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Constant change: checking in on the picks of the 2012 PBA Draft

The 2012 PBA Draft was above average for sure. There was a lot of talent expected to go early, and then there were many players who potentially would fit certain needs of PBA teams that were expected to be drafted as well.

Petron (now San Miguel Beer again) chose June Mar Fajardo, “The Kraken”, at first, and “The Beast” Calvin Abueva went to Alaska at second. They have both become mainstays of their teams after four conferences in the PBA, putting up impressive stats practically every night. Abueva was the 2013 Rookie of the Year, and Fajardo just won the Player of the Conference award in the recently-concluded Philippine Cup. They have been the cream of their draft crop, no doubt, but, what of the others?

Well, to perhaps understate the matter, there has been more than a little movement among the 2012 draftees. Among the rest of the top ten players picked, only Cliff Hodge (Meralco, 4th), “Air Force” Chris Ellis (Barangay Ginebra, 6th) and Chris Tiu (Rain or Shine, 7th) have stayed put with the teams that drafted them. Third pick Alex Mallari had barely become familiar with his Petron teammates when he was shipped to the San Mig Coffee Mixers. Without question, though, he is happy with his transfer, having already won two (2) championships in back-to-back conferences, and being a strong contributor in both triumphs.

2012 fifth pick Aldrech Ramos played sparingly with San Mig, then was moved to Alaska, where he saw slightly more playing time. He was just traded to his third team, Air 21, for his fellow 2012 draftee (9th), Vic Manuel, called “The Muscleman”, who now goes to the Aces, his fourth team in five conferences. Manuel was drafted by Global Port, then was traded to Meralco, did some banging there, then was shipped to Air 21 where he helped an Asi Taulava-led frontline compete for a little over a conference.

Keith Jensen, who went at eighth to Ginebra, played fairly well, but was packaged in a trade to Barako Energy. Rounding out the top ten in 2012 was Jason Deutchmann (10th), drafted by Global Port. Since then he has gone to Petron, and just prior to the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup, to Barako. He did not hide his feelings about being traded for the second time, asking on Twitter how he could shoot threes if he was always on the bench.

READ ALSO: All-Star Game: Ginebra, San Mig stars lead PBA selection vs Gilas

Confused? Well even we who cover the PBA are sometimes befuddled by the constant movement, such that we need to clarify who is with what team and how he got there prior to broadcasting certain games.

While Manuel is the “champion” among the 2012 first-rounders, going to his fourth team in his fifth conference, the first pick of the 2012 second-round, Yousef Taha, beat him to a fourth team, going from Air 21, which drafted him, to Ginebra, then to Global Port, and to Petron. Four teams in Taha’s first four PBA conferences. He was supposed to return to Global Port before this conference in a trade for rookie big man Justin Chua, but a PBA technicality prevented him from returning to the Batang Pier less than a year after leaving them.

I have yet to ask Yousef how it feels to be involved in so many transactions so early in his career, but surely it can be disheartening and a tad confusing. Only the most “glass is half full” players would look at each successive trade as a new opportunity to blossom.

Of the 2012 second-rounders, only Dave Marcelo (Barako), Lester Alvarez (San Mig reserve player who has gotten little playing time), and Raphy Reyes (Alaska, a deep sub) have not moved to another team. I have not been able to confirm if Woody Co, drafted by Barako, is still on its reserve list. Jewel Ponferada has gone from San Mig to Global, AJ Mandani from Global to Meralco, Emman Monfort from Barako to Ginebra, and Kelly Nabong and Jaypee Belencion from Meralco to Global. Simon Atkins of Air 21 is the only 2012 third-rounder still around, and, by way of exception, has not been traded.

Recently, I wrote about the constant changes around the league, both with regard to players and coaches. It seems teams tend to be quite impatient, refusing to wait for certain situations to warm up, for players to feel their way through and get comfortable. The need to win, and win NOW, is apparently the sole driving force for team management. If one recipe does not work, then surely, a change in ingredients will make the product better. Or will it?

Having been able to watch the 2012 rookie class perform, I can easily say that they all have their strong points. Some are good defenders, others, rebounders. There are those who can shoot, who can pass, and like Fajardo and Abueva, those who can do everything. Others just got caught in difficult situations, stuck in tight lineups or rotations they cannot crack.

Trades have been good for some, since they were able to play more and showcase their skills. For others, the trades have been the same old song, i.e., they sat with one team, and they remained on the bench for the next one/s. Make no mistake, however. The talent is there! In fact, it is precisely the talent that each of these players has that makes them so attractive to other teams, such that they are either at or near the center of certain trades, or a “throw-in” that clinches the deal because of what they can bring.

READ ALSO: Coaching experiments continue for San Miguel Beer and Ginebra

In the NBA, certain players like Jim Jackson and Chucky Brown, who played for twelve and thirteen teams, respectively, in their careers, epitomized the term “journeyman.” They were not bad players at all. In fact, they contributed in practically every stop they had, were not exceptional in any given statistical category, but could help any team to which they went. They were, in the eyes of most NBA General Managers, perfect complementary players, such that they were always a welcome addition in any trade scenario. In short, a team could always use them either in a spot role or, at times, even more.

For the 2012 draftees, Manuel, for instance, has been in the rotation for each of his past three teams, and is expected to be a significant part of Coach Luigi Trillo’s rotation at Alaska as well. Ellis has played regularly for Ginebra, as have Hodge and Mallari for Meralco and San Mig, respectively. For some of them, like Nabong and Jensen, a trade was good since they immediately got more significant time with their newer ballclubs.

The smallest player in the league, Monfort, has played fairly well for both his teams so far, despite battling injuries. For fellows like Ramos, Deutchmann and Taha, however, it has been very difficult to find any rhythm. All have shown glimpses of their talent, but have not landed in the right situation.

The 2012 draftees are still young and, despite a number of them moving from team to team already early in their PBA careers, are still expected to be around for years to come. The impending expansion of the league to accommodate more teams is surely a welcome sign for all these talented players, whose wares may be better shown in yet another team where they may be considered grizzled veterans out to prove themselves.

In the cutthroat world of PBA basketball, where many times players are only as good as their last game, there are only a certain number of player slots available. Some have already found their place and established themselves, while others are on the verge of a breakout. Still others will find themselves as “practice players for life” or, worse, out of a job soon and may have to move on to other endeavors. They just have to keep working. That’s the reality, and reality can be pretty tough.

You can follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieC.