stop improvement is the reason that he ended up at #5.
#6 Ginebra - Chris Tiu
I am pretty sure you still remember the reaction of the crowd during the draft when the Commissioner said "Chris" during this turn of Ginebra. Unfortunately, it ended up being Chris Ellis. Tiu has retired already but he ended up with a good career that is worth the #6 selection.
#7 Rain or Shine - Alex Mallari
I am a big fan of Alex because of his size and ability to play the point guard position. Unfortunately, his inefficiency and the inconsistent defense did not change that much up to this day. It will be interesting to see though if he ended up with coach Yeng Guiao at the start because his development could have been different.
#8 Ginebra - Chris Ellis
At this pick, the best thing for Ginebra to do is to draft for potential and Ellis is that guy. He may have ended his career prematurely but Chris did show that he is a starting-caliber wing. Unfortunately, the injury bug never let him go.
#9 B-Meg - Aldrech Ramos
Another victim of the injury bug was Aldrech Ramos. There was no question that Aldrech can hit three-pointers and can protect the rim. Unfortunately, he did have a hard time being healthy. Can you imagine if he stayed healthy? He could have changed how the league worked.
#10 Globalport - Kelly Nabong
I know. You hate this guy. But there is no denying that the combination of his physicality, size and three-point shooting made him effective in the league. Up to this point, bigs who are capable of hitting three-pointers and can defend the giants are still good commodities because they are hard to find.
The other guys that I considered with the last pick were Yousef Taha, Dave Marcelo and Paul Zamar.
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