Air21: Searching for the right mix
All teams in professional sports continuously search for ways to improve. Some opt to beef up via the rookie draft, others seek trades to fill “weak” positions on their roster, but most teams try both routes. Free agent pick-ups are also an option. In two of the three conferences in a PBA season, a team can recruit a gem of an import who can perhaps score thirty points a game and grab fifteen rebounds, but the local players are still the usual gauge as to how far any team can go.
In the current PBA season, the Air21 Express are a good specimen to examine the different methods of strengthening a roster, which clearly does not mean trying to get all the best players around or stocking up high-quality, and probably expensive, players at every position “just to be sure”. In the Philippine Cup, Air 21 finished eighth out of ten teams. It won only five out of fourteen elimination round games, and lost to eventual champion Talk ‘N Text in one game in the quarterfinals, to get eliminated.
Consisting of a generally young, inexperienced lineup, Coach Franz Pumaren had to rely on Renren Ritualo, Wynne Arboleda, and Bitoy Omolon, for veteran leadership. Newly acquired Niño Canaleta had the chance to be the main man, but seemed to be adjusting. The lone frontline pickup from the rookie draft, big man Yousef Taha, was scarcely used, and was traded in November 2012 for lead guard Mike “Cool Cat” Cortez. Nonoy Baclao, the number one pick in the 2010 draft, should have been the primary big, but for some reason, he was ineffective. James Sena, an All-Rookie team awardee in the previous season and a fighter inside, always found himself battling bigger frontliners. Mark Isip was brilliant at times with his accurate jumper, but his numbers remained inconsistent largely due to a lack of set-ups. Others in the lineup included John Wilson, Eric Salamat, rookie guard Simon Atkins, Ogie Menor, Bonbon Custodio, Rob Reyes, and Pong Escobal.
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The arrival of Cortez in the middle of the Philippine Cup breathed some life into the lineup, as he made an immediate impact, winning Best Player of the Game honors immediately in his first game with the Express. He provided a consistent weapon at the point, someone who could hit outside shots, drive to the basket, pass the ball to the right man in the right position, and most importantly, accept the challenge of delivering in crunch time. However, it was clear that he and the rest of the team were still adjusting to each other and, while he led them to the playoffs, they were one and done.
Come the second conference, the Commissioner’s Cup, the local lineup was intact, and they added hulking Michael Dunigan, an import who proved to be strong and steady, young but willing to learn, and who had several monster games. Dunigan made such a huge impact that word got around of the Gilas Pilipinas program considering him as a naturalized player to compete for the Philippines, the way Marcus Douthit does nowadays. The problem, though, was the lack of consistent help from the rest of the team. There were games when Canaleta would explode, or when Cortez would be in drive and dish mode, setting up his teammates and also making timely incursions. Even Arboleda had some hot-shooting games. Too bad banger Rob Reyes went down with a knee injury and was lost for the tournament, further weakening an already suspect frontline.
Air21 made some early noise, even going on a winning streak. However, the team lost steam and started slipping. It managed to stumble into the quarterfinals in the same position it had taken in the First Conference, eighth spot, again with the difficult task of unseating the top seed, this time the eventual champion Alaska Aces. Air21 fought hard but lost a close one and was again sent packing.
Come the start of the ongoing Governors’ Cup, Air21 brought back import Zach Graham, who led the league in scoring in last season’s Third Conference, and was expected do duplicate that feat. The Express had traded Wilson and Baclao to Meralco, and acquired rookie Vic Manuel and veteran Carlo Sharma to add some frontcourt depth. The lineup was transforming. Opening day, however, saw the Express lose badly. An early win against San Mig Coffee brought renewed hope, but then came a four-game losing streak by an average of more than fifteen points a game, and Coach Franz Pumaren was desperately looking for help on both ends of the floor. Graham, who oftentimes had to carry the offensive burden, was checked by opponents and saw his scoring average plummet. Only Canaleta was scoring consistently among the locals.
Just as Air21 had a nine-day break in its schedule, it pulled off a couple of trades that changed the makeup of its roster. One of the best big men the league has ever seen, Asi Taulava, whose rights belonged to Meralco, had not played in the PBA all season due to contract issues (but was coming off an MVP stint in the ABL), was seeking a move and, finally, Meralco agreed to trade its rights over him to Air21, in exchange for Cortez. To get quality, a team has to give up quality, and Cortez was the player Meralco wanted to bolster its back court. Included in the deal were Meralco’s Mark Borboran going over to the Express, and Air 21’s Sena moving to the Bolts. Air 21 finally had a big man it could rely upon as a constant threat on both ends. The team immediately named Asi its Captain. Losing Cortez, though, was tough, so it immediately addressed its need for guard help by trading steady big Isip to Petron for the man they call The Ninja, seldom-used Joseph Yeo. Air 21 also picked up free agent Mike Burtscher.
In such a short conference, Air21 only had three elimination round games left, but if those three games with a revamped lineup are any indication of what to expect in the team’s future, then things are surely looking up for the Express. In only his first game with his new team, Taulava’s impact was immediately felt. He put up solid numbers (7 points, 9 rebounds), but his presence inside helped the Express beat Talk ‘N Text. Canaleta was spectacular, Borboran helped out, and Manuel, who had a very good conference, also produced. Yeo had limited minutes as he had just come on board.
Against Meralco, Air21 hung around, kept the game close into the fourth quarter, but lost out to the Bolts by nine points. There was a marked difference in the Air 21 execution, a higher level of teamwork, and an increased amount of energy in battling for possession. Yes, Air 21 lost, but Asi had monster numbers (14 points, 19 rebound, 3 assists), a sign of things to come. Canaleta and Graham produced again, while Yeo had 9 points and 4 rebounds. Six players scored 9 points or more for the Express.
On 22 September 2013, fighting for its tournament life, the Express, in their third game with the new players, defeated the Alaska Aces convincingly, 121-107, as six players scored in double digits, led by Graham with 27 points (plus 10 rebounds and 6 assists), 22 from Atkins (the Best Player of the Game, perfect shooting from the field with 6 three-pointers), and 21 points and 7 assists from Yeo. Taulava had 7 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Yeo was relentless from the start, attacking the basket and making his defender work, and served as main playmaker. Atkins, who started all three games since Cortez’s departure, played his best game as a pro.
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Air21 won two of its last three games in the elimination round with its reshuffled lineup. Alas, due to the result of the TNT-Ginebra game that followed the Express’ triumph over Alaska, Air21 was eliminated with only three wins in nine outings. Many wished the trades had come sooner! Air21’s wins came against three of the usual top-notch teams, Alaska, TNT, and San Mig Coffee, and the last two with the new guys on board. The confident, sure-handed manner in which the team beat Alaska surely teased the imagination of Air 21 fans, who no doubt are eagerly anticipating how well the current core players, with perhaps even more additions during the offseason, can create problems for opponents come the 39th Season of the PBA.
Yeo, who hardly got to play at Petron, has been given the green light to handle the ball and do what he does best, which is to beat defenders off the dribble, drive to the hoop, kick out to shooters or drop passes to waiting teammates, and run in transition. Defenders must also respect his outside shot. Taulava, at forty years of age, is still effective because of his size, his strength, and his veteran smarts and overall leadership. I and my partner, Dominic Uy, interviewed Atkins, the Best Player versus Alaska, and he commended Taulava for encouraging him to just keep playing and to keep shooting, which showed the high respect Atkins has for the “newcomer” and emphasized that Asi brings much more than basketball skills to the team.
What a change Air21 has gone through in its two years of existence. The team started out as the Shopinas Clickers last season with a rag-tag lineup that almost never competed. It came into this season with some added veteran players, yet still struggled to compete, even with its quality imports. Slowly though, the team has transformed itself into a nice combination of old and new, of big and small, of stars and role players, who now ride into this offseason carrying with them lots of hope. They drafted, they traded, and they traded some more. They now are looking at an offseason of possibilities, of opportunities to continue what already started to develop in its last three games of this season.
You can follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieC.
