GINEBRA, PUREFOODS, AND AIR21 (SOON TO BE BURGER KING) SWAPS PLAYERS!
The Fiesta Cup is nearing. And with the changes that has been happening from L to R let us glimpse the “awesomeness†of these swaps.
PUREFOODS
So… they finally let go of the Harbour Centre experiment. Oh… that’s right… Mikee Romero is one of the stockholders of A21/BK so this should be a good deal for him. But Purefoods, getting two big names should be enough to make people worry. They have Allado, who is a main event journeyman, and KG Canaleta, an inconsistent pseudo-bomber that whose main claim to fame is that he can hit those rim-rattlers with collective ease.
DON ALLADO
Wow. What did this guy do to deserve this? Playing for his third team for this sole season must be hard for this ex-King Archer. For one, he will lose the minutes that he will inherit as part of the Ranidel de Ocampo deal. Playing alongside Enrico Villanueva, Kerby Raymundo, Jondan Salvador, Rich Alvarez, Romel Adducul, and the import that the Giants pick would definitely send Richard Yee to a lucrative assistant coach job. However, Allado loves winning. With all these guns to backstop PJ Simon and Thunder James Yap, expect the Giants to be feared in the Fiesta Cup.
In 20 games, he scored 6.2ppg, 6.6rpg, 1.5apg, and 0.8bpg in 25 minutes. For the Express, he had 10ppg, 8.5rpg, 2.0apg, 1.3spg, and 1.5bpg.
KG CANALETA
Honestly, he gone stale after a great rookie showing. It seems that this trade should wake up his game after settling for the play-all policy the Express preach. He is settling in the sense that he would often prefer jumpers than going straight to the basket. His dunks are usually more of breakaways rather than “and ones†which made him expendable when the Express realized that Arwind Santos is a natural SF in the PBA.
Still, this does not discount that he will give height mismatches in the SF position where the big lineup of the Giants could also push him to the SG spot. In the Philippine Cup, he produced 7.1ppg, 4.5rpg, and 1.2apg in 20 games and 22 minutes of action.
AIR21/BURGER KING
Like I said, Mikee Romero is thrilled to re-claim the former players he had in his PBL dynasty (although I wonder why they didn’t take Chico Lanete who was one of their cornerstones). While Beau Belga and Chad Alonzo aren’t Grade A names, the kicker here perhaps is the three first round picks they acquired from the Gins and the Giants. Too bad they’ll earn this four years from now. Perhaps they are thinking of Ryan Buenafe, Kiefer Ravena, and those other second generation upstarts?
BEAU BELGA
Belga is the lucky recipient of the minutes that was left by Ranidel de Ocampo. Although, you have to wonder if Jondan Salvador is happy sitting on a bench filled with players who can play his position. Picked seventh, he will bring the size that the Express/Whoppers lack. Is he ready for this challenge? With the exit of Kramer and Allado, I think Belga should be ready to become the main man in the middle alongside JR Quinahan. In 17 games, he has made 3.9ppg and 3.2rpg in 13 minutes of action.
CHAD ALONZO
The former Adamson U standout will welcome this development. Playing in a team coached by Yeng Guiao, expect him to get the minutes that could shape his PBA career. While a natural SF, he can play the PF position he once played in his PBL days. However, can he be effective? That is the question. In seven minutes of action he could only produce 1.6ppg, and 1.4rpg for nine games. Surely this would improve in the future.
GINEBRA
Last conference, the Kings paraded 16 players. This is without Mark Caguioa and Mike Holper has been traded to Red Bull. Now they are taking in three more players. I guess this is the perfect time to bid adieu to Johnny Abarrientos’ playing career. Jong Uichico’s biggest problem lies on the health of his players. Sunday Salvacion, Paul Artadi, Macky Escalona, and Willy Wilson are the only players that played in all the Ginebra games. Wilson played important minutes for the Kings but he wasn’t supposed to be in the active rotation of the Kings in the first place! Escalona was lucky to even play at least 10 minutes for the Gins!
JC INTAL
Unlucky. This is the case of the Rocket’s route in the big league. Despite the fact that he came in Air21 with Gary David at sickbay, the ex-ADMU standout still couldn’t get his game going. Now I doubt if a stint in Ginebra could get his act right, especially with Ginebra’s insanely stacked slasher and shooter rotation. Imagine if Mark Caguioa becomes healthy and decides to play again… Intal would be lucky to get even ten minutes. Intal played for 17 games and produced 5.7ppg, 2.4rpg and 1.3apg in 14 minutes of action.
DOUG KRAMER
Now this is a player that surely Jong Uichico could use. Ginebra’s most tumultuous problem lies on their weak frontline. The Gins relied on Wilson, Junjun Cabatu, and at one point Mike Holper because their bigs Billy Mamaril, Rafi Reavis, and Eric Menk are either injured or unconditioned. This guy could surely bring the excitement with his tenaciousness under the basket. For the record, in 19 starts, the ex-Eagle scored 5.2ppg and 4.1rpg in 16 minutes of action.
CHICO LANETE
His entry to the team will disrupt the overly-deep GInebra backcourt. I could have hoped they brought Salvador or even Richard Yee to the fold since GInebra is in serious need for height. Lanete gives you the X factors not seen in Escalona. But for a team that has Helterbrand and Artadi, this is a serious case of player assassination. While I could expect Artadi’s minutes to trim, I don’t see Helterbrand’s minutes to lessen in the near future. Playing in the Philippine Cup, the 2-time PBL Finals MVP churned 5.7ppg, 2.7rpg, 2.4apg, and 1.2spg in 19 games and 22 minutes of action.
VERDICT: Burger King wins the trade because they have first of all, they got the players they wanted, despite their non-A-list status. Also, they gain three future picks that could be trade baits.
I’m not the type that writes Finals previews but I will try to check on the series after Game 1.
Until then,
SURF PORN!
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