Japan game - My “PUSO” post!

OK, for a change this post is not going to have much analysis but is going to be all about “PUSO” - heart. For those of you who have been following my posts, I am probably the most maligned forum member for supporting Japeth Aguilar. Jap is probably one of the most criticized player as well. Currently, the player taking the heat is Gary David.  Let’s not fool ourselves. For all the support Gary is getting, he is getting beat up in forums.  I’ve eavesdropped on conversations with  some basketball people in MoA and you could hear the gripes. Let’s start with Jap – the things people love to talk about is what he cannot do (e.g. can’t bang, etc) rather than what he can do. Quite honestly, he is Gilas' best big man pick-and-roll defender and weak-side shot blocker.  He is Marcus' primary reliever at center. I find it amusing when people questioned my opinion that I thought Aguilar was never in the bubble to be cut. The thing is, Jap has already been  playing at this level in Lithuania and New Zealand and it’s not just now (FIBA Asia) that he is showing “it”.  And people (in this forum) know that I've witnessed this, yet still believe what the media and others have been saying.  So you can imagine how silly I found the conversation that he was going to be cut (yeah right, cut your best big man outside of Marcus - Del and Ping are not Bigs in Chot’s scheme).

Now let’s talk about Gary. As far as NZ was concerned, he was next to Marcus. Gary was the team's next best scorer. So you’ve got to forgive me when I find it ridiculous when I hear comments that he should not have made the team.  Here’s a secret. In one of the games in NZ that required one last defensive stop, Chot put Gary in for defense. He did this again in the last Kazaksthan game. While Gary can’t be confused with being a Ryan Reyes, for some reason Chot trusts his defense. Honestly, I can’t see what Chot sees in Gary’s defense. But this is what I can see: the team trusts Gary to be accountable as a leader and doing the right things for the team – sacrifice selfless things.  Gary honestly has earned the respect as the player willing to do anything for the team including sacrificing his game. He said "sa PBA I reserve my energy in defense to be the scorer expected of me. Dito sa Gilas iba. Masaya na ako kahit 7 pts lang ako pero sa defense, yun and focus ko."  Do you guys get it now? This is a team. They will die and fight for one another. Their roles are different from what they are expected to do in the PBA.  And for this reason both Japeth and Gary are actually irreplaceable players for Gilas. Who they are as players and people make-up the psyche of the Gilas team. Take both out and it’s really not Gilas 2 anymore.

As this is my blog, I get to say what I want --  to all the doubters out there, in behalf of the players who make Gilas 2 - F.. you! (and I say that with all PUSO).