The 2016 Olympics are rapidly approaching, and the Philippines national basketball team, otherwise known as Gilas Pilipinas, will use the 2015 MVP Cup as an opportunity in front of its home fans to prepare for the Games and the high-stakes FIBA Asia Championship.
Nelson Beltran of the Philippine Star noted the MVP Cup will take place from Friday, Sept. 11, through Sunday, Sept. 13, at Smart Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines. The four-team, three-day tournament is a single-round robin event and will feature Gilas Pilipinas, Chinese Taipei, the Wellington Saints of New Zealand and Talk 'N Text.
Talk 'N Text is the reigning PBA Commissioner’s Cup champion and took over for Lebanon when it dropped out of the event.
Mark Giongco of Inquirer.net said the team with the best record after the round-robin tournament will earn the $25,000 prize.
Adrian Dy of Slam Philippines provided the complete schedule:
The MVP Cup represents more than an opportunity for Gilas Pilipinas to establish an on-court rhythm before the FIBA Asia Championship begins Sept. 23 (which is a qualifying event for the Olympics). It is also a chance for the national program to prove itself as a host nation for international competitions.
Coach Chot Reyes suggested as much, per Giongco:
Hopefully if we’re able to do a good job of this we can make it an annual thing. And I think it’s about time that the country regularly hosts a top-notch Asian tournament.
And that’s only going to improve our standing in Asia and in the world in FIBA’s eyes if there’s a regular (tournament) like the Stankovic Cup and the Jones Cup.
In terms of the actual basketball, the inclusion of Talk 'N Text is interesting because of its relationship with the Philippines. Jane Bracher of Rappler.com provided the details:
Talk 'N Text will be playing with a depleted line-up as most of its team leaders are in the Gilas pool including primary guard Jayson Castro, Ranidel De Ocampo, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser as well as this year's first and second overall draft picks Moala Tautuaa and Troy Rosario. Kelly Williams, who was named to the pool but injured his medial collateral ligament during Gilas practice, will also be out of action for the Texters.
Talk 'N Text probably won’t find much success in this tournament without so many critical contributors, but Gilas Pilipinas has its eyes firmly locked on an impressive showing and the subsequent momentum.
The Philippines won the silver medal at the William Jones Cup in a tournament that featured a number of strong teams, including Iran, South Korea and Chinese Taipei. The showing was even more impressive because Gilas Pilipinas played without superstar big man Andray Blatche.
The Philippines destroyed Chinese Taipei to the tune of 96-67 in the silver medal game and finished with a 6-2 record. Only Iran’s 7-1 mark was better during the event. Without Blatche, Gary David led the team with 22 points in that final game, and Jayson Castro chipped in 15 points of his own.
Veteran point guard and team leader Jimmy Alapag was also on the roster, although he took a back seat and is not even on the recently released 12-man lineup for the FIBA Asia Championship.
If Blatche does return to the floor after lingering health concerns at the MVP Cup, the Philippines team will be difficult to beat. All he did at the FIBA World Cup was average 21.2 points and 13.8 rebounds a night and dominate international bigs down low. The former NBA player is an overpowering force for many of Gilas Pilipinas’ opponents, and he should control the glass on both ends.
Still, the fact the Philippines won the silver medal at the William Jones Cup without Blatche and a significant effort from former Philippine Basketball Association MVP Alapag is exactly what tournaments like the MVP Cup represent.
This is largely nothing but a tuneup event before the critical FIBA Asia Championship and ideally the 2016 Olympics, and the key is to develop on-court chemistry and go-to players in the crucial moments. That other players such as Castro stepped up without Blatche as the anchor is a positive sign for this team hoping to qualify for the Games and build on a strong William Jones Cup.
Look for Gilas Pilipinas to work out some kinks in front of the home fans and make the necessary adjustments moving forward before the competition intensity increases.
Perhaps those adjustments will eventually lead to an Olympic spot.