What's up people. Last October 3, 2012, Barako Bull messed up with Air21's revamped lineup while the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters continued with their winning ways against the Petron Blaze Boosters.
But how did the rookies fare?
Just like what I did in the first game of the 2012-13 PBA season, I am going to comment on how the newbies played. From the projected nine rookies to open up the season, only six of these newbies played as Barako Bull opted to sit Lester Alvarez, Emman Monfort, and Woody Co out. As I mentioned in the 2012 PBA Draft, these guys are going to be important for the Energy Colas especially the point guards. However, with the additions of Roger Yap and Josh Urbiztondo to back up Celino Cruz, they were upstaged.
I want to say that there were three players that played better than the others just like what we saw in the Ginebra versus GlobalPort opener but in this playdate, I'll reserve my positives on one person.
Game starts now.
THE BEST:
JUNMAR FAJARDO / PETRON
I saw Fajardo pull down Jervy Cruz with his left hand and Ryan Arana on the other. This means the rookie is not afraid to mix things up. I think Fajardo would have had a double-double if he wasn't 2-of-7 from the field. Kraken finished with 9 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks and I think this is the best rookie debut for this season... as of this moment. One stat you need to check here is that from his 12 rebounds, 7 of them came from the offensive end. This means that he can use his height ably especially if he'll play 38 minutes every time. One thing he needs to have in his next game though is help on the inside. Olsen Racela used an offensive set where four Petron players will be on the outside which leaves Fajardo fending off ROS' group rebounding by his lonesome. Seeing him get hit and bounce like a pingpong ball was rough on the eyes.
THE SO-SO:
ALEX MALLARI / PETRON
With the absence of Marcio Lassiter and banking on a strong preseason, I had high hopes that Alex Mallari would deliver like what Chris Ellis, Keith Jensen, and AJ Mandani did in the opener. Unfortunately he failed to move Petron to the right direction. It was evident that he was jittery in his first game and was fazed by the Rain or Shine rough housing. He'll probably seek redemption in his next game but until then, his 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 16 minutes will stand as his stat.
YOUSIF TAHA / AIR21
In some ways, Yousif Taha did well for the souped up Air21 Express team. Air21's top pick played 16 minutes and finished the game with 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. Although he also had three turnovers, this was what Franz Pumaren expected from this Mapuan big. He was never meant to do well though, as Nonoy Baclao stole the show for Air21 by scoring a career-high 18 points to go with his 4 rebounds.
SIMON ATKINS / AIR21
Now come on. Tell me that his insertion to the ballclub doesn't scream "nepotism". As the first third round pick to play in the PBA after the 2004 Draft, Atkins actually gave a good account of himself. While he missed all of his three attempts, he had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 16 minutes. More than that, Pumaren trusted Atkins to lead his squad in crunch time. This debut is not bad of a debut and it leads us to see more of Atkins in the future.
DAVE MARCELO / BARAKO BULL
Barako Bull beefed up its frontline in the preseason with the entries of Sean Anthony and Enrico Villanueva and even with the absence of Danny Seigle, Dave Marcelo could only suit up for seven minutes because of the stellar plays of Doug Kramer, Leo Najorda, and Mick Pennisi. The San Beda Lion still managed to cook up 2 made free throws and 2 defensive rebounds.
CHRIS TIU / RAIN OR SHINE
It was unfortunate for Chris Tiu to blow up his hamstring that should send him for less than a month of recuperation. What sucks though is that Rain or Shine. I don't mean this in the wrong way but with Chris Tiu trying to replace the void left by Paul Lee and Ronjay Buenafe, Gabe Norwood, Jeff Chan, and the rest of the Construction Supply boys did well without him. This means Tiu must return to the Elasto Painters twice his value as especially with the return of Paul Lee in their lineup. In his PBA debut, Tiu racked up 2 points and 2 assists in 6 minutes of action.
There are four teams left and while Calvin Abueva will still be unavailable, let's check out how Aldrech Ramos, Cliff Hodge, Kelly Nabong, Raphy Reyes, Jewel Ponferada, and Jaypee Belencion will fare in their debuts.
Game over.
Source:
http://www.sydrified.org/2012/10/2012-13-pba-rookie-debuts-kraken.html
