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MANILA, Philippine – Not long ago, Rappler talked about the significance of Marcus Douthit with regards to the recent series of fortunate events for Gilas Pilipinas.
It was the former second-round NBA draft pick who turned Team Philippines’ fortunes when he was first introduced to fellow countrymen years ago, as he played a huge role in Coach Chot Reyes’ game plan against international competition.
Thanks to Douthit’s presence in the paint, Gilas had a legitimate option in the post, not to mention a seven-footer who could spread out and knock in an open mid-range jumper. Douthit’s defense was solid too. He wouldn’t contain every other big man in the world, but he wasn’t a bust on that side of the floor, either.
Douthit, most of all, created a special bond with Filipinos during his stint with the team. Like he said himself, he has become a Filipino by heart, and the Philippines owes him a debt of gratitude for where we are now in basketball.
Now, taking all this into consideration, one must wonder how could someone who has done so much for Gilas be replaced by someone else just as the FIBA World Cup is around the corner – the same tournament Douthit helped the team get into in the first place (2013 FIBA Asia Championship). The idea would be crazy.
But then again, had the idea that a relevant player in the NBA play for the Philippines been suggested a few years back, such thinking would be called crazy by a lot as well.
Stuck with Blatche, for better or worse
Andray Blatche is here. It will be Blatche who wears the Philippine jersey in Seville, Spain tomorrow when Philippines opens the World Cup by taking on Croatia on Saturday, August 30.
Blatche, for all his potential on the court, and despite all his misfortunate decisions in the past, is a Filipino citizen, and will be the guy they hope will lead them to at least a win or two in the World Cup. There’s no questioning the big man’s capabilities on the floor – he’s a menace when he can get good initial post position, he can knock down jumpers with ease, and he’s got good handles for a guy his size and girth.
But, of course, there are cons as well. Blatche was once silently suspended by the Brooklyn Nets for being too out of shape, he was paid by the Washington Wizards to not play for them, which was followed by a bashing on local radio by the big guy himself of his former team, and he has shown a tendency to be lazy on the court – most of the time on defense – while he was playing against his veteran opponents and with his veteran teammates in the NBA. If he can do that in the biggest basketball league in the world, it’s not hard to fathom him doing the same, if not worst, against lesser-talented players from other countries.
To be fair, all reports point to Blatche being a good soldier thus far during training, practices, and tune-up games. His talent was on full display during Gilas’ exhibition matches leading up to the World Cup, in which he did his part despite Team Philippines losing five out of six times.
His chemistry with the rest of the guys on the team will be paramount. It takes a long period of continuity and familiarization for a group of guys to get the best out of each other on the court, regardless of how talented one or the other may be. Blatche has been together with Jimmy Alapag and company for only a few weeks now, though Coach Reyes and his staff knew about that risk before asking him to tag along for the tourney.
While Blatche’s lack of time to get familiarized with his teammates was limited – which is also a major area of argument for those who think Douthit should have been tagged as Gilas’ naturalized player for the World Cup – it’s still clear that his abilities on the hardwood are superior to Douthit’s, and Gilas management decided to gamble on that.
While puso (heart) and the collective performances of the team’s local players were enough to earn them silver in Asia, the entire world is a whole different animal – one that will require Gilas more height and talent to have a puncher’s chance.
In Spain, Blatche will be Gilas’ main weapon in trying to stop the towering skyscrapers who physically outman the rest of the Philippines’ bigger men. Players like Croatia’s Ante Tomic, a 7-foot-2 post-up threat with a respectable mid-range jumper, or “The Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 6-foot-10 Milwaukee Buck who at 19 is still a maturing force. Then there’s Luis Scola, Argentina’s 6-foot-9 Indiana Pacer who is one of the World Cup’s best low block players.
On a team where the average player height is four inches shorter than 3 of their group mates and two inches below the remain two squads, Blatche is Gilas’ last line of defense to contain them.
For better or worse, Gilas is sticking with Blatche for the immediate future. And in turn, the entire country is as well, as they can only hope he shows the same love and admiration for the Philippines as Douthit did in his memorable stint as starting center.
What Douthit helped accomplished is now in the rear view, and a new import has taken the driver’s seat.
Welcome to the Andray Blatche Era. – Rappler.com
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