Should Paul Lee go to Spain?
Twelve players won our hearts competing at the FIBA Asia Championships that happened throughout eleven days in August of 2013 at the Mall of Asia Arena. They won the silver medal, not the gold, but in doing so, they clinched for the Philippines a slot in the FIBA World Cup that will be held in Spain in just a few weeks, something that had not been done in forty years. Gilas Pilipinas is our pambansang koponan (national team) for basketball, and it has been getting ready for a couple of months and will soon enter into final preparations for Spain.
Coach Chot Reyes, however, did not limit participation in the FIBA World Cup preparations to the original twelve players who struck silver last year. While they are all still part of the training pool, others were included in order to perhaps even come up with a better team. The clamor for many, including some of those selected into the pool (e.g., Marcio Lassiter and Greg Slaughter, who decided not to participate), was to retain the original twelve men since they were the ones who made the Philippines qualify to travel to Spain anyway. The inclusion of others, such as Beau Belga, Jay Washington, Jared Dillinger, and Paul Lee, though, shows that changes could be possible, if not inevitable.
The biggest change that will take place is the replacement of naturalized player Marcus Douthit with recently-naturalized NBA forward Andray Blatche. Douthit has served Gilas for several years and has been instrumental in the journey to the World Cup, but he has been hampered by injuries, age, and the huge competition along the way, which prompted the move to bring in Blatche. We will see how this works out as Gilas leaves to train abroad in the next few days, with Blatche joining them.
The Philippines has a million and one basketball “experts” and probably each has expressed his preferences for the “final twelve”. Certain names have come up as “underachievers” or “disappointments” who should probably be replaced, while some possible new insertions into the lineup have been called “better fits.” Ultimately, Coach Chot’s decision will be even more difficult than in the past and, no matter which twelve he puts in, there will always be doubters and those who will disagree.
Making a strong case for inclusion perhaps more than anyone else, though, is Rain or Shine guard Paul Lee. Not only has he faithfully been attending training sessions since he joyfully accepted his inclusion in the training pool, he also showed stellar play throughout this last PBA season, mixing moves that bamboozled opponents with court smarts that left fans shaking their heads in amazement. For Lee, both the willingness to be on the team, and the ability and skills to make a contribution, are there. Lee, with his trademark angas (cockiness), which, for him, is equivalent to confidence, has the ability to shoot from anywhere, drive to the basket, absorb contact, and, when needed, step up for a crucial play. These abilities of his are unquestioned. But, are they enough to include him in the final twelve and, if so, in lieu of which current player?
In recent days, the clamor has indeed grown stronger for Lee’s inclusion in the FIBA World Cup lineup. Gilas participated in the FIBA Asia Cup (formerly known as the Stankovic Cup) held from 11-19 July 2014 in Wuhan, China. While the nine participating nations did not send their most powerful teams and the competition was nowhere near that of the FIBA Asia Championships 2013, Filipino hoops fans still followed Gilas’ journey throughout the short tournament as the team swept its three elimination round games and easily qualified for the quarterfinals atop the standings in Bracket B. The games of Gilas were by no means pretty, as the team struggled with turnovers, bad shooting, and porous defense. Obviously, chemistry was an issue since there were “new” players in the lineup, particularly Lee (playing under the surname “Dalistan”, his mom’s surname), Belga, Washington, Dillinger, and Gilas cadets Kevin Alas and Garvo Lanete, mixed with veterans like Douthit, Ranidel de Ocampo, LA Tenorio, and Gary David.
Throughout each game, it was Lee, the newbie, the back-up point guard to the more heralded and experienced Tenorio, who came in off the bench to provide a spark with aggressive defense and outside sniping. Against Chinese Taipei, he scored eighteen points and dished four assists. Versus Singapore, Lee had ten points, two rebounds and three assists. He scored sixteen against Jordan, in a game that went down the wire, as he teamed up with de Ocampo to lead Gilas to victory. Then, in the quarterfinal knockout game against India, which I had the privilege of calling together with Eric Reyes, Lee stepped up to score fifteen points and hand out three assists in a fearless performance. Eric in fact said it on the air, that he did not expect Lee to be performing the way he was, especially considering that it was Lee’s first time donning the national colors.
Stymied in the semifinal matchup against Iran, Lee had his worst game of the tournament, scoring only four points. The rest of the team did not fare much better as Iran won and relegated Gilas to the bronze-medal game against China. Lee was obviously determined to bounce back after a sub-par game, Gilas played well enough to stay close all throughout, and with the game tight in the last few seconds, Lee saved his best for last. He had not played out of the ordinary, scoring only six points at that point, but when China’s Wang Zirui missed two free throws, China up by two, with seconds to go, Tenorio shoved a pass ahead to Lee who faked a three and drew a foul from Kelanbaike Makan at the buzzer. Three free throws were awarded to Lee, who needed two for overtime, three for the win. Was there ever any doubt? Lee calmly stepped up to the stripe, no rebounders as time was up, and all alone, in the spotlight, with the pro-China crowd heckling him, drilled one, then two, then three free throws, clinching the bronze medal for Gilas. Ang angas naman!
You want to talk about Lee’s confidence? He coolly walked away from the line as the rest of Gilas mobbed him, looked up into the crowd, and gave them “the look” that he loves to give opposing fans after he inflicts pain on their team with his dazzling basketball moves, while showing them the number 7 under the word “Pilipinas” on his jersey.
Lee’s fans want him in the final twelve now more than ever. Even those who were not in his corner before have spoken up and are now open to his inclusion. His outstanding performance in the FIBA Asia Cup was all the more emphasized by the not-so-impressive performances of the other guards on the team. For me, Lee played superbly, plain and simple, and the play of the others simply does not matter. He certainly made a case for his inclusion, but surely, one tournament after an exceptional PBA season is not all Coach Chot is looking for. It would be hard to dislodge anyone from the FIBA Asia Championship 2013 campaign, even if only for sentimental reasons. Lee, though, has impressed. If it is not yet his time, then so be it. Confident as he is, we can expect him to be there one day.
What do you think?
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