San Miguel Beer

[howarddeduct]

Ang lalim talaga ng bench, pati import may reliever!

[Agent_mulder]

Nagulat ako iba ang import ng smb kagabi, akala ko pinalitan si freeman due to attitude problem 'yun pala me dahil ina-assess pa ang performance n'ya at noong bagong import. I ain't no smb fan pero madalas ko din napanood ang mga laro ng smb at ni freeman and from what I saw malayo ang klase ng laro n'ya sa laro noong williams na 'di halos napapasahan ng bola at 'di din factor sa rebounding.....

[stonecoldrock]

sana mabasa to ng management ng SMB, Ibalik si Freeman!!!

[tagalupa]

ang tanong dito why fix something that is not broken? i'm happy with freeman already, even though most of the times foul trouble siya but he's effective enough to win them games. and besides they don't need the x factor kung un ang inaalala ng smb, kase ung bench pa lang x factor na (eg bono, custodio, eman).

 

di maganda showing ni williams. unlike freeman when he played his first game, had monstrous game even with jetlag and all..

 

edit: parehas pa kame ng quote nung poster above.. hehe

 

Right! Yun iba team nagpapalit dahil nde impressive ang import tayo naman impressive ang import although kulang cia sa experience pa pero he gave the team 9 wins in 10 games ...Hai...Replacing Freeman is not a very good idea..Nagaalala ata si Siot kasi baka nde cia umubra sa semis kc kulang nga cia sa experiece and lagi cia nasa foul trouble..Well let see..Give him a chance and sana isipin ng management..Si Freeman ang import na nagbigay sa knila ng outright semis....

[dallas316]

wataH!!! bakit pinalitan si FREEMAN!!!!! hays sana hindi pa pinauwe ung tao para incase na hindi pumutok un bagong import ibalik agad si FREEMAN!! kaenes nmn management na yan oh...

[stonecoldrock]

baka naman nagaalala lang si Siot na di umubra ung Coaching nya sa Semis. para kung matalo sila meron masisising iba, ung bagong import at hindi sya

[bizzboll]

nakabalik na pala si cortez, bat wala na naman si jwash at pena??

[carlorista]

I really don't know what's going on with the minds of SMB management.

 

Freeman is the best import in the eliminations, double-double performance in every game he played.

 

He was sick for 4 days now, according to initial reports which means he was sick on his last game against the Barako Bulls, yet he scored 33pts with 21rebs to beefed up his stats.

 

Now comes to the picture is a veteran but not-so-impressive import in Chris Williams, that if he prayed so hard he might steal Freeman's hard-fought semifinal stint.

 

Williams may sunk the winning basket last night, which I thought "a non-call travelling violation", but still Freeman's game is way higher that this alleged veteran.

 

Freeman may be young, erratic sometimes, or maybe too much of everything, but why don't you (SMB) give the person the credits he deserves - that is to play in the playoffs, regardless of age and of experience.

[howarddeduct]

kailangan ibalik si fredie abuda pang depensa kay kobe :thumbsupsmiley:

Panis iyang kobe kay Dondon.

 

Parang pumayat si Pingris ah.

[arnscofield]

sa rebounds p lng ok n c freeman...yung pumalit parang di mk talon...saka we need energetic import like freeman...bata nga pero may ibubuga nman

[Bitoy]

Babalik pa ba this conference si Siegle at Tugade?

[mistergold]

mganda hwag muna bumalik si tugade and siegle masisisra n naman rotation ng tao ung pag dating lang ni cortez and ildefonso nahihirapan na si siot ...hehehehhe

[howarddeduct]

sa rebounds p lng ok n c freeman...yung pumalit parang di mk talon...saka we need energetic import like freeman...bata nga pero may ibubuga nman

Freeman, yeah! Kabataan para sa kinabukasan.

 

Ito ang gusto ko.

[tagalupa]

Siot's dilemma

 

San Miguel Beer is safely in the semifinals of the PBA Fiesta Conference but coach Siot Tanquingcen isn't the type to relax and enjoy the luxury of what could be close to a two-week rest before the Beermen return to action.

 

While eight other teams try to outdo each other in deciding the last two semifinal qualifiers, Tanquingcen will use the break to resolve a big problem -- which import to use in the stretch run, Gabe Freeman or Chris Williams?

 

Freeman, 23, led San Miguel to a 9-2 record, averaging 21.5 points, 16.5 rebounds and 31.2 minutes a game. Actually, the Beermen played their first game in the conference without an import as original pick Nate Carter failed to obtain his release from his previous club in France. San Miguel beat Alaska, 93-89, just the same and that ignited an 8-0 start with Freeman at the helm.

 

 

Freeman's reed-thin frame is another cause for concern. He hasn't faced Ginebra's David Noel or Purefoods' Marquin Chandler or Talk 'N' Text's Rashad Bell and in a seven-game series against any of those quality imports, it's not certain how he'll fare.

 

The upside is Freeman's incredible intensity. He plays with overflowing enthusiasm which rubs off on his teammates. Freeman is young, athletic and indefatigable. But he still has a lot to learn in terms of pacing himself for a 48-minute game.

 

Another thing going for Freeman is his familiarity with the PBA style. He's played 11 games so far and the bottom line says it all -- nine wins, two losses. Freeman and the San Miguel locals are no longer strangers to each other.

 

* * *

 

In contrast, Williams is a veteran with tons of international experience, having played previously in Australia, Germany, South Korea, Turkey and China. He suited up four years for the University of Virginia where his most celebrated teammate was now San Antonio Spurs forward Roger Mason. Virginia plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) where the contenders include North Carolina, Duke and Maryland. Williams learned the ropes in fertile breeding grounds.

 

Williams, 28, was called the "Silent Assassin" by Virginia coach Pete Gillen.

 

"He's not flashy but he helps you win," said Gillen. "Chris is a very good percentage shooter and rebounder and he's a deceptive defensive player. He can block shots, create turnovers and make deflections. He helps you in subtle ways on the defensive end that people don't always see. He is the glue in a lot of ways that holds things together. He is so steady. He's a quiet player and a quiet person. He is not real comfortable talking about himself and not big on talking to the media. Because of that, he is a very underrated player."

 

For his part, Williams said, "My game is unassuming .... if you see the game, you don't notice it but on the stat sheet, you see it's a big game -- that's the way I want it to be -- unassuming." Aside from the "Silent Assassin," Williams' other moniker in school was the "Big Smooth."

 

Williams was recruited by coach Jeff Jones to play for Virginia after averaging 17.5 points and 10 rebounds for Minor high school in Birmingham, Alabama, and leading the varsity to the state 6-A title in 1997-98.

 

But before Williams could play as a freshman at Virginia, Jones was replaced by Gillen. Williams' parents David and Cheryl tried to transfer him to the University of Alabama, where they graduated, and he attempted to renounce his Virginia scholarship but Gillen refused. Williams wound up averaging 16.8 points for the Cavaliers varsity and was named the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1998-99.

 

Throughout Williams' varsity career, he averaged about 15 points and shot over 50 percent from the field, over 35 percent from three-point distance and over 70 percent from the line. Although Virginia never advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs during his four-year stay, Williams proved himself to be a winner in leading Sydney to the Australian league title in 2003 and Frankfurt Opel to the German league crown in 2004.

 

* * *

 

To test Williams, Tanquingcen relegated Freeman to the injured reserve list and activated the former Virginia star for San Miguel's game against Sta. Lucia last Sunday. Williams had flown in the night before, did a shoot-around and joined Tanquingcen in a quick walkthrough.

 

Against the Realtors, Williams started off slowly, as expected, scoring only a point in the first period. But he picked up as the game progressed, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes. He shot 8-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-8 free throws. Williams said he flubbed his foul shots because "I had no legs."

 

Williams' experience was evident when he hit the winning basket. With 23 seconds left on the shot and game clock, the Beermen ran a play that brought the ball in Williams' hands for an isolation. Williams, showing a veteran's composure, put the ball on the floor, dribbled inside the lane, faked off three defenders and calmly sank the marginal lay-up. He didn't panic. Under time pressure, he could've settled for a jumper but chose to go for a high percentage shot.

 

In that same situation, Freeman probably wouldn't have been as patient. But then, maybe San Miguel wouldn't have been in that 90-all predicament and would've led by a comfortable margin if Freeman played. Remember that in the previous game, Freeman had 33 points and 21 rebounds as San Miguel trounced Barako Bull, 99-92.

 

Tanquingcen's dilemma is choosing one import over the other -- youth versus experience, a tested player versus a Chris-come-lately.

 

Under PBA rules, once Freeman is reactivated, he may no longer be placed back on the reserve list. Of course, Tanquingcen has the option of reactivating Freeman to start the semifinals and placing Williams on reserve. If Freeman later bombs out, Williams may be reactivated. A player, however, may be placed on the reserve list and reactivated only once.

 

This Friday, Williams is expected to play for San Miguel once more in the Beermen's final regular inter-intra game against Coca-Cola. For sure, Tanquingcen will scrutinize Williams' every move as he struggles to decide whether to stick with Freeman or not in the semifinals.

 

By:Joaquin Henson

[ixnay]

just like what the other guys here said.. why fix it if its not broken..