Barangay Ginebra coach Joseph Uichico said yesterday the outlook for the Kings is bright for next season even without a first or second round pick in the PBA draft to be held at Market! Market! in the Bonifacio Global City on Sunday.
Although the Kings were far from healthy in the recent Fiesta Conference finals, Uichico managed to pilot Ginebra to the title, upending Air21 in an explosive series that went the seven-game distance.
Uichico's good news for Ginebra fans is the entire team will be ready to rumble when the Philippine Cup opens in October. He said none of Ginebra's Walking Wounded will undergo surgery to recover from injuries.
Jay-Jay Helterbrand hurt his hamstring in Game 2 of the finals and sat out the rest of the series. Mark Caguioa, Eric Menk, Paul Artadi and Junthy Valenzuela were also plagued by injuries during the finals.
"They just need rest and rehab," said Uichico. "Up to now, I don't know how we won the championship. It had to be an act of God. When Jay-Jay went down in Game 2, I asked myself how we could win without him. I just tried to rally the guys behind Jay-Jay and turn it into something positive."
Uichico, 46, said winning the crown boiled down to energy, intensity, spirit, hard work and prayers.
"The victory was dedicated to the players who were injured," said Uichico. "Jay-Jay was an inspiration. He showed up for every game in uniform, shot around during the warm-ups and encouraged the guys. Where did we get the edge? Where did we find it? From the fans. When we won Game 6, it was probably because Air21 could afford to lose it. But in Game 7, the fans gave us the extra push in the last quarter. That was when Air21 really felt the pressure and the inexperience showed."
Uichico credited the Express for a gutsy stand.
"That's a championship-caliber team, no doubt about it," said Uichico. "If they keep that team intact, they'll win a lot of titles for sure. A team with Arwind Santos, Gary David, Ranidel de Ocampo, Wynne Arboleda, Niño Canaleta, Egay Billones and the others will only get better with experience because the talent is already there. Bo (Perasol) coached a heckuva series and we were lucky to come out on top."
In the coming draft, Ginebra gave up its third overall pick to Coca-Cola in a three-way trade involving Rudy Hatfield and Rafi Reavis a few years back. That pick later went to Air21 for Mark Telan and ended up with Magnolia for Gabby Espinas.
Ginebra also lost its third pick in the second round to Air21 in the Ronald Tubid deal.
Uichico said there are at least seven Ginebra playing contracts expiring before the year ends. He mentioned the priority is to re-sign Helterbrand, Caguioa, Tubid and Billy Mamaril. Still with live contracts are Menk, Artadi, Sunday Salvacion, Valenzuela and Reavis.
Uichico said he seriously thought of reactivating Helterbrand for Games 6 and 7 but after testing his leg, decided against it. "Jay-Jay wanted to play but when he still felt pain in his hamstring, we didn't want to push it," said Uichico. "Luckily, Ronald became available. We got an email from Dr. (George) Canlas, who was in Beijing, clearing Ronald for testing. He gave us a great effort. In Game 6, what turned it around was his block on Billones. He provided the hustle we needed to beat Air21."
Uichico also paid tribute to Menk and Valenzuela.
"Eric was struggling throughout the conference but we knew in the finals, he would get back his focus," said Uichico. "In the nitty-gritty, you can always rely on Eric. Junthy gave us stability. Players look up to him and respect him. He's very smart and he settles the guys down on the court. We never looked to him for scoring. We looked to him for his leadership."
Another contributor to the title surge was Artadi.
"When Jay-Jay got hurt, we moved Paul to the starting lineup," said Uichico. "He used to bring a lot of energy off the bench so when he became a starter, we switched our tempo. Allan (Caidic) and Kirk (Collier) have been working on Paul's skills and the results are evident. Paul knows he's the last option when everything else is exhausted. It's just a matter of building his confidence."
Uichico said Alex Crisano also played a key role in the victory.
"I told Alex not to get caught up with the showbiz thing," said Uichico. "We got him for his rebounding and his physical presence at the post, against guys like Asi Taulava and Dorian Peña. He tends to lose his concentration when the crowd gets going but he's doing okay."
Uichico said his gameplan in the finals was not to engage Air21 in a shootout. "How we controlled the tempo, how we made it into a low-scoring defensive series, how we won with injured players - I don't know up to now," he continued. "We knew what we were up against -- a very athletic, physical team with players who could jump out of the gym. Somehow, we were ready for them and the fans gave us the spirit to never say die."
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