The Commissioner's Cup: The Questions that Need Answers

Photo by the PBA Media Bureau

With the Philippine Cup already a part of history, the PBA now prepares for the mid-season conference

The San Miguel Beermen have already clinched their 4th consecutive Philippine Cup championship against a Magnolia Hotshots squad that just didn't have enough manpower to challenge the champs. And now, the PBA is taking a short break before returning to action for the mid-season Commissioner's Cup which is expected to provide more action and more excitement especially for the fans because of the recent roster moves involving some of the teams.

Heading into the next conference of the 2017-2018 season, there will be questions that needed to be answered and below are just some of them:

Will Christian Standhardinger fit in with the Beermen?

Despite being the top pick in last year's PBA Draft, Christian Standhardinger is yet to play a single PBA game for San Miguel owing to his on-going stint in the ABL. As it happens, Standhardinger is expected to be joining the Beermen as soon as the middle of May. Having said that, will he actually fit in with the Beermen who are already formidable team even without him and incoming import, Troy Gillenwater? And it's almost certain that Christian Standhardinger will come off the bench primarily because the Beermen's frontcourt is already loaded with June Mar Fajardo taking the 5 spot and Arwind Santos taking the 4 spot- unless Coach Leo Austria decides to start Standhardinger alongside Fajardo which is actually scary because you have two great centers who can dominate the paint at will.

Will the Terrence Romeo-Jayson Castro Team-Up produce a championship?

Over the course of the past few days, PBA fans are either still in awe or in shock after hearing that the Global Port Batang Pier finally pulled the trigger when they sent Terrence Romeo alongside Yousef Taha to the Talk N Text KaTropa in exchange for Moala Tautuaa and two future draft picks. In awe because the trade gives TNT and Castro another high-tier player who is actually a 3-time scoring champion. In shock because well, for some, the trade is lopsided. And not.

While there's no question that on paper, Terrence Romeo can transform TNT into a contender, some are still worried that given Terrence Romeo's being a ball dominant player, it might disrupt the chemistry within the KaTropa. Will the Bro actually learn to blend in with the Blur and the rest of the KaTropa? Well, he better.

Who can stop the Beermen's dominance? Or can the Beermen be stopped?

As we have seen in the previous 4 all-Filipino conferences, San Miguel has been wrecking havoc as they have become the league's best all-local crew. What's scary about this edition of the Beermen is the fact that June Mar Fajardo continues to play like an import. Imagine if they already have Christian Standhardinger and Troy Gillenwater on board. 

Who can challenge the Beermen for the Commissioner's Cup championship? The KaTropa who have Terrence Romeo and Jayson Castro? The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings assuming that Greg Slaughter stays healthy? Or it's already inevitable that San Miguel will dominate the mid-season conference. 

Conclusion

One thing is certain for now: this season's Commissioner's Cup will have a lot of exciting games in store for the fans. Not to mention, Terrence Romeo may very well face his old team in his first game as a member of the KaTropa. For now, let's allow the teams to recharge after a somewhat interesting Philippine Cup.