Hoo.Ph: 10 Things I Learned about Derrick Rose during the Adidas DRose Tour

I wrote this for hoo.ph yesterday, September 17, after I was sent to the DRose Tour at Smart Araneta Coliseum, Marriott Hotel, and SM Mall of Asia.

Soooo... I got to see THE Derrick Rose close-up. Well, here's my kuwento. :D

This is the article link, by the way. Thanks again, hoo.ph! Really can't thank you enough!

DRose at the Big Dome

It has been a surreal two days as hoo.ph sent me to the Adidas DRose World Tour that takes its last stop here in the Philippines.

I had the privilege to see DRose as he graced the Adidas 3×3 Grand Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday, September 15. Just when I thought it was all over, there I was yesterday, September 16, at the Marriott Hotel for the DRose Tour press conference and then finally at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium as Rose played a video game against the champion of the NBA 2K13 tournament.

It’s amazing how I didn’t even think about having a chance to get to see Derrick Rose up close but true enough, great things totally happen when you least expect it.

DRose during the press conference at Marriott Hotel

Derrick Rose actually signed a lifetime contract with Adidas worth over $250 Million plus he gets to have his very own logo.

During the press conference at the Marriott Hotel Manila, Rose shared that there’s more than what meets the eye with the Adidas DRose logo. It is very personal as he said that the logo is all about him and his family.

We could actually see the ‘D’ inside some rose petals at first look but a lot of people is missing the ’1′ at the center of it all, which is Rose’s jersey number.

The soft-spoken NBA star also shared about the logo that a rose symbolizes his family name. The three petals symbolize his three brothers and he also mentioned something about the end side of the logo which is his mom.

“Really, it’s all about me and my family,” he added.

Want more? Here’s 10 things I learned about Derrick Rose during the Adidas DRose Tour:

10. He loves Hip-hop.

He was asked countless times about his choice of music, even picking between Rock or Hip-hop. He has been consistent! Well, according to him, “Hiphop is basketball, basketball is hiphop.” Oh! And he listens to Big Sean and J. Cole!

9. He wouldn’t put any NBA names in front of another.

At least for the point guard position, when asked about the best point guards in the league today. He sort of mentioned a few names in the mix while thinking really hard but ultimately said that “every point guard made their mark.” Yeah, including you, D!

8. He thinks you must pick him for your NBA Fantasy Basketball.

He definitely thinks that he should be in your line-up! He also recommends you put Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves on your line-up as well, describing him as “a winner.”

7. Aspiring baller? DRose got two words for you: Dedication and Sacrifice.

At 24, he believes that he have already sacrificed so much. He also thinks that he will never be able to live like a regular 24-year old. How dedicated this NBA superstar is? He shared that he wants to “leave a mark on history, change the world and make a difference.” And he’s totally on the right track.

6. This guy aims nothing but a championship.

If there’s one thing in his entire visit here in the country that leaves a mark on me, it’s most probably the fact that DRose is all out and serious about winning a championship for Chicago Bulls in his return. With blazing fire in his eyes, he declares that the team is getting ready right now and that he probably cares for the championship more than the others. According to him, his goal is “to win a championship and be one of the greatest basketball players ever.”

5. DRose on Gilas Pilipinas for the FIBA World: “I wish them nothing but the best.”

With Gilas Pilipinas qualifying for the FIBA World happening in Spain next year, Rose told that the team must always prepare because the world is watching, and wish them “nothing but the best.”

4. DRose will be honored if given a chance to play for Team USA in FIBA World

Team USA qualifies in the FIBA World as the recent Olympic champions and he will gladly take the duty to play for the country if a spot will be offered to him for the upcoming tournament. When asked on who he wants to pick as his teammates for Team USA, he said “just give me anybody. Right now, I just want to go out there and play basketball.”

3. Best advice he received so far? “Be patient.”

Well, for someone who missed real basketball action since 2012 playoffs due to an ACL injury, I guess there’s no better advice than patience. As they all say, it’s a virtue.

2. He believes that he is 100% ready come next season.

After recovering from his injury, he just wants to be out there and play with his team. He also declares that he knows that he is ”100 percent ready.” When asked about his preparations for his return, he shared that he needs to improve on his confidence while playing. He is also working on extending his range as far as his shooting is concerned.

DRose with NBA 2K13 tournament champion Albert Sarabia

1. Even the youngest NBA MVP in history knows how to have a good time.

The one and the only Derrick Rose played with NBA 2K13 tournament winner Albert Sarabia, who emerged as the best out of 32 participants for a once in a lifetime gaming experience with the NBA superstar.

Sarabia controlled Oklahoma City Thunder while Rose played with, well, Chicago Bulls in the final 2K13 battle at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium yesterday.

Sarabia and Rose after their one-on-one 2K13 battle

Fans at the Atrium witnessed Rose controlled his 2K13 version who, by the way, exploded for at least 30 points. There were also some pretty cool highlights during the battle that DRose eventually won over Sarabia by just a singe point.

Both guys most certainly enjoyed the battle as much as we enjoyed watching them go for the win.

I really had a great time during the Adidas DRose Tour. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a photo with him but what I was able to experience was already more than I ever imagined. Maybe the photo will have to wait ’till I see him again. Hopefully.

Straight from a Ginebra fan: Hanggang kailan ka tatagay para sa nawawalang Barangay? By Carla Cruz

Hanggang kailan ka tatagay para sa nawawalang Barangay? 
By Carla Cruz (Follow the writer on Twitter @cruzcarlaWL.)

2-4. 2-4. 2-4. 

Sakit sa mata. Nakakapang-init ng ulo. Nakakapanting ng tenga. Wala eh. 2-4 ang standing, tatlong laro na lang ang natitira sa maikling Governor's Cup na tinatahak ngayon ng Brgy. Ginebra. Kahit ako napapatanong. Kaya pa kaya? Kahit ako napapaisip. Aabot pa ba? Aminin mo. Nakakawala ng tiwala.

Gabi ng Manila Clasico. Eto na naman. Ang sakit na naman ng resulta. Ang daming opinyon, kaliwa't kanang spekulasyon, ang ingay ng Barangay sa Twitter, Facebook man o kahit sa mga terminal. Nagpapalitan ng pahayag, nagdadamayan sa isang masaklap na bagay. Ang hindi mawawala, sisihan. Sinisisi si Coach. Sinisisi si Referee. Sinisisi si Point Guard. Sinisisi si Import. Sinisisi kahit yung venue (peace tayo Admin). 

Ikaw? Natanong mo na ba sa sarili mo kung wala kang pagkukulang bilang isang Never Say Die fan?

Hindi ko sinasabing sumang-ayon ka sa bawat pahayag na mababasa mo dito. Hindi rin naman kita inaaway dahil magkapatid tayo sa pagmamahal sa Barangay. Pero gaya ko, narinig mo rin ang pag 'BOO' ng tao sa nagiisa nating hari. Ramdam mo ang kawalan ng respeto ng mga taga-suporta ng kabilang grupo sa tinatawag nating Puso ng Ginebra. Napatanong ako. Sabi ko: "Teka. Bakit ganto?" 

Nasabi ko na lang na baka naman kasi malapit lang sa camera yung mga nagboboo kaya akala mo malakas. Pero nung tumatagal, sabi ko, "Hindi eh. Parang iba na to ah." Lalong dumadami ang nakikiboo. Nilalamon nila ang ating Hari. Nilalamon ang Barangay ng mga taga Planeta.

Ikaw? Nasaan ka noon? Ako kasi nasa bahay lang. Malayo sa game venue. Nasa arena ka ba? Bakit hindi kita maramdaman? Kagabi kasi, paulit ulit kong tinatanong ang t.v., "Ano ba yan? Wala bang taga-Barangay Ginebra dyan?" Naisip ko. Baka nagpalamon na din ang fans ng Ginebra. Rinig ang dagundong ng pagboo kay Mark. Pinakikiramdaman ko. Walang sumasalo ng mga mapang-asar na panunuya maliban sa isang lalaki na nakauniporme na may numerong Kwarenta'y Syete. Natiis mo ba yun? Siguro may ilan na mas gustong magfocus sa laban. Ilan na apektado pero mas piniling manahimik na lang. Siguro kasi lamang ang kalaban kaya hindi ka makasigaw ng GI-NE-BRA. Siguro kasi kinakabahan ka. Pero isisigaw mo lang ba yan tuwing tayo ang lamang? Para saan pang isinigaw mo yan kung iniiwan na natin ang kalaban? Para sakin kasi dapat isinisigaw din yan kapag nasa bingit ang Barangay. Yung tipong isang maling hakbang, laglag at matinding lagapak ang mararanasan. Isinisigaw yan upang mabuhayan ang ating mga superhero at muling lumaban. Hinahanap ko kagabi yung pangyayari gaya nung FINALS eh. Talo ang Barangay, sweep pa nga daw, pero walang ibang maririnig kundi ang walang kamatayang GI-NE-BRA. Masarap matalo ng ganon. Kagabi? Ramdam ang pagsuko pati ng 6th man. Nakulong ang sigaw na ito sa madilim na silid. Walang nakakarinig.

Kapatid, sa sinasabi kong iyan, ay hindi kita sinisisi. Nabanggit ko lang ang bagay na ito bilang isang bagay na mas mahirap tanggapin kaysa sa mismong pagkatalo. It seemed like no one stood up for MC47. Masakit yung nasabi ko no? Truth hurts, kapatid. Aminin nating may pagkukulang. Masakit. Sobrang sakit.

Ngunit kapatid, hanggang saan ang tagay na kaya mo? Sabi sa kantang pinanghahawakan ko ngayon para sa Barangay Ginebra: "WE SURVIVED THE CRASH, MADE IT THROUGH THE WRECKAGE. STANDING HERE AT LAST, SO PERFECTLY WRITTEN" 

Relate? Not yet? Eto pa:

"WE SURVIVED THE STORM, MADE IT THROUGH THE HURRICANE. STANDING HERE AT LAST, DRY DESPITE THE RAIN" 

Tama diba? Ilang beses na bang ganito ang unang kabanata ng aklat na ating muling isinusulat? Una pa lang ayaw na umikot ng bola sa ikot na ating itinatakda. Injury pa lang, bugbog na. Pero pinipilit sabayan ng koponan ang alon ng PBA. No matter what kind of storm the world brings to this team, we're still dry despite the rain.

"WHERE WE ARE? IS THIS WHERE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE?" 

Yan ang tanong ko sayo ka-Barangay. Ito ba talaga ang tamang posisyon kung nasaan ang Never Say Die? Sana napukaw kita kapatid. We've been all in this together. All we have to do is to get through all of this AGAIN together. 

Hanggang saan ka tatagay para sa Barangay? Ang sagot? Ikaw lamang ang nakakaalam. Sana TAGAY HANGGANG SA TAGUMPAY!

Asan na ba ang Barangay? 

"WE ARE WHERE NO ONE CAN TEAR US APART! THAT'S WHERE WE ARE!"

_________________________________

Email ginebrafancorner@gmail.com with your literary piece, artworks, photos, videos related with Ginebra that you want to share with your fellow Ginebra fans. My personal blog is always open for you all.

Straight from a Ginebra fan: CAGUIOA'S NOT FOREVER. By Romeo Catap Jr.

Caguioa’s not forever.

By Sir Romeo Catap, Jr.

(Spoiler: This is a Caguioa-centric article)

“Caguioa for the lead…YEAAH!”
“Caguioa! Lamang ang Ginebra!” 
“And the Most Valuable Player of the 37th season of your Philippine basketball Association is…from your…Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, Mark “The Spark” Caguioa!”

After more than a decade, it’s undeniable that Mark Caguioa still has it. Numerous championships, countless career plums, court charisma (in any context you prefer), and the never-say-die swag—just some of the components that created this extraordinary talent summed up as “The Spark.” As the center of Ginebra’s new generation folklore, this personification of the Jaworski fanaticsm is not in any time hanging his jersey yet, which is expected from a legend becoming.

I’m one of those that appreciate (and defend) this whole package, one of those that have him at top of mind in every key play of a thrilling game, as if he’s a 99 in NBA2k13. Even at 33, I’m sure he can (and will) still smack hurt on his opponent’s ego with his athleticism. Maturity and ability to shift from being a scorer, a facilitator, and a leader, at any time he wants, is for me his best asset. And who would not admire his amazing comeback after around three seasons of absence due to injury and then winning the MVP award seasons later? That’s hardcore…or should I say, “Heart-core.” (I’ll push that)

But at this point, at this time when the drought of champagne is making every want for a celebration dry, allow me to also state this: Caguioa’s not forever.

Okay, I’m not negating my praises, but before I get a thumb down (good thing FB doesn’t have that…yet), kindly read through. We’re just at halftime.

At 33, it’s safe to say that Mark somewhat have given and got everything, yet we all know he’s far from over (as a dark knight once said, “…not everything, not yet.” ) But let’s take a step back and glance on the bigger picture. Am sure he still has another decade ahead (and confident he would still have ‘it’), but facing the reality of hoop life, legs get worn, reflexes become passive, and injuries take its toll. His numbers aren’t also that consistent compared to his mid-2000’s grading sheet (though I’d also like to be fair by saying his role before is different compared to now, in which would be the influence of a leader that box scores cannot record), which leads me to my next point.

In the recent lost games, Mark had strong statements (Read…or not read: the f--- tweet), giving media channels a field day, even granting Mark a halftime interview. Knowing him, it’s nothing different from predictions and dares he did when he was younger. As a follower, I know he does that on purpose to either fuel himself or his teammates (can I say, even the management?) in hitting the higher goal. Nevermind if they fail, what matters is that they tried (loop here his ”manalo, o kahit matalo kami, basta lumaban ng buong puso” mantra).

But the question should be asked: Should Mark keep on doing this? I know he will, but seriously, does he need to?

How many controversial tweets does it take to get everybody fired up? How many more injuries until someone else steps up (knock-on-wood, please no more of that!)? How many cryptic messages does he need to imply to settle with the chemistry the team needs? Can the team just be consistently good? Can they ever be on the same stage of Talk ‘N Text’s excellence (in their glory years, or so argue if they still are in it), the superiority of (90s) Alaska, or to be faithful to the franchise—the Anejo of the 80s (known to gather crowns while having moderately-popular but great role players).

Now, let me seem to contradict myself. Mark is forever, meaning, his influence will eternally be there, close to the way Jawo’s name would echo throughout Philippine basketball history (and to be loyal to the name, of course Jawo’s legend is hard to match).

But he can’t be doing this for the rest of time.

We’ve made the finals before because of stellar players having rejuvenated careers, but if we look closely, the wins came because of runs which eventually at the end, got exhausted, leaving us fans to ponder if there’s anything left. It’s like flooring your gas only when the finish line is near, and usually ends up short. Oh, and we all know that our best fuel is the Never-Say-Die attitude, the spirit of fighting when all seems hopeless. I just think that at this stage, we’ve overused it by always summoning it when everybody’s already ahead of the pack. Of course, I want to be proven wrong if that is still the character and the winning way our team is natured to be. But then again, it’s been around 5 seasons since we had that epic use of NSD. It’s true that Ginebra loves the FPJ-way of things, but it can’t also like be that, forever.

Bottom line is, I believe it’s high time that our Barangay should live and breathe with basketball excellence, which I believe would mean if you put all of the Spark’s statements from the whole of his career (sans the explicit words). It could mean getting the ball around in a regular nature, having good percentages as normal on the free throw line, giving media people the difficulty of choosing the best player every game because everybody stepped up, or could be, having the management control the perpetual itch to trade somebody. Hello! Ever heard of prioritizing chemistry?

On the other hand, someone should also step up which could be the next in line of the Jawo figurehead. Am NOT saying Mark’s time is waning, as earlier stated (borrowing Sir Mico Halili’s line in a game versus Petron, “Hindi pwede!”), but maybe there should also be a sort of Joshua-in-waiting when Mark needs another voice to fire up everyone, when everything becomes mediocre again. I personally believe Mark is not the new Jawo, rather, Mark is Caguioa, and NO ONE can take his place. It’s just that maybe we need another character who can be his own and become a great asset to the franchise, someone we can look up to when we need to summon the NSD spirit, at the right opportunity other than our default MVP.

So there you go. Mark’s influence will be there for all eternity, but we can’t just depend on him and his drive forever for everyone to put their heads together (as my father once said, “Dapat may kusa ang lahat”). If that certain excellence and discipline could be achieved, then we can say that we truly embody the spirit of this Never-say-die thing. That I believe, is worth forever.

__________________________________________________

This article is posted here with the writer's permission and is also posted on his personal Facebook account. Follow him on Twitter @romeocatap and hit the 'like' button for Jack Arts!

Psst! Ginebra fan! Never say die ka pa rin ba? Sana.

Packing tape na naman.

99-102. 

Paking tape na naman.

1-3. 

Packing tape na naman.

Packing tape na naman.

Kung kelan humabol, lumamang, at inakala nating ito na,

unting unting nakawala, nadurog, naglaho, lumubog sa lupa. 

Katulad ng nakagawian,

may magrereklamo pagkatapos ng gabing ito.

Maraming magrereklamo at patuloy tayong magrereklamo, 

Ngunit sa huli, tayo pa rin ang natalo.

Tayo pa rin. 

Tayo na naman ang natalo.

Natalo.

Badtrip no?

Masakit talaga. Sobra.

Dahil kung hindi ka nasasaktan, kung hindi ka naapektuhan,

hindi ka Ginebra fan.

Galit ka? 

Oo, kasama mo, libu-libo din ang nagagalit at naghuhuramentado

pagkatapos ng pagkatalo ng Barangay Ginebra.

Naiiyak ka? 

Ganyan talaga, Ginebra fan ka e. Siyempre apektado ka.

Manhid ka na ba?

Nakakasawa na ba?

Sumuko ka na ba?

Ginebra ka pa ba?

Maikli lang ang kasalukuyang komperensiya,

at nandiyan ang masakit na posibilidad na maaaring hindi na tayo makausad pa.

Pero nandito ako, nagpapakatanga pa rin, nagbabakasakali na kaya pa.

Ito ay para sa mga umasa, umaasa, 

at patuloy na aasa sa Barangay Ginebra.

Nasaan ka pagkatapos ng kasalukuyang 1-3 na kargada 

ng Barangay Ginebra?

Never say die pa rin ba? 

O namatay ka na kasama ng tiwala at puso 

na sana ay inaalay natin para sa kanila?

1-3 na.

Never say die pa rin ba? 

Sana. 

Para sa Barangay Ginebra. 

Sana.