PBA: Rain or Shine Elasto Painters Philippine Cup preview

Last Philippine Cup: The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters had a very good showing in last year’s Philippine Cup, ending the elimination round with a 9-5 record, one back of the 10-4 standing of top teams B-MEG and TNT. Although they came up short of making the Philippine Cup Finals due to the Tigerella run of Powerade, the Elasto Painters showed the league that they can compete, even if their line-up, at least on paper, was not as stacked as the other teams. Offseason Moves: The Elasto Painters did not have a clear idea as to who they were going to pick in the 2012 PBA Draft, but when they saw that Chris Tiu was available, the decision was a no-brainer. Tiu is a cerebral basketball player who will thrive in Coach Yeng Guiao’s system. The team also traded away Ronjay Buenafe, who was the player they leaned on for instant offense last year. But with the emergence of Jeff Chan as a big-time scorer, Buenafe’s departure may not be felt that much. The bigger subtraction in Rain or Shine’s line-up for the Philippine Cup is Paul Lee. The reigning Rookie of the Year will not be able to play for most, if not all of this conference, as he rehabilitates his injured shoulder. Three keys to being successful in the Philippine Cup 1. Jeff Chan needs to be one of the league leaders in points - The Most Improved Player award sounds awfully nice, but for the Elasto Painters to be competitive, Chan needs to average upwards of 18 points per game. Ideally, he needs to raise his play to be in the conversation with the likes of Mark Caguioa, James Yap, and Gary David. Consistency, perhaps, will be the biggest thing here, for if Chan struggles on offense, the Elasto Painters will most likely struggle alongside him. 2. Set a point guard rotation - Yes, coach Yeng Guiao thrives in a system where his starting five changes as often as Lady Gaga changes outfits, but he will need to determine a lead floor general, because it all follows from there. Will he start TY Tang? Will he go with the rookie Chris Tiu? Or will he continue with Gabe Norwood playing the point-forward role? The sooner a starting point guard emerges, the faster this team transforms into one cohesive unit. 3. Extra Rice Incorporated needs to stay true to who they are - Beau Belga and JR Quinahan are big men who think they are shooting guards on offense, which isn't a bad thing for this team. Because they can shoot from way downtown, Quinahan and Belga are both able to stretch the defense, often taking the opposing center away from the shaded area. When this happens, it’s much easier for the true ROS guards to drive to the hoop. When other teams field centers solely for defensive purposes, the Elasto Painters can actually depend on Extra Rice to play a big role on offense. What’s the one thing that scares Rain or Shine fans? Gabe Norwood and Jeff Chan are tired. Yes, I know that these are athletes in their prime, but consider the fact that they played a long series against B-MEG, and then jumped to Smart-Gilas for the Jones Cup and the FIBA Asia Cup in rapid succession. Even if the Philippine Cup features 14 elimination games per team, it’s not an excuse to start slowly. Judging by Rain or Shine’s campaign last year, they found success in the Philippine Cup and the Governors Cup both times by starting out very strongly. How this will likely play out: The Elasto Painters will be a middle of the pack team in the Philippine Cup. Sure, they won the Governor’s Cup title without Paul Lee, but they did it with an import who was unstoppable in the paint. Without their lead guard and their best creator, not to mention losing their instant offense guy in Ronjay Buenafe, the Elasto Painters might suffer from dry spells in some of their games. Getting into the Top 2 for the twice-to-beat advantage will be a stretch for the Elasto Painters but they will be a force to deal with, against whoever they match-up with in the quarterfinals. - AMD, GMA News