2007 PBA Draft Grades

AIR21 EXPRESS


Picks: JC Intal (#4), Doug Kramer (#5), Yousif Aljamal (#8), Marvin Cruz (#14), RJ Masbang (#17)

The Express got the most in the draft in terms of quality and quantity. Drafting Intal and Kramer was a no-brainer considering their need for size and scoring ability. JC Intal would be tasked to fill the shoes of injured guard Gary David. He has nice scoring potential, can shoot from inside and out and is very athletic to boot. Kramer is said to be a poorman's version of Rudy Hatfield. He plays bigger than his 6-4 frame, has a nose for the ball and will not back down from a challenge down low. Still lacking a big man and a backup point guard, the Express did what it was supposed to do, grabbing Yousif Aljamal and Marvin Cruz with their next two selections. Yousif Aljamal was the best available big man left for the Express when their third first round pick came. Aljamal played power forward in college but could make a transition to small forward in the pros. He has a nice perimeter touch and is one of the NCAA's best rebounders at his position. There is a talk that Aljamal may be headed to Talk N Text in a pre-arranged deal. If the deal nets a big man in return it would be another successful offseason for the Express. Reaching Marvin Cruz at #14 was a great move by the Express. They were eyeing a third Atenean Macky Escalona with this pick but the Gin Kings beat them to the draw. Cruz is not a bad alternative. He may even be a better fit for the Express with his gung-ho and energetic plays on the court. RJ Masbang, the last man taken in the two-round draft, is quite a longshot to earn a roster spot.

The Good: Great talents to add to the roster (future trade baits?). Intal, Kramer, Aljamal and Cruz will make the Express more popular among young fans.
The Bad: They still need a center following the Telan trade. They may regret not dipping the hats to JR Quinahan who fell down to the Aces' laps.
Grade: A+



ALASKA ACES


Picks: Ken Bono (#6), JR Quinahan (#7), Ardy Larong (#16)
Ken Bono and JR Quinahan are the new tag-team partners at the slot for the Aces. When everyone was busy drafting guards and swingmen, the Aces swooped in and grabbed two of the best big men in the amateurs in Bono and Quinahan. Bono is a 6-5 wunderkind whose scoring ability has evoked Alvin Patrimonio comparisons. He will likely switch to power forwards in the pros after playing much of his life at center. Quinahan is not known as Baby Shaq for nothing. He is a terror in the lane, using his supreme shotblocking gifts to deter drivers and low post operators from doing their thing on the floor. The Aces would have wanted to add a backup to Mike Cortez at the point guard considering how deep this pool was for point guards but a chance to draft two quality big men wasn't something they can afford to pass up. Ardy Larong was a surprise pick by the Aces at number 16. Larong is a rugged guard who plays like Ryan Araña. He can defend and shoot from the perimeter.

The Good: It's not everyday you have opportunity to add two quality big men in your roster. Aces welcome the new Bruise Brothers of the PBA.
The Bad: They still need a backup point guard to take the heat out of Mike Cortez. It looks like they will still continue to have Dale Singson and Rensy Bajar as backups unless they open the doors to free agents Mark Moreno, Khiel Misa or Daryl Pepito.
Grade: A



BRGY GINEBRA KINGS


Picks: Macky Escalona (#10)
This pick was supposed to go to the Coca-Cola Tigers in the much maligned three-team trade but the Gin Kings elected to exercise their pick now and grab that young backup point guard. The drafting of former Ateneo guard Macky Escalona at number 10 signals the end of the road for Johnny Abarrientos. The 5-11 Escalona is a rugged and heady ballplayer who had a stellar year in his last UAAP and PBL stints. He led both Ateneo and Cebuana Lhuillier to the finals.

The Good: Finally they get a backup for Helterbrand. It may not be long when Escalona takes over the reins.
The Bad: Rudy Hatfield is not coming back, and it looks like Reavis may follow suit. Without two big men, the Gin Kings' frontcourt corps suddenly look ordinary. Ginebra needs Menk to be healthy all year. If not, they're in trouble.
Grade: B+



COCA-COLA TIGERS


Picks: Ronjay Buenafe (#11)
Without a first round pick, the Tigers actually did good, grabbing the most talented player left - Ronjay Buenafe. Buenafe came from a small school but immediately rose to prominence with his strong play in his last PBL campaign. At one point, he led the league in scoring and became one of the focal points on offense and defense by the Burger Kings. He actually reminds Coca-Cola of a player they drafted before - Gary David. The Tigers are quite overloaded at the swing positions but adding a talent like Buenafe would definitely not hurt.

The Good: Buenafe is a very talented player with size, ability to play on both ends of the court, and inside-outside ability.
The Bad: Where does Buenafe fit in? With John Arigo and Will Antonio in the lineup there may be not much room. The Tigers still need several big bodies down low but at number 11, there is no one available.
Grade: B+



PUREFOODS TJ GIANTS


No picks.
The Giants didn't have any pick this year, having traded them to Air21 (in the Jean Marc Pingris and Egay Billones deal a couple of years back) and Red Bull (in the Rommel Adducul for Don Camaso trade a couple of months ago).

The Good: Getting Rommel Adducul and Marc Pingris from those trades are a work of a genius. You can't get any talent closer to those at picks #5 and #15.
The Bad: The Giants could have done a lot better job if they gave their pick last year instead of this year to the Express. Boyet Bautista is turning out to be a wasted pick and could be gone from the roster next year.
Grade: B+



RED BULL BARAKOS


Picks: Jojo Duncil (#15)
With their lone pick in the draft, the Barakos scored again with their low draft pick, grabbing ex-UST stalwart Jojo Duncil. PBA coaches should take cue from coach Yeng Guiao. Always grab the best available talent in the draft and address your needs later. This is a pick they got from Purefoods in the Rommel Adducul-Don Camaso trade. While the drafing of Duncil was a steal in itself, you can't help but think that trading for Rich Alvarez ultimately cost them big man JR Quiñahan. Though it is still too early to assess whether the trade worked for both teams, the way Rich Alvarez has struggled with his game in the pros has inclined me to pick Alaska as the winner of the deal.

The Good: Finding a talented guard like Duncil that deep required a bit of luck and some great thinking. Duncil could follow the footsteps of Fonacier who was also a low second round pick but had a great rookie year.
The Bad: The Barakos needed a big man to offset the loss of Enrico Villanueva last season. Quinahan could have been a Barako if they didn't make a deal for Alvarez last season. Mark Andaya is not a bad alternative but Quinahan would have been a better fit.
Grade: C



SAN MIGUEL BEER


Picks: Samigue Eman (#2), Jonas Villanueva (#9)
Twice in a row, the Beermen were beaten to the draw by Sta. Lucia and Welcoat. Last year, San Miguel had an eye towards Kelly Williams but Sta. Lucia crushed their dreams to the ground. This year, they had the same affection for Joe Devance. Lesson for San Miguel - don't ever publicly show your interest on a player you have not yet drafted. Samigue Eman is a player who can immediately address the Beermen's need for size. Dorian Pena will be out for quite sometime and it is imperative that they get a big body down low. Eman's name is derived from San Miguel and it looks like he was destined to be with the team since birth. Still you can't ignore that he is 6-10 with youth and athleticism to his side. He has a great upside but the Beermen must be willing to wait. They're looking at a 5-year window. Days leading to the draft, draft experts thought that the Beermen would exercise their pick on Fil-Am guard Ryan Reyes but San Miguel didn't like their chances of getting a big man outside of the draft so they had to make a decision that would benefit their team. Jonas Villanueva was a pick for the future. He is the best point guard left after Ryan Reyes. A Villanueva-Tenorio combination at point guard would set the team for years.

The Good: Samigue Eman and Jonas Villanueva are both young talents who have potential to succeed in the pros. The Eman pick is particularly intriguing. Given the proper training, he could be the best big man to come down the pike in years.
The Bad: There are hot talks that Samigue Eman and another player may be peddled to Welcoat in exchange for Joe Devance. And another talk Eman being offered to Air21 for Intal and Kramer. No one's biting so it seems Eman is stuck with the Beermen for now. Did the Beermen made a good draft day decision to select Eman? Only time can tell.
Grade: C



STA. LUCIA REALTY


Picks: Ryan Reyes (#3), Melvin Mamaclay (#13)
The Realtors needed some youth to replace their aging frontcourt and were looking towards the direction of JR Quinahan, Samigue Eman and Ken Bono when the opportunity to draft Ryan Reyes presented itself. Reyes is a talented point guard who can switch easily from point to big guard with ease. He is lights-out from the perimeter and is fearless going to the hole. The Realtors appear to be uncomfortable with Denok Miranda as their lead guard but with Reyes in tow, the team's point guards are expected to be over. The team's decision to draft Mamaclay in the second round continues to puzzle me. He has good size though at small forward (6-5) but I don't think he will have a career in the PBA. The Sta. Lucia brasses must know something about the guy that we don't know. If not, the Realtors will one day regret drafting him over Marvin Cruz and Jojo Duncil.

The Good: Ryan Reyes is the real thing. He will form an explosive tandem with Kelly Williams in transition. He said to be even better than Jimmy Alapag and will be a league superstar someday. If so, everybody please prepare the red carpet for this Cerritos College standout.
The Bad: The Realtors will continue to parade their "young" frontline of Dennis Espino and Marlou Aquino. How long those knees will hold up for both will determine the Realtors' chances of figuring in the title this season.
Grade: B



TALK N TEXT PHONEPALS


No picks.
The Phonepals didn't have a first round pick this year, having traded their draft right to the Express in the Renren Ritualo deal. Good deal for the Phonepals. No one in the draft is in the caliber of Ritualo. The closest is Ronjay Buenafe and Ryan Arana but it remains to be seen if they'll be able to approach Ritualo's level. There are rumors swirling that Air21 draftee Yousif Aljamal would be headed to the Phonepals. If that's the case, the Phonepals score another coup. Aljamal could be the next Vic Pablo.

The Good: The Phonepals won't picking in the first round for the next two years as a result of the trade that got them Yancy de Ocampo. With the Phonepals expected to be among the favorites to win big this season, those picks could be worth garbage.
The Bad: The Phonepals are well-stacked in all positions and will be probably be adding another frontcourt player in Aljamal. There is probably not much minutes to be had for this ex-San Beda standout but he has youth on his side and may use the experience of playing in the Talk N Text for better use.
Grade: B



WELCOAT DRAGONS


Picks: Joe Devance (#1), Ryan Araña (#12)
The Joe Devance pick was popular and the most logical for the Dragons. Among all the big man in the draft, Devance is the most ready to contribute. He has multi-varied offensive game - he can post up, pull a trey, rebound, block shots and do just about everything. San Miguel continues to be very interested in him but the Dragons will be wise enough to keep him on the roster. A Joe Devance, JR Reyes and probably Nic Belasco (reportedly acquired in exchange for Junjun Cabatu) in the frontcourt would be downright devastating. Ryan Araña was highly-coveted in the draft and the Dragons are lucky to have snag him. Araña was the apple of the eyes of Air21 and Alaska but the Dragons were quicker to the draw. Araña will back up Tangkay initially but it will be a matter of time before he take the cudgels as the starting off guard of the team.

The Good: Devance brings his multi-dimensional game to a young Welcoat squad in search of firepower and leadership. Devance can certainly provide some of that, and more. Arana will be better than he was as an amateur player.
The Bad: With Devance in the lineup, JR Reyes could see limited touches which may hamper his continued development as a player. That would be bad considering that Reyes is being pegged as the franchise player. That tag could be given to Devance as days and months go by.
Grade: A+