And the rich get richer, Arwind Santos to SMB?

By the-ocho | Published: July 14, 2009

And the rich get richer…

The current PBA finals is still up and running but it seems to be shadowed by the latest possible PBA trade: Arwind Santos to the San Miguel Beermen.

Wait a minute, isn’t SMB still playing sister team Ginebra in the finals?

The same star-studded SMB team with arguably no “banko” type players (Bono was a UAAP MVP, Eman is a former no. 1 overall draft pick, and Chris Calaguio is a grizzled veteran), now gets Arwind Santos, MVP candidate for the past 2 seasons and arguably among the top 3 local players in the PBA.

Arwind Santos, to power SMB?

Arwind Santos, to power SMB?

It is not yet 100% official, as only 2 newspapers has reported it, although I got wind of the news among the forums as early as around 2 months ago.  According to those same reports, players rumored to be exchanged for are Bono, Eman, and Calaguio.  The Beermen now get even stronger, giving up only 3 seldom used, albeit talented players, 2 with potential.

This isn’t shocking as all 3 SMC teams (San Miguel Beer, Baranggay Ginebra, and Purefoods) in the PBA have benefit from lopsided trades in the past 3 years.  Without going to much detail, here are some of the players who have moved to them:  Cyrus Baguio, Marc Pingris, Enrico Villanueva, JC Intal, Doug Kramer, Junthy Valenzuela, KG Canaleta, Don Allado, Celino Cruz, Homer Se, and Jay Washington.  And here are some of the players who have moved out:  Chad Alonzo, Beau Belga, Aaron Aban, and a multitude of 1st and 2nd round draft picks.

The parity, fairness and logic of all these trades have been discussed and debated in the past so I’m not going to touch into these.  Arwind Santos says that it has been his dream to play from SMB, and now he’s getting it.  I just hope that he is doing this for the opportunity for a championship, more than anything else, and that he was not coerced into doing this.

You gotta feel for Yeng Guiao.  He leaves Red Bull because his players are being sold, moves to Burger King where the same thing also happens.  Well at least handling his own all-star team, Team Powerade Pilipinas, is a good trade off.

What’s bothering here is how easy the SMC teams are getting the marquee players.  Makes you wonder who’s next to move.  Will it be Sta. Lucia Realty’’s franchise duo of Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes?  Will it be Rain or Shine’s building blocks of Gabe Norwood or Sol Mercado? Will it be Alaska’s Willie Miller, 2 time MVP and franchise player?

Well apparently, it’s Miller.  According to unofficial reports, he could be traded another SMC team.  He is apparently no longer happy with the Aces and elements are in place for a 3 team deal.  Let’s wait for a few more days if this pushes thru.  If it does, chalk up one more superstar to the SMC teams.

It’s easy for us say that it should be piece of cake for any of these teams to make the finals or criticize Jong Uichico, Siot Tanquicen, or Ryan Gregorio for their decisions but I just can imagine how difficult it is to balance all these talent and egos, let alone meet high expectations of winning championships.  But you know the saying, be careful what you asked for.

In the meantime, let’s take solace from that fact the PBA is not totally dominated by the SMC teams.  The past 13 PBA champions saw 6 teams (4 by Ginebra, 1 each by SMB and Purefoods) winning the championship.  The rest of the league, save for Burger King/Air21 and Rain or Shine has won at least once.  Let the SMC teams worry about balancing playing time and salaries to become competitive.  You have to admire the teams that rely on team work, chemistry, and good coaching.   If the SMC teams win championships, it’s because they are equipped and expected to do so.  But it always seems to be sweeter if the underdog wins.

This just in: Ginebra just bagged game 5 by 8, giving them a 3 -2 lead in the series.  Maybe Arwind is really the missing ingredient.

Quick snipes:

Andy Borroca and Aldrech Ramos of FEU look like the real deal….Mavs snatching Marion, Gortat, and resigning Jason Kidd are trying to catch up with the Lakers and Spurs……Brock Lesnar is a beast, but did he have to go WWE on the UFC by first taunting the humbled Frank Mir, then flipping off the fans?  Makes you think if everything was staged……Team Powerwade Pilipinas can’t seem to catch a break.  Kelly Williams gets a mysterious blood disorder during the PBA All Star game, Ryan Reyes gets a pulled hamstring against inferior competition in SEABA tournament, now Jayjay Helterbrand (the NUMERO UNO uno in the PBA right now) gets the same injury during the finals, leaving only Willie Miller as the closest thing to a Point Guard in the team.  With the Jones Cup is just a couple of weeks away, lets just hope Japeth Aguilar can be the dominant big man the team has been yearning for (although this maybe asking too much from the kid)….. Isn’t it time for PBA teams to have alternate uniforms?…… Finally, Ron Artest seems to be hell bent in helping the Lake Show repeat…check out his latest Twitter pic:  http://twitpic.com/a771v

~SPOONMAN

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    1. Arwind Santos Resbak
  • http://www.mybpimag.com/expectmorefreedom/freedom_videos.html Jose

    Talaga? Wow. Talk about being luckier!

  • http://moncruz.tumblr.com Mon

    The PBA should just be renamed as San Miguel Corp. Invitational Tournament. This “league” is just making a mockery of the fans’ interest and affection (not to mention their pockets).

    Notice how teams would end up bunched up all together after the elimination rounds; practically every team has a fighting chance to make it to the next round (equal marketing exposure). And notice that even if the SMC teams have superior line ups, they don’t end up all together in the semis, a maximum of two SMC teams just qualify for the semis at any given tournament. Of course, they all belong to one “association”; that’s why non-SMC teams are allowed to have their share of semis exposure just the same. What happens is that the SMC teams are just rotating on who will advance on to the latter rounds from tournament to tournament.

    Why did fan interest dwindle through the years? Two things: 1) League predictability of teams being bunched up every after the elimination rounds (league parity? looks like league charade if you ask me) and 2) Players (especially the marquee ones) just playing through the motions of a basketball game.

    At the end of the day, it’s just a commercial league. As long as every participating team have had their share of market exposure, that’s all that matters. The sarsuela of “quality” games make that possible. It’s not unusual to see your powerhouse team beaten by a ragtag team. And it’s not surprising anymore how a Don Camaso can be traded for a Rico Villanueva. Just like in the NBA, in the PBA / San Miguel Invitational, it’s where “amazing” moro moro happens.

  • http://www.god.com God

    Wow mon… bitter na bitter tayo dyan ah… :) Looks like you’re a former pba fan gone hater but still watches the pba…. hahaha. Now who’s the hypocrite? C’mon Mon… aminin… :)

  • ediboy

    kasalanan din naman ng ibang teams kung bakit nakukuha ng SMC teams yung mga magagaling na players. it’s either hindi nila kayang bayaran yung bagong contract salary ng superstars nila or nagtitipid due to tough economic situation. Aminin na natin, sa lahat ng PBA teams, SMC ang may pinaka may kakayahan na gumastos para sa mga superstars na to, second lang maybe ang TNT ni MVP. Given the opportunity, SMC teams were able to grab the best talents available though, the league in general is suffering due to imbalance of power. Kung ako lang masusunod, ipapamigay ko kalahati ng lineup ng SMB sa ROS. How i wish…

    Ginebra Na!

  • http://hideyourmonkey.blogspot.com benhur

    if smb wins tonight, nakow, the “pba-is-smc-league” chatter just gets louder.

    As early as 2006, i blogged “PBA Turning into a San Miguel Corp League” and it will just go on. but somehow, ediboy has a point, if alaska want to, they can splash-shop for big time players too but they better be ready and willig to pay. smc is ready & willing.

  • Mon

    “God”, wag naman hypocrite. hehe. I’m just your ordinary Filipino basketball fan. And yup, I still watch the “crucial” PBA games (sudden death, games 7′s etc.) from time to time although sa TV na lang if wala ng ibang mapanood.

    I just can’t help but vent my sentiments because I’m still one of the few (if meron pa nga) “morons” who still nurtures the (impossible?) dream that the RP basketball team can still win in Asian tournaments, with China’s and S.Korea’s A-teams participating. And I’m just saddened how our San Miguel League stuns the growth of our Filipino players by bunching all those potential and established superstars. How can our quality players continue to develop if they just end up competing in a moro moro against obviously inferior teams? And by just going through the motions of competing for their paycheck?

    I know we have our equally incompetent basketball governing bodies tasked to take care of international competitions (but that’s another matter altogether). Needless to say, the best talents in the land are in the San Miguel League. And it’s a pity to see their potential go to waste because instead of genuinely competing among themselves and bringing out the best in everyone, they just end up subbing for each other and be content with 10-15minute playing time. I know it’s a professional/commercial league so I guess we can’t do anything about it if SMC wants to get Arwind for Bono, Eman & Calaguio, no matter how ridiculous it may sound.

    Nakaka-insulto lang kasi and maybe there are other Filipino basketball fans who feel the same way. To see the level of competition in the PBA deteriorate is as heartbreaking as seeing Olsen Racela miss those two freethrows at the ’02 Asiad all over again. The only difference is the former is being done on purpose while the latter was just sheer breaks of the game.

    Anyway, sana mag-Game 7 para mas dagdag kita sa gate receipts and ads sa TV coverage; at incidentally na lang to expose the players to even greater pressure and see how they respond to clutch situations. At least kahit sa game 7, makapanood man lang tayo ng totoong laro. =)

  • http://www.sydrified.blogspot.com SYDMAN

    here’s the coup here:

    regarding the santos trade, despite being disastrous for arwind, i’m telling you, eman, calaguio, and bono will benefit here. i mean eman and bono were top prospects and yet they are languishing in the smb bench. this is a major boost for yeng if he can make these guys like what he did to mark yee, erick rodriguez, beau belga, and aaron aban. however, apart from the 3 three, smb should give up one last player because this will certainly give siot more reasons to hope for players that wouldn’t talk with their egos.

    smc will retire dondon, olsen, dorian, and the dannys so they’ll remain unharmed. washington just got there… so that’s a no. pennisi just got there but given his history with yeng, he’ll be a nice fit to his system. same goes for lordy tugade because he’ll become calaguio’s replacement in the smb bench once arwind steps in. poor wesley, bonbon, and olsen because they’ll likely be the once relegated to those awkward spots (next to froi baguion). mike cortez and jonas should take the point in this team which means either olsen and bonbon will contend on that third point guard position.

    actually if there is one guy that needs to go out of BK, its gary david. as shown in the Fiesta Cup semis, david’s minutes were eaten by yee and aban. santos’ minutes were taken by rodriguez and even billones is robbing some of arboleda’s exposure.

    japeth, arwind, and either quinahan or belga could make up a great frontline however, with this current state, anything is possible.

    on the miller trade: unlike other teams, alaska will not get a lackey. miller won’t wind up with ginebra because this team is overflowing with guards. san miguel could give up a marquee guy or a lesser superstar (jonas, tugade, washington) and bundle him with another player or a draft pick). purefoods is the best team to deal since they are overflowing with big men. heck, they could even go for enrico, alvarez and another guy with the way their team wrongly suited up right now.

  • Gary Probinsyano

    So, what else is new? Didn’t Tanduay’s Bong Tan unceremoniously bolted out of the PBA because of SMC Tyranny in the PBA?

    Am Sure hindi lang si Mon ang nabubwiset sa panggugulang ng SMC Franchisees sa “nakaw drafts” na ginagawa nila. Marami pang dating PBA fans ang nanahimik na lang at di na sumasali sa lokohan sa basketbolahan.

    Bakit di na lang sila bumili ng trophies kung yun lang naman ang habol nila di ba? Suwerte lang ang PBA dahil wala silang kumpetensya pero may araw din at kakarmahin ang mga opisyales na nagbubulagbulagan sa mga panlalamang ng SMC. Hindi porke’t may pera at power ka ay kayang mo nang bilhin ang karangalan at prestige kelangan paghirapan mo pa rin ito sa malinis at patas na paraan.

    Kaya wala tayong asenso mga Pilipino eh! Ang lakas nating nugmalngal pag naiisahan tayo international competitions tulad nung kay Onyok Velasco sa Boxing Olympics di ba? pero numero uno naman tayo sa kagulangan at kadayaan. Lahat na lang pinupulitika. kahit sports, di pinaliligtas… Haaay Buhay Pinoy…

    Gary Probinsyano,
    Dagat-Dagatan, Tondo, Manila

  • RJ

    Mga peeps, wag naman masyadong mainit. We all love this game and the PBA, kaya wag na natin pansinin yung pulitika behind it all. In the end naman, sa basketball court pa rin nagkakatalo ang lahat. Take for example SMB. Given powerhouse ang lineup nila, this is actually their first championship in 4 years.

    And who can really blame the management for getting all those talented players? Kasi kapag ako ay naglalaro ng basketball sa kanto at may pustahan, ang pipiliin kong lineup ng team ko ay ang pinakamalakas na mabubuo ko, diba? :) These SMC teams are just getting these players because they are available, they are good, they are possibly missing links to their game, and the players themselves want to play for them. Ikaw ba, given the opportunity to play in the PBA, wouldn’t you like to play for Ginebra, the darling of the crowd?

    Tsaka kay Gary Probinsyano sa itaas, pare, pasensya na, pero lahat ng bagay sa mundo, nakakairita mang isipin, may pulitika. Kahit trabaho, may pulitika. Ang maganda lang sa basketball, pag dating mo sa court, wala na yung pulitika. Laro na lang. Minsan nga lang, kung basketball afficionado ka talaga, mahahalata mo talagang kinokontrol ng mga referee yung laro para paboran ang isang team na gusto nilang manalo. Pero ibang usapan na yan. :) Tsaka desisyon na ng PBA management yun, hindi ng SMC. :)

    Para kay Mon naman sa mas itaas pa, wag naman nating tawaging “inferior teams” yung iba sa PBA. Iba-iba lang talaga ang talbog ng bola. Please remember that SMB, Purefoods, and Ginebra have taken their fair share of being at the bottom of the standings. At hindi yan a long long time ago ha. Recent lang yan. Bago mag-rebuild ang SMB at, sabi mo nga, kumuha ng superstars, kulelat ang team na yan. Same with Ginebra. Tsaka hindi ko alam bakit di ka badtrip sa Alaska, powerhouse din yun, ang tagal pang naging champion palagi. O kaya sa TnT, yun powerhouse din talaga. Just be fair. Di porke powerhouse, panalo na. It just helps a lot to be a powerhouse team.

    Peace mga peeps, opinyon ko lang yan. Isang tao lang naman ako. Madami kayo. :)

  • Dexies

    matra trade ba yang si Arwind kung hindi pumayag ang Burger King? it takes two camps for a trade to happen. Same management din naman ang Burger King and TnT which is also a powerhouse team kaya hindi pwedeng sabihing hindi kayang sustentuhan ni MVP yang si Arwind, and why continue with the bashing of SMC? is it because two SMC teams battled it out in the Finals at finally ngayon lang sila naka live-up sa hype at expectations sa kanila…

    at wag mo nang ipasok si Bong Tan, nasapawan lang siya kahit na ang Tanduay niya e isang malaking Powerhouse team din nung kapanahunan nila? with players like Jose, Jarencio, Webb, Gayoso, Menk, Alvarado, Hontiveros etc.. nung panahon na yun ang lalakas ng mga yan so wala siyang karapatang sabihin na kaya siya umalis dahil sa SMC kuha ng kuha ng malakas na players at nung panahon na yun SMB pa nga underdogs against Tanduay.

  • Gary Probinsyano

    Ang gagaling nyo Dexies at RJ. Wala lang siguro kayong magawa at kontra pa kayo ng kontra. Kitang-kita naman ang kagulangan ng SMC eh! Lahat ng kinuha nilang player eh sa one-sided trading block. Malinaw naman na dinadaan nila sa pera pera at palakasan ang lahat di ba?

    Sabihin nyo nga saken kung sa legit draft nila kinuha sina Pena, Tugade, Pingris, Cortez, Jonas Villanueva, Washington at marami pang iba? at ngayon nga si Arwind naman. Bakit di pa nila kunin ang mythical 10 at All-Stars para di na sila mahirapan?

    Nakita mo sa sobrang lakas ng lineup nila ay nagkakanda-duling nasi S\Coach Siot kung sino ipapasok kaya hayan tuloy napapanis ang ibang talents tulad nina Eman, Gonzales, Calaguio at Ken Bono. Injured pa sina Siegle at Tugade niyang lagay na yan ha? Sobra kasing ganid ang mga _ _ _ duruputs eh! Akala mo mauubusan ng magagaling na player.

    Gary P.

  • Dexies

    hahahaha bakit ikaw paps wala ka ring bang magawa? usapan diba SMC which includes BGK at PF e bat biglang lumabas na talaga galit mo sa SMB huwag mong masyado kasing ilabas ang inggit mo…sige isa isahin ko yang mga names na sinabi mo…

    Pena – matagal na sa SMB yan at kinuha lang mula sa MBA nung nabuwag na MBA at bano pa dati yan nadevelop lang sa SMB may MBA player ba na sumali sa draft?

    Tugade – eto na marahil ang pinakalopsided dahil nawala lang sa SMB ay si Kong, Noble, Hubalde at 1st and 2nd rd. picks

    Pingris – for Rico Villanueva PF initiated this dahil kailangan nila ng offense, basically defense for offense palitan dito may lugi ba dyan?

    Cortez – for Tenorio at Fonacier to Alaska and Bono to SMB wag mo ring sabihing lugi yan, ngayon lang napakinabangan ng SMB yang si Cortez this finals at up and coming star PG na si Tenorio nyan tignan mo na lang laro niya sa Alaska.

    Villanueva – 9th pick nung 2007 and eventually ngayon lang nag blossom dahil sa injury on Cortez.

    Washington – for 3rd pcik which is as good as Jason Castro, at si Chot Reyes ang nag initiate nito dahil gusto niyang makuha si Castro at di naman siya nagsisi at naging instrumental si Castro this recent All Filipino Championship.

    Nagkandaduling nga si Siot kaya nga siya nagsalamin at napachampion SMB. may tanong ka pa? para mag research uli ako hohoho!

  • Gary Probinsyano

    Ah ok. So it’s pretty obvious na die-hard SMB ka tho I must admit Dexies know his local basketball quite well.

    Sayang at medyo sarado na talaga utak niya on defending his team kahit alam mo na… Eh ano naman ang masasabi mo sa game 7 nila with Ginebra? Kita mo ba kung pano nilang ginawang tanga ang mga PBA fans?

    Hanep pati mga refs. Pilay na pilay na Ginebra ineject pa nila si Salvacion at di man lang umangal si Uichico at di pa yun halatang benta ang laro in favor of the beermen. Pati yata yung import na si Noel ah napakiusapan. Ang sama ng laro at walang keeffort-effort.

    Kawawa naman kasi itong SMC sobrang bagyo ang lineup pero laging inaabot ng karma 4years ang inabot bago mag-champion at may bahid pa ng suspetsa.
    Ewan ko kung aaminin mong “luto” ang laro am sure, napanood mo naman siguro ang laro nung Friday.

    Gary P.

  • http://moncruz.tumblr.com Mon

    Great comments fellow basketball aficionados. At least we still have passion in the game we love, unlike David Noel. hehe. Yep, I still watched parts of game 7. And kudos to Jayjay Helterbrand. He’s the reigning MVP and tried to carry his team albeit by his lonesome. Noel and company are just too heavy of a burden.

    At the end, SMB’s VERY POTENT line up just proved too much for the Gins. I’d like to stop fuelling the “conspiracy theories” because let’s admit, there’s just TOO MUCH politics (and marketing) happening. If teams want to fool the fans with ridiculous trades and “alalay” games, it’s the fans’ interest for them to lose. Hindi naman lahat ng fans habang buhay na tanga. Kahit nga mga botante natututo na kahit papano. And the fans are the lifeblood of this “league”. Sana lang wag nila tayong insultuhin.

    Re: RJ’s post. I may be wrong but Alaska and TnT didn’t figure yata sa lopsided trades. But I have to clarify, I’m not a fan of either team. I’ve always been a Purefoods fan during Patrimonio’s era. Yep it’s true SMC teams experienced being out of playoff rounds; thus the need to rebuild. BUT the rebuilding of SMB was just TOO spectacular to say the least. I know other teams need to give their consent for the various SMC transactions to push through, that’s why they are also partly to blame for such developments. And pardon the term “inferior”, let’s just say “less star-studded and less potent”.

    From the fantasy league that is the PBA, a more gloomy picture though is the ongoing Jones Cup. The Powerade RP Team just lost to Taiwan. They are now 0-2 after bowing to Jordan a few days ago. And the scores are not even that close.

    What if SMB would represent RP? They have the talent, they already have the chemistry. Perhaps with minor adjustments but with the core intact, they just might be able to get the job done, or at least make it more respectable.

    Anyway, that may be beside the point. Have a great day basketball fans!

  • jay

    Hello,

    I also wondered how SMB was able to make such trades happen. But it was mentioned naman above that, for trades to happen, it takes at least two teams to reached an agreement. So, I believed, when such trades were made, it was really done in good faith and kung ano makabubuti to each party in the long run. I hope we will stop blaming the SMC Camp for manipulating such trades because hindi naman siguro nila controlled talaga lahat ng mga activities and decisions. Kaya nga meron Board represented by a member coming from each team dito sa league. And so far, this is really true. All the players being traded to SMB end up really happy and satisfied and wanted to end up with SMB in all their playing years. Most of them nga wanted na sana, hindi na sila ma-trade pa ulit sa ibang team. About this latest trade that is about to happen. Arwind Santos didn’t keep it secret how he wanted to play for SMB, given the chance. Wish granted nga!

  • Dexies

    Yeah Gary P. that’s what the hurting fans ussually say because they lost “luto, utos nila Danding etc. etc. dami na nga nagrereklamo sa lineup ng SMB dahil malakas tapos nung nagchampion di nila naisip na madami lang talagang malakas sa SMB, Mon said it already hindi IMPOTENT line up ng SMB hehehe!

    Im a Beermen fan true, and you’re a Ginebra fan? hehe but can we do something about the trades that occur in the PBA? nothing! ibang SMB fans pag nangyayari ang mga trade na yan dami rin nagagalit pero after a while if you’re fan, all you can do is accept them and root the team that your rooting for. ganito lang kasimple yan paps, kung sa tingin mo niloloko ka na bat nagpapaloko ka pa rin at nanonood ng PBA? diba? ano ka _____ ?

    At bat ko naman aaminin na luto? expectator lang ako at di ko naman kilala yang sila Danding.. although sometimes I wish lolo ko sila, hahaha! and even if Im a Ginebra fan I wouldnt dare say that the game was fixed and deliberate, you know why? because it’s as good as saying that the players (for example Helterbrand, Caguiao) I’m rooting for have no integrity because sunud sunuran lang sila sa mga boss nila. Bat ko pa sila iidolohin kung ganun lang mga ugali nila? Isn’t that just a waste of time?

    Basketball players and coaches treat basketball as their life, their dreams coming true at goals nila ay championships..hindi kagaya natin na nageenjoy lang sa panonood nila kaya kung sa tingin mo inuutusan lang nila Danding mga coaches, players ng team nila eh may respeto pa ang mga players o coaches na to kila Danding or Henry? come on man, you’re better than that.

    @ Mon yeah the Powerade RP team now sucks, 0 – 2 and to be blown out by 30+ points by Jordan? ridiculous, and it’s just Jones Cup, didn’t we use to dominate that phase? pano pa sa FIBA Asia hahaha! eto pa nakakatawa… Arboleda taking the spots of Helterbrand or Ryan Reyes? grabe di na lang kinuha ni Yeng si Alapag.

  • Dexies

    @ jay

    hindi mo rin naman masisi yung mga players kung bat gustong gusto nila mapabilang under the SMC franchise dahil kitang kita natin kung pano mag alaga ng mga loyal employees ang SMC, kitang kita yan sa mga bench ng PF, SMB at BGK some of the retired players of PBA that played under the SMC umbrella still has a job up until now. kumbaga kahit di na ganun ung skills mo dahil may edad ka na may security ka pa rin in the future pagdating sa trabaho at pagkakakitaan.

  • http://www.sydrified.blogspot.com SYDMAN

    ^^ i think i could vouch for this comment.

    dexies: guiao had no choice than to resort to arboleda. First of all, he had a lot of players that could play as PG’s but reyes and helterbrand are the only natural ones. with these two in sickbay, the only guard that could assemble his plays to its full extent is the snatcher.

    this could be guiao’s fault for not having a bigger talent pool but guiao knows arboleda’s playing style and vice versa. if yeng was not the coach of burger king then jimmy alapag, mike cortez, and even alex cabagnot could be good choices. problem is, he is the coach of burger king and the only player he could rely in orchestrating his team is none other than the snatcher.

    and for the comments regarding SMC’s dominance:

    i agree with davies. SMC will never trade ildefonso, seigle, hontiveros, and racela because of their loyalty. in due time, i can see them having front office jobs or having businesses with the help of “boss danding” just like samboy, caidic, calma, abuda, siot, and art dela cruz. you can also say this to ginebra players like helterbrand and caguioa and menk and purefoods players like raymundo and yap (just like patrimonio).

    if you think about it, this is what the nba lacks: the pba franchise is like someone else’s family. at this current state (forget the 80′s and 90′s where players come and go) an SMC team is the best team to retire. alaska is a close second (although you have to wonder why abarrientos is still with ginebra when he could have easily gone to alaska to finish his legendary career).

  • http://moncruz.tumblr.com Mon

    I have to admit, even if I’m very much annoyed by these trades and transactions that SMC teams are pulling off, if I’m a basketball player, I’d very much like to end my career at SMC. Case in point: Hec, Samboy, Allan, Cap, etc. They just sit on the bench and get six digits (I suppose) monthly. Not bad! hehe. But then again, if this cycle of SMC maneuverings don’t end, it’s unavoidable that some fans would just shy away from the PBA because they’d feel they’re being hoodwinked in broad daylight. Well, that’s how the ball bounces though…

    And one player I’m really annoyed at as well is Wynne Arboleda. Astang mayabang ang mamang ‘to. To think that had he not gotten hitched with Mr. Lina’s (who incidentally owns the team) daughter, I’m quite positive he wouldn’t have had the basketball career he’s having now. But so much for bad vibes; he made the most out of the opportunity given him. He plays with toughness and did the quarterbacking chores respectably (though his decision-making and shot selection are sometimes horrendous). It’s Coach Yeng’s call. Perhaps he needs that kind of toughness in the team over Jimmy’s firepower. Personally though, I’d still find a spot for Hontiveros in that team.

    Nice to hear the RP Team won over the Kazakhstan. Maybe, just maybe, this RP Team isn’t too much in this Jones Cup to win it all big time. Maybe they’re still at a stage of establishing their rotation, shuffling combinations etc. Let’s just hope for the best. This is the National team, not a mere commercial team anymore. Have a good one!

  • http://www.sydrified.blogspot.com SYDMAN

    well, if it would solve anything, wynne’s out from the roster because he wasn’t part of the original 15. this will dwindle to 12 and helterbrand could probably be the lone PG in the squad.

  • http://www.lycos.com Jolas

    Di ko na masyado nasusubaybayan ang pba ngayon, but from I heard di na daw ganon ka-competative ang mga games even in the Finals, lalo na kung sister company ang naglalaban… Para ka na lang nanonood ng WWE, saka scripted na ang mga laban…

  • http://www.lycos.com Jolas

    Alaska vs Ginebra was the best rivalry in the 90′s ung bang kahit maka-Alaska ka pero magugustuhan mo na rin ung Ginerbra kase laging maganda ang laban at grabe ang intensity ng laro nila… Di pa scripted ang PBA noon… Sayang talaga!!!

  • TEAM SMC

    if the SMC teams will be gone then i will not watch anymore PBA ihave supported SMB and BGK for a long time

    P.S.

    i think im not the only one who will stop watching PBA if SMC teams will be gone
    dba mga ka barangay at mga ka beermen??

  • http://www.sydrified.blogspot.com SYDMAN

    imagine how the new york yankees must feel… ugh.