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Vic Manuel was unhappy at Alaska so he got traded to Phoenix. But now it seems the power forward may not last there either as he could be going to another team. There are conflicting reports, either Manuel is not happy at Phoenix or Phoenix is not happy with him. Either way, there needs to be changes to the team as they had a very poor showing in the Philippine Cup, failing to make the playoffs. Losing Abueva was big, and unfortunately Vic could not provide the same spark. Recall that Manuel only wanted to play for Phoenix to be with his friend Abueva, but Calvin was traded to Magnolia. So now there are rumors that manuel wants to play for an SMC or an MVP team to get one last major contract. He is not getting younger after all. h is in the same situation as Beau Belga, another big man who might be traded. However for now, there is no word yet what Phoenix will do. One thing is certain though, Topex Robinson needs to make changes to the team. 

When Blackwater traded Simon Enciso to Terrafirma for Rashawn McCarthy, speculation was that he would be immediately traded to Ginebra, a team that needs shooters. If that were to happen, who would Ginebra offer? Most likely Jeff Chan. Chan was picked up the Gins to give them an outside threat. Unfortunately, Chan has spent more time on the bench due to a variety of injuries. So now it looks like Enciso might be a good choice. He is younger and is a streaky shooter like Chan. He is also not injury prone. Of course it would not make sense for Terrafirma to trade Enciso for an older, injury prone player, but a lot of what Terrafirma does does not make sense anyway. Snow Badua said the Enciso trade to Ginebra is on hold because the priority is to get Terrence Romeo. However that might be difficult as SMB will not give up their leading scorer for nothing. So if the Romeo trade does not materialize, expect Enciso to don the Ginebra jersey.

TNT just ended their six year title drought by beating Magnolia 4-1 in their best of seven series. Except for game 4, all TNT wins were blowouts and the outcome was never in doubt. Magnolia's need for a big man is well known, but maybe it is time for other changes. Specifically, how about trading Paul Lee for Matthew Wright? Lee is their franchise player, but he really struggled in the finals. A change of teams might be good for him. As for Wright, he looks unhappy at Phoenix too. Moving to SMC might be just what he wants. A bigger contract and a chance to play for a perennial playoff contender. No point keeping a player who does not want to be there. Of course Phoenix is not a farm team and they will not give up Wright for nothing. Needless to say, Lee is no ordinary player. And a Wright for Lee trade is definitely fair. This will not solve Magnolia's problem in the interior, but at least they can get a shooter who will keep defenses honest. Sangalang inside and Wright on the ...

As of this posting, Magnolia is down 3-1 in their best of 7 finals series vs TNT. it will take a miracle for Victolero's boys to come back. Unless that happens, TNT will win the championship, sweeping the three SMC teams in the process. Magnolia needs to make several changes to their lineup. For one thing, that big man has to be there. They cannot rely on Ian Sangalang and Reavis alone. Whether it is Slaughter, Standhardinger or someone else, they must get a big. Second there needs to be more scorers. When Lee has an off night or is contained, they have literally no other options. Abueva cannot do it by himself. Coach Victolero is safe in his job. He is doing well considering what he is working with. But given he steered the team to the finals while the two powerhouses SMB and Ginebra failed, he should be rewarded with more players. Whatever changes are made to Magnolia might affect SMB and Ginebra too. Chua and RSA will not be happy seeing their three teams lose to TNT. So now we ...

Gniebra needs to upgrade its roster from backcourt to frontcourt. And one of the things they also need to do is trade players not being used. Among those said to be on the trading block are Jared Dillinger, Art Dela Cruz and Raymond Aguilar to Terrafirma. Dillinger offers the highest value among the three. While he is not young, he has enough experience and skills to be a good player.  Art Dela Cruz is also a good player, but unfortunattely he has been saddled by injuries. Raymond Aguilar was a good player back in Blackwater but has seen no playing time in Ginebra. All three players will get minutes if they are sent to Terrafirma. But the question is who will Ginebra get in return. It is unlikely that they will get a Munzon or Adams. But who knows because SMB got Perez in exchange for bench players. What Ginebra needs is a guard to help Pringle and Tenorio, so maybe Juami Tiongson will eventually get to be a Gin King. As good as Tiongson is, he is not worth those three players, so ...

Magnolia and Northport have been the subject of several trade talks but none have materialized so far. But this time it may push thru. The first trade is said to be Jio Jalalon for Kevin Ferrer. This was supposed to have taken place at the start of the conference. But Jio played very well so it had been pushed off. Depending on how Magnolia does in the finals, this may still happen. The other trade is for Slaughter. Again this has long been rumored, but the problem is that SMB is also looking for a big man. When the season began they were not sure how Fajardo would perform, so the attitude was wait and see. If Fajardo did not play well, Greg would be shipped to SMB. Now there are other complications. What if Standhardinger and Aguilar accept the offer from Japan? That would cause problems for all three teams. So the situation is still up in the air.  The third possible trade is Bolick for Paul Lee. But there are also reports that Bolick will leave for Japan soon, so that is somethi...

Word is going around that Terrence Romeo is on his way to Ginebra and Jamie Malonzo will go to SMB. The only question is who will Ginebra give up to Northport. Ginebra is not keen on trading Scottie Thompson, but they have to give up a quality player given the names of the other players involved. But there is a lot more to this than meets the eye. Ginebra needs a shooter, so they might be willing to overlook Romeo's tendency to shoot first, pass later mentality. Cone might even turn him into a shooting guard.  SMB needs a perimeter defender. This was exposed in the series vs TNT where Fajardo was unable to stop Erram. With Malonzo the team will get a perimeter defender that is tall, quick and agile. But the price is a weaker backcourt. The rotation becomes Ross, Cabagnot, Perez and Pessumal. If Perez will move to small forward to play behind Marcio the relievers are Zamar and Von. And if Cabagnot goes down with an injury, what next? With Ginebra, the problem is Romeo likes having t...

Magnolia is down 0-2 as of this writing, and unless they find a way to somehow contain Mikey Williams, they will lose this championship. And if that happens, Al Chua will be very unhappy. He has good reason to be, as he could lose his job. If TNT wins they will sweep all three SMC teams, and that is after SMC stacked up each one with CJ Perez to SMB, Calvin Abueva to Magnolia and Christian Standhardinger to Ginebra. We have stated that Magnolia needs a big man true, but why not upgrade their point guard as well? Lee for Bolick is a fair trade, no one will question that. But who can Magnolia give to get Slaughter? He was traded for Christian Standhardinger, and that says a lot about his value. So magnolia has to look deep. And we also have to consider the needs of Ginebra and SMB as well. No matter what, it is obvious that SMC needs a shakeup with the seemingly imminent win of TNT. Who goes where we will have to wait and see.

TNT just blew out Magnolia in game 1 of their best of 7 finals. And what was evident was the Hotshots' need for a big man. Ian Sangalang was limited to 10 minutes due to back spasms. If he cannot recover this series is over. And even if he does play, Magnolia will have a hard time. No question that Magnolia needs a big man to help Ian, and Greg Slaughter will fit the bill. In fact his transfer to Magnolia has been long rumored, but it has been put off because SMB is also reportedly interested in him. When the conference started, SMB was reportedly in a wait and see attitude to see how well Fajardo plays after his injury. Now everyone can see Junmar seems to have made a full recovery, though they still need a backup. So now the question is, will Greg end up in Magnolia or SMB? Or could he end up back at Ginebra if Aguilar or Standhardinger or both accept the offer from Japan? The only thing certain is that Greg will not last in Northport. If TNT wins this championship, they would ha...

Ginebra is facing potentially two huge problems actually. And this is in a literal sense since it involves Japeth Aguilar and Christian Standhardinger. And it has to do with Japan. Japan is offering Aguilar a huge sum of money. 2 million pesos a month in his first year and 3.5 million pesos a month in his second year. That is 66 million pesos in two years. Japeth is no longer young. And according to Snow he actually wants to migrate. This is not surprising because before he played in the PBA, he tried out in the US. This could be his chance to play abroad and get paid big bucks. SMC is not going to offer Japeth that kind of money, not at his age. So if you were him, why not grab this opportunity since this is your last chance at a big contract? As for Standhardinger, it is well known that he has played all over the world, so this is nothing new to him. He does not seem to get along with his teammates reportedly so this is probably a welcome development. And his agent is abroad which ma...

SMB has just been eliminated by TNT in their semi final playoffs. And now both SMB and Ginebra are out. What is clear from the series is that SMB needs to make changes to its lineup. Ross is still playing good defense, but his shooting is inconsistent. Same with Lassiter, who had 19 in game 6 and zero in game 7. Cabagnot did not play in the fourth quarter.  Romeo and Perez played well but got injured. Romeo has been bothered by a lot of injuries, so no surprise if he and Cabagnot or even Marcio gets traded for Bolick. The thing is Ginebra also needs Bolick. Their backcourt is also aging, as Pringle and Tenorio are forced to play heavy minutes only to run out of gas in the fourth quarter. As much as fans may want Bolick to stay at Northport so the team remains competitive, the fact is he will likely be traded to an SMC team. The only question is which one and when. Right now the most obvious candidates are Ginebra and SMB. It is up to Ramon Ang, not Alfrancis Chua, where Bolick goes...

The reports going around is that Ginebra and Blackwater are negotiating a trade. It involves sending Carl Bryan Cruz to Ginebra for Brian Enriquez and Art Dela Cruz. Blackwater seems determined to overhaul its roster following its abysmal campaign in the Philippine Cup. After the McCarthy-Enciso trade, they followed i it up with Tolomia and a pick for Casio and Ebona. Now it looks like Cruz is next. Cruz has hardly played for Blackwater due to injuries. But when he is healthy, he is a good two way player with an outside shot. He can be compared to a Kevin Ferrer. An outside shooter will definitely improve Ginebra's lineup and is something they have long needed. On the other hand, Enriquez will finally get some minutes when he plays at Blackwater. He has shown some potential at Gnebra but his minutes have been too limited. Now he will have a chance to show his wares if the trade pushes thru. And it will be a homecoming of sorts for Art Dela Cruz, as he came from Blackwater in that d...

Ginebra needs to fortify its lineup if they want to get back into contention. And one way to do that is to get the services of either Matthew Wright or Robert Bolick. Getting both is even better, but the price tag might be too high. Getting Wright brings obvious benefits. Outside shooting has always been Ginebra's problem. Chan is always injured and Thompson is not consistent. Bring Wright in and you solve the problem. That also opens up the inside for Aguilar and Standhardinger to operate. So he will be a good fit for the Gin Kings. Robert Bolick on the other hand, will solve their backcourt problems. Tenorio and Pringle are great, but they play way too many minutes and by the fourth quarter, run out of gas. That was evident in the Philippine Cup.  If Cone does not want to use his rookies, then he should get a certified playmaker and scorer like Bolick. That is going to make a huge difference. So which one will Ginebra take? Either way each player will require a high price. Wright...

As of now SMB is down 3-2 in their semis series vs TNT. And if SMB loses, will it signal the end of Leo Austria's tenure as SMB coach? Austria has won 8 championships for SMB including 5 straight Philippine Cups. He is a winner. But he has drawn criticism for over relying on his starting five, and now that they are aging, the team no longer looks as formidable. The team added Tautuaa, Romeo and Perez, but here they are still struggling. The question is, with such a talented lineup, how can SMB fail? At the very least they should make it to the finals. In fact they are among the title favorites along with Ginebra which also got eliminated. People always talk about player trades whenever SMB loses, but what about the coach? Well it is not easy to replace Austria given how many championships he has won for SMB. But there is one thing clear, SMB, if they decide to replace him, will not go for a rookie coach. They will get one with experience and a proven winner. If SMB makes it past TN...

Even before the PBA bubble started, pretty much everyone knew that ROS wanted to trade Beau Belga, and Belga wanted out. To be more specific, Belga wants a max salary contract but ROS will not give it. His contract expires this year. ROS has the trade rights to Beau, so they can keep him. But why keep a player who does not want to be there? If ROS does not want to give him the max contract, they should trade him as soon as possible to get maximum value. NLEX tried to get Belga but ROS wanted Calvin Oftana in return, and naturally Guiao refused. ROS is asking too much for Beau. They need to accept less if they want him. But who can they send him to? A good choice would be SMB. The Beermen need a power forward or backup center for Fajardo or Santos. And Belga will fit the bill. Belga is not young but that is ok since SMB is always in a win now mode. And in return, SMB can ship Von Pessumal and a second round pick. ROS needs a scorer, and Von does exactly that, score. He can be a good bac...

Troy Rosario has been a mainstay at TNT, and he recently signed a new contract. But will he stay there? Or will he eventually land in NLEX for rookie forward Calvin Oftana? Oftana got off to a slow start but eventually got his bearings. So now the question is how long before he ends up at TN? There is no question that Oftana plays a lot like Troy and will have no problem fitting in the system of coach Chot. But will Yeng agree to such a trade? He was not happy when they had to give up their pick to TNT, who turned out to be Mikey Williams. They had already given up Erram too. Now Oftana? If TNT does get Oftana, do not be surprised if Yeng Guiao resigns. He probably never thought he would coach a farm team when joined the MVP group. However a lot of things can still happen. If TNT does well here in the Philippine Cup, Rosario might stay. But if they get eliminated, expect more changes to come for the MVP flagship team. And that mean Oftana moving over.

Would things have turned out differently if Standhardinger went to Magnolia and Abueva landed in Ginebra? According to rumors, originally Christian was supposed to go to Magnolia, who have long needed a big man.  However, Ginebra wanted Christian in exchange for Greg. And that is what happened. Ginebra became the instant favorite, but the team struggled and got hit by injuries later on. They were eliminated by TNT after barely making the playoffs. Magnolia on the other hand, is one win away from going into the finals as of this date. And Calvin has blended in perfectly. So now the question is, would things have been different if Abueva was a Gin king? They could have definitely used his hustle and energy. And his style of play fits with the never say die attitude of Ginebra. There is no doubt that Standhardinger will fit with Magnolia. They need a big and Christian fits the bill. The bigger question is if Abueva would have been better for Ginebra. As it is now, we can only wonder. ...

One of the rumors going around is that Robert Bolick will end up in Ginebra. Given that Tenorio will eventually retire, they need someone who can team up with Pringle in the backcourt, and Pringle and Bolick is as good as any. Of course Bolick will fetch a high price. A lopsided trade will cause controversy, so why not go with Scottie Thompson? Thompson has been hounded by controversies the past few months due to his personal life, but it is unlikely Ginebra will trade him. He is just too valuable. First he is their best all around player. Scottie is one of the best rebounding guards in the PBA. His scoring has improved and he can find open teammates. He can do pretty much what Cone wants him to. There is no question Bolick for Scottie is a fair trade, but it is unlikely Ginebra will do this. If Bolick is going to Gnebra, it will not be for Scottie. He is just too valuable right now and may be regarded as not tradeable. Of course with SMC you can never be too sure, so we have to see wh...

Ginebra needs to make changes to be competitive next season, but the biggest question is what Christian Standhardinger will do. Will he stay or go to Japan? Christian's contract expires in December, and he has refused to sign a new one with Ginebra. This does not mean he is leaving. It could simply be that he wants a better deal.  But what if Japan makes a big offer? There is no doubt Japan is interested, so let us see what he does. If Christian stays, that is good for Ginebra. Cone will have more time getting him used to his system. But he has to get the right players around him. If Christian leaves, then that will leave a big hole in their frontcourt. Caperal is not exactly an inside player and DeVance will probably retire soon. So they need to get a big man to replace Christian. But who? Greg Slaughter? Will Greg accept that after he was just traded? Whatever the case may be, it is up to Christian. yes Ginebra has the trade rights to Christian and can prevent him from leaving. B...

SMB got blown out in game of their semis series vs TNT. If not for that buzzer beater by Marcio in game 2, this could be 3-0. The problem is they lack a mobile big man who can match up with TNT. Poy Erram is hitting the threes and Fajardo is too slow to keep up with him. Santos is guarding Rosario and you cannot leave him open either. Fajardo hs become a liability on defense. What SMB needs is a power forward who can match up with Erram or Rosario in terms of speed Someone like Jason Perkins or Jamie Malonzo. This will give the flexibility to handle those players. But Malonzo or Perkins will command a high price. And they need to unload their guards. There is just too many with Perez, Romeo, Cabagnot, Ross, lassiter and Pessumal .They are not getting enough shots and is affecting their game. It is up to management to make the decision, but clearly SMB has too many guards and not enough bigs. This team needs to make some changes to its lineup and not just rely on superstars. Who they tr...

SMB is in the thick of the semis playoffs vs TNT but trades are never far off the mind of management. One of the players said to be on the trading block is Paul Zamar. This comes as no surprise. SMB has a stacked backcourt with Romeo, Perez, Cabagnot, Ross and Pessumal. For this reason Zamar no longer gets any playing time. Why keep him there when they can trade him? The player SMB needs right now is a power forward. Austria only plays three bigs, Fajardo, Santos and Tautuaa. Gamalinda, Gotladera and Sena are not being used. The Beermen should just trade Zamar and these guys for another big that Austria really needs. Zamar was a starter when he was at Blackwater, so there is no doubt he can play. But the depth of SMB has pushed him to the end of the bench. For that reason it is best for him and the other players mentioned to be traded. There were reports SMB was going to trade Sena and Gotaldera for Slaughter, but given how well Greg is playing, it will take more than that to get him. ...

Ginebra is currently looking at ways to improve its lineup. And that means some players have to go. Among those often mentioned in rumors are Jared Dillinger, Art Dela Cruz and their rookies Brian Enriquez and Ken Sagulo. Jared is a capable player when healthy, and he showed that in the Philippine Cup. But the key word here is when he is healthy. But Jared is injury prone and he is no longer young, meaning he takes a long time to recover. So it is probably best for Ginebra if they trade him for a younger player. On his own Jared has low trade value, but packaged with Art Dela Cruz and their two rookies, and Cone might get someone who he can use. They also have to decide if MJ Ayaay is for keeps. He is a good defensive player but not a full time backup for Tenorio or Pringle. So Coen has to look into that as well. Ginebra must also account for the injury to Japeth Aguilar and how long that will take. Add the uncertainty with Standhardinger and it is evident there will be a lot of change...

NLEX bowed out of contention after being eliminated by sister team Meralco. While Guiao said he is proud of their run -especially with Kiefer Ravena gone - there is doubt if he will stay at NLEX, or the MVP group for that matter. Many observers feel NLEX is being treated like a farm team by the MVP group, and for good reasons. They had given up Poy Erram and their first round pick to TNT. And there are rumors TNT is also interested in Calvin Oftana and will want him at some point. As Yeng said after the Erram trade, he is just following orders. But he is used to having things his way, especially when he was with Rain or Shine. of course the financial compensation is greater at the MVP group, so will that be enough to convince him to stay? It probably depends on what Ravena will do. He has an agreement with the MVP group he will return after one season in Japan. There is no doubting Kiefer's word, but will he return to NLEX or end up in TNT? If TNT does not win the Philippine Cup, e...

According to the latest report from Snow Badua, Terrence Romeo, SMB leading scorer, is indeed going to Ginebra. It is only a matter of time. The question is, who will be traded for him? SMB and Ginebra are sister teams so they cannot trade directly. If Ginebra wants Romeo, another team has to act as a conduit. And the talk going around is that it will be Northport. The scenario is Bolick to SMB, Romeo to Ginebra and either LA Tenorio, Scottie Thompson or Ginebra picks for Northport. However this is not yet etched in stone. It is difficult to see Romeo fitting into Cone's triangle system. Reuniting him with Pringle isn't a good idea either. They played together in Globalport and got nowhere.  And SMB is not going to give up their leading scorer for nothing. Maybe they will give him up for Bolick. But suppose SMB wins the championship? Will SMB management really tinker with their lineup? They might be willing to trade Ross or CAbagnot, but Romeo? And what about Northport? It will...

A few days ago Gnebra coach Tim Cone went to Twitter to apologize for the team's early exit. He said it was his fault and that it will never happen again while he is the coach. To many observers this signals big changes coming up for Ginebra. While they won two championships before being eliminated early, there needs to be a revamp of the lineup. Their backcourt is getting old. Pringle and Tenorio cannot play 48 minutes. They need to get guards that Cone will actually want to use. They also need a shooting guard or small forward so they don't have to depend on Pringle all the time. Ginebra also needs to look at their frontcourt. First order of business is figure out what Standhardinger plans to do. If he wants to stay at Ginebra, Cone has to decide if it is worth keeping Aguilar, Cstan and Caperal together or if it will work at all. They also need to unload some wing players. Mariano, Tolentino, Dillinger, Enriquez and even rookie Ken Sagulo play that position. They also requir...

If you are a Ginebra fan, you know that one of their biggest shortcomings is a shooter, someone who can free up the inside for Japeth and Christian to operate. So why not get Matthew Wright, one of the best in the league? Wright will be a good fit for Ginebra, and he can attract attention and space the floor for Ginebra's bigs. But there are a few things to keep in mind. First, Wright is in Phoenix, and they have not given any indication they want to trade him. And if they do, expect him to command a high price. He is their star player, and being an independent team will demand someone of equal value. This is not Terrafirma, Blackwater or Northport. So if Ginebra wants Wright, they have to offer a starter. And the best option is Stanley Pringle. We cannot imagine Phoenix settling for Scottie Thompson as good as he is.  So will Ginebra agree to trade Pringle? That will leave a gaping hole in their backcourt, so if this happens they have to get someone in the draft to take Pringle...

Ginebra coach Tim Cone apologized for the team's early exit and vowed it will never happen again as long as he is the coach. For that to happen, there needs to be changes made. Ginebra has an aging backcourt. Tenorio and Pringle ran out of gas and there was no one to replace them. Ayaay, Salado and Enriquez have potential but they are not there yet. And Cone doesn't seem to want to use them anyway They need to get someone like Robert Bolick to shore up their guard rotation. And also a shooter, which has long been their problem. Chan is too old and injury prone. Ginebra also needs to look at their front court. First they have to talk with Standhardinger and figure out his plan. If he stays, good. If he decides to go to Japan, that will leave a gaping hole in their frontcourt. We also don't know how bad Japeth's injury is. Ginebra also has to decide what they will do with Prince Caperal, who has been inconsistent. Also other players like DeVance, Caguioa, Dillinger, Tolen...