Smart Gilas Pilipinas FIBA Asia Cup 2012 Schedule

Fresh from winning the 34^th William Jones Cup tournament, the Smart Gilas Philippine team had a brief moment to enjoy and is thrust back into action. The 2012 FIBA Asia Cup will be held in Tokyo, Japan and the Gilas Pilipinas team is among the Asian nations to compete for the tournament trophy!

If you are closely following this team and their journey, you might want to check out the partial list of schedules that the team will have to play through during the preliminary round of competition. Smart Gilas Pilipinas belongs to Group A wherein they are scheduled to have four games. The schedules are as follows, along with their corresponding coverage dates on AKTV:

• Philippines versus China
  Friday, September 14, 3:30 p.m. LIVE, 8 p.m. replay
• Philippines versus Lebanon
  Saturday, September 15, 8 p.m.
• Philippines versus Uzbekistan
  Sunday, September 16, 1 p.m. LIVE, 7 p.m. replay
• Philippines versus Macau
  Monday, September 17, 10:30 a.m. LIVE, 8 p.m. replay

You can visit their website for more information on the game schedules for the 2012 FIBA Asia Cup here. Meanwhile, you can also check us back for more info on game results and schedules for the second round.

Gilas Pilipinas Facing China on Friday to Kick Off Asia Cup Campaign

The fourth FIBA Asia Cup will kick off on Friday in Tokyo, Japan and our very own Gilas Pilipinas will be thrust into the action on the first day wherein they are set to face the team from China. Gilas Pilipinas belongs to Group A selection during the elimination round and after Friday’s game, they are expected to go head-to-head against Lebanon. For the next couple of days, they will be facing Uzbekistan and Macau.

The National team is hoping to overcome these opponents that they are scheduled to meet in an effort to reach the Final Eight. If they do make it to the next round, Gilas Pilipinas will be facing the qualifying teams from Group B.

Gilas Pilipinas are already familiar with a few of the other competing teams for the upcoming Asian Cup such as Taiwan, Japan, Iran, and Lebanon, because these teams also competed in the recent Jones Cup in which the Nationals won the gold medal.

On Wednesday, majority of the Gilas team will be flying to Tokyo in preparation for the series of competition. Sonny Thoss’ flight to Tokyo, however, is scheduled on Thursday.

After their recent successful run in the 2012 William Jones Cup, Coach Chot Reyes is optimistic about their chances in the Asia Cup. When asked about the short period of time it took until they were thrust into another highly competitive tournament, Reyes believed it will benefit the team and its training. “It’s a good a preparation for us,” the coach reveals.

As of now, it is not clear whether China will be fielding in their Olympic Team or Team B for the said match on Friday. One thing is for sure, Filipino basketball fans will have a lot to look forward to. TNT’s Jared Dillinger is also back on the helm as a national player.

Winners and Losers of the Tenorio Trade

I call the latest PBA blockbuster trade a Tenorio's trade for one obvious reason – Tenorio is the biggest name from that 4-team deal. Fresh from his heroics and MVPship in William Jones Cup 2012, the Alaska’s star player’s trade value went crazy high. And the blockbuster trade deal is its obvious proof. 

Let’s see who got the deal right and who made a bad move in this deal:

Winners:

Alaska Aces

ALASKA ACES

I’ve been crying in Alaska’s Facebook fan page not to trade Tenorio, because I think, he and the rookie Calvin “The Beast” Abueva will give Alaska the best chance for a playoff contention next season. But Mr. Uytengsu knows more than that, as he did not waste any time luring teams in the trading block. As a result, they’ve got two solid players, JV Casio who will likely get the starting PG spot, and Dondon Hontiveros, a test-and-proven veteran. That’s youth and experience right there, which will easily rejuvenate Alaska’s backcourt. 

BRGY. GINEBRA SAN MIGUEL 

Bryg. Ginebra San Miguel

What more can I say, they got LA. A natural PG, a killer in the clutch, Tenorio can go to any point inside the court anytime he wants without killing his dribble, and he showed that in Jones Cup finals where he scored both inside and outside the perimeter. With that, he will fit perfectly in Ginebra’s system. As I’ve said earlier, he’s the biggest name on this deal. Not to mention Ginebra has got new blood that will only excite the fans for a more dynamic and high-flying run-and-gun game of their 2012 draft 6th pick Chris Ellis. 

PETRON BlAZE BOOSTERS

Petron Blaza Boosters

Well, they may not get the boost on their roster from acquiring Wesley Gonzales and Hans Thiele, and I don’t think they expect on it either. Petron simply just wants to unload Hontiveros to ease their team’s rotation problems. I don’t also think they’ll use these two new players on the court. 

The SF position, which Gonzales plays, is already jam-packed by a solid rookie Mallari, sophomore with vast experience Lassiter, and Santos, who's arguably the best blocker in the position. Also, the Center position is occupied by their number-one  pick in the recent draft – June Mar Fajardo, which is expected to be dominant, a trusted veteran Ildefonso (PF/C), Pena, and Sison. I expect Gonzales and Thiele to be headed down to the ABL. Well, maybe, just maybe, if Lassiter, Lutz, and Pena stay on the injury list for long, they have a slight chance to play, in garbage time.

Losers

GLOBAL PORT

Global Port Batang Poer

Well, it may seem like they got the deal right by getting a 2-Time MVP Willie Miller. However, my point is, they just traded their number 1 pick for an ageing guy. Don’t get me wrong, I love Miller way back from his afro-days in Red Bull. I can still remember how he beat Asi in a one-on-one game (yes, PBA has a one-on-one game before). However, I don’t think Miller is taking care of his body well. 

Yes he can hit a dagger trey anytime he wants and post-up smaller PGs with the likes of Castro and Alapag from TNT. But on a regular basis, he can’t chase and defend younger guards anymore. Miller has to share minutes with the team's leading scorer - Gary David. Also, Global Port’s style is run-and-gun play, and I don’t think Miller likes to run.

Barako Bull Energy

BARAKO BULL

I can’t see clearly where this “rebuilding process” is going. Well, they got rid of Miller, but they could’ve done better than just acquiring Enrico Villanueva. The Barako Bull needs to rebuild, that’s why they brought a lot of jackets in the recent draft for the rookies. But they have 21 names on their roster now, so I expect more movements from this team, if not before the start of the season, maybe during the season.

Draw Results for 2012-2013 Turkish Airlines Euroleague

The 2012-2013 Euroleague season has officially kicked off! The commencement of the much anticipated new season in the most prestigious basketball competition in Europe, the Euroleague, was signaled by the recent draw that was held in Barcelona, Spain. There are lots of exciting new things for the league, which will be something that fans should await for. One of the biggest changes this season is the fact that this will mark the only draw that is going to be held this season.

The 2013 Euroleague Final Four has been set to take place in London, wherein the recent Olympic Games was held as well. One other exciting change this season is the game schedule. Instead of the usual Wednesday and Thursday game schedule, this season it has been moved to Thursdays and Fridays.

To view the group classifications and see which group your favorite team belongs in to start off the regular season, view the image below:

image courtesy of http://euroleague.net

If you're a Euroleague fan, these new changes is no doubt exciting as it will also change the face of the games in the upcoming 2012-2013 Euroleague season. Keep it here for more updates and analysis on these groupings soon!

Which is your favorite team? How do you think they'd do with their group? Discuss more below.