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    If Ginebra, TnT, NorthPort are PBA draft winners, who are biggest losers?

    Yeng Guiao is the first that comes to mind
    Mar 15, 2021

    DUST has settled and the biggest draft in PBA history has come to a close.

    And after hearing 65 of the 86 players called on Sunday, the work begins for these dreamers as they fight for roster spots ahead of the league's 46th season.

    With that, Spin.ph takes a quick look on how things went down and see who made the most of the annual draft exercise.

    Spoiler alert: We have winners galore. After all, how can you go wrong with that boatload of talent available?

    WINNER: Ginebra coach Tim Cone

    The rich truly got richer and it all went according to plan for the winningest coach in league history.

    Cone was able to secure Ginebra's targets in Ken Holmqvist and Brian Enriquez, taking them back-to-back with its 12th and 13th picks. He got what he wanted and Ginebra became the first team to pass as early as the third round.

    Holmqvist, who played for Far Eastern University for two seasons before heading back to Norway, and Enriquez, who came from William Woods University and was supposed to suit up for a one-and-done season in University of the East, may both be surprise picks, but they certainly impressed Cone and the Gin Kings coaches.

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    WINNER: TNT coach Chot Reyes

    TNT may have lost Ray Parks for the upcoming season, but what a coup for Reyes to have a legitimate NBA G League talent in Mikey Williams in his return to the pro league.

    Williams' stock rose over the past few weeks that there were rumors that he could go even higher, but the draft panned out the way the Tropang Giga wanted it to and they got their guy at fourth overall.

    Safe to say, Reyes must be smiling from ear-to-ear with that haul alone.

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    WINNER: Alaska

    Alaska is another team that got what it wanted, and more, in the draft.

    Ben Adamos, who the Aces took sixth, should be a big defensive help to their frontline featuring young guns Abu Tratter and Barkley Ebona, while Fil-Canadian gunner Taylor Browne and scrappy defender Alec Stockton should be valuable additions to their one to three spots.

    RK Ilagan, arguably one of the best shooters in the field, is looking like a steal and as much as he has slid to the third round, the Tondo-born shooter from San Sebastian can fill the need for outside firepower.

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    WINNER: Phoenix Super LPG

    Phoenix Super LPG officials have truly made the most of the offseason and coach Topex Robinson and team manager Paolo Bugia continued to do so, securing A-plus hauls in the draft proceedings.

    The team got Larry Muyang at seventh and he will certainly be a solid second-unit center for the feisty Fuel Masters. Their second-round picks Nick Demusis and Aljun Melecio are just superb additions to the team, too.

    Late picks Reymar Caduyac, Max Duran-Hentschel, Jerie Pingoy are all aching to get their opportunity, and count on Robinson and Phoenix to at least give them their shot.

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    WINNER: Rain or Shine

    Rain or Shine has always had a penchant for picking wiselyin the draft, and coach Chris Gavina did well in his first at the helm.

    Santi Santillan, taken fifth, is poised to join a bumper crop of hard-nosed Elasto Painter forwards and is looking like tailor-fit to a team which already features Beau Belga and Jewel Ponferrada.

    Gavina also addressed the necessary playmaking needs for Rain or Shine, enlisting Franky Johnson, Anton Asistio, Andrei Caracut, Kenneth Mocon, RJ Argamino, and Philip Manalang with its late picks.

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    WINNER: NorthPort

    Terrafirma going with Jordan Heading first in the special Gilas round meant that NorthPort lucked in landing William Navarro, one of the smartest big men in the field. He should be a valuable addition for the Batang Pier frontline once his Gilas term ends.

    Jamie Malonzo should boost the wing spot for NorthPort which currently features Kevin Ferrer and Sean Manganti. Troy Rike and Mark Olayon also must make the battles in the paint interesting in those Batang Pier practices.

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    WINNER: Tzaddy Rangel

    Rangel is already a clear winner even before the draft by virtue of him being enlisted in the special Gilas draft.

    The 6-foot-8 center hardly made a dent in his previous campaigns, playing behind Alfred Aroga and Issa Gaye at National University , as well as the San Miguel Alab imports in the ABL.

    Now he's got a chance to improve under Gilas program director Tab Baldwin and coach Jong Uichico in the national team pool before coach Yeng Guiao gets his hands on him in the PBA.

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    WINNER: MPBL

    The regional league founded by Sen. Manny Pacquiao may still be in limbo in Subic, but a bumper crop of players from the regional league achieved their dreams.

    Five, led by Mikey Williams, were selected in the first round, while unheralded forwards like Reymark Acuno (taken by Blackwater 14th) and Mark Olayon (picked by NorthPort 24th) defied draft boards and made the leap in the second round.

    Makati's Joshua Torralba (chosen by Blackwater 15th), Bacoor's Nick Demusis (selected by Phoenix Super LPG 18th), and Pasay's Dhon Reverente (tapped by Terrafirma 25th) were among over 20 MPBL players who heard their names called.

    That should cement the MPBL as a viable path for players hoping to impress before making it to the PBA.

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    TBD: Joshua Munzon

    Munzon has proven his caliber time and again, but he has yet to bear a cross as heavy as the one he'll carry in Terrafirma.

    Replacing two-time scoring champion CJ Perez in the Dyip camp will be a difficult endeavor, but count on the top-ranked 3x3 player in the country to rise to the occasion. But the jury is still out on this one.

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    TBD: NLEX coach Yeng Guiao

    Listening to Guiao in the lead-up to the draft was a painful one, especially after NLEX lost the No. 4 pick in a trade that benefited MVP Group crown jewel TNT.

    After all, the feisty Kapampangan coach knew he would get two picks from the special Gilas round and two from the top four picks in the regular phase.

    Still, Guiao got a gem in NCAA MVP Calvin Oftana as his third pick, one who could immediately help the wing spot of the Road Warriors.

    It's still to be determined if the pre-draft moves NLEX had to make will bite it in the long run.

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    LOSER: San Miguel

    Someone has to be the loser, right? And of course, the team which didn't pick until the third round had to be the one to take the fall.

    Choices were scarce for the Beermen, but the five they picked would be lucky to crack a spot in the team. There's the 3x3 squad anyways, so there's a glimmer of hope.

    Here's the thing, though: San Miguel are buyers, not sellers. And history dictates us that if the Beermen want to beef up their roster, it rarely comes from the draft.

    LOSER: Zoom meetings

    It's already a difficult endeavor to hold a virtual draft exercise, especially in this time of pandemic. But the interviews were hard to watch especially when you see the draftees, who just had the biggest moments of their careers, share their tales... just to find out that they were muted.

    It's all the more agonizing during Mikey Williams' part as someone was talking over while he was sharing his path to the PBA.

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    Kudos, though, to the PBA and TV5 for making the annual rookie selection process work.

    Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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