Sports5 Sports5's Five on Five: What can we expect from the PBA's 41st season?

Hello sports fans! We’re launching a new column on sports5.ph called Sports5’s 5 on 5, where each week we ask five sports5.ph writers  - Chuck Araneta, Charlie Cuna, Carlo Pamintuan, Jutt Sulit, and Noel Zarate -  five burning questions about a certain sports topic. For our inaugural piece, we asked our experts five questions about the coming 41^st season of the PBA. Here’s what they had to say:

1. Outside of the usual suspects, which team is primed to make the big leap this season? Chuck: I’m crazy enough to believe that Globalport has what it takes to make it to the Semis. I’m dead serious. There’s too many stars in the backcourt, and their frontcourt scoring is all but non-existent.  But Terrence Romeo is going to be a supernova this coming conference. His confidence is sky-high, and together with Stanley Pringle they’re going to be the most difficult backcourt in the league to contain. Forget about defense, this is a Pido Jarencio squad!
   Charlie: If you mean SMB, TNT, Star, ROS and Alaska when you say “usual suspects”, then it would have to be Ginebra. A sure Hall of Famer as coach, a solid lineup with height and backcourt smarts, and a rookie who could contend for ROY (Thompson) make for a team primed to move up in a big way. It might be the time for the Barangay to make some noise again.
   Carlo: A lot of people are sleeping on Alaska. Their team is intact and they made it to the finals twice last season. The Aces were an Arwind Santos three point shot away from winning it all in the Philippine Cup. Aside from that, they'll have a more confident and more disciplined Calvin Abueva. Alex Compton has proven that he has what it takes to compete with any coach in the PBA so they'll be a threat to the favorites.
   Jutt: Ginebra. It has to be them, right? They've had the tools, player-wise. The ridiculously abundant coaching changes had to mean that the problem was with the coaches, right? Well, now you have the best coach in the country. They've run out of excuses already. If Ginebra doesn't make that big leap with Coach Tim Cone, I don't know what else is missing.
   Noel: GlobalPort. They may not have the physical tools to compete with the known elite in the league, but their showing last season—especially in the Governors Cup—makes them primed for a major uprising this season. Terrence Romeo has now blossomed into a bonafide superstar in only his third year in the league and I feel we haven’t even seen the true game of Stanley Pringle. Roi Sumang may prove the doubters wrong instantly, and with the acquisition of quality veterans like Jay Washington and Rico Maierhofer, Batang Pier is just one legit big man away from a breakthrough. To be honest, I’m a big fan of the coaching styles of Pido Jarencio and Eric Gonzales. It’s what I look at as “brotherhood style” coaching and it might just be the catalyst for GlobalPort’s emergence this season.
   
2. True or false: Ginebra is a legitimate title contender. Chuck: There’s too much talent here not to lump Ginebra with San Miguel Beer and Talk N’ Text. Don’t expect them to look like world beaters right away, they’re going to be learning how to run a notoriously tricky system to figure out. But Coach Tim Cone will find a way to whip these guys into shape and unleash their true potential.
   Charlie: I’ll say “False” for now, since I recently spoke to Mrs. Cone, and she cautioned everyone to be patient as her husband whips up something worth tasting. A conservative approach in this situation would best be observed.
   Carlo: Any team that has Tim Cone coaching them is always a threat to contend for a title. Moreso when his team is as loaded as Ginebra. They have the tools to compete against any team but it will take time before they completely get the system.
   Jutt: True. I think any team that has Coach Tim at the helm is a legitimate title contender. Especially when you give him a little bit of control over the pieces he needs. He wanted Joe Devance, they got him Joe. Winningest coach in the land. That says everything.
   Noel: True. They always have been, and I don’t believe their short comings over the past few seasons is due to lack of talent. If anyone can enhance the God-given talents of its personnel it’s Tim Cone. Joe Devance is a huge addition to the already potent roster. The presence of rookies Aljon Mariano and Dennice Villamor should force the seemingly lackluster veterans (they know who they are) to rekindle the fire that made them want to become professional basketball players in the first place. Sol Mercado now has one fiull offseason with the Kings and I believe it will be this season that the proverbial torch will finally be passed from the aging “Fast and the Furious” combo to the likes of Mariano, Villamor and Scottie Thompson—when he suits up. I haven’t even mentioned the four former Ateneo players and what impact they will bring under Cone in this new system.
   
3. Which Gilas “rookie” is most likely to benefit the most from the FIBA Asia experience and turn in a career year: Calvin Abueva, Terrence Romeo, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser or JC Intal? Chuck: Terrence Romeo. No one knows if Alex Compton will be playing Abueva enough minutes to make a bigger impact on the PBA than he already is. Rosser is going to be scrapping for minutes against a loaded Talk N’ Text roster, and we’ve seen JC Intal in the PBA too long to still be expecting him to make the leap. Globalport Head Coach Pido Jarencio will give Romeo the ball, clear the floor and let him do his thing. And with this surge of confidence coming from being the underground star of Gilas, Romeo’s going to insert himself into every Best Player of the Conference talk this season.
   Charlie: Abueva found out that his talents are world-class (or Asian-class, if that’s the way to say it). We aren’t talking just about his hustle and rebounding, but his scoring as well. Hopefully, and most probably, he also learned some discipline as far as pacing himself, picking his spots, and playing within a structure, which will only benefit him. If Coach Alex Compton “releases” him, he may dominate in a way he hasn’t before. Scary!
   Carlo: Terrence Romeo will benefit the most. Not only is he more confident, he also had two months as the understudy of Jayson Castro. Romeo was like a sponge during those two months, listening to all Castro and Jimmy Alapag had to say. Expect a more cerebral Romeo this conference.
   Jutt: This has to go down to either Terrence or JC. But I think I'll have to go with Terrence. Romeo was last season's scoring champion. Questioning his ability to put the ball into the hoop would be questioning the the shape of the earth. It has long been settled. With Gilas, I think he learned how to play strictly within a system and how to trust in his teammates. Remember when Sol Mercado led the league in points and assists in one conference? I wouldn't be surprised to see Terrence have that kind of a year.
   Noel: JC Intal. Ever since he first set foot on a basketball court, he was always groomed to be a star. He experienced that to a certain degree with Ateneo in college and now that he is the only legit go-to-guy in Barako Bull—coupled with the Gilas process—Intal is going to have a breakout year. Whether or not coach Koy Banal buys into this concept is a different story, but Intal is just waiting to explode.
   
4. Any coach on the hot seat? Chuck: I would say that Coach Leo Isaac is on the hot seat if the Blackwater Elite showed any interest in the actual process of winning games. However that’s not always the case.
   For this season, I think NLEX’s Boyet Fernandez’s butt is going to be steaming the entire time. NLEX sneakily has a very good mix of shooters (Kevin Alas, Jonas Villanueva) and big men (Asi Taulava). For this team, a consistent Semis slot would be a conservative goal. They should be able to easily make the quarterfinals, and once they make it, it’s on Fernandez to find a way for NLEX to finally break through. There’s too much talent on this roster to not make any progress this season.
   Charlie: It’s funny but the coach who seems to be most secure is Manny Pacquiao. Most are under scrutiny, but the most scrutinized will probably be either Boyet Fernandez or Leo Isaac. There has to be a marked improvement in overall play for both their teams, NLEX and Blackwater, respectively, for them to rest secure. The improvement may not necessarily be gauged in number of wins, but in game-to-game execution and attitude. Being competitive in every game should be the goal.
   Carlo: Coaching is always tough to predict in the PBA but I don't think any of the current coaches are at risk of losing their jobs.
   Jutt: Definitely Coach Jason Webb. All you have to know is that he took over the head coaching job left by Coach Tim Cone. It's difficult enough to take over the job of a coach who won one championship. But 18? Plus a grand slam with that same team you're taking over of? Yowza! Coach Jason will surely be under the scrutinous eyes of the critics.
   Noel: Jason Webb. It’s been barely three years since the Parañaque councilor migrated from the broadcast booth to the bench and now suddenly he’s the boss at Star. Like Luigi Trillo before him, Jason will undergo a certain rite of passage. Luckily for him, Joe Devance is the only key component of the four-peat that has departed and perhaps one of the most important elements in that championship romp will be back, and in full strength: Ian Sangalang. Jason will be tested immediately on opening day. And while I don’t see him losing his job any time soon, he will definitely be under the microscope. He’s attempting to fill to very, very big shoes: Tim Cone’s and Freddie Webb’s. No pressure, he’ll just do his job.
   
5. Quick: give me your top three teams ranked according to strength.

            Chuck: SMB, Talk ‘N Text, Ginebra
            Charlie: Talk ‘N Text, SMB, Alaska
            Carlo: SMB, Talk ‘N Text, Ginebra
            Jutt: SMB, Talk ‘N Text, Ginebra
            Noel: SMB, Talk ‘N Text, Rain or Shine