Ginebra upbeat despite skid

Ginebra coach Allan Caidic said yesterday it will take more jelling for the revamped Kings to become serious title contenders but pointed to positive signs that indicate a turnaround sooner than later in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Ginebra got off to a hot 2-0 start in the Samsung All-Filipino Cup then lost three straight in a tailspin that sent the Kings crashing down to earth.

Caidic said the preseason hype installing Ginebra as the team-to-beat has raised lofty expectations and put unnecessary pressure on the squad.

"Nakasama pa yata yung pagkapanalo namin ng two games to start the season," noted Caidic. "It’s like fans think we can’t lose. The pressure is building up because of expectations but fans don’t realize what we’re going through. Huwag sana silang mainip. It took Coca-Cola two to three years, going back to Pop Cola, before becoming a champion team. Nagtanim sila, nagpondar. They worked hard until they matured. We’re experiencing the same process at Ginebra. We’re doing it slowly but surely. One good thing is we’re now competitive. In our three losses, we had a chance to win until the end. We showed we can recover from a bad start, we can sustain runs unlike dati when we would just collapse."

Before the campaign started, Caidic singled out Red Bull, San Miguel Beer, Coca-Cola and Alaska, not necessarily in that order, as the league’s top teams. It’s not a coincidence that Ginebra’s three losses were to three of the four clubs and they were all close calls.

"I hope fans don’t judge us by those three losses," he continued. "Those were really two-point games except we had to foul in the last few seconds to get back possession. We lost to tough and cohesive teams but we were there until the end. Kulang pa. We’ve got to improve on our decision-making and our play in the end-game. Our consolation is this is a long tournament — double round robin — and there is no carryover, meaning we’ll be fine as long as we don’t finish last in our group at the end of the eliminations. There’s the second round to recover. Imagine we played three tough teams in a row — hindi nag-favor sa amin ang schedule."

Caidic said he’s encouraged by the attitude of the players. "Our practices have been great and our morale is okay," he added. "You see the intensity, the desire to learn, the willingness to accept their roles. Wala kaming primadonna na inaalagaan. More than ever, we need the fans to encourage, not criticize or pressure us or pin us down. I hope the fans understand that we’re undergoing a process and we’re getting there."

Caidic explained that Ginebra isn’t doing anything radically different from consultant Ron Jacobs’ system. He said new assistant coach Binky Favis is a big help because of his defensive orientation.

"I think we’re progressing faster than Coca-Cola when it went through a similar process," said Caidic. "Because of the zone, we’re using a lot of ball movement now. Binky and I complement each other. Binky’s strength is defense and we’re taking advantage of that. We’ve got guys who can score in transition and in the halfcourt. So we work out a gameplan depending on the team we play against. It’s just a matter of execution."

Caidic said he’s fast-tracking the adjustment period. But with three rookies coming off the bench, Caidic asked fans to be a little more patient.

"Aris (Dimaunahan) is our back-up point guard," he continued. "Sunday (Salvacion) is our back-up two-guard and Romel (Adducul) is our back-up center. They’re all rookies in the PBA and new to our system. Those are three key players in our rotation and it will take time for them to adjust. Sunday started strong but he’s been struggling lately. We’re working on Sunday creating his shots, on scoring off the dribble, instead of just being a catch-and-shoot player. We’re adjusting his release. He’s got a lot of things on his mind — offense and defense — so he’s been tight. I told him to just let go, relax, and play loose."

Caidic said he’s expecting a lot from Adducul. "Romel’s experience counts a lot," he added. "He’s coming along. But in the last few games, he hasn’t been mentally prepared because he’s been attending to final exams, reports, and projects. Kasi, he’s graduating at San Sebastian kaya he’s been preoccupied with his studies. Once tapos na ang graduation, you’ll see his focus back."

Regarding his point guards, Caidic said he’s challenging starter Bal David and Dimaunahan to improve on their decision-making and shot selection. "I’m impressed with Aris but he’s got to keep improving, same with Bal," he said.

As for rookie point guard Rob Johnson, Caidic said he’ll eventually get his minutes on the floor. "Rob is still adjusting," said Caidic. "We haven’t played him yet because we feel he’s not ready. We don’t want to put him in a situation where he won’t do well. I’ve been hard on him at practice to get him ready, to get him to accept his role, to get him to understand our system. Will he play against Talk ‘N’ Text on Friday? Maybe, maybe not. It depends. We like his improvement at practice. He’ll have his time."

Talk ‘N’ Text isn’t a lightweight opponent but Caidic said he hopes Ginebra gets back on the winning track this Friday. "The key is to control Asi (Taulava)," he said. "They’ve got bangers, bruisers, and hard-working guys like (Harvey) Carey, (Kahi) Villa and (Norman) Gonzales so we’ve got to be ready. And (Jimmy) Alapag is playing so well. Alex (Crisano) and Elmer (Lago) used to play for Talk ‘N’ Text so we might use them a lot in the game."

Caidic said another positive sign is Eric Menk’s breakout game against Coca-Cola last Sunday. Menk poured in 24 points and grabbed 22 rebounds. "Eric got sick in Baguio and but we’ve had to play him" said Caidic. "I think he’s more inspired now that his mother is here visiting from the States. He’s also adjusting to playing against the zone because in the past, he was so dominant in the post."

Caidic described Jun Limpot and Mark (The Spark) Caguioa as Ginebra’s heart and soul. "Jun, of course, is our leader–he and Mark are carrying our team," he said. "If we can get consistency from our other scorers like Eric, Sunday, Romel, Bal, Elmer and the rest, we’ll be really competitive."

Sophomore Chester Tolomia, recovering from a tonsillitis operation, will likely be reactivated in the middle of the conference and should add depth to Caidic’s rotation. He said other positive signs are Ginebra leading the league in least turnovers and free throw percentage.

"The PBA is so balanced now that there is no easy game," said Caidic. "We’ve got a long way to go before the end of the tournament. What’s important is we continue to get better, to improve, and to learn from our mistakes. Our never-say-die spirit is back and with the fans supporting us, I’m confident we’ll go far this season."

Like John Paul Jones once said, Ginebra has only just begun to fight.