The Japeth Aguilar Saga

[mikepogi]

I just dont understand why posters seem to assume that he was never given any playing time during his stint with Gilas. He was the starting PF. Only him and Baracael were sharing minutes on the PF position during their stint in Gilas.

The only time tournament that he didnt have that playing time is Wuhan, and that is understandable since both Williams and DeOcampo were better on the 4 position than Aguilar. Aguilar had 27 points in his debut in the PBA, unfortunately his rebounding, and inside presence is still lacking even in that game, which was what the team were expecting from him during his time in Gilas.

I always thought he was a tweener. And I still think so even at this time. If he wants to improve his game then he has to decide whether he wants to be a 4 or a 3, then he should work on his game towards to improving his skillset on that position. Because I still think he can become a dominant players if he can improve on the skills as a PF or a SF. But he cannot be both..

As far as the coach, please dont be Chot Reyes or Yeng Guiao.. If they have the funds and resources, they should hire a foreign coach. If they dont want Toroman, then let be someone who had experience coaching in international games.. All you had to do was watch the our games in 2007 and 2009, wherein our offensive set were so disorganized, and our players didnt know where to move on the court. Toroman's system is not perfect, but at least he has one..

[gaLj]

j

in any case, japeth has really gone thru a lot. overhype. overcriticism. next great brown hope. then benchwarmer. nba hopeful. then basahan. ginto. then basura.

i just hope he really really does well. gains back his confidence. not just to shut up the critics. not just to prove toroman wrong. but for philippine basketball. because we really need a 6-9 SF-PF in the international game.

I don't think we need a 6-9 SF/PF in the international arena. I would rather have a 6'3 PGs and 6'6 SGs that will help in both scoring and defense. Having tall guards will help address our deficiencies.

[Bonifacio]

Aguilar had 27 points in his debut in the PBA, unfortunately his rebounding, and inside presence is still lacking even in that game, which was what the team were expecting from him during his time in Gilas.

.

He made 8 rebounds which I think is decent.....how much rebounds do you expect of him so that it can be called satisfactory.

[durden_tyler]

He made 8 rebounds which I think is decent.....how much rebounds do you expect of him so that it can be called satisfactory.

On this end, i agree with Bonifacio. It helps as well that the other TNT players are good rebounding players from their front court and even to the wings/guards.

[FARIDOON]

Japeth, you can't please everyone. Just play with all of your heart and continue in improving your basketball skills...

[capitantiago]

On this end, i agree with Bonifacio. It helps as well that the other TNT players are good rebounding players from their front court and even to the wings/guards.

OTOH if your FG% is a bit high, don't expect too many rebounds. as simple as that.
unless you do the Rodman rebounding: 2-3 taps on the offensive end that makes 2-3 offensive rebounds.

[Silent Killer]

ayos lang yan Ballesteros. Kahit si Durant nga nabiktima.

trans:
its ok Ballesteros, it also happened to Kevin Durant.

haha lolz.

[Silent Killer]

japeth: sorry jason, dunk lang

Trans: sorry!!

Jason: k lang, sanay na

trans: i'm use to it at our practice

[nba2kfanatic]

he's got a nice game last fri, for me he's best for 3 and 4 but not good at 5, i cant understand why he didnt get much board but who cares? its good seeing him shooting 15 and 18-foot jumpers... id like to see him get ths kind of consistent number over the next 10 games...

[bognut]

He's trying to play like #35

[nardy]

he's got a nice game last fri, for me he's best for 3 and 4 but not good at 5, i cant understand why he didnt get much board but who cares? its good seeing him shooting 15 and 18-foot jumpers... id like to see him get ths kind of consistent number over the next 10 games...

huh 8 rebounds seems to be not enough for everybody with regards to Japeth is concerned. I wonder how many boards would be enough for the fans to appreciate Japeth's rebounding. Are we expecting too much from the guy. Yes, he's tall and athletic but he's still human. Based on the post-game interview, one can see Japeth is a broken man, someone who is trying his best but can't seem to get the appreciation he needs. He is really lacking self-confidence, for me instead of us trying to criticize the guy more, we should try to uplift his spirit, that's something which Japeth truly needs right now. We need to boost his morale in order to get the best out of him.

[mikepogi]

He made 8 rebounds which I think is decent.....how much rebounds do you expect of him so that it can be called satisfactory.

I apologize for that.. I dont mind being proven wrong.. However I still think that his inside game still needs a lot of work which is probably the reason he didnt get that much playing time in Wuhan..

[kerouac82]

huh 8 rebounds seems to be not enough for everybody with regards to Japeth is concerned. I wonder how many boards would be enough for the fans to appreciate Japeth's rebounding. Are we expecting too much from the guy. Yes, he's tall and athletic but he's still human. Based on the post-game interview, one can see Japeth is a broken man, someone who is trying his best but can't seem to get the appreciation he needs. He is really lacking self-confidence, for me instead of us trying to criticize the guy more, we should try to uplift his spirit, that's something which Japeth truly needs right now. We need to boost his morale in order to get the best out of him.

One actually wonders who among these doubters can actually say to Japeth's face that he sucks. That's what we all are here -- armchair analysts. Except for a few very reputable members, I don't know anyone here who are/were part of an actual basketball program, whether it's as a waterboy, a coach, a manager, or a player.

[friedbrains]

I apologize for that.. I dont mind being proven wrong.. However I still think that his inside game still needs a lot of work which is probably the reason he didnt get that much playing time in Wuhan..

the reason he didnt get playing time in wuhan is TOROMAN. yeah, the stubborn, rigid, mayabang, does-not-admit-fault-nor-owns-up-to-losses serbian who simply lacks imagination.

toroman is the prototypical analyst/economist. knows all the numbers by heart. but cannot apply them in the real world.

[Silent Killer]

the reason he didnt get playing time in wuhan is TOROMAN. yeah, the stubborn, rigid, mayabang, does-not-admit-fault-nor-owns-up-to-losses serbian who simply lacks imagination.

toroman is the prototypical analyst/economist. knows all the numbers by heart. but cannot apply them in the real world.

i love your signature.

[kadafy]

but JA is a pro now. he should be able to take comments fro "armchair-analysts".

he's basically playing basketball to entertain. and the viewing public has all the right in the world to give his/her views, intelligent or not.

[friedbrains]

huh 8 rebounds seems to be not enough for everybody with regards to Japeth is concerned. I wonder how many boards would be enough for the fans to appreciate Japeth's rebounding. Are we expecting too much from the guy. Yes, he's tall and athletic but he's still human. Based on the post-game interview, one can see Japeth is a broken man, someone who is trying his best but can't seem to get the appreciation he needs. He is really lacking self-confidence, for me instead of us trying to criticize the guy more, we should try to uplift his spirit, that's something which Japeth truly needs right now. We need to boost his morale in order to get the best out of him.

i knew it. he was indeed crying, or atleast teary-eyed in that interview... toroman should really be banned from coming back to the philippines.

japeth, we are all behind you. even your detractors here in this forum know in their hearts that they rather see u succeed than see you go down. just believe in yourself, and the rest will just fall into place.

best of luck to japeth and philippine basketball.

[durden_tyler]

japeth, we are all behind you. even your detractors here in this forum know in their hearts that they rather see u succeed than see you go down. just believe in yourself, and the rest will just fall into place

Except for Galj, who probably just want to see every Filipino fail, i guess every Japeth-critic (and overall, being a critic of anything) in this forum just wants to see his full potential realized.

[Silent Killer]

im following japeth's game since mapua hs days and i said he'll be something in the future and PBA is waiting.

[nardy]

but JA is a pro now. he should be able to take comments fro "armchair-analysts".

he's basically playing basketball to entertain. and the viewing public has all the right in the world to give his/her views, intelligent or not.

Its easy to say that he is pro now .... that he is now a grown man. But fact is he is still a growing boy who has not really matured emotionally, intellectually and athletically. Criticize him that people may that he is already 24 years of age but that's how it is. It showed in his game and he is now showing it in his interviews. What the guy really needs is more encouragement than people nagging him that he should be like this or like that. He is not like everybody else, he is someone who needs positive guidance more than ever. He was a boy in high school who was forced to be away from family and from that time all he was asked to do was play basketball. As I said those 3 unproductive basketball years in Western Kentucky really affected his growth not only as a player but as a person. It did not help that at a delicate time when he needs nurturing, the Coaches he had fallen under to were Yeng Guiao and Rajko Toroman. Both are very good coaches and mentors but unfortunately their personalities does not fit the kind of father-figure that Japeth is looking for to guide him. Am sorry but I have to be honest to say we should be more patient in Japeth's case.