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Fourth grade… I drop my favorite slippers on the beach while watching all the small fishes eating bread crumbs I was stupid and reacted on instinct as I jump towards the water without thinking that I couldn’t swim. I was in panicked mode as I drop down rock bottom until a hand caught my arms and brought me back in harm’s way.

AJ Banal who grew up in the streets of Ermita, Cebu had to deal life with an iron fist. He boxed his way out of poverty and won several amateur awards before joining the ALA stable. Fighting on an undefeated record at 17-0-1 before Rafael Concepcion exposed the young boxer’s vulnerability. Z Gorres and AJ Banal are ALA’s most promising and potential world champions but they have one thing in common they both fade on the later part on their respective match. AJ Banal had to stand only to sheer determination when his knees failed him many times during the Concepcion fight. You count the times when Z Gorres wobbled his knees and fall to the canvas with slight tap from Vic Darchinyan’s gloves. Conditioning can be a factor but maybe sparring with multiple and bigger partners have taken its toll during fight night or maybe they are fighting mostly handpicked opponents and when they encounter the real opposition they succumbed to pressure. That happened to Boomboom Bautista while taking on Ponce De Leon and a thud on the head when he was defeated on the hands of a journeyman Heriberto Ruiz. AJ Banal went from the bottom all the way to the top on his boxing career but have to endure a heartbreaking loss in front of his people to know that there is still much room for improvement in the end. Jose Angel Beranza ate all Banal’s power punches and still survived in 10 lopsided rounds even though Banal controlled the fight most of the way but the later rounds when AJ was caught with good right hooks it was like déjà vu on the Concepcion fight. But AJ kept his composure and went on to win the fight last Saturday. It seems it was one of AJ’s toughest test so far but his maturity have got him the win when a young AJ could have lambasted his way on Beranza and got caught with those powershots carelessly.

They say when you are in the rock bottom there’s no way to go but up but sometimes we don’t have to go to the bottom when a helping hand is guiding us to the top. AJ’s life may have been like that… from the busy slumps to the limelight in Las Vegas Casino… but nonetheless it’s quite reassuring when we’re down and people still believes on us… giving a helping hand whenever we falter… Just like the hand that helped me on the verge of nothingness just like AJ’s.

I would like to thank the people who corrected with my grammatical error yesterday I couldn’t say it was a “typo” error when the spelling was precisely correct. Accusation is definitely different from acquisition… I don’t know what I was thinking but anyways no harm done I’d love to get some proof reading on my articles but I couldn’t afford one… heck I couldn’t even afford a Starbucks coffee… Anyways we have tackled two Eastern Divisions in the past few days now we will tackle the Southeast division the division where the Eastern conference champions dwell but teams like Atlanta and Miami can make a serious bid for that championship run let’s look at the

SOUTHEAST DIVISION

Atlanta Hawks (47-35)
New Acquisitions: Joe Smith and Jamal Crawford
Rookie/Rookies: Jeff Teague 1st round (19th pick) and Sergiy Gladyr 2nd round (19th pick)

Last year the Hawks defied expectations when they reached the playoffs and almost trampled the defending champions Boston Celtics to seven games. Basically they don’t need to be that active this summer they will just have to look for quality veterans who could provide the experience and leadership and Joe Smith fits right on the money. The ever reliable big man who defends pretty well on the post who can give that medium range jumper any time of the day he could very well fit in any system because of his versatility and a good role player that’s one formula for longetivity in the NBA hardwork and dedication. Drafting Jeff Teague gives Mike Bibby a reliable backup with new edition Jamal Crawford who can play the point or two guard. The Atlanta Hawks will be parading good backcourt tandems with Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby or with Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford cohesiveness won’t be a factor but still Atlanta lacks that Post presence with no 7 footers in their line-up.

Charlotte Bobcats (35-47)
New Acquisition: Tyson Chandler
Rookie/Rookies: Gerald Henderson 1st round (12th pick), Derrick Brown 2nd round (10th pick)

So they traded their franchise player Emeka Okafor for Tyson Chandler that makes Gerald Wallace as the last remaining Bobcat. Gerald will be the vocal leader among a herd of young players. If you look into the roster of the Bobcats you’re looking into a number of players not playing to their full potential. They needed the veteran presence in the team and that maybe the reason why Larry Brown got Raja Bell, Borris Diaw and Tyson Chandler. Gerald Henderson can be an immediate help to Charlotte but as early as now doubts have slowly clouded Gerald’s potential just like the other Duke Alumni JJ Reddick and Shelden Williams. The Bobcats is still a rebuilding team and rumors have been circulating that Larry Brown is trying to get Allen Iverson to the team. Well all I can say is good luck

Miami Heat (43-39)
New Acquisition: Quentin Richardson
Rookie/Rookies: Marcus Thornton 2nd round (13th pick), Robert Dozier 2nd round (30th pick) and Patrick Beverly 2nd round (12th pick) by the Lakers

It’s understandable why Miami is limited to getting second round picks and losing dependable defender Jamario Moon to free agency. They are preparing for 2010 when Dwyane Wade goes to free agency and the Heat will have to contend with teams who will spend everything on the salary cap to get him. The Heat as a core is definitely a solid team adding a reliable shooter in Quentin Richardson it’s a sure go for another playoff appearance. The ball is now rolling on Dwayne’s hands…2010 is just around the corner.

Orlando Magic (59-23)
New Acquisitions: Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson, Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass and Jason Williams
Rookie/Rookies: no draft selection

The Orlando Magic has no draft selection but why bother if they have five solid veteran players acquired. Losing Hedo Turkoglo was a bummer but adding Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson, Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass and the comebacking “white chocolate” Jason Williams is more than enough for one Hedo. Vince Carter can still create his own shots and still demands a double-team but what’s scary is he doesn’t have to do it all by himself like his former team the New Jersey Nets he has a lot of help from Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis. The Orlando Magic as a team has added depth and versatility on their roster. Matt Barnes is a pretty decent shooter and a good defender as well as Brandon Bass who rebounds the ball very well. The East is getting stronger against their counterpart and certainly the Magic is on top of that food chain.

Washington Wizards (19-63)
New Acquisitions: Randy Foye, Fabricio Oberto and Mike Miller
Rookie/Rookies: Jermaine Taylor 2nd round (32th pick) traded to Houston

The worst team in the NBA last year that goes to show that the Wizards without their team captain Gilbert Arenas is a team with no identity. But this season is a different one with a healthy Arenas working hard this summer trying to get back to form and adding Randy Foye and Mike Miller creates one of NBA’s good backcourt team. Fabricio Oberto is a solid double-double player if given playing time but can also be a good role player like when he was playing in San Antonio. The Wizards regardless of their dismal record last year is still a good team but they will have to learn to stand on their own when undesirable circumstances take place.

Next week will tackle the Western teams.. keep posted.

Yesterday we tackled the Atlantic division and now let’s try to look at the Central Division teams

CENTRAL DIVISION:

Chicago Bulls (41-41)
New Acquisitions: Jannero Pargo and Jerome James
Rookie/Rookies: James Johnson 1st round (16th pick) and Taj Gibson 1st round (26th pick)

When General Manager John Paxson declared that the Bulls are keen on keeping a defensive minded team it was clear that they are letting Ben Gordon go and keeping NBA’s All Defensive second team guard Kirk Hinrich. Drafting two athletic forwards in 6-foot-8 Johnson and 6-foot-9 Gibson gives them not only a bigger but also a defensive type of team with Gibson named as Defensive player of the year in 2008-09 adding Jannero Pargo in the mix gives Chicago stability and a more up-tempo offense. All in all Chicago is becoming the dark horse in the Eastern division not to mention they are still such a young team with Derek Rose leading the pack.

Cleveland Cavaliers (66-16)
New Acquisitions: Jamario Moon, Shaquille Oneal, Anthony Parker and Leon Powe
Rookie/Rookies: Christian Eyenga Moenge 1st round (30th pick) and Danny Green 2nd round (16th pick)

Being NBA’s no.1 team going to the playoffs and having the coveted MVP honors, Lebron James is close to getting his first NBA championship but it seems it wasn’t close enough with Dwight Howard blocking its way. King James needs help and GM Danny Ferry was put in panic mode when James is unhappy… 2010 is just around the corner and the Cavaliers will have to keep their franchise superstar in any other way. Then came Shaq the 7-foot-1, 325lbs 37 year old veteran who’s dominance are clearly fading but at his frame even if he goes stationary he still can give driving players second thoughts. He doesn’t command the double team like he used to but still he provides the muscle and the reliable big man King James is looking. Adding veterans and dependable players like Jamario and Leon Powe who defends very well and Parker who is a known scorer makes Cleveland a deeper bench. The Cavaliers is looking ahead to a championship run and with all the pieces of the puzzle in place there won’t be any excuses this time.

Detroit Pistons (39-43)
New Acquisitions: Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Chris Wilcox
Rookie/Rookies: Austin Daye 1st round (15th pick) and Dajuan Summers 2nd round (5th pick)

The biggest offseason decision they have significantly done would definitely not extending Iverson’s contract and getting Ben Gordon in return. I don’t have anything against AI but I think being with him limits the growth of his fellow teammates. He doesn’t want to be off the bench, he doesn’t like to practice and he puts a team in limbo. They will be having a new coach this season John Kuester and will have Big Ben Wallace back in the Piston’s uniform. Austin Daye would definitely one of the draft’s steal with his height and agility his lanky frame similarly looks like Tayshaun Prince. The Pistons are still a rebuilding team but I won’t be surprise to see them in the playoffs.

Indiana Pacers (36-46)
New Acquisitions: Dahntay Jones, Solomon Jones and Earl Watson
Rookie/Rookies: Tyler Hansbrough 1st round (13th pick) and A.J. Price 2nd round (22th pick)

Tyler benefited 4 years in college and led the North Carolina Tar Heels to the 2009 National championship but with all the accolades Tyler slid down to no.13 in the draft it’s because he is an undersized power forward. He has a very good work ethic but I don’t think he can power his way against a Kevin Garnett or a Dwight Howard but Larry Bird sees himself in Tyler and believes he will be a good player someday. The Pacers got Dahntay Jones to get help from the 2 position with Mike Dunleavy’s recurring injury. Will the Pacers be a title contender this year? Definitely not but given the time they will be… question would be how much time?

Milwaukee Bucks (34-48)
New Acquisitions: Kurt Thomas, Carlos Delfino, Roko Ukic, Earl Watson, Hakim Warrick and Walter Sharpe
Rookie/Rookies: Brandon Jennings 1st round (10th pick) and Jodie Meeks 2nd round (11th pick)

The Jennings incident gives an impression of his confidence… hate him or love him he is still a great player with great speed. But in Scott Skiles system he would have to learn the fundamentals of defense having no experience in college basketball Brandon will have to focus more on guarding tall and strong guards rather than his razzle-dazzle moves. Newest edition Carlos Delfino will give the Bucks some toughness but you have to question their abundance in the guard position… drafting Meeks and now with Delfino. The Bucks lacks the inside post presence of a big man with Andrew Bogut not reaching to his full potential I could see a possible trade within the next few weeks but based on their initial line-up it’s still puzzling to know what coach Skiles is setting up. This is still a rebuilding team and I guess this season they are still up to it.

to be continued…

This season draft is covered with sheets of mystery we all know undoubtedly Blake Griffin as the top pick but what comes next would be a free-for-all with loads of talent but role model players. Teams are gearing up for 2009-2010 season and this summer has a melodramatic theme with Iverson still finding a team who could make his demands and Marbury eating Vaseline online. Let’s try to evaluate each teams with their signed rookies and new acquisitions and try to know how far they are from making it to the top so let’s start with the

ATLANTIC DIVISION:

Boston Celtics (62-20)
New Acquisitions: Rasheed Wallace and Shelden Williams
Rookie/Rookies: Lester Hudson 2nd round (28th pick)

Boston the defending champion last year has one common problem… They still lack the size with Perkins as their main center at only 6-foot-10. When Kevin Garnett went out because of injury the Celtics had a hard time in the playoffs and the Orlando Magic made them pay. Now having Rasheed gives them the defensive presence in the middle that has the outside-inside arsenal. Shelden Williams is a good complimentary player with his size and experienced. Lester Hudson like J.R. Giddens will have to earn his spot in the rotation but being the only player to record a quadruple-double (25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals) in a division I game, Hudson knows how to contribute in a team that is loaded with scorers. Boston with their starting five is already a solid lineup but having Rasheed gives them the luxury of a 7 to 8 man rotation. We will see a bigger and stronger Boston team this season.

New Jersey Nets (34-48)
New Acquisitions: Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee and Tony Battie
Rookie/Rookies: Terrence Williams 1st round (11th pick)

Losing Vince Carter giving them bigger salary cap for the 2010 season the Nets are now in the run to get a Dwane Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh on their roster. But getting a marquee player is a distant possibility with the big names getting more inclination in signing a championship caliber team. The New Jersey Nets are clearly in the rebuilding mode and drafting Terrence Williams is certainly a plus for the young Nets. Alston and Lee are great players who can create shots and opportunity to teammates. I don’t know if trading Carter was the right move but at least it’s pretty clear what their direction is.

New York Knicks (32-50)
New Acquisitions: Darko Milicic
Rookie/Rookies: Jordan Hill 1st round (8th pick) and Toney Douglas 1st round (29th pick)

They would have wanted a Stephen Curry in the line-up but Jordan Hill is still a good choice with his athletic built and NBA ready body but you have to question the Knick’s unlikely choice parading a number of Power forwards and Center positions like Eddy Curry, Al Harrington, Chris Hunter and Darko Milicic. Luckily they are fortunate enough to get Toney Douglas from the Lakers. Mike D Antoni can still run his patented “run and gun” offense with Nate Robinson and other starters back in the line-up. Major problem would be to sign their reliable big man David Lee back into the Knicks uniform. If they could sign David I think they would have some significant improvement from their last season outing.

Philadelphia 76ers (41-41)
New Acquisitions: Primoz Brezec and Jason Kapono
Rookie/Rookies: Jrue Holiday 1st round (17th pick)

Losing Andre Miller, Philadelphia focus on Louis Williams growth and maturity as a court general fortunately they got lucky on drafting the 6-foot-4 solid 199 lb point guard Jrue Holiday. Jrue could clearly help Williams as a backup on the point. Signing Jason Kapono adds depth into the 76ers roster with his deadly shooting. So far so good for Philadelphia and with Elton Brand healthy it looks like they are in for a good season.

Toronto Raptors (33-49)
New Acquisitions: Marco Belinelli, Amir Johnson, Sonny Weems, Reggie Evans, Hedo Turkoglo, Jarret Jack and Antoine Wright
Rookie/Rookies: Demar Derozan 1st round (9th pick)

The busiest team this summer getting a handful of new players filling up half of the team but the most notable player would have to be Hedo who delivered Orlando its second visit to the NBA finals. I can say they got the steal of the draft on Demar Derozan a freak athlete who can provide the intensity and needed offense at 6-foot-7 he could have benefited another year in college but opt to go to the NBA to take care of his mother’s illness that’s why he slid down to the ninth pick. Gelling will be the Raptors main problem with 8 new faces in their roster but with still two months to go that won’t be a problem.

To be continued….

Juan Diaz grosteque cut on his left eyebrow and eyelid was so open that the blood was flowing profusely even if the renowned Joe Chavez tried to stop the bleeding. The first cut was from a right uppercut that opened the gash on Diaz eyebrow while the second cut was from an accidental clash of heads. Paulie Malignaggi was controlling the entire fight with his precise jabs and quick footwork but the outcome wasn’t that promising thanks to the hometown crowd and ringside judges.

The fight was too closed to call it a unanimous decision with both fighters having no upperhand in the fight. Diaz the pressure puncher has done all he have to do to put Malignaggi out but Paulie went back to being a technical fighter with his fast combination and precise jabs. I think Paulie has also done enough to earn him a W in the end but how in the hell would a judge scored it 118-110 to Diaz or David Sutherland’s 116-112 that is one blow to boxing. “Let me just say that the 118-110 score from Gale Van Hoye is DISGUSTING. “Paul Malignaggi is a great fighter,” stated Juan Diaz that speaks right about everything. Politics stained the good name of boxing causing the depreciation of the sport favoring the Mix Martial Arts as the no.1 contact sport as of today. Hometown crowd or home town decision I feel how Paulie felt when he heard the verdict it’s like being rob infront of your eyes and you knew it was happening but you cant do anything about it. Let me stress out why:
1.) Paulie as great as he is doesn’t have a big following compared to Diaz. He may have a lightning fast footspeed but he doesn’t have the power to back it up. Fans love boxers who fought toe to toe with their opponents and Paulie’s refusing to engage more made him a lesser fan favorite per say.
2.) The Golden Boy connection gave Diaz an instant access although Diaz has fought his heart out on that fight and deservingly won the belt but Paulie also made a good case for himself but the crowd wants Diaz to win and GBP has future plans for Diaz.
3.) Marketability of the two fighters really is a factor and based on the two Diaz came out unanimous with no contest.

I was rooting for Juan Diaz and i think he has given everything to win that fight but the lopsided scoring was clearly unfair to Paulie who also work hard to make that fight exciting. 118-110 is too much give the man some respect… for Christ sake give the man some boxing justice.

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The sweaty canvas was covered with blood… It was in round 9 of that fateful Feb. main event night when the young Juan Diaz tasted defeat kissing the canvas before a right uppercut put him to sleep. It took Diaz six months to recover and will be fighting for the first time in the 140lb limit against former IBF champion Paulie Malignaggi.
Juan Diaz was the king of the lightweight before Nate Campbell took away his limelight. It wasn’t his first setback on his boxing career, being a decorated amateur boxer amassing 505 wins with only 5 defeats he wasn’t allowed to take part on the 2000 Olympics because he was still too young to compete. He instead went pro at an early age of 16 going undefeated before his Campbell defeat. His aggresion and pressure punching made him one of the most avoided boxer on his division. Nate doubled Diaz output and earn him a split decision win…he has the tendency to slug it out with his uncontrolled aggresion when he gets hurt and that’s what happened when he fought Juan Marquez toe to toe. “I figured I could walk through all of his punches and it didn’t turn out to be that way.” Said Diaz on insidefights.com
Juan Diaz with conviction said he has already learned his lesson and his first test would have to be the quick footed Paulie Malignaggi not the easiest challenge for the Political Science degree graduate.
Diaz learned how Mike Tyson struggled with all his money drained in the sink… he knew how boxers lived the life of a millionaire and the next day called streets as their home. Starting different business and graduated at University of Houston he has already have a fall back if everything doesn’t work the way he envisioned his career to be. A win against Malignaggi would give him an upperhand on other 140lb campaigners it will set him up against Pacquiao or even his former tormentor Marquez. At an early age the future looks brighter on Diaz… Whatever the outcome of their Saturday fight Diaz will come out the winner… because he didn’t focus more on boxing but on life… and what lies ahead after…

Last Saturday I was quick to criticized Nonito Donaire for fighting a lackluster performance against Rafael Concepcion. Now I know how Judas felt having his 30 pieces of silver minus the kiss. I wasn’t technical about it and I only write from what I saw in the fight. We are so used of seeing Nonito dominating his opponents starting from his Vic Darchinyan KO that was one spectacular KO that it served as a baseline for all his fights. Rafael Concepcion is no Darchinyan and he fits the bill of a good pre game workout but what we failed to realized are the following factors:

1. Rafael Concepcion was overweight by 4 pounds in their official weigh in
2. Inspite of the weight difference Nonito could have cancelled the fight but instead opt to fight Concepcion.
3. Nonito only weighs 7 pounds heavier on fight night which is the Super Bantamweight limit of 122lbs.
4. Concepcion who weighs a pound heavier in the Bantam weight limit (119) on the weigh in came into the fight as a lightweight which is 13 lbs. heavier than Donaire at 135lbs.
5. Concepcion refuse to wear the 10 ounce gloves mandated for fighters who failed to make the weight limit.
6. Talks have surface that Concepcion wore an Everlast gloves with thinner padding in the knuckles.

Nonito tasted Concepcion’s power in the second round with two right hooks realizing Concepcion’s power Nonito fought in bunches refusing to engage a dangerous lightweight fighter. It was his courage that gave him a unanimous decision and it was his heart that spelled the difference… It was like putting a sheep in the lion’s den with Concepcion aching for one final blow. I hope this would give Nonito justice. His bravery was unfathomable and as for Concepcion… Shame on you. You refused to go down the required weight limit… You refused to fight on a 10 ounce gloves and you fought Nonito as a lightweight at 135 lbs. but most of all you made us look stupid.

A friend of mine gave me a Christmas gift 3 years ago… It was a rubik’s cube I had fun disarranging it but took me days before I was able to decipher one side of it my patience was getting to be ice thin thick and soon the cube was nesting inside our garbage bin.

Last Saturday we saw Pinoy Power 2 headed by two promising Filipinos Donaire and Bernabe Concepcion while Donaire dominated his counterpart Rafael Concepcion on the early rounds but after tasting two hard rights he was punching his way to survival mode throwing lesser combinations abandoning his jab looking for one power shot but nonetheless came out the victor after 12 rounds by unanimous decision. But like the rubik’s cube Bernabe Concepcion had a hard time deciphering Steven Luevano on the co-main event on that evening. Steven Luevano a veteran of 39 fights defended his title for the 5th time against Concepcion, clearly not a crowd favorite favoring methodological approach on opponents rather than banging and fighting them toe to toe with his 37 wins with only 15 wins coming by way of knockout. Luevano went for his bread and butter play when he felt Bernabe’s power early in the first round from that point on he went to his jab and Bernabe look puzzled and bewildered trying to find some opening on Luevano’s defense. Bernabe on some instance got Luevano in trouble when his body shots were connecting but most of the time it was plainly boring. Two boxers giving so much respect resulting in one round throwing only 21 power punches with 9 of it finding it’s marked by Concepcion. At the end of round 7 a clearly frustrated Concepcion fell in deaf ears refusing to hear the bell went for the kill and whip Luevano straight on his jaw and like my Rubik’s, Steven Luevano went straight to the canvass. It was a no contest the referee awarded Steven a disqualification win against Concepcion. It was a cheap shot for a fighter who was once groomed to be the next Manny Pacquiao. If he was patient enough he could have won the fight and brought glory to his country. It’s hard to clean up on a tainted reputation.
A boxer’s chance… they say one punch can make a difference…well Bernabe did make a difference but not the way we wanted the fight to end. Longshot for redemption I say…

On a happy note Mark Melligen showed class and maturity beyond his years disposing veteran journey man Ernesto Zepeda in a short workout downing Zepeda in the 4th round.
Had so much fun listening to his entrance song… Hayden Kho… Eat your heart out.