Making Sense of LA Tenorio and Calvin Abueva Being Cut from Gilas Pilipinas

Alaska's Calvin Abueva and Barangay Ginebra's LA Tenorio,
the 13th and 14th man for Gilas Pilipinas. 

The news reverberated all through the Philippines. The shock was palpable even from miles away. Any social media outlet, whether Twitter or Facebook, was abuzz with the news.

The Gilas Pilipinas team that will try to perform a “Manila Miracle” at home in the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament cut their fourteen man pool to the final twelve that will play in the joust starting in less than a week. Coach Tab Baldwin revealed that his two cuts were Barangay Ginebra San Miguel point guard, and Gilas veteran LA Tenorio and Alaska Aces forward, and energetic hustler Calvin Abueva.

It has to be said, most of the feelings of shock focused on Abueva’s cut rather than Tenorio’s, though Tenorio’s status as one of the best playmaking point guards in the Philippine Basketball Association, as well as Gilas veteran and a perfect attendance record for practices provided some shock as well. Regarding Abueva however, it was widely believed that the former San Sebastian Stag, popularly known among Filipino basketball fans as “The Beast” and coming off a Best Player of the Conference award in the most recent PBA conference, was a lock for a spot in the Gilas squad.

A tough decision for Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tab Baldwin

Let it be told, both men were deserving of a spot on the Gilas side. There were no winners in this situation. Certainly not Tenorio and Abueva, not Baldwin who now gets prevented from utilizing Tenorio’s stability in the backcourt for potential crucial situations as well as Abueva’s hustle, grit and grind and now faces questions from millions of passionate basketball fans in the Philippines, and certainly not the fans as well.

As such magnifies the difficulties present when it comes to forming and building a sports team, particularly forming a national basketball team to represent the Philippines. Having to select twelve players to comprise a team with an endless pool of talent plying their trade across the country is not an easy task, to say the least.

As already mentioned, Gilas will miss a lot with regards to Tenorio and Abueva, and what the two men bring to the court every time they take to a basketball court. Beginning with Tenorio, the Ateneo legend presented Gilas with the best passer in the pool (and probably across the PBA). Tenorio brought stability at the point guard spot, and brings forth a more comfortable level of playmaking ability than any of the other guards in the Gilas roster and pool. Tenorio’s stable quarterbacking contrasts quite clearly with both Jayson Castro and Terrence Romeo, both fine playmakers,but more well renowned for their flash and scoring abilities.

In a sense, Tenorio seemed to provide Gilas with a well-tuned successor to legendary point guard Jimmy Alapag. While Tenorio did not having Alapag’s ability to shoot lights out from outside, Tenorio still potentially gives you that player that during a close game, you would entrust to give the ball to and lead Gilas to good possessions and key baskets late. As stated above, Tenorio is the best playmaker and passer currently playing in the Philippines, and that status is not one to scoff off with the many talented point guards currently playing in various circles within the Philippine basketball scene.

Tenorio (middle) won the MVP award at the 2012
William Jones Cup. 

Tenorio’s finest hour in his basketball career has to be his exploits in carrying Gilas to defeating a selection of American basketball players in the 2012 William Jones Cup. Tenorio made key baskets, seemingly at ease, and led Gilas to winning the Jones Cup. It was the first time a Philippine basketball team won the annual tournament held in Taiwan since current Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone’s Centennial Team won the tournament in 1998. Tenorio's display all through the tournament won him the honor of tournament MVP to go along with Gilas' championship.

Safe to say that Baldwin and Gilas will miss that play, guts and ability to deliver in the clutch this July.

With Abueva, it is hard to find a starting point with regards to talking about what “The Beast” can bring to the table. Abueva, even at 6-2, has proven that he plays above his height in the PBA. Abueva brings non stop hustle, non stop grit, and has that uncanny ability to always piss off his opponents. Abueva has the strength and athleticism to more than hang on against taller and bigger forwards, as he has done during his PBA career against taller locals and even imports. Abueva has energy to last for seemingly endless periods, and brings forth that trademark “angas” style of play popular in outdoor leagues all across the Philippines.

Abueva had a successful showing for Gilas during the
William Jones Cup and FIBA Asia Tournament showing
last year. 

Abueva more than answered his critics last year in the FIBA Asia Championship, who mostly scoffed at his ability to play internationally considering his lack of knock-down outside shot, with stellar play for Gilas. Abueva showed the skills of a swingman; easily using his strength and athleticism to drive to the rim for scores or drawing fouls, while defensively being athletic enough to bang and compete with the aforementioned taller big men. Abueva was able to leap seeming skyscraper-level heights to grab rebounds against opposing big men, and along with Romeo was clearly the revelation for Gilas last summer.

The two cuts led to mass shock and uproar across social media circles among Filipino basketball fans. The two players play for two of the most popular teams in the PBA, Tenorio with Barangay Ginebra and Abueva with Alaska, and the large fanbases expressed outward shock and anger. As an advent sports observer, I can compare the shocks (due to Abueva’s cut in particular admittedly), to the shock and uproar expressed by American soccer fans after United States men’s soccer team coach Jurgen Klinsmann cut Landon Donovan from his 2014 World Cup squad.

Still, despite clearly observing that Tenorio and Abueva brought to the table, the two still presented considerable risks with inclusion to the Gilas squad set to take on France and New Zealand - height for both players, and the oft-chance and risk that Abueva’s height and approach, which again worked well against Asian opposition, won’t work against the bigger and more skilled big men Gilas is set to face.

In a short tournament (Gilas would play only two more games at most should the team get the results needed to advance against France and New Zealand; Turkey, Canada and Senegal lie waiting in the other group), it is important to mitigate the chances of risk and play a more safer approach.

Tenorio lies at 5-8, and while his height has not impacted his ability offensively, his defense is not his strong suit to say the least. Even with Tenorio’s previous successes with Gilas, his defense was continually exposed by both Asian- and world-level opposition. You can understand Baldwin potentially fearing that Tenorio not being of much use on one side of the game could impact Gilas more in a short-tournament setting like what the Olympic Qualifier will bring, as compared to a five-game group setting that the FIBA World Cup in 2014 brought.

Along with Tenorio’s height, Gilas already had other options at the guard spot, who while they may not have brought Tenorio’s proven skills quarterbacking an offense, his spot in the lineup could be replaced with taller guards who are still capable playmakers, but provide greater size in potentially swinging over to the shooting guard spot.

In short, Gilas had other options that could offer greater flexibility than what Tenorio and his size could have offered.

Ryan Reyes, Tenorio's likely competition for a spot with
Gilas Pilipinas. Reyes' greater position flexibility and defense
likely contributed to Tenorio's doom.

Looking at the guard spot, Castro and Romeo were locks. Castro, a member of the FIBA Asia Mythical Team (team of the tournament) for two FIBA Asia Championship’s running, and Romeo were easy locks for being among the twelve selected for the final Gilas squad.

Tenorio’s likely competition for a spot in the GIlas lineup was Talk N Text swing-guard Ryan Reyes. When comparing the two, Tenorio was clearly the better playmaker, but Reyes brought a lot to the table as well: ability to play both the point and off-guard spot, superior slashing ability and superior outside shooting. Reyes has consistently been, well when healthy at least, one of the best perimeter defenders in the PBA during the course of his career. Reyes, with his perimeter defense and outside shooting, provides Gilas a capable replacement for San Miguel Beer’s Marcio Lassiter, and provides Baldwin with his favored trademark preference for flexibility. Reyes' strong showing against Iran in one of Gilas' tune-up games surely helped his chances and hurt Tenorio's.

In short, when dissecting Tenorio’s chances, his cut makes more sense. Tenorio was always on the bubble of making the cut for Gilas, and he was one of the more popular picks to be cut once the Gilas pool was cut to fourteen before the team began their European training camp. The abundance of guards and his size countered Tenorio’s bank of experience playing for Gilas, and his status as one of the best playmakers in the Philippines.

Abueva meanwhile suffered the same fate due to largely the same reason Tenorio managed to get cut. As mentioned, Abueva stands at 6-2 tall, and despite having played a capable power forward in the PBA, is undersized at that position even for PBA standards. While it is clear that Abueva can more than play as a power forward with effectiveness against Philippine opposition, and that Abueva can more than play as a power forward with effectiveness against Asian-level opposition, the question whether Abueva can do the same against international and non-Asian level opposition rings true.

Following up on that, it also begs the question, at Abueva’s size and going up against opposing big men that can be as much as nine inches taller than him, could Abueva’s game that has been reliant on using his athleticism to make up for a difference in height, as well as endless hustle and grind translate internationally? Abueva also doesn’t have the skill-set to play full-time as a guard, where his size could be more appropriate when facing international-level opponents.

These questions seemed to have sealed Abueva’s fate as being one of the last two out for Gilas this summer. The greater risk present in playing Abueva in this tournament seemed to have doomed Abueva. A weak reason in a way, but understandable in a way as well.

One wonders who Abueva was really in competition against for a spot in Gilas. Was it the two Talk N Text forwards in Ranidel de Ocampo and Troy Rosario, as well as Purefoods forward Marc Pingris? With the three standing at 6’5, 6’7 and 6’6 respectively, the three have the more appropriate size to play a forward position than Abueva.

Ray Parks, the son of legendary PBA import Bobby Parks and
former UAAP MVP with NU, set to make his debut
for the senior national team in the Olympic Qualifiers.

Was it young Texas Legend and former National University Bulldog and UAAP MVP Ray Parks, who can play either the point guard, off-guard and small-forward spot at 6’4 with youth on his size? The merits of either player are certainly debatable, and taking Abueva with more professional experience over Parks could have been the smarter play for Baldwin. Still, Parks brings Baldwin’s proven favored trait in positional flexibility, and that was probably that when deciding between Parks and Abueva.

The circumstances will never be known, and will probably be buried between Tenorio and Abueva and the coaching staff, but one has to wonder how and why the coaching staff came to their conclusions.

It has to be said again, no one won with the cuts. Certainly not Tenorio and Abueva, certainly not Baldwin, and neither do the fans. The shock and uproar has been clear, with even extreme motions to root against Gilas and boycott Gilas having made public.

Such circumstances like this are essentially the consequence of coaching the national basketball team of the Philippines, a basketball-loving country with a deep pool of talent all across the country, potentially the deepest pool of talent all across Asia. This wasn’t the first time such cuts will cause surprise and anger across the Philippines, and this certainly won’t be the last time.

One can only hope that the uproar and shock will die down soon, within a week more specifically as Gilas begins their arduous journey to receive the Philippines’ first Olympic berth since 1972.