Don't Dark The Spark

I just would like to express my opinion regarding Caguioa’s statements in his radio interview last time. I totally agree with him about his frustrations with the way the two coaches are directing the team. During Ginebra’s game vs Meralco last Friday, Coach Siot did not field in MC during the crucial minutes of the 4th quarter. As expected, Ginebra struggled setting their play. Without MC inside the court, no one aside from Jayjay posed a real threat from the BGK squad. BGK’s offensive options were substantially reduced since nobody can provide them any instant offense during those times they can’t execute their plays.

For me BGK is very lucky to have a player like MC. For a very long time, I haven’t seen any player this dedicated and passionate in winning the game, even up to the point of expressing his displeasure with the way his team is going.

There are some PBA superstars both in the past and present, who after winning several championships or after establishing their careers in the PBA have lost their passion or zeal to give their best for their team. They became contented of not playing heavy minutes or they deliberately loosen up their playing style in order to avoid injuries that will cut short their playing careers. In other words, they are just out there, going through the motions, playing loose basketball without any sincere desire to win, in order to prolong their stay in the PBA. No offense to the Aerial Voyager, but I think even him, during the latter stages of his professional career succumb to such infamous tendency. I remember watching him play as if the game was just a practice game. He was out there, jogging around, no longer hustling and evidently avoiding hard scrambling plays, when you know he still has the ability to play youthful and intense basketball.

But not MC. At this point of his accomplished career where playing easy basketball is a convenient option; when playing limited minutes to avoid any serious injury that would preserve his playing days could well be an enticing reason to just take the back seat and allow the younger players to take the responsibility for the team, he rightfully protests to what it seems to be an improvident rebuilding plans of the management.

Other issues which concern me are the statements made by the two coaches in response to Caguioa’s radio interview which I would also like to comment on:

Coach Jong: “We won two games via escape acts and we were aided by luck,” he told InterAKTV in a telephone interview. “We cannot count on luck all the time and our luck practically ran out during our last two games.

Presumably, this statement was Coach Jong’s response to Caguioa’s assertion when he said “Me and Jayjay playing together was successful in our past two wins, bakit biglang iniba? Nagiging chess match ang rotation, but let the players play.”

I was quite disappointed to hear this from Coach Jong because it is as if he was largely if not totally attributing Ginebra’s two hard-earned wins to mere luck. I agree that Ginebra was quite lucky to have won those two nail-biter games but did Coach Jong realize that without the crucial baskets and plays made by MC and JJ towards the end game, Ginebra won’t even have a chance “to be lucky” in winning those two games in the first place.

Coach Siot: “When I became coach of Ginebra in 2004, these guys, Mark, Jayjay and Eric were already there and they’re the cornerstone of the franchise. Up to now ba kelangan sila pa rin ang bubuhat sa team? I think it’s about time for our young players to step up and to do that, you need to give them exposure.”

“There’s a cycle in basketball and Mark, Jayjay and the other veterans, I’m sure they know that. They were once in the positions of these young guys. When they came to Ginebra, Vergel Meneses and Bal David were the ones playing heavy minutes, but a few years after, sila naman ang pumalit. These young guys that are now with us, ganun din ang gagawin nila sa mga beterano.”

I think Coach Siot’s assessment of the team’s situation is a little bit misplaced. Does it matter if guys like MC, JJ and Eric will still stand as the pillars of the Ginebra team even up to now? I think the important factor to be considered here is not the length of time these three guys served as the “cornerstone of the franchise” but whether these three guys can still fulfill such task they once successfully assumed. With the exception of Eric (primarily because of his ever recurring injury), I think MC and JJ still have in them the talent, capability and most importantly the heart to lead the Ginebra team.

As regards the capacity of their rookies to take the place of the team’s superstars, I think the cycle in basketball Coach Siot is pointing out wherein MC and JJ came to Ginebra to take the place of Meneses and Bal David doesn’t fit squarely with the capabilities of their present young players more specifically in terms of their talent and ability to deliver. I’m not underestimating the playing skills of Labagala, Wilson, Aquino and Cervantes but I think we will all agree that Caguioa as a rookie, in terms of his “inherent talent” and potential is far way better than those four rookies. These rookies did not come from the “cream of the crop” in the rookie drafts, and yet the two coaches try to convince their selves that through proper exposure, these rookies will soon become franchise players. . Put it simply, a car with a built in 120 km/hr speed capacity can run 80 or 100 km/hr, but it can never run faster than its maximum speed capacity or a native rooster cannot be compared to a “Texas Chicken”.

Also, when MC and JJ replaced Meneses and Bal David as the team’s “franchise players”, such transition was already rightfully due since the two former Ginebra superstars were no longer that effective compared to their rookie counterparts who were very effective and were already becoming “rising superstars”. The reverse is true with regard to the present condition of Ginebra. Right now, the rookies of Ginebra are struggling and cannot win games for Ginebra, while MC and JJ and the other veterans are still the ones delivering for the team and giving them the victory. If Coach Siot is deliberately reducing the playing minutes of Caguioa and the other veteran players of Ginebra especially during crucial parts of the game just to give his young players the needed exposure, then you can say “AYAW YATA MANALO NI COACH SIOT!”

To coach Siot, I would say that Caguioa, Helterbrand, Cortez and Tubid are still in their good playing years if not in their best. You have to realize that they’re still the cornerstone of Ginebra and still have what it takes to win a championship for the team. All you have to do is to trust them like the way you believed in them when you won your first championship with Ginebra. Don’t waste their talents and valuable remaining playing years just because of a “false belief of urgency” to rebuild the Ginebra team. In other words, don’t DARK THE SPARK while they still can. There’s nothing wrong in developing the young players of Ginebra, but you have to do it gradually and in the proper manner and time. You should allow the young players to play only what is due to them and what is necessary to develop them into good players in the future. You can achieve this effectively without sacrificing the outcome of your games or even the team’s performance this conference. If MC believes that he can still lead the Ginebra squad at this point in his career, let him prove this! Let alone his performance and what the team will achieve this conference be the yardstick. The greatest mistake you can make as a coach is to prevent your best player from playing. No wonder, I haven’t seen Phil Jackson benched Michael Jordan just to give exposure to Randy Brown.

Source: Forumer sa PH > gi-ne-bra

I totally agree with this! MC is like MJ of BGK... look at his production every game.. even in a limited minutes of play he can deliver good performance in the game, so why should you benched MC? that's the reason why the former MVP willie miller are totally disagree with our coaching staff...

^ mga thunders na kasi mga coaches naten. Napag iiwanan ng mas thunders sa kanila

>san mo napulot yan fasty? anyways..nice read! :D

Mark is Mark, nobody can change that. Though his aging, still he has that passion for basketball and love for the fans.

To the coaches juice nyo!

kapitana wrote:

>san mo napulot yan fasty? anyways..nice read! :D

OT:

may nilagay kaya akong source

Very well said.

Let Caguioa prove his worth.


“How can I help them when I’m sitting on the bench” - Caguioa

pwede din Dont Bench The Spark or "Don't Park the Spark" :naughty:

Nice one! Very well said.

Don’t waste their talents and valuable remaining playing years just because of a “false belief of urgency” to rebuild the Ginebra team. In other words, don’t DARK THE SPARK while they still can. There’s nothing wrong in developing the young players of Ginebra, but you have to do it gradually and in the proper manner and time. You should allow the young players to play only what is due to them and what is necessary to develop them into good players in the future. You can achieve this effectively without sacrificing the outcome of your games or even the team’s performance this conference.

THIS! :10:

That was exactly what I was saying. :happy4: