Philippine PBA Trades, Releases, Sign-ups, Rumours (vol. III)

[durden_tyler]

Unfortunately, Al-Husseini's stock value has considerably dropped over the past couple of months brought about by his injuries and his reported "attitude" problem. Al-Husseini was dropped by SMART-Gilas, then by the Air 21 group and now by the San Miguel conglomerate. He only has a few options left for him - Powerade of course, Rain Or Shine (which is difficult since Yeng Guiao was Air 21's coach when Al-Husseini was traded), and Alaska (most likely team to be interested with him because of Joel Banal and the Ateneo connection).

While Al-Husseini may be dealt to Powerade, I can't really be too convinced about attracting more buyers for the franchise because of his presence. For one, he's not a player that a team can build its future on. For another, Powerade's stock is at its highest because of the presence of Gary David and the two SMART-Gilas dudes - Casio and Lassiter. If these three end up leaving the franchise prior to its purported sale, then the stock value of the franchise would considerably go down. Which is why the likelihood of these three being traded for a couple of average players and scrubs would be compensated with cash considerations. Said cash considerations would make up for the loss of value of the franchise when it gets sold.

Coke is in dire need to sell the franchise immediately, probably because of the interest of their Mexico company. If they suddenly find themselves earning a windfall from the sale, then it would look in the company's books, making the sale to their Mexico partners more enticing.

So now we actually believe that there was no sale to SMC?

The Lassiter trade will be the first sign, the eventual firesale will confirm it.

[Jay P. Mercado]

So now we actually believe that there was no sale to SMC?

The Lassiter trade will be the first sign, the eventual firesale will confirm it.

No, I only replied based on the press release by Powerade as announced by its new Governor.

But there's more to this than meets the eye. The coming days will be a foretelling sign of what I mean...:-)

[durden_tyler]

No, I only replied based on the press release by Powerade as announced by its new Governor.

But there's more to this than meets the eye. The coming days will be a foretelling sign of what I mean...:-)

Exactly Jay. As a Petron fan i do hope it's Rabah who's moving out. It's going to be weird when the approved revised trade is actually worse than the original offer

[Coke_Hero]

Rain Or Shine (which is difficult since Yeng Guiao was Air 21's coach when Al-Husseini was traded)

I believe that Yeng was already at ROS when Al-Hussaini was drafted. Bong Ramos was his coach if I could remember correctly

[neo]

I believe that Yeng was already at ROS when Al-Hussaini was drafted. Bong Ramos was his coach if I could remember correctly

nope. yeng was the coach when air21 drafted him. and he was their coach for a conference before moving to ros.

[codcradle]

nope. yeng was the coach when air21 drafted him. and he was their coach for a conference before moving to ros.

That's right... where Air 21 unexpectedly drafted Noy Baclao ahead of Al-Hussaini.

[Jordan Bruiseter]

That's right... where Air 21 unexpectedly drafted Noy Baclao ahead of Al-Hussaini.

Done to put his (Rabeh) feet back on the ground.

[nardy]

Meralco to unleash Barron on Powerade By Joaquin Henson The Philippine Star Updated February 24, 2012 12:00 AM 0 comment to this post MANILA, Philippines - Fresh from playing with the Golden State Warriors, seven-foot Earl Barron is good to go for Meralco in his PBA return against Powerade at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday and Bolts coach Ryan Gregorio said yesterday he’s confident of making it to the top six of the Commissioner’s Cup eliminations with the much-sought-after import in harness. Barron, 30, played for Miami, New York, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Portland and Golden State in a six-year NBA career. In 2005, he suited up for Red Bull in the PBA Fiesta Conference as Dalron Johnson’s replacement and averaged 26.9 points, 15.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in 14 games. Barron shot .805 from the line and led Red Bull to an 8-6 record. From the PBA, Barron jumped into the NBA where in his first three seasons with the Heat, he earned more than $2 Million. Meralco opened the conference with Jarrid Famous, picking up a win in three outings. When Barron became available, Gregorio didn’t hesitate to sign him up. Barron was in the wish list of at least three other PBA clubs. He planed in early this week. Famous is scheduled to leave tomorrow but may be back if a rumored offer from an ABL team comes through. “Earl is pretty impressive in practice,” said Gregorio. “His offensive skills are really polished. He runs the floor very well, very quick for a legit 7-footer. He has a smooth touch from the perimeter and his back-to-the-basket skills have improved tremendously. He was just battling jet lag and adjusting to the heat the other day. I believe he’ll be ready to play on Sunday. I’m sure his maturity combined with his experience in the highest level of basketball will be a big boost to our young franchise.” Gregorio said he couldn’t ask anything more from Famous. “Jarrid was professional enough to stay a little longer and practiced with us the past three days,” noted Gregorio. “He understood the situation and was willing to help in whatever way. He’s a consummate gentleman, he’s not a bad import. He contributed well for us. However, at this point, we need somebody who can be an anchor in our half-court execution.” Gregorio said Meralco’s shaky start was almost expected. “It was a tough first week schedule for us,” he went on. “We battled the top three teams in the league in seven days. We lost to B-Meg by three, won over Petron by 22 and lost to defending champion Talk ‘N’ Text in overtime. Even with a 1-2 slate, we are upbeat about our chances in the coming games because of the way we played the tournament favorites. With six games left and the format of the tournament, every victory counts. It is also important to play with a complete arsenal, with the heads-up play of (Mac-Mac) Cardona, game control of (Chris) Ross, solid performance of (Mark) Borboran and the addition of (Sol) Mercado and Barron. I’m confident that we can compete to be able to find ways to make it to the top six.” Mercado hasn’t played since the start of the conference, recovering from an offseason minor procedure in the knee. But he resumed practice yesterday. “Sol will definitely be a welcome addition for us, especially because of our shallow bench rotation,” said Gregorio. “I’ll see if he’s ready by Sunday. If he is, we can keep in step with Powerade’s quickness.” Ross’ emergence as a stabilizer in the backcourt has been a major plus. In the loss to Talk ‘N’ Text, Ross delivered 19 points, six rebounds, 13 assists and five steals in 44 minutes. “Chris is really coming along very well,” said Gregorio. “He’s improving in all aspects of his game. Before, he was just known to be a fastbreak starter and penetration finisher. But now, he has added another dimension which is perimeter shooting. With his quickness and vision, I’m sure, in time, he’ll be one of the most stable guards in the PBA. Paul (Artadi) understands his role coming off the bench and he’s playing it well.” Barron played four years with the University of Memphis varsity. As a junior in 2001-02, he shot 9-of-9 from the field in the first half and wound up with 25 points to power Memphis over South Carolina for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) crown under coach John Calipari. A high school tennis player, Barron gradually bulked up from 195 pounds as a Memphis freshman to 260 when he left the campus four years later. “Earl’s a quietly driven player,” said Calipari. “He has terrific hands for a big guy. He can shoot the ball, make free throws. Definitely, he’s a very good shot blocker who is also the best on the team at drawing charges.” Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook writer Zack McMillin said he is “nimble on either foot and has dexterity with both hands, best on the right block where the only way to stop him is to literally shove him either as he is catching the ball or shooting it.” McMillin added that Barron shoots three-pointers like Lithuanian legend Arvydas Sabonis used to, can jump rope like a welterweight and has a soft touch and a shooter’s eye with a big man’s mentality. In 2001, Barron played on the US squad that took the bronze medal at the World University Games in Benjin, China.

[toikins]

why didnt gilas 1 had this kind of PBA imports to go up against during their PBA campaign..sayang.
could've been a good sparring partner for Douthit,ballesteros and Slaughter.


dermarr johnsson is injured(most probably a victim of Guiao's tactics). who will be his replacement?

[nardy]

A toast to JB Baylon







JB Baylon is one of the nicest people you could meet. Warm, friendly and honest, JB was a major force behind the emergence of the Powerade basketball team as a championship contender in the last PBA conference.


Even as he prayed on bended knees at the Baclaran Church seeking a minor miracle for his gallant band of players, he kept faith with his team and its coaching staff unto the bitter end.


Inspired by JB and the strength of his faith in them, the Powerade players made an amazing run for the championship and although they lost to a decidedly stronger Talk N’ Text team in the finals, they won hundreds of new fans by the sheer magnificence of their performance against overwhelming odds.


Suddenly, after a performance that lifted the image of the Coke franchise in the public mind and pushed its product in the marketplace, the team learned that one of its stars, Marcio Lassiter, was being traded to the San Miguel Corporation franchise Petron Blaze in exchange for Nonoy Baclao and Rey Guevara, two fine young men consigned to the bench for whatever reason.


The trade set off rumors that Powerade had been sold to San Miguel under a so-called “buy back” or right of first refusal option, which was part of the agreement when San Miguel sold its shares of stock to Coca-Cola Bottlers Inc., a publicly listed company.


It is interesting to note that when the PBA Board of Governors had to vote on approving the turnover of the franchise by a required two-thirds majority, the board was not appraised of the “buy back” provision which to all intents and purposes, was a failure of disclosure and transparency that one would expect in such dealings. As one outspoken governor pointed out, perhaps if we knew of the buy back provision, we may not have voted to approve the sale. Maybe yes, maybe no. But the undeniable fact is that since San Miguel Beer already owns three teams and has a reported 49 percent interest in another, an opportunity to re-acquire Powerade would dramatically alter the balance of the league and regrettably drive discerning fans away and lead to the league’s eventual ruin.


This is a fundamental flaw in the PBA of the more recent years — lack of transparency. But to be sure, it’s not only San Miguel that is guilty of this as most if not all of the other teams have failed the transparency test.


What is particularly galling about the Coke shenanigan is that it is common knowledge both in the PBA board and the sports media that the Lassiter trade was an offshoot of the sale of the Powerade franchise to SMC. No more, no less because coach Bo Perasol would never agree to trade even one of his players from a squad that rose to heights never reached before.


Now, here comes Coke’s acting board representative Ronnie Asuncion denying that Powerade had been sold, while admitting that indeed there were discussions between the two parties some time ago on the very issue of a buy back. In fact, Asuncion went one step further by saying Powerade hopes to win the next championship.


If that indeed is the goal, how in the name of sanity can Powerade justify trading one of its vital players who is No. 3 in statistical points overall for two players whose best moments are spent watching their team from the comfort of the Petron bench. Asuncion and his bosses must think that we who love PBA basketball with a passion are dumb enough to believe their obvious falsehoods.


One thing for sure, as we mentioned at the press conference following the emergency board meeting called by chairman Atty. Mamerto Mondragon, we will continue our search for a “small lady” who could come forth and tell us the unvarnished truth about whether a sale was consummated or not and if it was, in which bank the P100 million was deposited unless of course, it’s in dollars and covered by the stringent regulations of the law on the sanctity of foreign currency deposits. If the “Small Lady” surfaces, will Mr. Schultz of Coca-Cola deny the existence of a memo wherein he admits to a sale?


It turns out, from what we’ve been able to gather, that the top man at Coke, William Schultz is not a big basketball fan and believes that the money spent on the team could be better spent on advertising. It’s his call and we cannot deny him that right. But if in the process he has — as one outspoken PBSA governor claimed — lied through his teeth and is found out, then the whole Coca-Cola organization will suffer the public backlash.


What is even more painful is that JB Baylon, who was to assume the chairmanship of the PBA next season was cruelly denied the privilege after all he had done for the Powerade team and Coca- Cola Bottlers.

Whether JB resigned voluntarily or was forced into such action is immaterial because it has been consummated.


To us, personally, there have been too many instances where good and decent Filipinos have been victims of ugly Americans. As he leaves Powerade behind and accepts the painful reality of having to find a new home to express his love for basketball and to demonstrate his sterling qualities, let us drink a toast to a good and decent man — JB Baylon. And please make mine Pepsi!

[hologram]

NBA veteran to beef up Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines - With import Chris Alexander unable to dominate like he used to, NBA veteran Jackson Vroman will instead take on the cudgels as the man in the middle for Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. The 6-10, 230-pound California-born star, who became a Lebanese naturalized citizen to play at the 2009 FIBA-Asia and 2010 FIBA World Championships, is scheduled to arrive in Manila this morning.

Vroman, 30, would’ve flown in earlier but according to his agent, lost his passport and had to apply for a replacement. Alexander has played three games for the Kings, averaging 14 points and 20.1 rebounds this season. Each of the three contests was close with Ginebra beating Petron, 84-82 and Rain Or Shine, 89-88 and losing a 76-74 decision to Alaska. Against the Aces, Alexander shot 3-of-7 from the field and 1-of-4 from the line in 42 minutes. In the squeaker over the Painters in Dubai last Friday, Alexander fouled out with two minutes to go and was hardly a factor.

Alexander, 31, led Ginebra to its last title in the 2007-08 Fiesta Conference. His form today is a far cry from how he creamed the opposition four years ago. He was reportedly informed of Vroman’s arrival yesterday. Vroman was in the wish list of at least two other PBA clubs looking for an import switch.

What makes Vroman a potential game changer is his versatility as a Dirk Nowitzki play-alike with the interior presence of a Dennis Rodman. His Iowa State coach Wayne Morgan once described him as “a more offensively talented version of Rodman.” As a senior at Iowa State (the same school where Alexander played) in 2003-04, Vroman averaged 13.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists while hitting .564 from the floor and .507 from the stripe. He finished his two-year Iowa State stay ranked No. 2 in field goal percentage and No. 9 in blocked shots in the all-time standings.

Vroman, whose father Brett played at UCLA and the Utah Jazz in the NBA, was picked on the second round by the Chicago Bulls in the 2004 draft. He suited up for Phoenix and New Orleans in four NBA seasons, averaging 3.3 points in 87 career outings. As an NBA rookie with the Suns in 2004-05, he registered career highs of 17 points against San Antonio and 13 rebounds against Charlotte. From the NBA, Vroman barnstormed Europe where his father played 12 years as an import. He saw action in Spain and Lithuania before taking his sneakers to Asia where his basketball odyssey brought him to Iran, Lebanon, South Korea and China.

In May 2009, Vroman accepted Lebanese citizenship to play in the FIBA-Asia and FIBA World Championships. He towed Lebanon to the Final Four of the FIBA-Asia Championships in Tianjin, China, in 2009, averaging 17.1 points and 8.4 rebounds in eight contests. At the World Championships, Vroman hit at a 14.8 clip in five outings. Vroman also had a stint as an import with the Iranian club Mahram which he led to the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup titles in 2009 and 2010, averaging 24 points and 8.5 rebounds in 14 total games.

Known as a free spirit, Vroman attended five high schools. He used to cut high school classes in Utah and ride a bus to take him to a downtown gym to play basketball. After his parents divorced, his mother sent him and sister Lauren from Alaska to Utah to live with their father when he was in Grade 8. His father is now a counselor of juveniles in Salt Lake City and Lauren became the bass guitarist for the punk rock band Lithium.

At Iowa State, Vroman survived an unstable family environment to live his dream as a basketball star. He dyed his hair an assortment of colors like yellow, blue, maroon and black and was arrested for drunk driving and marijuana possession. “They were really hard things to go through at the time but I’m fortunate to go through them in college,” he recalled quoted by writer Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The campus struggles toughened Vroman for the life ahead and strengthened his resolve to be the best basketball player he can be.

Coro once remarked that Vroman is a poor man’s version of Oklahoma City Thunder’s Nick Collison, “expending relentless energy on the court and a dynamic personality off it.”

Ginebra’s next game is against Powerade at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Sunday so Vroman has a week to acclimatize before seeing action in his PBA debut.

[MR. FAST]

SHERYL REYES @FemaleAgentSR
clue one new import im bringing in was / 9th overall Selected by the Detroit Pistons

[kgi]

SHERYL REYES @FemaleAgentSR
clue one new import im bringing in was / 9th overall Selected by the Detroit Pistons

Rodney White!

[Coke_Hero]

Rodney White's playing for Barako while Donnel Harvey's replacing Omar Samhan in TNT

[nardy]

SMC official, Alexander’s agent dispute Beermen offer for import

Jaemark Tordecilla, InterAKTV · Thursday, March 1, 2012 · 12:49 am

San Miguel Corporation official Noli Eala denied that an offer was extended to former Ginebra import Chris Alexander to suit up as an import for the conglomerate’s ASEAN Basketball League squad.
“SMB did not offer Alexander a contract,” wrote Eala on his Twitter account after InterAKTV posted a story saying that the center declined an offer from the San Miguel Beermen after being cut from Ginebra.
Alexander, who led the Gin Kings to the Fiesta Conference crown in 2008, was released by the team in favor of veteran international campaigner Jackson Vroman earlier this week.
In a radio interview soon after he was given his walking papers, Alexander said that he refused an offer to play for the Beermen. His Philippine agent, Sheryl Reyes, said that a verbal offer was extended to Alexander.
On her Twitter account, Reyes blasted Eala for denying the offer. “Yes, Chris Alexander was offered by SMB ABL so whoever started it then denied they offered is a LIAR!”
Reyes added that she was not happy over the treatment that her client got from Ginebra.
Eala, for his part, maintained that no offer to Alexander was ever extended.
“Fairness and responsibility in reporting lang. What if an offer was really declined? Happens all the time. Truth is, SMB never made an offer,” he wrote.