All-Time Draft’s Best Bargains and Steals

Teams make a steal out of a draft when they get a player who was not thought of highly in the draft but eventually makes a solid contribution to the team or someone who slips down because of questions arising from his rawness, perceived lack of position in the pros, and others simply because teams drafting ahead have exercised a need. I have compiled a list of players who belongs to this category. Please check it out below:

Bal David – Pinoy basketball fans in the late 90s remember Ginebra’s Mutt and Jeff combo of Marlou Aquino and Bal David. They were an exciting pair who propped up Ginebra’s renaissance late in the decade. While Aquino was the 1996 PBA Draft’s top pick, David was a rookie free agent acquisition from the amateur ranks. He toiled in the PBL when Swift left him unsigned after getting picked fifth in the third round (21st overall) of the 1995 PBA Draft. He immediately proved he was ready for the pro game, and his energy on the court revitalized the whole Ginebra team in the years to come.

Jun Marzan (25th overall, fourth round 1994 PBA Draft) – Marzan was not your typical player. He was known as a role player, capable of putting the handcuffs on opposing team’s best offensive threats and he was good at them, earning several all-defensive team mentions. He could also contribute on the offensive end but it is on defense and on shackling opponents which has been his trademark in the pros. In his solid 11-year pro career with San Miguel and Shell, he averaged only 3.8ppg in 386 games but former Shell coaches knew he was as valuable to the team as their superstars. In the 1994 PBA draft, Marzan was not as highly regarded as he was during his stint in the pros. He was picked second to the last, right before FEU’s Arnold Padaong.

Larry Fonacier – he was still recovering from an ACL injury prior to the draft. He did not attend pre-draft camps. Nobody knew if he was ready for the pro league. Seven teams (including Red Bull at number 9) passed up on him until Red Bull plucked him with the fifth pick in the second round, 14th overall, of the 2005 PBA Draft. He did not disappoint the team and would eventually win the ROY award at season’s end.

Jimmy Alapag – so how can a first pick be considered a steal? Well, I guess, if he slips so far out in the draft and nine teams passed up on you, you’ll be considered a draft steal. People remember Jimmy Alapag as the smallish Fil-am guard who tried out for a spot on the RP national team in 2004 (he did not make the cut). With big men teeming in a very deep draft and with teams unsure if he can overcome his lack of size and experience in RP brand of play, he slipped all the way down to the bottom of the first round (10th overall) of the 2003 PBA Draft to the waiting hands of the Talk N Text Phonepals. The pick wasn’t even originally from the Phonepals. Talk N Text made a deal with Alaska to obtain the draft rights in exchange for swingman Don Camaso. That was a steal.

Enrico Villanueva - After all the fuss about Villanueva being amateur basketball’s next great player, he fared poorly in the pre-draft camp getting beat by an undersized Fil-am prospect by the name of Harvey Carey. Carey took Villanueva's spot on the draft - fourth overall after the consensus top 3 of Mike Cortez, Rommel Adducul and Eddie Laure. Villanueva, on the other hand, fell all the way down to seventh spot where Red Bull gladly welcomed him in. In just two short years with the Barakos, he became the face of the franchise, winning the Most Improved Player plum in 2004 and Best Player of the Conference in 2005, and a spot on the Mythical team.

Other draft bargains were:

Ronald Tubid (16th overall, second round 2003 PBA Draft)
Jeffrey Cariaso (6th overall, first round 1995 PBA Draft)
Carlo Sharma (12th overall, second round 2004 PBA Draft)
Renren Ritualo (8th overall, first round 2002 PBA Draft)
Celino Cruz (19th overall, third round 2002 PBA Draft)
Rodericko Racela (10th overall, second round 1993 PBA Draft)
Freddie Abuda (13th overall, second round 1993 PBA Draft)
Bonel Balingit (14th overall, second round 1993 PBA Draft)
Renato Agustin (12th overall, second round 1989 PBA Draft)
Leo Austria (11th overall, fifth round 1985 PBA Draft)