I made this JPEG a couple of days ago but no thanks to work, I haven't had time to compose sentences and fabricate reasons why I placed a player in this spot.
But I have an excuse - the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup at this point has yet to conclude. If Ginebra wins the conference, they will pick last in the first round and this means the Terrafirma pick would move to the eleventh spot.
Anyway, I will save a more detailed version of this. I don't know who the applicants are and I need to research why I need to rank them lower or higher.
I am at least 70 percent hopeful that my draft picks are accurate. Sedrick Barefield is the consensus choice as the first pick because Terrafirma needs an import-like player and Barefield has played in the US NCAA, NBA G-League, and Europe. He is also currently a member of the Bay Area Dragons. Yes, Terrafirma is notorious for feeding their picks to the SMC or SMC-crony teams but let's just hope that they'll finally do justice on the seasons where they are languishing at the bottom of the team standings.
Now I have two unsure spots here but I really think that Thirdy Ravena needs to secure at least loan rights so he won't have a two-season PBA ban. I know he's enjoying money and fame elsewhere but he is also an injury away from job security as well as he basically has empty fame points at the moment. I know he is playing well in Japan but he also needs to catch the eyes of mainstream basketball fans. In some ways, this is crucial for Thirdy because the more the casual public forgets his existence, the less relevant they become.
Kobe Paras, for instance, went from a potential NBA player to an unsigned free agent. At least Paras, Justine Baltazar, and Ricci Rivero will have the draft as a fallback. If Kobe is already 25, Thirdy is already 26.
Blackwater will probably get a player they can use in their ads as well as to bolster their Alaska-like squad. If that's the case, then Kobe Paras is going to give the fans. With that said, if they want to mimic Terrafirma and feed the MVP teams, then they can just give the pick to Meralco or whatever for the eighth pick of the draft and I guess... the return of either Allein Maliksi or Mac Belo.
Rain or Shine is going to get the do-it-alls. Justine Baltazar is a great combo forward that also needs to prove his detractors wrong while Yeng Guiao's longing for a Paul Lee-like player will be quenched by offense/defense phenom Schonny Winston.
Northport is probably going to choose Kobe Paras if he falls in the fifth spot while NLEX needs to pad size and Southeast Asian import Kemark Carino can be a prospect. My other picks in the first round are Will Gozum, James Kwekuteye, Luis Villegas, Zavier Lucero, Ricci Rivero, and Louie Sangalang.
The Letran boys are noticeably absent in a lot of mock drafts but I see them as the most PBA-ready players. I see Sangalang, Brent Paraiso, and King Caralipio as steals with Fran Yu possibly taking the RK Ilagan or Aljun Melecio playing time path. Anyway, I only rated the NCAA main guns lower here because the PBA teams usually see NCAA teams in the late first or second round. Will Gozum, Caralipio, Warren Bonifacio, and James Kwekuteye can still play in the NCAA (I think) but they have also checked out other leagues to explore their options.
And all of a sudden, I remember that if I am going to place Gozum on this list, then I need to insert Cade Flores as well. Basically, Cade Flores and Zavier Lucero are virtual clones, at least for me, with Lucero coming to the draft recovering from an injury. Ricci Rivero is going to be a problem in the sense that he's a late first-round pick... that can also steal the spotlight especially if he gets a spot in Terrafirma or Northport.
The only good thing about Ginebra and San Miguel hogging the top players is that it gives the lower first-round players a chance to play significant minutes.
Anyway, I am going to improve this list after this month. I think I also need to put either CJ Lane or Christian David here but I think they are better off testing other leagues like what Jeremiah Gray or Roosevelt Adams did.
Keep up for more updates.