2014-15 PBA Season Team Preview: Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings. 2013-2014 PBA Season Recap: Philippine Cup: Topped the elimination round with an 11-3 record. Lost in seven games against San Mig Super Coffee in the semifinals. Commissioner’s Cup: Finished eighth in the eliminations. Lost in one game against Talk ‘N Text in the quarterfinals. Governors’ Cup: Finished sixth in the eliminations. Lost in one game against Alaska in the quarterfinals. Where they were: One good run in the Philippine Cup and two quick exits in the quarterfinals. That’s all Barangay Ginebra got in their team’s 2013-2014 campaign. They had a really good start, dominating the league in the Philippine Cup but falling short against the Mixers. They never got going in the Commissioner’s Cup as they decided it would be best to switch coaches once again. With Jeffrey Cariaso at the helm, the Kings still struggled and abrely made it to the quarterfinals. Ginebra’s third conference campaign was not aided by import Zaccheus Mason’s knee injury in the quarterfinals. Where they want to be: Ginebra wants to be at the top. They want to end their seven-year title drought. They want to be in at the very least the semifinals in every conference. Anything less would be disastrous. They have a loaded lineup with a good mix of veterans and young blood. They had a full off-season with Cariaso, which should spell wonders in terms of chemistry and knowing his system. Barangay Ginebra wants a championship and they want it now. Addition/s: Rodney Brondial Departure/s: None (Emman Monfort is on their reserve list while Jens Knuttel is still with the team although currently in a practice player capacity) Key issues: Chemistry is still a question for the Kings because Cariaso’s system takes time to take effect. With Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio joining the team late after the stints with Gilas Pilipinas, the start of the Philippine Cup could be a bit rough for the Kings. Patience is also a key issue as Ginebra is a squad that changes coaches after one bad conference. This coaching staff and this current lineup is good enough to win a championship. They just need to give it more time to blend together. They said it: Head coach Jeffrey Cariaso: It’s about building and getting better. Today, we worked hard and we got better. If we keep doing that, then the wins will follow. It starts with the little things. We’re understanding what the little things are. Prognosis: Ginebra’s offense will revolve around Greg Slaughter in their upcoming campaign. Whenever he’s on the floor, the big guy gets most of the touches on offense. He still needs to get better at passing off a double team and his mid-range game could also be improved but in their tune-up matches, Slaughter has shown that he can carry the offense. Aguilar’s contributions will also be crucial for Ginebra. Their hot start in the Philippine Cup was mostly due to the athletic forward’s performance. He was at a Best Player of the Conference level then but he mellowed out considerably in the second and third conferences. Point guard LA Tenorio is key for the triangle. He knows it well and he can make it work when they want to run it. Mark Caguioa and Joseph Yeo should be more than able to put in points from the two-spot but Mac Baracael’s shooting will be crucial for three or four spot to open things up for Slaughter inside. The Philippine Cup could be difficult for the Kings with teams such as San Mig Super Coffee and Rain or Shine sporting almost the same lineups from last season while Talk ‘N Text has reloaded in the off-season but with the correct import, maybe Vernon Macklin in the Commissioner’s Cup, the Kings could see themselves in the finals again. By Carlo Pamintuan | Yahoo PH Sports ✪Exed https://ph.sports.yahoo/news/2014-2015-pba-season-team-preview--barangay-ginebra-san-miguel-kings-051830225-nba.html
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 08:42:44 +0000
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