MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tab Baldwin's recent confirmation that former NBA player Andray Blatche was 100 percent committed to playing for the Philippines at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship sent shockwaves across Asia.

Blatche, one of two naturalized players the Filipinos may choose to bring in the biennial tournament, will certainly make the Philippines - the runners-up at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship - an even stronger unit when the competition begins in China. But will his presence be enough to make the Pinoys the absolute title favorites?

Much has been said about the Filipinos' dominance in the Southeast Asian region, as proven by their recent wins in the 2015 SEABA Championship and their current standing in the 2015 SEA Games. By all intents and purposes, there is just no other country that holds a candle to the Philippines when it comes to basketball in that region.

On the continental and global stages, however, the narrative is very different. For the longest time, the Philippines haven't won much hardware at the Asian level. That changed two years ago when the team finished second behind Iran and consequently played at the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time in 40 years. The team won one of its five games in Spain before returning to Asia and competing in the 2014 Asian Games, finishing a disappointing seventh - the lowest ever for that competition in the team's history.

Given these results, the Philippines cannot be blamed for pulling out all the stops in the hopes of finally bagging the biggest prize in FIBA Asia and perhaps qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Leading their cause will be Blatche, who, despite his turbulent NBA persona, was able to give a very good account of himself at Spain 2014, averaging 21.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game as the Philippines narrowly missed entry into the knockout phase.

In many ways, Blatche was the perfect reinforcement for a team that has historically lacked ceiling. Standing 2.10m tall, Blatche added much-needed size to a Philippine quintet whose homegrown big men usually grew to just 2.02m.

In addition to that, the former Washington Wizard and Brooklyn Net also gave the team another long range weapon. In five games at the World Cup, Blatche hit a total of six three-pointers, helping stretch the floor and spread opposing teams' defenses.

Compared to the Filipinos' previous naturalized reinforcement, Marcus Douthit, Blatche added a different dimension to the Philippine team's game. His combination of size, agility, and shooting fit perfectly with the Filipinos’ dynamic and unorthodox style of play.

It was a big blow then when Blatche missed the 2014 Asian Games after the FIBA World Cup. Because of certain wrinkles in the event's player eligibility rules, he wasn't able to participate. That, combined with an injury to star guard Jayson Castro, turned out to be a huge factor in Gilas's tumbling down to seventh spot.

With Blatche back in the fold, coach Tab can expect a higher level of play from his wards come the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship. Castro, too, seems fit and his pairing with Blatche, along with some of the grizzled veterans from the past two years, should make the Philippines a force to reckon with.

There are some roadblocks, though. The members of the national pool haven't even been named yet, and there has been no opportunity for the senior team to start training because the 2014-2015 PBA season hasn't ended.

The Philippines have also had a bit of history with some desired players not being released for national team duty, so that's another issue coach Tab has to deal with.

Of course, it goes without saying that the biggest stumbling blocks to the Filipinos' dream of finally lifting the FIBA Asia Championship title after 30 years are the other top players in Asia like Iran's Hamed Haddadi, China's Yi Jianlian and Lebanon's Fadi El Khatib - all of whom have committed to play this year.

So does Blatche's inclusion make the Philippines a favorite to win it all? Sure, a healthy Philippine team will always be in the mix, but topping the tournament is by no means a done deal. Far from it.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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