If it were up to Senator Sonny Angara and Congressman Robbie Puno, we would have NBA-caliber practice players.
"There is an urgent need to have a pool of naturalized players along with Marcus Douthit to increase the team's over-all capability and as back up in case of injuries," said Angara in the explanatory notes of Senate Bills 2107 and 2108, to grant Filipino citizenship to JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche, respectively.
The same sentiments are echoed in Puno's filings in the lower house:
"We need to naturalize at least two players to avoid jeopardizing the entire basketball program in the event of an injury to any one of our naturalized players. Also, the addition of another player will contribute to effective team development. The two naturalized athletes would practice against each other and serve as back-up players to one another."
With Marcus Douthit remaining healthy and the legislature staying strict in granting citizenship, the possibility of passing these bills by July 30, when the 24-man line up for the 2014 FIBA World Championship is due, appear slim.
Granting Filipino citizenship through legislation is not an easy task. Of the 13 bills of such nature filed in the previous congress, only one was enacted into law. Republic Act 10148 granted Gilas big man Marcus Douthit Philippine citizenship.
A similar bill filed in the 15th Congress, House Bill 2683, was supposed to grant citizenship to six-foot-three women's basketball player Xiaojing Zheng. It passed in the lower house but languished in the senate.
Other bills involving long-time residents of the Philippines, ranging from businessmen to doctors, lawyers, priests, and even philanthropists never made it as well. Only one bill made it past both the lower and upper house. It was ultimately vetoed by the president.
Conferring citizenship is a privilege not afforded to all. Congressman Al Francis Bichara previously filed House Bill 6715 to grant Filipino citizenship to Wassim Nanaa. Nanaa is the honorary Consul General of the Philippines in Syria. Just last January, President Benigno S. Aquino III conferred the Order of Sikatuna to Nanaa for protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers in Syria.
Nanaa now joins former US president Dwight Eisenhower, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao as awardees. Nanaa's citizenship did not even make it past the Congress' committee level.
From now until July, it's a race against time for Puno in the lower house.
"Kailangan natin ikutan yung mga adjournment ng congress," added Puno in an interview with Spin.ph. The congress will take a break from March 14 to May 4, further trimming the time to get things going. Puno added that they set the record with the fastest approval for citizenship with Douthit at seven months.
This time, they plan to do it in a bit over one:
"Kailangan kong ma-approve sa congress by March 14 and that would give the senate time to approve their counterpart bill [the Angara bill] between May 5 and June 13."
Puno also has to get the support of Congress' Justice committee and House Speaker Sonny Belmonte, Jr.
The elder Belmonte took convincing the last time around, when it was Douthit's naturalization on the table. "Critical yung suporta ni Speaker [Belmonte] kasi pag sumuporta si Speaker, lahat sasabay," said Puno. With FIBA allowing only one naturalized player to suit up, Belmonte may need even more convincing now that Puno is asking for a "pool" of naturalized players, especially when it seems that players may be granted citizenship even if they will not be able to play.
"Baka hindi rin umabot [si McGee] but he's our first choice," Puno added. "Pinakiusap ni Chot [Reyes] sakin kung pwedeng dalawahin na natin subukan i-naturalize."
Douthit will be 34 years old when the team goes to Spain. Blatche will be 28, while McGee will be 26. Interestingly, the lawmakers pushed through with the filing for McGee, even if it's uncertain that he will be serviceable in time for August.
The Denver Nuggets big man has been undergoing bone stimulation therapy to repair his fractured leg, but most recent reports indicate that he will be out for the rest of the current NBA Season. Adding physical therapy, the possibility of McGee being a hundred-percent fit for Spain is unknown.
Source; gmanews.tv
Brooklyn Nets’ Andray Blatche says he looks forward to representing the Philippines in the 2014 FIBA World Basketball Cup.
Although he admitted not knowing anything about the naturalization process in the Philippines, he said he is “cool with it.”
“I’m not too quite sure about anything about it,” he said in a New York Times report. “They brought it to my attention, and I was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds cool.’ ”
Blatche said playing for the Philippines could widen his network and take him to places where he has never been before.
He added that the FIBA World, which runs from August to September, will also be helpful for his preparations for the next NBA season.
“I’m looking at it from the standpoint that I can go where I’ve never been before,” said Blatche, “and also it’ll give me an early head start to get ready for training camp and for the season.”
According to the New York Times, Blatche has been a big contributor for the Nets, where he averages 12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Blatche is one of the two NBA players being eyed for naturalization for Gilas Pilipinas.
Antipolo Rep. Roberto Puno has filed two bills to start the naturalization process of Blatche and Denver Nuggets’ Javale McGee.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is hoping to use either Blatche or Javale to improve Gilas Pilipinas' chances in the FIBA Worlds.
Gilas Pilipinas is likely to meet a familiar face at the 2014 FIBA World Basketball Cup this August.
Renaldo Balkman, who played for Petron Blaze in the PBA, is one of the mainstays of the Puerto Rican national basketball team which belongs to the same grouping with Gilas in the FIBA Worlds.
The 6-foot-8 import achieved notoriety during the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, which resulted in his lifetime ban from the league.
While averaging 25 points and 13 rebounds per game with the Boosters, Balkman, who was having an off night against the Alaska Aces, protested a call and ended up grabbing Arwind Santos’ neck.
Balkman has since apologized for his actions.
Puerto Rico, ranked No. 19 in the world, qualified for the FIBA Worlds after finishing second in the 2013 FIBA Americas.
It is not certain, however, if Balkman will be included in their team’s final lineup for the FIBA World Cup.
Also included in their group are second-ranked Argentina, which boasts of NBA players Luis Scola and Manu Ginobili, fifth-ranked Greece, Croatia (16th) and Senegal (41st).
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Basketball world champions the United States were drawn in a group also containing the team they beat in the 2010 final Turkey, when the draw was made in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday (early Tuesday, PHL time).
The Americans were drawn in Group C along with the Turks as well as New Zealand, Ukraine, Dominican Republic and Finland for the tournament which is being hosted by Spain and runs from August 30 to September 14 (August 31-September 15, PHL time).
The potential opponents for the Americans in the last 16 - the top four in each group progress to the knockout rounds - if they top it will come from Group D which notably includes Slovenia, Australia and beaten European championship finalists Lithuania.
France, who beat Lithuania in the European final last year, are in Group A along with amongst others Spain, Serbia and Brazil.
Meanwhile the Philippine national team, also known as Gilas, drew a difficult group, containing second and third-placers Puerto Rico and Argentina, respectively, from the Americas region, Africa third-placers Senegal, Europe fourth placers Croatia, plus wildcard Greece.
The tournament will take place in six cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Bilbao, Gran Canaria and Granada.
Groups:
Gp A (at Granada): Spain, Serbia, France, Brazil, Egypt, Iran
Gp B (at Sevilla): Philippines, Senegal, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Greece, Croatia
Gp C (at Bilbao): Dominican Republic, Turkey, United States, Finland, New Zealand, Ukraine
Gp D (at Gran Canaria): Slovenia, Lithuania, Angola, South Korea, Mexico, Australia
Source: gmanews.tv
1. Argentina
FIBA Ranking: No. 3
Argentina qualified for the 2013 FIBA Basketball World Cup after finishing third in the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship.
Among the players to watch out are Indiana Pacers power forward Luis Scola and San Antonio Spurs vet Manu Ginobili. Scola, who was with the NBA’s 2008 Rookie First Team, averages 13.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Ginobili, on the other hand, tallies 14.7 points and 4.0 assists per game.
Among the team's recent accomplishments are: a gold medal at the 2008 FIBA Diamond Ball, a bronze-medal finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a gold-medal win at the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship.
Possible lineup:
Juan Pedro Gutiérrez
Luis Scola
Andrés Nocioni
Manu Ginóbili
Pablo Prigioni
Martín Leiva
Leonardo Gutiérrez
Hernán Jasen
Carlos Delfino
Facundo Campazzo
Federico Kammerichs
Marcos Mata
2. Senegal
FIBA Ranking: No. 37
Senegal nabbed a qualification for the 2014 FIBA World Cup when it won bronze at the 2013 FIBA Africa Championship.
The team is a five-time gold medalist (in 1968, 1972, 1978, 1980, and 1997), a six-time silver medalist, and a thrice bronze medalist at the FIBA Africa Championship. Senegal was also the first Sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the Summer Olympic Games.
Senegal has 7-foot-tall center Hamady N'Diaye, who was formerly with the Washington Wizards. He now plays for the Delaware 87ers in the NBA D-League. The team also has defensive specialist Mouhamed Saer Sene, who boasts of a 7-foot-8.5 wingspan. Sene had stints with the Seattle Supersonics, Oklahoma City Thunder and the New York Knicks.
Possible lineup
El Hadji Malick Ndiaye
Louis Adams
Ibrahima Thomas
Mamadou Ndoye
Mohamed Diop
Maleye Ndoye
Ibrahima Mbengue
Mouhammad Faye
Pape Malick Gadiaga
Hamady N'Diaye
Mouhamed Sene
Abdou Badji
3. Puerto Rico
FIBA Ranking: No. 19
Puerto Rico qualified the FIBA Worlds by virtue of its second-place finish at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship.
It also has participated in all of the FIBA Americas Championships and has gone all the way to the semifinals in all but the 1984 and 2005 tournaments for a total of nine medals.
Puerto Rico has NBA point guards JJ Barea and Carlos Arroyo. Barea currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Arroyo was with the Miami heat and the Boston Celtics. It also boasts of 7-foot-3 center Peter Ramos, formerly of the Washington Wizards.
Possible lineup
Ramon Clemente
José Juan Barea
John Holland
Carlos Arroyo
Andrés Rodríguez
Richard Chaney
Elías Larry Ayuso
Ricky Sánchez
Luis Villafañe
Renaldo Balkman
Alex Galindo
Daniel Santiago
4. Croatia
FIBA Ranking: No. 16
Croatia finished third behind France and Lithuania at FIBA EuroBasket 2013 to gain a seat in the FIBA Worlds.
It has a rich basketball tradition, with several of its members ending up at the the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Among its legends who made into the list are Krešimir Ćosić, Dražen Petrović, and Mirko Novosel. The biggest success Croatia has achieved was at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when the team reached the finals against the US Dream Team and won the silver.
Croatia has at its disposal the services of 6-foot-5 point guard Roko Ukić, formerly of the Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks, and power forward Damir Markota, who had playing stint with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Possible lineup
Ante Tomić
Damir Markota
Bojan Bogdanović
Krunoslav Simon
Roko Ukić
Luka Žorić
Dario Šarić
Damjan Rudež
Ante Delaš
Dontaye Draper
Lukša Andrić
Mario Delaš
5. Greece
FIBA Ranking: No. 5
Greece, traditionally considered among the world's top basketball powers, acquired a wild card to join the FIBA World Cup.
Greece’s most remarkable achievement was its runner-up finish at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, after beating the 2006 Team USA of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony in the semis.
Despite an impressive win against the defending champion Spain in Eurobasket 2013, it lost crucial games and failed to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2001. Among its prized players are 7-foot center Kosta Koufos of the Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Nick Calathes and Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Possible lineup
Kosta Koufos
Giorgos Printezis
Kostas Papanikolaou
Vassilis Spanoulis
Nick Calathes
Loannis Bourousis
Kostas Kaimakoglou
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Michael Bramos
Vangelis Mantzaris
Sofoklis Schortsanitis
Antonis Fotsis
Stratos Perperoglou
Nikos Zisis
Kostas Sloukas
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Country Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
Argentina 25 21 20 27 93
Brazil 25 23 18 23 89
Game leaders
Argentina: L. SCOLA (37 pts), L. SCOLA (9 rbs), P. PRIGIONI (8 ast)
Brazil: M. HUERTAS (32 pts), T. SPLITTER (5 rbs), T. SPLITTER (2 ast)
Game Highlights
Country Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
Lithuania 17 26 21 14 78
China 22 18 11 16 67
Game leaders
Lithuania: L. KLEIZA (30 pts), L. KLEIZA (9 rbs), M. KALNIETIS (5 ast)
China: W. LIU (21 pts), J. YI (12 rbs), Z. WANG (3 ast)
Game Highlights
