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 sixth part of the 100 Best Careers
in the PBA list. I am going to insert a random sentence so that you won’t
feel that I’m just copy-pasting my opening paragraphs (but frankly I am). 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!
51 DORIAN PENA
THE FRUTTIEST NAME IN
PHILIPPINE BASKETBALL
2001 – PRESENT
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
2x
Mythical Five
1x
Mythical Ten
2x
All-Star
1x
All-Defensive Team
2,000
Defensive Rebounds
1,000
Offensive Rebounds
Top
10: Rebounding Average
2x
Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds
2x
Season Champion: Total Rebounds
RANKED THIS HIGH:
He is
called Big Dawg by the rest of the league but I like his other moniker better.
Anyway, Pena was the wall that catapulted San Miguel to many championships in
the early 2000’s. With his frame, it was hard for him to get trounced on the
inside and while his rebounding is his forte, he can score when needed.
RANKED THIS LOW:
There
are a lot of people weirded at the fact that he is placed this high. San Miguel
won a lot of titles with him as just the “other” starter of the squad. Some say
that he was carried by his SMB teammates to claim those Mythical selections.
Others can’t factor in why his “Negros-Slasher-dominating-inside-scoring” left
him. Basically he was just lucky to be in this spot.
52 DINDO PUMAREN
THE BULLET
1989 – 2002
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
2x
Mythical Ten
10x
All-Star
2x
All-Defensive Team
5,000
Points
2,000 Assists
500
Steals
Top
10: Assists Average
6x
Season Champion: Total Assists
1x
Season Champion: Total Steals
RANKED THIS HIGH:
How
fitting it was for Sev Sarmenta to coin his moniker because it was dead-on. The
Bullet is a pass-first quarterback that has cat-quick reflexes for playmaking
and defense. The best part of his career was played with Purefoods. Maybe aside
from Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codinera, and Rey Evangelista, maybe the
Purefoods/B-Meg squad could retire his number. He is also a 10-time All-Star.
RANKED THIS LOW:
The
former UE and DLSU coach was never a scorer and was merely a supplementary guy.
This was evident even when he briefly played for Pepsi and was dubbed as their
superstar. Pumaren was also unfortunate to get snubbed of a Mythical Five
citation to give way for Johnny Abarrientos, Olsen Racela, and Al Solis.
53 RUDY DISTRITO
THE DESTROYER
1981 – 1995
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Ten
3x
All-Star
5,000
Points
2,000
Assists
500
Steals
1,500
Free Throws Made
Top
10: Free Throw Percentage
Top
10: 3-Point Percentage
RANKED THIS HIGH:
Everyone
thinks Distrito is just a defensive-oriented guard. Well, in a way he is but obviously
he is more than that. He is a smart player with an impeccable shot selection.
He can also deliver in the closing seconds. He was instrumental when Ginebra
climbed from a 0-3 bind to win the 1991 First Conference. He completed his
career with a satisfactory 11.6ppg.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Distrito
is considerably high in the list since he is a mere supplementary star if you
think about it. But okay, the almost career-threatening injury he inflicted on
Jeff Cariaso while playing for Swift started his hell. He was banned in the
league for a span of time and Swift just waited for his contract to expire. His
career got the shot in the arm when the San Juan Knights played in the MBA. And
the rest? Just check out his Wiki page.
54 NIC BELASCO
ST. NIC
1997 – 2010
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
2x
Mythical Ten
4x
All-Star
1x
All-Defensive Team
5,000
Points
2,000
Defensive Rebounds
1,000
Offensive Rebounds
Top 25:
Rebounding Average
1x
Season Champion: Total Defensive Rebounds
RANKED THIS HIGH:
Nic
Belasco was the second overall pick in the 1997 PBA Draft by Pop Cola. He rose
to fame with San Miguel as the upgraded version of Freddie Abuda. I said this
because Belasco had Abuda’s defensive tenacity but he also had an amazing knack
to unload triples. Belasco was almost a double-double magnet in the 2000’s.
This made him a sought-after star.
RANKED THIS LOW:
You
have to check out the last statement I made. He was too much of a sought-after
star that his final six years in the league were played with six different
teams. Belasco also didn’t start hot as a rookie and he was merely a substitute
because people thought he was an inside presence. After his stint with Sta.
Lucia where he averaged his lowest, the Fil-Am returned to the US.
55 AL SOLIS
ALO
1987 – 2001
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
2x
Mythical Five
3x
All-Star
5,000
Points
1,000 3-Points
Made
Top 10:
3-Point Percentage
2x
Season Champion: 3-Points Made
RANKED THIS HIGH:
If you
check out his accolades and accomplishments, one thing that stands out is his
yearning to drum a triple. Al Solis is one of the deadliest 3-point shooters in
the history of the league. Initially known as an impact player with Purefoods,
Solis had his best years playing for the Swift Mighty Meaties where he scored
two Mythical Five citations.
RANKED THIS LOW:
He
basically got the starting job at Swift because the team is an expansion squad.
The moment the franchise drafted Boybits Victoria, he was displayed. Fact is he
was never a point guard. He was a shooting guard that waits for the ball to
come to him so that he can shoot it. He is not a lazy though... but merely
that’s just the way he needs to operate.
56 ALVIN TENG
THE ROBOCOP
1986 – 2002
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
4x
Mythical Ten
1x
All-Star MVP
5x
All-Star
1x
Defensive Player of the Year
6x
All-Defensive Team
Most
Improved Player
5,000
Points
2,000
Defensive Rebounds
1,000
Offensive Rebounds
2x
Season Champion: Total Offensive Rebounds
RANKED THIS HIGH:
The
Robocop is not here just because he spawned two amazing basketball-playing
sons. Alvin Teng was a beast for the San Miguel squad of the late 80’s and
early 90’s where he often led the squad in rebounds. Frankly, he will never
back out of a challenge especially with regards to possession battles. He was
also a gifted scorer as evident when he was traded to Pepsi. By the looks of
things he was a superstar waiting to happen.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Teng
was the top dog in Pepsi because the talent in the squad was thin. He was
traded to Sunkist and back to Pepsi (no called as Mobiline) where he was used
as a second string power forward. This is the reason why The Robocop left the
league to join the MBA in its second season – playing for the Laguna Lakers and
the Negros Slashers. When he returned to the PBA via Alaska, he was ready to
retire.
 |
| * The '75 means the year of their PBA debut. I will use this as a signal which means I haven't seen these players play. |
57 ESTOY ESTRADA
1975 – 1982
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
5,000
Points
Top 5:
Scoring Average
1x
Season Champion: Total Points
1x
Season Champion: Free Throws Made
1x
Season Champion: 2-Points Made
RANKED THIS HIGH:
The
name Estoy Estrada screams monster scorer especially to those who saw him strut
his wares. Basing the infos from the Hardcourt book, I got to know that Estrada
has the third-best scoring average of all-time with 19.7ppg. His best year in
the PBA was during the inaugural season when he became part of the Mythical
Five while playing for Royal Tru-Orange.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Checking
out the stats and the bios, Estrada only played eight seasons in the league. At
that point, the awards are less and the roles of imports were more. Also, he drifted
from team to team and at one point he joined the super-souped up Toyota squad
in 1978 the same time super-scorer Danny Florencio also joined the squad. Also,
he never won the scoring average award despite finishing third in the all-time
list.
 |
58 JUN PAPA
THE RIFLEMAN
1975 – 1980
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
Top 10:
Scoring Average
Played
in the 1968 Mexico Olympics
Played
in the 1972 Munich Olympics
RANKED THIS HIGH:
I
never saw him play but online accounts praise him as one of the deadliest
shooters to ever set foot in the PBA. He averaged 17.5 points in six seasons
and alongside Danny Florencio, they were the only PBA players who played in the
Summer Olympics twice. Before entering the PBA he was also a standout at the
MICAA version of the Crispa Redmanizers.
RANKED THIS LOW:
He was
about to celebrate his 30th birthday when the PBA started. If he was younger,
he would have played more. Also, Papa went bye-bye from the MICAA version of
Crispa because he served a lifetime ban for allegedly game fixing a
championship series in 1973. He was one of six players involved in the
incident. Why is this important? Undermanned, Baby Dalupan had no choice but to
get young players to beef up his Crispa squad. Imagine if Papa was part of the
PBA Crispa squad and not the players that were taken to fill up the void like
Atoy Co, Philip Cezar, Abet Guidaben, Freddie Hubalde, and Bernie Fabiosa? (Note:
Bogs Adornado was part of the 1973 squad but he was proven innocent.)
59 KERBY RAYMUNDO
THE KID
2000 – PRESENT
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
2x
Mythical Ten
1x Finals
MVP
8x
All-Star
Top 25:
Rebounding Average
1x
Season Champion: Total Rebounds
1x
Season Champion: 2-Points Made
RANKED THIS HIGH:
He has
been Purefoods/B-Meg’s primary offensive option on the inside for almost a
decade now. His low post attack is his bread and butter but through the years
his range has widened. In 2006, he almost won the MVP award had not for James
Yap. In some ways I see him as the Abet Guidaben of his generation.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Raymundo’s
career started slow. As a Red Bull direct hire, he got benched by the PBA
office for almost a year because of falsification of documents. When he returned
to the squad he played behind Davonn Harp. Also, The Kid is currently suffering
from a bunch of injuries that is scary considering that most of the SMC teams
are severely talent-laden.
60 BONG ALVAREZ
MR. EXCITEMENT
1989 – 2005
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
1x
Mythical Five
1x
Mythical Ten
4x
All-Star
5,000
Points
Top 25:
Scoring Average
1x
Season Champion: 2-Points Made
RANKED THIS HIGH:
Mr.
Excitement was the epitome of awesomeness when it comes to scoring. He can
shoot anywhere at great ease and he can solve a defense by displaying his
acrobatic skills. He has this epic back to the basket mid-range shot that can
be frequently seen on PBA’s Dunkin Donuts Anything Goes halftime segment. He
holds the second-highest points total in a game with 71 points.
RANKED THIS LOW:
Mr.
Excitement loves to change kits every time he feels like it. In his PBA career,
he played for Alaska, Sta. Lucia, Shell, San Miguel, Ginebra, Air21, Red Bull,
and Talk N Text. His journey also took him to the MBA via Pasig Blue Pirates
and Pampanga Dragons. The problem of becoming a journeyman is that the coach
would rather rely on a player who knows his plays than a player who just got there. Since, he is a superstar in terms of skills and mindset,
playing as a second fiddle would eat him and this will lead to management
spats. At the tailend of Alvarez’s career, his minutes dropped to the point
that he is forced to accept one conference deals with the uncertainty of
renewal.
So there
is still one 2-time Mythical Five player not yet mentioned in the list.
I won’t
tell you.
Haha.
But if
you want to see where SONNY THOSS is batched up in this list, then you need to
check out the next ten.
Game
over!
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