Who has the fiercest backcourt combination?

By: Zean Macamay

WHICH team now has the best backcourt combination?

If Jay-Jay Helterbrand is healthy, which coach Jong Uichico says that he should by the time the Philippine Cup kicks off on Oct. 4, Ginebra is still right up there. Rain or Shine – which has No. 1 draft pick Gabe Norwood and burly Solomon Mercado — looks promising, but untested.

And don’t forget Talk ‘N Text, which had just transformed from a near-aging team into one of the youngest after acquiring three new faces from last month’s Draft.

Jason Castro is the man under watch whether what he did in the PBL could be carried onto the PBA as he is now a part of the Phone Pals’ solid backcourt crew, a cast of swift scoring ballhandlers that also include Jimmy Alapag, Mac-Mac Cardona and Ren-Ren Ritualo.

“He can play alongside Jimmy and can also play the point,” said TNT team manager Frankie Lim of Castro, the No. 3 pick. “We’re a faster team right now and we’re more of an exciting team to watch.”

Castro was one of the players Talk ‘N Text snatched from the Aug. 31 Draft along with No. 2 Jared Dillinger, the Fil-German, and Rob Reyes. The Phone Pals also got Pong Escobal of San Beda, but was the only one left out in the contract-signing process.

Castro, Dillinger and Reyes were all given the maximum P8.7 million, three-year pact allowable for rookies.

But there’s no question that Castro is the player everyone wants to succeed in a line-up that’s filled with stars, having been a three-time Most Valuable Player in the PBL and who is fresh from an overseas stint with the Singapore Slingers.

Castro and the two other draft picks Talk ‘N Text’s snatched have just made the Phone Pals’ average age at 26, coming from 31. They traded Jay Washington to San Miguel and then unloaded Khalani Ferreria.

But is youth really the difference?

“I think it’s a good move,” said Lim. “May mga bagong dugo na nadagdag. We’re a younger team right now.”

Castro’s entry into a team that has had disappointing results that past two conferences would surely make Talk ‘N Text’s backcourt cast deeper, but not necessarily the one that could break the grip of Ginebra as the ball club with still the most fearsome cast.

That would, of course, depend on whether Helterbrand, who played only two games in the Fiesta Conference Finals after being named the tournament’s best player, would fully recover.

“He (Helterbrand) should be healthy by then,” said Uichico.

Helterbrand suffered a delicate hamstring injury in Game Two of the Finals against Air21. It did not, however, stop the Gin Kings from collecting their eighth title as Paul Artadi, Ronald Tubid, and Chris Pacana all stepped up in a series that shattered gate attendance counts, with Game Seven drawing more than 22,000 fans.

Chot Reyes, the Talk ‘N Text coach, believes that the team he has right now is competitive.

“Presently, we are competitive,” he said. “But we also have this promise for the future.”

The Phone Pals will be aiming to bounce back from dismal, unmemorable stints. On both tournaments in the 2007-08 season, they failed to make it past the wild card, beginning in the Philippine Cup when they traded ex-franchise player Asi Taulava to Coca-Cola.

They still couldn’t make it into the quaterfinals the following tournament despite tapping Reyes as their new head coach in place of Derrick Pumaren, bowing in the wild card stage topped by Philippine Cup champion Sta. Lucia.

In a related development, Bonbon Custodio, San Miguel’s lone draft choice, was given a two-year deal, according to his manager Danny Espiritu. Details of the pact, such as the amount, were no longer revealed.