The PBA’s Top 40: Who should be included?

In 2000, the PBA’s 25th year of existence, the league announced the names of players whom it determined, through a tedious selection process, were the top twenty-five Filipino players that ever played in it.

The committee conceded slots to all players that had been named MVP of the league at least once up to that point, fifteen in all, leaving ten spots up for grabs amongst all the other players that strutted their stuff on a PBA hardcourt. The MVPs were Bogs Adornado (‘75, ‘76, ‘81), Freddie Hubalde (‘77), Sonny Jaworski (‘78), Atoy Co (‘79), Philip Cezar (‘80), Ramon Fernandez (‘82, ‘84, ‘86, ‘88), Abet Guidaben (‘83, ‘87), Ricardo Brown (‘85), Benjie Paras (‘89, ‘99), Allan Caidic (‘90), Alvin Patrimonio (‘91, ‘93, ‘94, ‘97), Ato Agustin (‘92), Vergel Meneses (‘95), Johnny Abarrientos (‘96), and Kenneth Duremdes (‘98).

The reasoning behind the inclusion of all former MVPs in the list seemed to be that, if one was the best player of the league for an entire season and won the MVP award, he should certainly be considered as one of the best of-all time. Back then, I heard some disagreement with the inclusion of two of the former MVPs, namely Agustin, since fans argued that he was only really great for that one season (and still others felt he actually wasn’t, as stated somewhere below), and Duremdes, who, at the time, was the freshest MVP winner (Paras won the last one before the list came out, but he had already won once before, in ’89) and whose career was still taking shape. However, the inclusion of all former MVPs seemed logical to a considerable extent, so that was that.

Honoring ten more fellows with the right to be named alongside the former MVPs though, was surely the tougher task, and would without doubt create more disagreement, start countless debates, and even cause an uproar among PBA fans young and old. The men selected were centers Manny Paner and Jerry Codiñera, swingmen Jojo Lastimosa and Samboy Lim, and guards Francis Arnaiz, Danny Florencio, Bernie Fabiosa, Lim Eng Beng, Hector Calma, and Ronnie Magsanoc. Indeed, to this day, discussions still abound as to who should and should not have been included among them in the twenty-five.

Discussions have been aroused nowadays after the PBA announced that, in commemoration of its 40th year in 2015, it would name its forty greatest players. Purportedly, a selection committee will be formed, consisting of Commissioner Chito Salud and all surviving past Commissioners, and certain PBA and press personalities through the years, including, supposedly, the Living Legend Jaworski. So, of course, as expected, chatter has once again begun, assumptions have arisen, speculations and predictions have been issued, and all the so-called experts are again giving their own take on who should be on the forthcoming list.

To keep things as simple as possible and not stir up more heated arguments than necessary, the twenty-five players named as the greatest in 2000 should be retained on the list, including the non-MVPs. It would be such a great disrespect to the ten non-MVPs in the 25th year list if any of them were to be stricken off, and, the fact is, they were all great in one way or another during their careers. That list has been on record for fourteen years now. We should accept it, let it be, and move on. (Again, even this will stir up some deliberations, I’m sure.) So, with that, only fifteen more names are needed to make a list of forty.

Echoing what was said above, for an easier, less stressful procedure, and lower blood pressure, it would be wise to follow the blueprint for the 25th year, and include immediately all MVP winners.

As such, the fifteen men named above should be joined by ten more fellows who have won since 1999, the year before the first “greatest” list came out, namely, Danny Ildefonso (‘00, ‘01), Willie Miller (‘02, ‘07), Asi Taulava (‘03), Eric Menk (‘05), James Yap (‘06, ‘10), Kelly Williams (’08), Jayjay Helterbrand (’09), Jimmy Alapag (‘11), Mark Caguioa (’12) and Arwind Santos (’13). In case you’re wondering, there was no MVP for 2004, as the PBA’s calendar shifted in that year to span 2004 and 2005, a season where Menk won the award.

At this point, many are already raising eyebrows, if not voices, at some of the ten names in the immediately preceding paragraph. While some might be (I said “might be”!) beyond debate, others are, to put it bluntly, questionable to be named as some of the league’s all-time greatest. But, as I said earlier, we are keeping things simple here. No stress, people! Just accept the “if he was an MVP, he is an all-time great” formula, at least for now.

READ ALSO: The PBA All-star snubs

By 2015, another MVP would have been named for the current 2013-2014 season. Following the earlier method, he should also be included in the list. The problem is, we cannot tell yet who he will be. It might be June Mar Fajardo. Maybe it will be Mark Barroca. Jayson Castro might win it all. It could be anyone. The chances are slim that a former MVP will repeat this season, based on how it is currently going, but Arwind might have something to say about that. We can only wonder. But still, sticking to the plan, the MVP winner this year will also be one of the “forty greatest.”

Based on the foregoing, twenty-five (original 25) plus ten (MVPs since 2000) plus one (2014 MVP winner, even if still unknown) equals thirty-six. It could be thirty-five if the “plus one” is a former MVP winner. That would leave only four or five slots. What are the criteria? Well, statistics are important, but since year-by-year stats are not readily available for all players (at least not in an NBA kind of way), I will rely mostly on my memories of particular players, as I was a PBA fan even as a boy, though I did miss the first few years of the league, being too young to appreciate it.

However, in the first five or six years of the PBA, the dominant players were practically the same bunch, with someone squeezing into the Mythical Team here and there, and that entire bunch was already included in the first list of twenty-five. Not much argument can be posited that anyone else from 1975-1980 should be included. A major factor is longevity, having played well over a fairly long period of time. Championships won? Perhaps, but most players who played long enough won a championship at one time or other. So, who should they be? You all have your choices. Below are mine.

Arnie Tuadles. Some argue that he should have been in the year 2000 top 25. He entered the league in 1979 and his impact was immediately felt. He could shoot from anywhere, quickly establishing himself as a potent weapon on an already powerful Toyota squad. He was named Rookie of the Year and was among the Mythical Five in his first year. In every other team he went (Great Taste, Ginebra, Alaska, Shell), he was a force on the offensive end. He had an accurate medium range shot and his quick finger-roll, just throwing the ball up to the basket on a post-up, cut through the lane or fastbreak, was mimicked by fans, as they leaned-in, almost lying down, saying “Tuadles.” For more than a decade, he proved to be tough to stop, and able to produce. He may not be with us anymore, as he passed away in 1996, but his outstanding PBA career should be duly recognized with a spot in the forty greatest. (ROY, 1-time Mythical 1st team, 1-time Mythical 2nd team)

Nelson Asaytono. “The Bull” was one of the strongest players to play in the PBA, with leaping ability unmatched by many his size. He could overpower most forwards and out-quick any center, had an accurate jumpshot inside the arc, and could shoot stand-still threes from beyond it. First playing for talent-laden Purefoods, he moved to the RFM franchise (Swift/Sunkist/Pop Cola) and in 1992, he was played splendidly, causing many to feel he would be named MVP. Alas, he narrowly lost to Agustin, over much protest. To this day, his fans still think he was robbed of an MVP award that year. His biggest break came when he played for San Miguel, Agustin’s former team, and was its main man, scoring in the high twenties and thirties on a regular basis. He later returned to RFM, and closed his career out with Red Bull. He ranks fifth in scoring in league history. (3-time Mythical 1st team, 4-time Mythical 2nd team)

Olsen Racela. A star in school and in the amateurs, he was a second-round pick in 1993 by Purefoods/Coney Island, where he played as a backup. He found a home with San Miguel in 1997 and did not relinquish his lead guard role there for more than ten years, playing fourteen years for the Beermen, before retiring in the middle of the 2011 season. Through persistence, he outhustled and outworked opponents while headily steering his team’s ship, keeping the many other stars on his team happy with court generalship and leadership both by example and by barking out instructions when necessary. A many-time national team player, he scored when necessary (over 7,000 career points), but did anything it took to get a win. Smart with savvy, he was referred to as a “coach on the floor”. He ranks in the top ten all-time in assists. (2-time Mythical 1st team, 3-time Mythical 2nd team)

Danny Seigle. “Dynamite” Danny S shared frontcourt duties with two-time MVP Danny I (Ildefonso), and together with other long-time teammates like Racela, Dondon Hontiveros, Nic Belasco and Dorian Peña, brought much success for the San Miguel Beermen. Arguably the best player in the league at certain points of his career, he could score almost at will with an array of moves from almost anywhere. A legitimate US NCAA Division I all-conference player, he changed the landscape for tall forwards in the league with his outstanding skills. He was Rookie of the Year in 1999, with a legitimate chance of having won MVP as well, but Paras got more votes to edge him and Menk (a story in itself, but not here). His last years with San Miguel were injury-riddled, and he was later moved to Barako Bull, where he had an injury free season and played well, before signing with Talk ‘N Text where he is now a steady veteran off the bench. He is usually one of the first mentioned when discussing the best players that never won an MVP. He has more than eight thousand career points, and counting. (ROY, 3-time Mythical 1st team, 1-time Mythical 2nd team, 5-time Finals MVP, 2-time Best Player of the Conference)

Many will agree or disagree with some or all of the players above-mentioned, but if any of these players were removed from my list, I think the vacancy should go to any of these other players, who are all-time PBA greats for sure and probably deserve to be named, but unfortunately, there are limited slots to begin with. They are Dindo Pumaren, Yoyoy Villamin, Bong Hawkins, Jeffrey Cariaso, Dennis Espino, Abe King, or Manny Victorino. For all we know, some of these players will already be included next year. Perhaps, by the PBA’s 50th year in 2025, all the gentlemen mentioned here, plus some others, will be recognized.

You can follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieC.