Before
you check out the next batch, again I suggest you to check out the guidelines.
This is to calm the violent reactions I expect to unfold.
If you
wonder how this system works...
Welcome
to the fourth part of the 100 Best
Careers in the PBA list. Like I said in my early blogs, I started from top
to bottom because the highest-ranked players in this list are pretty obvious.
This
will be a long read.
Are
you ready for more?
Game
starts now!
31 DANNY FLORENCIO
DAREDEVIL DANNY
1975 – 83
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
Hall
of Fame
25
Greatest Players in the PBA
Played
in the 1968 Mexico Olympics
Played
in the 1972 Munich Olympics
5,000
Points
Top
10: Scoring Average
Top
25: Free Throw Percentage
2x
Season Champion: Scoring Average
1x
Season Champion: 2-Points Made
RANKED THIS HIGH:
He is
perhaps the most decorated scoring arsenal the league has ever seen in the
PBA’s early years. Standing 5’9, Florencio is the only player to average 30
points in a season (32.3ppg in 1977). Also, he once held the highest point
total record with 64 points while playing for U-Tex in 1977. Before Caidic,
Samboy, Caguioa, and James Yap took over the game, Danny Florencio was the man.
RANKED THIS LOW:
In the
official record list of the PBA, Florencio never qualified to any Mythical
selection. Florencio was involved in two separate game-fixing incidents in the
70’s playing for Crispa in the MICAA and Toyota in the PBA. Banned from joining
Crispa after the 1973 incident, imagine if he stayed on to join this fabled
squad in the PBA and claim two grand slams? He also bounced from team to team for
eight seasons before finally playing his last with the extremely manly Galerie
Dominique Artistas in 1983. In fact, Wikipedia listed Florencio for being part
of the first ever trade in PBA history.
32 MARLOU AQUINO
THE SKYSCRAPER
1996 – present
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
2x
Mythical Five
1x
Mythical Ten
1x
Best Player of the Conference
1x
Finals MVP
Rookie
of the Year
1x
Defensive Player of the Year
4x
All-Defensive Team
1x
All-Star MVP
6x
All-Star
5,000
Points
2,000
Defensive Rebounds
1,000
Offensive Rebounds
1,000
Blocks
1x
Season Champion: Total Points
1x
Season Champion: Free Throws Made
1x
Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds
5x
Season Champion: Total Blocks
1x
Season Champion: 2-Points Made
RANKED THIS HIGH:
To the
chagrin of many, being 6’9 has its perks. Aquino was twice considered for the
MVP award because of the dominance he imposed while playing for Ginebra. His
jolens shot was a move so awkward; people are still confused on its
effectivity. Aside from being an offensive threat, he also captivated the
people with his epic swatting, leading the season in that category five times.
He helped Ginebra to top-tier status in the late 90’s and gave Sta. Lucia its
first title in the early 2000’s.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Of
course people will riot on how high he is on this list. Fact is however, the
goggled giant could have been higher had not for his attitude. Because of his
inability to stay focus (to the point that people are saying he is too
indolent), his scoring gradually dropped in the late 2000’s. It also didn’t
help his cause that he overstayed in the PBL when he could have joined the
league as early as 1995 (on the plus side, he won a PBL grand slam at
Stag).
33 JEFFREY CARIASO
THE JET
1995 – 2010
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
3x
Mythical Five
2x
Mythical Ten
1x
Best Player of the Conference
1x
Finals MVP
Rookie
of the Year
4x
All-Defensive Team
9x
All-Star
5,000
Points
2,000
Assists
1,500
Free Throws Made
Top
25: Free Throw Percentage
RANKED THIS HIGH:
Cariaso
was drafted sixth by the Milkmen in 1995 and he was just what the doctor
ordered for Alaska. He is one of the most durable and productive shooters to
ever play in the PBA. Talking about productive, sans his last two seasons in
the PBA, he averaged in double figures. Talking about durable, he played for 16
years in the league despite almost suffering a harrowing injury at the hands of
Rudy Distrito.
RANKED THIS LOW:
He is
always a team player... which is unfortunate. In Alaska, he was the fourth
scoring option behind their main guns. When he was signed then traded to
Mobiline, he shone the brightest because he was the only marquee in their
lineup. However this was short-lived following the entry of Andy Seigle... and
then Asi Taulava. The strong ensembles continue when he was at Coca-Cola and in
his return stint with Alaska.
34 MARK CAGUIOA
THE SPARK
2001 – present
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
2x
Mythical Five
2x
Mythical Ten
1x
Best Player of the Conference
1x
Finals MVP
Rookie
of the Year
6x
All-Star
5,000
Points
500
3-Points Made
Top
10: Scoring Average
Top
25: Free Throw Percentage
1x
Season Champion: Total Points
2x
Season Champion: Scoring Average
RANKED THIS HIGH:
At the
early part of his career he starts off the bench to detonate aerial mortars
hence the name The Spark. The flashy and flamboyant Caguioa has the capacity to
throw punches in bunches. In no time, he became the 2000’s reincarnation of
Robert Jaworski – the guy the people either love or hate because of his words
but has the tools to back his words up.
RANKED THIS LOW:
While
Caguioa has had a lot of championships and accolades with the Kings, The Spark
has yet to gain respect from the PBA people. Caguioa is not getting any younger
and the opportunities for him to have a MVP are growing thin. Add also the fact
that Caguioa figured in an injury that sidelined him in the latter part of the
2000’s. If he can continue to score well, he’ll likely break the 10,000-points
mark.
35 JAYJAY HELTERBRAND
HELTERSKELTER
2000 – present
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x MVP
2x
Mythical Five
2x
Best Player of the Conference
1x
Finals MVP
2x
All-Star MVP
7x
All-Star
500
3-Points Made
Top
25: Assists Average
Top
25: 3-Point Percentage
1x
Season Champion: Total Assists
RANKED THIS HIGH:
One half
of the Fast and the Furious tandem of Ginebra, his biggest break came when Mark
Caguioa got injured and he was forced to carry the Kings on his back. The
results were successful for Helterskelter as he became the second Ginebra
player to win the MVP award. Helterbrand is a top notch orchestrator that leads
the way for the execution of Ginebra’s run and gun attack.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Let’s
face it – the only reason why Jayjay got the MVP award is because his fellow
Bandanna brother wasn’t there to share his spotlight. Jayjay also started as a
backup for Bal David and in his tenure he has missed a lot of games. In 2003,
he sat out for a season because Ginebra refused to offer him the max pay given
that he is just The Flash’s backup.
36 SAMBOY LIM
THE SKYWALKER
1986 – 97
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
2x
Mythical Ten
Hall
of Fame
25
Greatest Players in the PBA
Almost
played in the 1986 Madrid FIBA World Championship
4x
All-Star
5,000
Points
Top
25: Scoring Average
Top
25: Free Throw Percentage
1x
Season Champion: Free Throws Made
RANKED THIS HIGH:
It was
every kid’s dream to soar and fly a la Samboy Lim. Also called “The Dragon”,
the former Letran Knight would master the art of floating and jamming which at
that time, was rare for us “little people”. Coming from the awesome Northern
Consolidated Cement RP squad, Lim would later on help the also Cojuangco-owned
San Miguel squad to a grand slam in 1990.
RANKED THIS LOW:
There
are a lot of fanboys that would rip this article out which is why I said BEST
CAREERS and not GREATEST PLAYERS. The thing is – Ato Agustin, despite all of
his talents – will never be breathe in the same league as Samboy and yet
Agustin has won one MVP and three Mythical Five citations while Samboy could
only show two Mythical Tens in his resume. There is a simple explanation for
this thought – staying power. Throughout his PBA career, Samboy was rarely
healthy. Because of his eagerness to fly, players would grab the chance to
ground him. Sometimes, opposing defenders wouldn’t do anything to Samboy and we
will still see him slip and hurt himself in the process. In my honest opinion,
if Samboy Lim wasn’t injury prone, the Atom Bomb wouldn’t be ranked this high
in the list.
37 ARWIND SANTOS
THE SPIDERMAN
2006 – present
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
4x
Mythical Five
1x
Mythical Ten
1x
Best Player of the Conference
1x
Finals MVP
Rookie
of the Year
1x
Defensive Player of the Year
5x
All-Defensive Team
3x
All-Star
RANKED THIS HIGH:
By
ranking Samboy Lim low and by rating Arwind Santos, again people will shit on
this list. However, with four Mythical five citations and a slew of major
achievements, Arwind has done more in so little time than what others did in
the course of their career. Just when people thought his game will slow down
when he got traded to San Miguel/Petron, he made people think otherwise.
RANKED THIS LOW:
If you
check out his stats, you’ll see that he has at least one point, rebound,
assist, steal, and block per game. Unless the injury bug bites Arwind (i.e. The
Penny Hardaway Syndrome), sky’s the limit for The Spiderman. With the rate he
is playing, he’ll easily grab 5,000 points, 2,000 defensive rebounds, and other
achievement awards in no time.
38 OLSEN RACELA
RARA
1993 – 2011
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
2x
Mythical Five
3x
Mythical Ten
1x
Finals MVP
6x
All-Star
5,000
Points
2,000
Assists
500
Steals
500
3-Points Made
Top
10: Free Throw Percentage
Top
25: 3-Point Percentage
RANKED THIS HIGH:
He was
fast, he organized the plays, and he can electrify. This pass-first point guard
was once hailed as the best point guard in the PBA during the early 2000’s
because of his gung-ho plays that gave San Miguel multiple championships.
Despite him also remembered for the debacle that happened in Busan, Racela is a
well-known clutch performer and momentum defuser.
RANKED THIS LOW:
He
wasn’t the big time quarterback at the start of his career. He played second
fiddle for Dindo Pumaren during his early years playing for Purefoods. He also
cherished the role as the support for the Two Dannys when San Miguel was
title-hunting in the early 2000’s. Perhaps the best sign that he was on his way
out was the carousel of point guards San Miguel kept on claiming that stopped
when Alex Cabagnot came to the squad.
39 MANNY VICTORINO
THE MAIN MAN
1981 – 96
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
3x
Mythical Five
Most
Improved Player
5x
All-Star
5,000
Points
2,000 Defensive
Rebounds
1,000
Offensive Rebounds
500 Blocks
1,500
Free Throws Made
1x
Season Champion: Total Blocks
RANKED THIS HIGH:
The early
80’s never really produced marquee men (with the exception of the pioneers) but
if there are notables, then you have Manny Victorino. Playing for Great
Taste/Presto, Victorino proved to be a prolific scorer that could have presided
the likes of Jun Limpot and Dennis Espino. He is also a hard-nosed defender as
well as a big-time rebounder.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Manny
Victorino no doubt is a marquee player. However after his Great Taste/Presto
stint, Victorino became the marquee player for cellar-dwelling squads. This
fact made it difficult for Victorino to score achievement awards. After stints
with Pepsi and Ginebra, Victorino had his final pit stop at Purefoods where he
became a role player.
40 RUDY HATFIELD
THE H-BOMB
2000 – 11
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
2x
Mythical Ten
1x
Best Player of the Conference
1x
Finals MVP
1x
Defensive Player of the Year
2x
All-Defensive Team
3x
All-Star
2,000
Defensive Rebounds
Top
10: Rebounding Average
1x
Season Champion: Total Defensive Rebounds
1x
Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds
1x
Season Champion: Total Rebounds
1x
Season Champion: Total Steals
RANKED THIS HIGH:
Rudy
Hatfield is one of the best rebounders the league has ever seen. Despite his
size, he can outplay bigger opponents when it comes to hauling boards. He rose
to fame as Jeff Cariaso’s tag team partner when they led the Coca-Cola Tigers
to numerous titles in the 2000’s. When he was traded to Ginebra, Hatfield also
produced great numbers despite being in a star-studded squad.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Technically
Hatfield is a 12-year pro. However, he didn’t exactly have an ideal career. When
Hatfield was at his peak, he was severely hounded by the Bureau of Immigration.
The ordeal was too rough for Hatfield that even his mother was placed under
scrutiny. Also, as exemplified by his actions, Hatfield has settling issues.
Had not for his fireman/wrestling aspirations fused with his citizenship
problems, he could have been a MVP in the league.
So I
bet this phase of my list is controversial. Like I said, this is not a greatest
players list so if you think saying he did what to some player will help... it
won’t.
See
you after the next batch!
Game
over!
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