In praise of Ryan Gregorio, and other thoughts on Purefoods vs. San Miguel
Purefoods coasted to a very, very impressive victory over San Miguel last night, winning the last three games in the series comfortably. The team will be making its third Philippine Cup finals appearance in the last five years, an impressive feat by any measure, so even if I wanted to make fun of Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio, there’s just nothing to hang it on. The man deserves his due.
I specifically enjoyed his move to do away with physical practices for his team, going instead with video sessions and light walkthroughs, to conserve his players’ legs. It’s a technique that some coaches such as Mike D’Antoni have used to great effect, and it worked for Purefoods.
At this point, I have complete faith in Ryan Gregorio’s coaching. If, in the finals, he decides, “You know what, I’m not even going to go to the arena to coach, I’ll just text my instructions to Coach Ronnie during the game,” I’d be totally behind it. Papasahan ko pa siya ng load.
While we’re at it, here are some thoughts on the Purefoods-San Miguel semifinals:
Next up, a post on Alaska.
I specifically enjoyed his move to do away with physical practices for his team, going instead with video sessions and light walkthroughs, to conserve his players’ legs. It’s a technique that some coaches such as Mike D’Antoni have used to great effect, and it worked for Purefoods.
At this point, I have complete faith in Ryan Gregorio’s coaching. If, in the finals, he decides, “You know what, I’m not even going to go to the arena to coach, I’ll just text my instructions to Coach Ronnie during the game,” I’d be totally behind it. Papasahan ko pa siya ng load.
While we’re at it, here are some thoughts on the Purefoods-San Miguel semifinals:
- Was there supposed to be a game 7 in the script? Ryan Gregorio must not have received the email from SMC. They really should call to make sure.
- I’ve kept reiterating this on this site, but it’s true: the San Miguel Beermen are a bunch of frontrunners, and players like Jonas Villanueva and Mike Cortez are more likely to play better when they have the lead. They don’t really know how to play when they’re behind. In the last three games of the series, San Miguel did not taste the lead for even a second.
- San Miguel has great depth, and they are a good team. Still, I don’t get the way announcers wet themselves when they call the Beermen roster ‘full of superstars’. Are we calling Jay Washington and Denok Miranda superstars now? In this series, two of the three best players were playing for Purefoods.
- Also, for all the depth San Miguel has, it’s just a terribly-constructed roster, isn’t it? They have only one small forward in the rotation (Arwind Santos) and only one shooting guard (Dondon Hontiveros). They have four point guards and one combo guard, none of whom could apparently contain Roger Yap. They have three guys who play power forward in Danny Seigle, Danny Ildefonso, and Jay Washington, but none of those guys can rebound and defend consistently, so Siot Tanquincen is forced to play Santos at that spot.
This also means either Hontiveros or one of their midget guards has to play small forward. Their centers, Dorian Pena and Mick Pennisi, can clog the lane and score a little (Pena on layups, Pennisi on jumpers), but they’re both phone booth rebounders who are easy pickings for an athletic frontline such as the Purefoods crew. San Miguel just got killed in the paint, on offense, on defense and off the boards - I’ve said before that Marc Pingris plays exactly like Hanamichi Sakuragi. Here’s something interesting: Purefoods hasn’t missed the finals in every conference wherein Pingris wasn’t injured. In the 2005-06 season, after acquiring him from Air 21, Purefoods made the finals both times. The next season, Pingris had a nasty ankle fracture, causing him to miss the end of the team’s Philippine Cup campaign and a significant chunk of the Fiesta Conference. In the 2007-08 Philippine Cup, Purefoods made the finals again with Pingris healthy, narrowly losing to Sta. Lucia in seven games. But the team traded him to San Miguel in between conferences for Enrico Villanueva, and Purefoods hasn’t made it back to the finals until they re-acquired Pingris prior to the start of the current season.
It’s not a coincidence, and it’s not Pingris being a lucky charm a la Bolado. The success of Purefoods with Pingris in the roster underscores the significance of frontcourt length and athleticism in today’s PBA. More than that, Pingris is a difficult matchup for other frontcourts because of his motor, which is a rare commodity. Another guy with extraordinary motor, Rudy Hatfield, enjoyed similar success in the PBA. After the 2009 draft, Tim Cone said he took a flyer on unheralded prospect Michael Burtscher because of the young guy’s motor. - Speaking of frontcourt length and athleticism, one way the Purefoods big men affected San Miguel’s game was on the break. The Beermen’s M.O. is predicated on leaking out and getting cheap points on the fast break, but Purefoods’ bigs were crashing the boards hard, forcing San Miguel’s guards to lay back and help out on defensive rebounding. I’d be interested in seeing how many fast break points San Miguel got off rebounds in the last three games of the series; it couldn’t have been much.
- Dondon Hontiveros is a great basketball player, and in so many respects, he is much better than James Yap; he’s a better ballhandler and passer (especially on pick-and-rolls), he’s a better defender, he’s a better rebounder off loose balls (although Yap might be a better rebounder when the ball is up in the air), and he’s a more accurate shooter when open (Yap is better when shooting with a hand in the face). But Yap has one big edge, an explosive first step that allows him to get to the ring easily, and makes him impossible to defend one-on-one. Hontiveros doesn’t have that explosion, so when he tries to take his man off the dribble, more often than not, he has to take the ball back out and settle for a jumper. This makes Yap infinitely more dangerous than Hontiveros, and allows him to have a much bigger impact on a basketball game.
You could see this in play in the fourth quarter last night, when San Miguel started double-teaming Yap whenever he had the ball in the perimeter. Purefoods usually swung the ball to Roger Yap, who scored on a couple of drives in the clutch that put the game at bay off these plays. - By the way, the Roger Yap bandwagon? I’ve been driving it since the year 2000. Welcome, everyone! Glad you could join us.
- Also, Cesca Litton mentioned in her report last night that James Yap was distracted because his wife, Kris Aquino, was in the hospital after slipping in the bathroom and suffering a concussion. I’m sure everyone’s glad she’s ok, but it makes me wonder: How much better would he be if he didn’t have to deal with, uh, being married to Kris? I mean, crap like Dr. Margie Holmes writing a lengthy article on Pep discussing the couple’s married life. Doesn’t he deserve a medal, at this point?
- While we’re on the subject, Kris Aquino tweeted last week treated that she her cast mates to some food for her birthday. You know what she brought to the set? Cupcakes! I wonder where she ordered them.
Next up, a post on Alaska.
Posted by jaemark
on February 22, 2010 at
09:53
| Comments (21)
| Trackbacks (6)
Tags: Arwind Santos, Basketball, James Yap, Marc Pingris, Philippine Basketball Association, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Ryan "The Genius" Gregorio, San Miguel Beermen
Tags: Arwind Santos, Basketball, James Yap, Marc Pingris, Philippine Basketball Association, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Ryan "The Genius" Gregorio, San Miguel Beermen
An SMB fan speaks
Editor's Note: This guest post comes for Tiger Gimenez, a self-confessed San Miguel fanatic. I figured we needed a voice from the San Miguel side of things to balance things here at the blog. I had no idea he would go Tony Atayde on San Miguel management. Enjoy!
I am a San Miguel fan who wrote to Fire Quinito after the Alaska trade article, hoping to see a follow-up focusing on San Miguel. I was surprised when Jaemark asked if maybe I could do it instead since, according to him, I was “in a better position to give color to San Miguel’s trades over the years.” I think he also wanted it to come from someone who’s an SMB fan and not from someone who’s a huge Purefoods supporter like him, especially now with the hotly contested semi-final battle between both teams currently ongoing (I think it goes 7 games). Now even though I'm a HUGE SMB fanatic (ever since Ramon Fernandez came over), I’ve always been a very critical one – my family laughs at me because I shout advice and invectives at the SMB players and coaches on TV whenever they play – and I wanted to do a breakdown and analysis of all their recent bonehead moves.
One thing I notice is that Alaska always seems to be giving SMB the short-end of the stick in these trades and transactions. It’s like a never-ending litany of idiocy for San Miguel management.
First off they trade Nic Belasco for Brandon Cablay, and what happens? Cablay gets injured! Honestly, I don’t remember Brandon ever playing a full season, much less play any extended minutes in any SMB game. And this was the guy they hoped would replace Olsen in the line-up? As for Nic he became a vital cog and a very productive player for Alaska.
Then there's the god-awful LA Tenorio trade which just takes the cake for me. This is the best way to build a super team, trade away a young point guard on the cusp of greatness for an older one who's not as good and has a long history of injuries!
So what happens the first year of that trade? Tenorio blossoms and was a big reason why Alaska made the finals of the All-Filipino that year. As for Mike Cortez? He blows out his knee during the eliminations! Granted, they do win the Reinforced Conference that year, but that’s probably due more to the addition of Gabe Freeman than anything else. I tell you every time I see Tenorio hitting a crucial shot or dishing out an incredible assist while wearing an Alaska uniform, it just breaks my heart.
And now to top it all off, they leave Sam Eman unprotected, and sure as rain is wet Alaska snaps him up! WHAT IDIOTS! Alaska management totally owns the SMB brain trust. I have a feeling whenever Joaqui Trillo needs to upgrade his roster the first thing he thinks to himself is, “I wonder who on SMB we can use and how can we pry him away from them.” I've got to say, even though I hate Alaska's guts, their management team has earned my undying respect and admiration. Joaqui Trillo is the Filipino Jerry West! (Jerry West when he got Shaq and Kobe, not Jerry West during his Memphis Grizzlies years)
Seriously, who the hell makes the personnel decisions for SMB? It’s like watching a three-year old playing in rush-hour traffic. They did luck out with Arwind Santos, but that can be attributed more to Burger King’s ineptitude rather than the competence of SMB management. I guess it also helps that Alaska has had only one coach in 21 years, while SMB has gone through 5. I mean it’s probably easier to get people who’ll fit your system if your system didn’t keep changing every two or three years.
Also, what’s with this UAAP collegiate trip that SMB seems to be on? A couple of years ago they tried out an all-Ateneo core (Villanueva, Tenorio, Fonacier and Gonzalez), this time around it’s an FEU thing (Santos, Jonas Villanueva and Denok Miranda, who I HATE, but more on that later on). I mean just because they won a championship together in college is no guarantee that they’ll be able to do the same in the pros! Who thinks up of these schemes?
Finally, do you realize that all the super rookies that people were gushing about that SMB drafted in the past three years are now playing and even excelling in other teams? Tenorio and Eman with Alaska, and Gabby Espinas with Sta Lucia. I have a sinking feeling that now that Eman's in Alaska he's gonna start putting up double-doubles on a regular basis. Arrggghh! So even though the team that SMB has right now is really, really deep, imagine how much scarier they'd be if Tenorio , Belasco, Espinas and Eman were still there.
Just to say, even though I have a lot of complaints with how this team is built not to mention how it’s coached (Coach Siot maybe you should try taking advantage of your team’s size, I mean you have 8 guys who are all above 6’ 3”, just saying maybe you should look into that). I still root my heart out for them, I still watch them every time they play, I still shout and scream every time they win. I guess in the end I’ll still always be a true-blue SMB fanatic.
FINAL NOTE: I just have to say that I hate, I HATE Denok Miranda!! He's constantly driving to the hole but he can't freaking finish! Either he gets blocked or he misses the shot! Then on the rare occasions that he gets fouled he can't for the life of him sink his freethrows! Jeez! An added downside to this is that when he gets blocked or misses it usually leads to an opposing fast break since our safety guard (Denok) is usually on his back on the other end of the court! Denok, here's a suggestion: STOP going to the rack!
Seems I remember this also happening in one of their championship games against La Salle, instead of giving the ball to Arwind, Denok decides, the hell with it I'm going to the rim! Of course, he misses the shot, they lose the game and the championship. Sheesh, the thought that SMB could’ve had an LA Tenorio-Jonas Villanueva guard combo for the foreseeable future just makes me wanna cry!
I am a San Miguel fan who wrote to Fire Quinito after the Alaska trade article, hoping to see a follow-up focusing on San Miguel. I was surprised when Jaemark asked if maybe I could do it instead since, according to him, I was “in a better position to give color to San Miguel’s trades over the years.” I think he also wanted it to come from someone who’s an SMB fan and not from someone who’s a huge Purefoods supporter like him, especially now with the hotly contested semi-final battle between both teams currently ongoing (I think it goes 7 games). Now even though I'm a HUGE SMB fanatic (ever since Ramon Fernandez came over), I’ve always been a very critical one – my family laughs at me because I shout advice and invectives at the SMB players and coaches on TV whenever they play – and I wanted to do a breakdown and analysis of all their recent bonehead moves.
One thing I notice is that Alaska always seems to be giving SMB the short-end of the stick in these trades and transactions. It’s like a never-ending litany of idiocy for San Miguel management.
First off they trade Nic Belasco for Brandon Cablay, and what happens? Cablay gets injured! Honestly, I don’t remember Brandon ever playing a full season, much less play any extended minutes in any SMB game. And this was the guy they hoped would replace Olsen in the line-up? As for Nic he became a vital cog and a very productive player for Alaska.
Then there's the god-awful LA Tenorio trade which just takes the cake for me. This is the best way to build a super team, trade away a young point guard on the cusp of greatness for an older one who's not as good and has a long history of injuries!
So what happens the first year of that trade? Tenorio blossoms and was a big reason why Alaska made the finals of the All-Filipino that year. As for Mike Cortez? He blows out his knee during the eliminations! Granted, they do win the Reinforced Conference that year, but that’s probably due more to the addition of Gabe Freeman than anything else. I tell you every time I see Tenorio hitting a crucial shot or dishing out an incredible assist while wearing an Alaska uniform, it just breaks my heart.
And now to top it all off, they leave Sam Eman unprotected, and sure as rain is wet Alaska snaps him up! WHAT IDIOTS! Alaska management totally owns the SMB brain trust. I have a feeling whenever Joaqui Trillo needs to upgrade his roster the first thing he thinks to himself is, “I wonder who on SMB we can use and how can we pry him away from them.” I've got to say, even though I hate Alaska's guts, their management team has earned my undying respect and admiration. Joaqui Trillo is the Filipino Jerry West! (Jerry West when he got Shaq and Kobe, not Jerry West during his Memphis Grizzlies years)
Seriously, who the hell makes the personnel decisions for SMB? It’s like watching a three-year old playing in rush-hour traffic. They did luck out with Arwind Santos, but that can be attributed more to Burger King’s ineptitude rather than the competence of SMB management. I guess it also helps that Alaska has had only one coach in 21 years, while SMB has gone through 5. I mean it’s probably easier to get people who’ll fit your system if your system didn’t keep changing every two or three years.
Also, what’s with this UAAP collegiate trip that SMB seems to be on? A couple of years ago they tried out an all-Ateneo core (Villanueva, Tenorio, Fonacier and Gonzalez), this time around it’s an FEU thing (Santos, Jonas Villanueva and Denok Miranda, who I HATE, but more on that later on). I mean just because they won a championship together in college is no guarantee that they’ll be able to do the same in the pros! Who thinks up of these schemes?
Finally, do you realize that all the super rookies that people were gushing about that SMB drafted in the past three years are now playing and even excelling in other teams? Tenorio and Eman with Alaska, and Gabby Espinas with Sta Lucia. I have a sinking feeling that now that Eman's in Alaska he's gonna start putting up double-doubles on a regular basis. Arrggghh! So even though the team that SMB has right now is really, really deep, imagine how much scarier they'd be if Tenorio , Belasco, Espinas and Eman were still there.
Just to say, even though I have a lot of complaints with how this team is built not to mention how it’s coached (Coach Siot maybe you should try taking advantage of your team’s size, I mean you have 8 guys who are all above 6’ 3”, just saying maybe you should look into that). I still root my heart out for them, I still watch them every time they play, I still shout and scream every time they win. I guess in the end I’ll still always be a true-blue SMB fanatic.
FINAL NOTE: I just have to say that I hate, I HATE Denok Miranda!! He's constantly driving to the hole but he can't freaking finish! Either he gets blocked or he misses the shot! Then on the rare occasions that he gets fouled he can't for the life of him sink his freethrows! Jeez! An added downside to this is that when he gets blocked or misses it usually leads to an opposing fast break since our safety guard (Denok) is usually on his back on the other end of the court! Denok, here's a suggestion: STOP going to the rack!
Seems I remember this also happening in one of their championship games against La Salle, instead of giving the ball to Arwind, Denok decides, the hell with it I'm going to the rim! Of course, he misses the shot, they lose the game and the championship. Sheesh, the thought that SMB could’ve had an LA Tenorio-Jonas Villanueva guard combo for the foreseeable future just makes me wanna cry!
Posted by tiger
on February 21, 2010 at
16:12
| Comments (23)
| Trackback (1)
Tags: Alaska Aces, Arwind Santos, Ateneo Blue Eagles, Basketball, Philippine Basketball Association, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, San Miguel Beermen
Tags: Alaska Aces, Arwind Santos, Ateneo Blue Eagles, Basketball, Philippine Basketball Association, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, San Miguel Beermen
The James Yap fanboy video tribute
Here’s the thing: before I was a fan of anything else, I was a fan of Purefoods as a kid, and I still am, despite the ridiculous (and frankly, kinda gay) nicknames like Tender Juicy Hotdogs, Corned Beef Cowboys, Carne Norte Beefies, Chunkee Giants, and Tender Juicy Giants. I’ve remained a loyal fan through the years, Ryan “The Genius” Gregorio notwithstanding.
It should come as no surprise then that I’m absolutely, ridiculously stoked about Purefoods’ upcoming semifinals series versus San Miguel. Not only is the team making its first semifinals appearance in two years (a drought courtesy of Ryan’s genius), but it’s going up against an old school traditional rival. Sure, battling Sta. Lucia and Red Bull was fun, but playing San Miguel evokes pleasant childhood memories of Alvin Patrimonio camping out on the low block and making Yves Dignadice his bitch.
All season long, I had been trying to figure out ways to show my support for the team if they made it to the semifinals. In early January, I finally found the perfect way to express my allegiance: I was going to send the whole team cupcakes! Unfortunately, events that happened over the last few weeks have torpedoed that idea.
So I had to find another way to boost my team, then I realized, Hey, I have a blog! I can do a total fanboy post! I originally wanted to do a fanboy post for my favorite player on the team, barumbado point guard Roger Yap, but there just wasn’t enough material on the web about him; I might be his only fan outside his immediate family and the screaming bading chorus behind the Purefoods baseline. So I’ll just do my fanboy post on James Yap instead.
Let’s start with a highlight for the ages. In the dying seconds of a game against Air 21 in the 2008-09 Philippine Cup, Purefoods was down by three with the ball. Kerby Raymundo threw up a three-pointer and missed, but Yap beat Arwind Santos for the offensive rebound, chased the ball to the corner, tiptoed the baseline and the sideline, and launched a turnaround, fadeaway three-pointer from behind the backboard to tie the game.
Read that paragraph again.
Yeah, it's as awesome as it sounds:
Next, here’s his Nike commercial from the ‘My Game’ campaign in 2007:
It’s easily the best commercial in the series, mostly because James spoke in Hiligaynon, which made his dialogue seem more natural. Speaking in his native tongue betrayed a swagger that’s rarely seen during his TV interviews, especially at the end, when he says, “Basta hampang ka lang ah. Enjoy ka lang sa gina-obra mo. Ina sikreto da.”
Finally, this next one was forwarded to me by Rafe Bartholomew, who now apparently trolls the interwebs for these things. Neither Rafe nor I authored this video. We bear no responsibility, if Kris Aquino decides to pay the author a “civil” visit at home.
It should come as no surprise then that I’m absolutely, ridiculously stoked about Purefoods’ upcoming semifinals series versus San Miguel. Not only is the team making its first semifinals appearance in two years (a drought courtesy of Ryan’s genius), but it’s going up against an old school traditional rival. Sure, battling Sta. Lucia and Red Bull was fun, but playing San Miguel evokes pleasant childhood memories of Alvin Patrimonio camping out on the low block and making Yves Dignadice his bitch.
All season long, I had been trying to figure out ways to show my support for the team if they made it to the semifinals. In early January, I finally found the perfect way to express my allegiance: I was going to send the whole team cupcakes! Unfortunately, events that happened over the last few weeks have torpedoed that idea.
So I had to find another way to boost my team, then I realized, Hey, I have a blog! I can do a total fanboy post! I originally wanted to do a fanboy post for my favorite player on the team, barumbado point guard Roger Yap, but there just wasn’t enough material on the web about him; I might be his only fan outside his immediate family and the screaming bading chorus behind the Purefoods baseline. So I’ll just do my fanboy post on James Yap instead.
Let’s start with a highlight for the ages. In the dying seconds of a game against Air 21 in the 2008-09 Philippine Cup, Purefoods was down by three with the ball. Kerby Raymundo threw up a three-pointer and missed, but Yap beat Arwind Santos for the offensive rebound, chased the ball to the corner, tiptoed the baseline and the sideline, and launched a turnaround, fadeaway three-pointer from behind the backboard to tie the game.
Read that paragraph again.
Yeah, it's as awesome as it sounds:
Next, here’s his Nike commercial from the ‘My Game’ campaign in 2007:
It’s easily the best commercial in the series, mostly because James spoke in Hiligaynon, which made his dialogue seem more natural. Speaking in his native tongue betrayed a swagger that’s rarely seen during his TV interviews, especially at the end, when he says, “Basta hampang ka lang ah. Enjoy ka lang sa gina-obra mo. Ina sikreto da.”
Finally, this next one was forwarded to me by Rafe Bartholomew, who now apparently trolls the interwebs for these things. Neither Rafe nor I authored this video. We bear no responsibility, if Kris Aquino decides to pay the author a “civil” visit at home.
Posted by jaemark
on February 10, 2010 at
15:49
| Comments (5)
| Trackbacks (3)
Tags: Alvin Patrimonio, Arwind Santos, Basketball, James Yap, Kerby Raymundo, Philippine Basketball Association, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Rafe Bartholomew, Ryan "The Genius" Gregorio, San Miguel Beermen, Sta. Lucia Realtors, Video
Tags: Alvin Patrimonio, Arwind Santos, Basketball, James Yap, Kerby Raymundo, Philippine Basketball Association, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Rafe Bartholomew, Ryan "The Genius" Gregorio, San Miguel Beermen, Sta. Lucia Realtors, Video
The SMC League
After a crazy quarterfinal round, the stage is set for the PBA Philippine Cup final four. The cast features 3 teams that belong to the San Miguel Corporation, which again reinforces perceptions by the league’s critics that the PBA is an SMC league. Some even say that the PBA is set up so that SMC teams would always end up on the winning end of most tournaments.
The grand conspiracy argument doesn’t hold much water. If it were true, there’s no way Sta. Lucia would have won the 2008 Philippine Cup over Purefoods in a close seven-game series wherein James Yap was suspended for one game for the same flagrant 2 penalty called on Ranidel de Ocampo last Friday. Imagine David Stern suspending Kobe Bryant on an iffy call in an NBA finals series against a team like the Milwaukee Bucks.
That doesn’t mean to say that SMC teams do not have an advantage. The PBA landscape today gives the rich teams a leg up when it comes to acquiring talent, and each of the SMC teams have taken advantage to build up its arsenal.
By my count, Ginebra, Purefoods, and San Miguel have acquired a total of 19 players through lopsided trades over the past 5 PBA seasons. The trend started prior to the 2006-07 season, when Ginebra and San Miguel ransacked the roster of erstwhile sister team Coca-Cola just before the corporation let go of the franchise. Over the next several years, each SMC team found more willing partners in Red Bull and Air 21 who would let go of their star players for a song.



The data does not reflect the indirect benefits of one SMC team acquiring new star players to its sister teams. For example, San Miguel benefitted when Ginebra acquired Hatfield, Mamaril, and Reavis from Coke, because it opened the door for the Beermen to trade for Ginebra’s Rommel Adducul, who had become expendable. When San Miguel acquired Villanueva, Adducul was shipped to Purefoods. Pingris found his way back to Purefoods from San Miguel this season after the arrival of Santos to the Beermen’s camp.
I also did not include in the table the first round draft picks acquired by the Beermen from Coke during the ransacking. San Miguel used the second overall pick in 2007 to draft Samigue Eman, and the third pick in the 2008 draft to trade for Jay Washington. These were non-trivial assets.
Of course, it’s not just the SMC teams doing this. Talk N Text has been just as brazen about stockpiling talent over the past several years. Another rich franchise, Coca-Cola, seems to be going in that direction.
Meanwhile, the Photokina (Red Bull/Barako Bull) and Lina (Air 21/Burger King) franchises have had no scruples about letting their players go to the highest bidders. Sta. Lucia, a franchise beset by financial difficulty, might be going down the same path. In the PBA board, only Alaska and Rain or Shine might be inclined to pursue changes to the system, and even then they are vastly outnumbered.
There hasn’t been nearly enough outrage from the fans. I tried to incite outrage when Burger King sold off Santos to San Miguel, but it was met by general apathy. The Filipino basketball fan’s mindset is rarely about playing fair, and mostly about getting an advantage at any cost. It runs true from college basketball – seriously, check out the message board discussions on high school prospects by fans of elite schools – up to the pros. Hell, think about how Smart Gilas fans wanted Japeth Aguilar on the team, at any cost, relationships be damned.
We want our teams to cut every corner to get the best players. Should it come as any surprise when they do exactly that?
The grand conspiracy argument doesn’t hold much water. If it were true, there’s no way Sta. Lucia would have won the 2008 Philippine Cup over Purefoods in a close seven-game series wherein James Yap was suspended for one game for the same flagrant 2 penalty called on Ranidel de Ocampo last Friday. Imagine David Stern suspending Kobe Bryant on an iffy call in an NBA finals series against a team like the Milwaukee Bucks.
That doesn’t mean to say that SMC teams do not have an advantage. The PBA landscape today gives the rich teams a leg up when it comes to acquiring talent, and each of the SMC teams have taken advantage to build up its arsenal.
By my count, Ginebra, Purefoods, and San Miguel have acquired a total of 19 players through lopsided trades over the past 5 PBA seasons. The trend started prior to the 2006-07 season, when Ginebra and San Miguel ransacked the roster of erstwhile sister team Coca-Cola just before the corporation let go of the franchise. Over the next several years, each SMC team found more willing partners in Red Bull and Air 21 who would let go of their star players for a song.



| Acquired by | From | Season | Notes | |
| Marc Pingris | Purefoods | Air 21 | 2005-06 | Traded to San Miguel for Enrico Villanueva in 2008, acquired back by Purefoods in 2009 |
| Rudy Hatfield | Ginebra | Coke | 2006-07 | Went off the deep end after leading Ginebra to a Philippine Cup championship |
| Billy Mamaril | Ginebra | Coke | 2006-07 | |
| Rafi Reavis | Ginebra | Coke | 2006-07 | Traded to Purefoods in 2009 |
| Ronald Tubid | Ginebra | Air 21 | 2006-07 | |
| Lordy Tugade | San Miguel | Red Bull | 2006-07 | |
| Enrico Villanueva | San Miguel | Red Bull | 2007-08 | Traded to Purefoods in 2008, traded to Ginebra in 2009 |
| Larry Fonacier | San Miguel | Red Bull | 2007-08 | Traded to Alaska in 2008 |
| Junthy Valenzuela | Ginebra | Red Bull | 2007-08 | |
| Mick Pennisi | San Miguel | Red Bull | 2008-09 | |
| Rich Alvarez | Purefoods | Red Bull | 2008-09 | Traded to Ginebra in 2009 |
| Cyrus Baguio | Ginebra | Air 21/BK | 2008-09 | |
| JC Intal | Ginebra | Air 21/BK | 2008-09 | |
| Doug Kramer | Ginebra | Air 21/BK | 2008-09 | |
| Homer Se | Ginebra | Air 21/BK | 2008-09 | |
| Don Allado | Purefoods | Air 21/BK | 2008-09 | |
| Celino Cruz | Purefoods | Air 21/BK | 2008-09 | Traded to Ginebra in 2009 |
| KG Canaleta | Purefoods | Air 21/BK | 2008-09 | |
| Arwind Santos | San Miguel | Air 21/BK | 2009-10 |
The data does not reflect the indirect benefits of one SMC team acquiring new star players to its sister teams. For example, San Miguel benefitted when Ginebra acquired Hatfield, Mamaril, and Reavis from Coke, because it opened the door for the Beermen to trade for Ginebra’s Rommel Adducul, who had become expendable. When San Miguel acquired Villanueva, Adducul was shipped to Purefoods. Pingris found his way back to Purefoods from San Miguel this season after the arrival of Santos to the Beermen’s camp.
I also did not include in the table the first round draft picks acquired by the Beermen from Coke during the ransacking. San Miguel used the second overall pick in 2007 to draft Samigue Eman, and the third pick in the 2008 draft to trade for Jay Washington. These were non-trivial assets.
Of course, it’s not just the SMC teams doing this. Talk N Text has been just as brazen about stockpiling talent over the past several years. Another rich franchise, Coca-Cola, seems to be going in that direction.
Meanwhile, the Photokina (Red Bull/Barako Bull) and Lina (Air 21/Burger King) franchises have had no scruples about letting their players go to the highest bidders. Sta. Lucia, a franchise beset by financial difficulty, might be going down the same path. In the PBA board, only Alaska and Rain or Shine might be inclined to pursue changes to the system, and even then they are vastly outnumbered.
There hasn’t been nearly enough outrage from the fans. I tried to incite outrage when Burger King sold off Santos to San Miguel, but it was met by general apathy. The Filipino basketball fan’s mindset is rarely about playing fair, and mostly about getting an advantage at any cost. It runs true from college basketball – seriously, check out the message board discussions on high school prospects by fans of elite schools – up to the pros. Hell, think about how Smart Gilas fans wanted Japeth Aguilar on the team, at any cost, relationships be damned.
We want our teams to cut every corner to get the best players. Should it come as any surprise when they do exactly that?
Posted by jaemark
on February 8, 2010 at
18:49
| Comments (28)
| Trackbacks (5)
Tags: Air 21 Express / Burger King Whoppers, Alaska Aces, Arwind Santos, Barako Bull Energy Boosters, Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, Basketball, Coca-Cola Tigers, Cyrus Baguio, Japeth Aguilar, Marc Pingris, Philippine Basketball Association, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Rain or Shine Elastopainters, San Miguel Beermen, Smart-Gilas RP National Basketball Team, Sta. Lucia Realtors, Talk N Text Tropang Texters
Tags: Air 21 Express / Burger King Whoppers, Alaska Aces, Arwind Santos, Barako Bull Energy Boosters, Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, Basketball, Coca-Cola Tigers, Cyrus Baguio, Japeth Aguilar, Marc Pingris, Philippine Basketball Association, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Rain or Shine Elastopainters, San Miguel Beermen, Smart-Gilas RP National Basketball Team, Sta. Lucia Realtors, Talk N Text Tropang Texters
Fire Quinito 2009-2010 PBA preview, part 2
Rain or Shine Elastopainters
Looking back: Rain or Shine had a breakout season in 2008-2009, making it out of the wildcards for the first time in the Philippine Cup and, with import Jai Lewis, going all the way to the semifinals in the Fiesta Conference. After getting a pair of dynamic rookies in Gabe Norwood and Sol Mercado, coach Caloy Garcia installed a new system predicated on spacing the floor and dribble-penetration, similar to the dribble-drive motion offense ran by John Calipari.
Looking forward: Rain or Shine spent the offseason acquiring pieces that fit with their current foundation of Jay-R Reyes, Norwood, and Mercado, adding versatile veteran big man Mark Telan and former UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz. They also added second-round pick Marcy Arellano, who fits in perfectly and gives the team another guard who can get to the basket.
Analysis: If the PBA Press Corps handed out awards for ‘Best Coach Who Looks Exactly Like Robin Da Roza,’ Caloy Garcia would already be a hall of famer. I’ve heard rumors that Caloy was once part of That’s Entertainment. Can someone confirm if this is true, and if it is, what group he was in?
(I bet it was the Tuesday group.)
San Miguel Beermen
Looking back: San Miguel was the only team in the 2008-2009 PBA season that made the semifinals of both the Philippine Cup and the Fiesta Conference. The Beermen capped their season with a championship in the Fiesta Conference, the first for the league’s oldest franchise since 2005.
Looking forward: San Miguel acquired former FEU stalwarts Arwind Santos and Denok Miranda, but lost some toughness after letting go of Marc Pingris. Still, the Beermen are among the deepest teams in the league, but mental toughness has always been a concern for this team. They won in the import conference, but can they win the All-Filipino?
Analysis: After remaking the Isang Platitong Mani commercial with Manny Pacquiao, the San Miguel ad people should remake the old Si Neneng, Anak ni Mang Teban commercial, with Dorian Pena in the Yves Dignadice role.
Sta. Lucia Realtors
Looking back: It’s a wonder that Sta. Lucia had a decent performance for the 2008-2009 season, despite injuries to their most important players, 2008 Most Valuable Player Kelly Williams and 2008 Rookie of the Year Ryan Reyes. The Realtors salvaged a semifinals appearance in the Philippine Cup without Williams, but fell a game short of the Fiesta Conference semis when Reyes went down. The loss of the two players did not just affect Sta. Lucia, it also torpedoed the campaign of Powerade Team Pilipinas.
Looking forward: The real estate market was down in the offseason, as Sta. Lucia sold off various assets, sending Dennis Espino to Coke and Denok Miranda to San Miguel. Nelbert Omolon was rumored to be next, but the trade apparently fell through, to the delight of Rafe Bartholomew. Despite the fire sale, the team can still be competitive if Williams and Reyes come back healthy and new recruit Gabby Espinas and rookies Mark Benitez, Lamont Waters, and Josh Urbiztondo step up.
Analysis: Apart from rocking the most suave mustache in the association, Sta. Lucia board representative Buddy Encarnado spent the past few weeks organizing relief efforts in eastern Metro Manila and parts of Rizal affected by typhoon Ondoy.
Talk N Text Tropang Texters
Looking back: The apples of Manny Pangilinan’s eye won the Philippine Cup in an exciting seven-game series against Alaska. Along the way, guard Mac Cardona cemented his reputation as a true-blue superstar, as well as the most hated guy in the league. Boobirds hounded Cardona in their Philippine Cup semifinal against San Miguel, and it carried on for the rest of the season. PBA fans have not had a villain they disliked since Nelson Asaytono was still good.
Looking forward: The only key offseason addition to the Tropang Texters was veteran forward Nic Belasco, who figures to play more minutes for the team than Rob Reyes and Yousif Aljamal combined. No team has repeated as All-Filipino champions since 1985, when Ricky Brown led Great Taste to a successful title defense. That would have been 25 years ago by the time this conference wraps up.
Analysis: Did anyone else hear about the Belasco trade and thought to himself, “Hey, Belasco and Peek, 1998 Pop Cola Panthers frontline FTW!” They should have signed up Bonel Balingit to complete the troika.
Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team
Looking forward: Coached by Rajko Toroman, the developmental national pool has made a good first impression among Filipino fans after their rousing win against a poorly-prepared Powerade Team Pilipinas Team. Led by import CJ Giles and the expected return to the team of top draft pick Japeth Aguilar, the team has enough talent to compete, but the better-prepared PBA teams would be tougher for them to handle.
Analysis: Let’s do a mental exercise. In Powerade’s loss to Gilas, James Yap was the only bright spot for the senior national team, getting easy jumpers especially in the first half. When Gilas lost to Alaska in a scrimmage last week, Willie Thriller burned the Gilas squad early and late. Can you name the Gilas player who was guarding both these guys? Do you think this is going to be a problem down the line? Should we all start standing in the corner and praying our rosaries now?
Looking back: Rain or Shine had a breakout season in 2008-2009, making it out of the wildcards for the first time in the Philippine Cup and, with import Jai Lewis, going all the way to the semifinals in the Fiesta Conference. After getting a pair of dynamic rookies in Gabe Norwood and Sol Mercado, coach Caloy Garcia installed a new system predicated on spacing the floor and dribble-penetration, similar to the dribble-drive motion offense ran by John Calipari.
Looking forward: Rain or Shine spent the offseason acquiring pieces that fit with their current foundation of Jay-R Reyes, Norwood, and Mercado, adding versatile veteran big man Mark Telan and former UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz. They also added second-round pick Marcy Arellano, who fits in perfectly and gives the team another guard who can get to the basket.
Analysis: If the PBA Press Corps handed out awards for ‘Best Coach Who Looks Exactly Like Robin Da Roza,’ Caloy Garcia would already be a hall of famer. I’ve heard rumors that Caloy was once part of That’s Entertainment. Can someone confirm if this is true, and if it is, what group he was in?
(I bet it was the Tuesday group.)
San Miguel Beermen
Looking back: San Miguel was the only team in the 2008-2009 PBA season that made the semifinals of both the Philippine Cup and the Fiesta Conference. The Beermen capped their season with a championship in the Fiesta Conference, the first for the league’s oldest franchise since 2005.
Looking forward: San Miguel acquired former FEU stalwarts Arwind Santos and Denok Miranda, but lost some toughness after letting go of Marc Pingris. Still, the Beermen are among the deepest teams in the league, but mental toughness has always been a concern for this team. They won in the import conference, but can they win the All-Filipino?
Analysis: After remaking the Isang Platitong Mani commercial with Manny Pacquiao, the San Miguel ad people should remake the old Si Neneng, Anak ni Mang Teban commercial, with Dorian Pena in the Yves Dignadice role.
Sta. Lucia Realtors
Looking back: It’s a wonder that Sta. Lucia had a decent performance for the 2008-2009 season, despite injuries to their most important players, 2008 Most Valuable Player Kelly Williams and 2008 Rookie of the Year Ryan Reyes. The Realtors salvaged a semifinals appearance in the Philippine Cup without Williams, but fell a game short of the Fiesta Conference semis when Reyes went down. The loss of the two players did not just affect Sta. Lucia, it also torpedoed the campaign of Powerade Team Pilipinas.
Looking forward: The real estate market was down in the offseason, as Sta. Lucia sold off various assets, sending Dennis Espino to Coke and Denok Miranda to San Miguel. Nelbert Omolon was rumored to be next, but the trade apparently fell through, to the delight of Rafe Bartholomew. Despite the fire sale, the team can still be competitive if Williams and Reyes come back healthy and new recruit Gabby Espinas and rookies Mark Benitez, Lamont Waters, and Josh Urbiztondo step up.
Analysis: Apart from rocking the most suave mustache in the association, Sta. Lucia board representative Buddy Encarnado spent the past few weeks organizing relief efforts in eastern Metro Manila and parts of Rizal affected by typhoon Ondoy.
Talk N Text Tropang Texters
Looking back: The apples of Manny Pangilinan’s eye won the Philippine Cup in an exciting seven-game series against Alaska. Along the way, guard Mac Cardona cemented his reputation as a true-blue superstar, as well as the most hated guy in the league. Boobirds hounded Cardona in their Philippine Cup semifinal against San Miguel, and it carried on for the rest of the season. PBA fans have not had a villain they disliked since Nelson Asaytono was still good.
Looking forward: The only key offseason addition to the Tropang Texters was veteran forward Nic Belasco, who figures to play more minutes for the team than Rob Reyes and Yousif Aljamal combined. No team has repeated as All-Filipino champions since 1985, when Ricky Brown led Great Taste to a successful title defense. That would have been 25 years ago by the time this conference wraps up.
Analysis: Did anyone else hear about the Belasco trade and thought to himself, “Hey, Belasco and Peek, 1998 Pop Cola Panthers frontline FTW!” They should have signed up Bonel Balingit to complete the troika.
Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team
Looking forward: Coached by Rajko Toroman, the developmental national pool has made a good first impression among Filipino fans after their rousing win against a poorly-prepared Powerade Team Pilipinas Team. Led by import CJ Giles and the expected return to the team of top draft pick Japeth Aguilar, the team has enough talent to compete, but the better-prepared PBA teams would be tougher for them to handle.
Analysis: Let’s do a mental exercise. In Powerade’s loss to Gilas, James Yap was the only bright spot for the senior national team, getting easy jumpers especially in the first half. When Gilas lost to Alaska in a scrimmage last week, Willie Thriller burned the Gilas squad early and late. Can you name the Gilas player who was guarding both these guys? Do you think this is going to be a problem down the line? Should we all start standing in the corner and praying our rosaries now?
Posted by jaemark
on October 13, 2009 at
17:15
| Comment (1)
| Trackbacks (0)
Tags: Arwind Santos, Basketball, Chris Tiu, CJ Giles, James Yap, Japeth Aguilar, Rain or Shine Elastopainters, San Miguel Beermen, Smart-Gilas RP National Basketball Team, Sta. Lucia Realtors, Talk N Text Tropang Texters, Willie Miller
Tags: Arwind Santos, Basketball, Chris Tiu, CJ Giles, James Yap, Japeth Aguilar, Rain or Shine Elastopainters, San Miguel Beermen, Smart-Gilas RP National Basketball Team, Sta. Lucia Realtors, Talk N Text Tropang Texters, Willie Miller
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