SLR

Life After a Realtor

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:25:00 +0000

By Rey Joble
GMANews.TV, 20 July 2010

Buddy Encarnado, a Sta. Lucia Realtor for life, and champion coach Boyet Fernandez, are expected to play new roles after their team bade goodbye to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Fernandez gladly accepted the role as team consultant for the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. He has already joined former PBA superstar Jerry Codiñera and head coach Aboy Castro as early as last week.

"Coach Aboy (Castro) has been asking me to join as early as last year, but I still have a commitment with Sta. Lucia. Now that I no longer have a team to coach in the PBA, it's a good opportunity for me. The environment is different in the collegiate league and it's fun. I'm here just to help out," said Fernandez, who guided Sta. Lucia to its last championship in the 2007-2008 Philipine Cup.

Fernandez was among the well-wishers during the get-together, and 60th birthday party of Sta. Lucia board governor Encarnado at the Acropolis Club House in Libis, Quezon City.

He was joined by past and present members of the squad which include former coach Alfrancis Chua, former Realtors Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes and ex-team captain Dennis Espino and other team officials, members, supporters and friends of Encarnado.

Also present were PBA officials headed by commissioner Sonny Barrios, incoming commissioner Chito Salud, acting board chairman Rene Pardo of B-Meg Derby Ace and board members Robert Non of Ginebra and Virgil Villavicencio of Talk 'N Text as well as PBA operations manager Rickie Santos and media burreau chief Willie Marcial.

Sta. Lucia's top honcho Exequiel Robles was there, too.

Williams and Reyes won their MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, respectively, while playing for the Realtors. They are now members of the Tropang Texters.

Espino played his first 15 seasons for Sta. Lucia before being traded to Coca-Cola early this season.

Fernandez, who started his amateur career with Sta. Lucia, thanked Encarnado for giving him the trust to run the Realtors' squad up to its final days in the PBA.

"I have high respect for Boss Buddy and I'm very thankful that he gave me the opportunity to coach the team. Sta. Lucia will always be a part of my life as I started my playing career with this team and had my only coaching career with this team as well," added Fernandez.

For Encarnado, basketball has been part of his life, and even without Sta. Lucia Realty, he will most likely serve the PBA in a different capacity.

Encarnado, a former PBA chairman, along with Robert Non and Pato Gregorio of Talk 'N Text, were delegated to lead the committee for the D-League.

Encarnado is expected to head the Developmental League, which will be formed through the merger of Liga Pilipinas and Philippine Basketball League (PBL).

The two leagues came up with a joint tournament – the Tournament of the Philippines (TOP), which is being done through a series of short-leg events in different parts of the country.

Soon, the merged leagues will fall under the PBA umbrella, to which a new league will be created – a PBA D-League -- patterned after the NBA D-League in the United States.

The creation of the D-League was pushed by former PBA chairman Lito Alvarez, who was recently appointed by President Noynoy Aquino as the new Bureau of Customs commissioner

Meralco's PBA entry needs board approval

Manila Electric Company (Meralco), a company with a rich basketball tradition, is now knocking on the PBA doors.

The company is reportedly taking over Sta. Lucia's franchise, but it will still need board approval, according to Pardo.

"We want to see how competitive the team (Meralco) it will field in and how long can it commit in participating in the PBA, that's why its entry needs board approval."

"People would want to see games played at a more competitive level and they want to see competitive teams. If we have competing teams with inferior line up and not winning games, it will definitely hurt the league's attendance," added Pardo.

Pending the official takeover, Meralco will inherit a squad that has Nelbert Omolon, Ali Peek, Nic Belasco, Josh Urbiztondo, Chris Ross, Gabby Espinas, Jason Misolas and former San Beda stalwarts Yousif Aljamal, Ogie Menor and Pong Escobal as members.

Once Meralco becomes the 10th member of the PBA, the league will also need to tackle whether the team will become a sister squad of Talk 'N Text or become an independent team.

Manny Pangilinan, the chief backer of the Tropang Texters, also owns a controlling stake in Meralco.

Last season, several PBA board members questioned whether Burger King, a brand carried by Air21 of the Lina Group of Companies, and Talk 'N Text were sister teams.

Burger King is a joint venture of the Lina Group, Lito Alvarez, Pangilinan, Ricky Vargas and Wilson Young of Basic Holdings Corporation.

The Lina Group was able to prove it has the majority share with Burger King, but Alvarez suggested that Burger King and Talk 'N Text won't trade players directly.

The trade ban was lifted after the Lina Group used its old name, Air21.

4th of July Final Call

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:23:00 +0000

Is it now safe to say that the Sta. Lucia Realtors played their farewell game last 4 July 2010? It was a losing cause from the opening tip with no fiery and explosive celebration of independence from a league dominated by skyrocketing salaries just to sell beer, gin, hotdogs, electronic load and milk. This is not to mention the unproven but very obvious violation of the league's salary cap. Instead it was a game of desperation highlighted by poor shooting night (26-for-86) or a conference-low of 30.2 percent.

Their opponents knew that this is the mindset of the Realtors that night and they struck hard. The Coca-Cola Tigers fired from all angles and over the lazy arms of the Realtors to stretch the lead to a commanding 75-57. The outcome became clear from that point on even if the Realtors tried to fight back to within seven points.

Everyone expected this. It was just a matter of time. It was surprising though that the league let this happen to a real estate company who stood with them since 1993. The green jersey doesn't have an once of fight left when the 2010 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Cup started and nobody doubts that it can't put up anything in the succeeding conference at the rate its stocks tumbled in the market.

So what is there left to do?

The public did not get any clear indication from either the SLR management or league officials of things to come. They were left reading between the lines and picking up rumors left and right regarding the fate of this once proud franchise.

But signs are filtering out. Former players are speaking up, although not intentionally. The team is stripping itself bare by shipping championship-caliber players in exchange for cash, financial cap and aging ballers. No major renovation work is being planned. No wrecking ball is flying their way to initiate the overhaul.

The signs point to one direction only. The Realtors are disbanding and are willing to entertain possible buyers.

There are no certified stars left on the team. And when you have Ali Peek as your local highest-scorer, then that means the final curtain is going down. If anybody thinks that the 6'9" aging behemoth Marlou Aquino can join Peek as the modern-day twin towers, then they deserve a dose of reality.

Sta. Lucia is on its way out. Sources have already identified one of its most ardent suitors, Meralco. The final buzzer hollered and the permanent retirement of a franchise is unmistakable inside the Big Dome on that fateful 4th of July.

SLR 84, Coke 100

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:32:00 +0000

Coca-Cola head coach Bo Perasol is still far from satisfied despite his team just coming off an impressive win that drew it closer to a coveted slot.

"The only way we could say we have improved as a team is when we are already in the quarterfinals," said Perasol following his team's 100-84 manhandling of Sta. Lucia Realty Sunday at the start of the PBA Fiesta Conference's knockout wildcard phase.

"Winning now is not something to celebrate," he added. "Getting to the quarterfinals is."

Based on the way his team played, that objective should be realized on Wednesday, when the Tigers collide with the winner of a similar knockout match between Rain or Shine and Air21 later Sunday evening.

Hurdling either the Elasto Painters or the Express is a difficult task, but Perasol also said it is very doable.

Gary David notched a personal season-high 32 points and John Williamson chipped in his ample share with 30 and 14 rebounds as Coke put up a big third quarter that broke the game wide open.

"We've got to give it to Gary. Even though he may be erratic at times, there’s still no questioning his desire," said Perasol of the off-guard who also had four rebounds, two assists and a steal to offset four turnovers.

Williamson, who passed by two points his previous PBA career high, also drew special mention from Perasol.

"He has gotten involved in our system," noted the tactician. "He may not be flashy, but he keeps on doing the little things, like rebounding, defending, attracting the double team and passing off to the right people."

The difference even got stretched to 75-57 and even though the Realtors fought back to within seven points, David and Williamson again led a final breakaway.

A poor shooting night, translated into a 26-for-86 field shooting or a conference-low 30.2 percent, hastened the Realtors’ finish to either eighth, depending on Air21’s windup, and exit.

Anthony Johnson, usually good for almost 30 points a game, epitomized SLR's sour touch by going 5-for-21 from the floor. He finished with 20 points but only by going 10-for-14 from the stripes. He also had 16 rebounds.

Yousif Aljamal, who suffered a sprain during practice earlier in the week, did not see action in the first half but more than made up for it in the second and wound up with 17 points.

Ali Peek was the lone other double digit scorer for SLR with 12, but he got totally outworked under the boards.

David and Williamson had plenty of help, with Mark Macapagal adding 13 points and Asi Taulava hauling down a game-high 18 rebounds to go with nine points.

Coke also withstood the early exit of starting point guard Marvin Cruz seemed well on his way to more than decent game with four points, five rebounds and two assists in 10 minutes before being taken out by a freak accident with only 1:38 left in the half.

He stepped on the foot of referee Bong Pascual during a hard weakside cut and suffered a sprained right foot in the process. (NC)

SLR 76, Coke 87

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:31:00 +0000

The Coca-Cola Tigers remained on the prowl.

The Tigers roared on, making it three in a row with John Williamson in tow to stay in the running for an outright quarterfinals berth.

Coke finished strong in the second quarter and sustained the heat in the final half for a pivotal 87-76 win over Sta. Lucia Realty in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum on 25 June 2010.

Williamson and company stayed in equal footing with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at 8-9, both having a chance at catching up with the Barangay Ginebra Kings (9-9)at fifth place at the close of the double-round elimination phase.

Coca-Cola and Rain or Shine clash in a virtual playoff match Sunday also at the Big Dome.

The winner forces a playoff with the Kings for the last automatic slot in the quarters while the loser settles for a spot in the wildcard plays.

“We’ve got a crack at an outright quarters slot on a three-game romp. It would be meaningless if we bungle our game Sunday,” said Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol.

“Rain or Shine will surely be there fighting so it’s gonna be a battle. We’ll be there going for it,” Perasol added.

Coke’s “Big Four” of Williamson, Gary David, Asi Taulava and Dennis Espino all delivered huge numbers as the Tigers got the key win following an equally important victory by the Elasto Painters earlier in the day.

Victories by both Coca-Cola and Rain or Shine denied Ginebra outright entry into the quarters.

David put in a game-high 22 points with Williamson adding 20 points, Taulava 17 and Espino 16.

The Tigers had a so-so start but picked up their game towards the end of the first half and kept on going in the final 24 minutes of play.

Coca-Coca, which trailed by as many as 10 early on, took the half at 41-35 on a strong closing run capped by back-to-back baskets by Espino.

The Tigers stretched their lead to 14, 64-50, at the end of the third and did a good job holding on to the finish. (SB)

SLR 95, Aces 103

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:30:00 +0000

Alaska survived an early bombardment from Sta. Lucia Realty to come out a 103-95 victory last 20 June 2010 and keep alive its hopes of making it outright to the semifinals of the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Aces remained poised despite the Realtors' early surge to a 20-point lead, rallying behind Cyrus Baguio before having Diamon Simpson lead them home.

"We were shellshocked by the bombs they threw at us in the first quarter and a half," admitted Aces coach Tim Cone, whose wards were barraged by 11 three-pointers by the Realtors in the first half alone. "It was like shock and awe out there. We couldn't run for cover fast enough."

"But we told out players to keep playing beyond it, keep working, and hopefully some of their shots won't fall in."

Baguio sparkled in the second quarter, where he scattered 15 of his 23 points to bring the Aces back from 28-48 down to within 51-54 at halftime, before Simpson took over and eventually finished with a game-high 32 points on top of 10 rebounds.

"Parang ang nasa isip ko na lang gumawa ng paraan dahil malaki na ang lamang," said Baguio, who made all his three attempts in the second period.

"Nu'ng pumasok ang mga tres ko, parang nagkakumpiyansa na ituloy-tuloy na," he added.

The win was Alaska's 11th in 17 games, putting it just half a game behind B-Meg Derby Ace, idle with an 11-5 slate. The Aces can figure in a playoff for the outright semis berth should they win their last game against 12-5 San Miguel Beer and the Llamados drop one of their two remaining games.

Cone pointed out some of the scenarios happening are simply out of their hands and they could be content with their current automatic quarterfinals seat. “We can control how we play San Miguel, but we can’t control Derby Ace,” he said.

"We know it's not all in our control, so our goal is to get the best scene we can and go from there, whether it be at third or fourth."

Sta. Lucia dropped to a 5-12 card, its hopes of making the wildcard now hinging on winning its last game in the eliminations against Coca-Cola next week since both Air21 and Barako Energy Coffee, toting similar 3-13 records, can still catch the Realtors.

Anthony Johnson finished with a team-high 26 points an game-high 12 rebounds. But he had four of his six turnovers in the payoff period that helped fuel Alaska’s homeward surge.

The way SLR wound up its shooting from beyond the arc was vastly different from how it started the game and helped its downfall as it got beaten in both points in the paint (54-30), fastbreak points (25-8) and rebounds (48-39).

The Realtors made all but four of their first 15 triple tries before missing all but four of their last 13 attempts. (NC)

SLR 66, Derby Ace 73

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:30:00 +0000

After coming out short the last time versus Alaska Milk, B-MEG Derby Ace had little improvement, barely hanging on at the finish against Sta. Lucia.

The Llamados squeezed out a 73-66 win over the Realtors and thus regained a piece of third place in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference at the Cuneta Astrodome on 2 June 2010.

"It was an ugly win but still something positive in terms of the outcome. We couldn’t play that way up against tough teams," said Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio after the game.

"Nuong bumaba ng sais, hindi na ako makahinga, Good thing, the guys made the shots when we needed it badly," Gregorio added. "I was telling the guys, we have to cut down on our errors and we have to make the free shots. True enough, we went under siege committing errors and missing free shots."

The Llamados eventually eased out the pressure as KG Canaleta and James Yap canned in three fouls shots making it 73-64 with 40 seconds left to play. Repeating their 86-79 win over the Realtors in their previous tiff, the Llamados climbed back to joint third with the Ginebra Kings at 8-5.

The Realtors suffered a fourth straight loss after the departure of Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes, and the team reeled further down the chart at 4-9. Derby Ace made it four-zero versus Sta. Lucia in the season. Gregorio, however, insisted he's far from satisfied with their performance.

"We can't just relax, be comfortable and just coast along. We're up against San Miguel next. We can’t survive playing this kind of basketball," said Gregorio.

The Realtors waged a fierce chase at crunch time, smelling blood as Derby Ace import Cliff Brown fouled out with over two minutes left to play. Sta. Lucia had come within six at 64-72 when Canaleta and Yap strung up three straight free throws to hold off the Realtors.

Yap knocked in three triples and finished with a team-high 21 points that went with one rebound, one assist and one block against one turnover. Paul Artadi, with 18 points, was the only other Llamado who wound up with a double-digit output in the low-scoring contest. Anthony Johnson led the losing team with 23 points and 14 rebounds. (SB)

SLR 84, SMB 91

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Mon, 31 May 2010 01:29:00 +0000

San Miguel Beer recovered quickly from a loss the last time out, regaining solo lead in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference on a 91-84 drubbing of Sta. Lucia Realty at the Ormoc Astrodome on 29 May 2010.

Their nine-game streak halted by the Ginebra Kings last 26 May 2010, the Beermen got back on track right away with a repeat win over the Realtors.

The Beermen built a 79-65 lead on a 10-to-nothing opening run in the fourth quarter then fended off a late chase by the Realtors for an 11th win in 13 outings in the season-ending tourney.

Veteran playmaker Olsen Racela pumped in a key shot with 14 ticks left to play, settling the outcome of the game at 90-84.

Gabe Freeman piled up 22 points and nine rebounds while Jay Washington and Jonas Villanueva combined for 28 points for the Beermen who kept a clean slate versus the Realtors in their head-on games in the last three conferences.

San Miguel walloped Sta. Lucia 93-74, in their previous tiff in the reinforced tourney.

Suffering another three-game slump, the Realtors slid to joint seventh place with the Coca-Cola Tigers on their identical 4-8 win-loss cards.

Sta. Lucia lost its last three games by an average margin of 12.6 points after dealing Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes to Talk n Text.

The Realtors engaged the Beermen in a battle in the first three quarters before fading away in the payoff period.

Anthony Johnson had 30 points for the losing team in the Ormoc stop of the Phoenix Fuel PBA on Tour.

The prolific Sta. Lucia import scattered 15 points in the first half before being held down to a single free throw in the first 18 minutes of the final half.

The Beermen had pulled away when Johnson regained his touch, making 14 points in the last six minutes of play.

Pong Escobal put in a career-high 14 points -- a big help as Sta. Lucia fought San Miguel tooth and nail early on.

Meanwhile, Yousif Aljamal, also a former Talk n Text player like Escobal, had clutch baskets fueling a minor siege by SLR in the payoff period.

San Miguel easily withstood the challenge thus completing another convincing triumph. (SB)

SLR 78, TNT 92

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Mon, 24 May 2010 01:28:00 +0000

Talk n Text just continued to show what it can do with a star-studded, talent-laden lineup.

The rampaging Tropang Texters pummeled the Sta. Lucia Realtors in the last three quarters, hacking out a 92-78 win that firmed up their hold of second place in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference elimination round at the Araneta Coliseum last 24 May 2010.

Three Texters came through with double-double jobs with two others contributing at least 12 points as TnT made it seven in a row – the last three since the arrival of Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes.

Williams got away with 19 points and 10 rebounds in his first game against his former team, with Jimmy Alapag and Shawn Daniels having their own double-double numbers as they led TnT to a ninth win in 11 games overall.

"After a great game against Derby Aces, what we guarded against was the proverbial deep in performance," said TnT coach Chot Reyes.

"Natural sa team yon after a good game, bumababa ang laro, and that’s our worry coming into this game. We did experience a fall at the start of the game. Good thing, our second team gave us tremendous boost," Reyes added.

Reyes made special mention of Williams, Jared Dillinger, Jason Castro and Ryan Reyes who played well coming off the bench.

No one played better than Williams who torched his former teammates with a 7-of-11 field-goal shooting and 5-of-6 clip from the stripe.

Reyes and Williams believe the team could only get better.

"It would come down to jelling. If we jell quickly and get a good flow, I think we’re capable of really making a run at the championship," said Williams.

"Hopefully, we've put together a team that can score and play some great defense. If we get that balance, we would be pretty tough to beat. But we’re still a work in progress," said Reyes.

With Williams, Dillinger and Reyes providing instant offense coming off the bench, the Texters pulled away in the second quarter and never looked back.

They made it two in a row over the Realtors in the elimination round, nailing the win that matched their seven-game romp in the same tournament six years ago.

So amazing were the Texters that they won their last seven games by a whopping average margin of 13.65 points.

They came off a 114-89 blasting of the B-MEG Derby Ace.

Anthony Johnson piled up 29 points and 14 rebounds in a losing cause.

Ali Peek, Nic Belasco, Pong Escobal and Yousif Aljamal all struggled in their first game versus their former team. (SB)

SLR 85, Ginebra 102

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Mon, 17 May 2010 01:28:00 +0000

For once in quite a while, Barangay Ginebra displayed some of its old fire.

That, and the fact Sta. Lucia Realty was still trying to adjust playing without two of its most prized players, led to the Kings' 102-85 victory in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum last 16 May 2010.

Mildon Ambres and Ronald Tubid led the Ginebra players who mostly provided the sustaining fire as the Kings not only started the second round of eliminations on a bright note but also broke the spell SLR has cast on it this season.

“At least we saw something positive in today's game. They (Kings) played more as a team today. They tried their very best and showed fire,” said Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, whose team barely won two of its last three games, struggling in both.

Things were drastically different Sunday night as the Kings dominated from start to finish, even leading by 23 points twice, en route to improving their win-loss record to 6-4.

Uichico, however, quickly pointed out SLR is still trying to adjust from the trade sealed last 12 May 2010 that saw Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes being shipped to Talk ' Text.

The absence of the two, who combined to average 32.0 points, 21.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.0 blocks in three previous wins against Ginebra this season, was clearly a factor and tempered Ginebra's jubilation.

"It's hard to make this a judgment day, kasi nawalan ng players ang Sta. Lucia. Those two are the core of their team," Uichico pointed out.

Yet Uichico is also aware his team may have gained some momentum.

"We have tough games coming up, against Alaska and San Miguel Beer, so kailangan we should build on this win, keep on improving," he said.

Adjustment is also the operating word for the Realtors, who dropped to a 4-6 slate.

"We have so many things to adjust," said SLR coach Boyet Fernandez, whose team drew a game-high 31 points and nine rebounds from Anthony Johnson but got outrebounded 40-53.

"We've got a lot to learn in our defensive rotation," he added. "Hindi pa nag-click sa rotation, at kailangan pa ang konting adjustment, execution-wise sa mga bagong dating."

Marlou Aquino's grandfather also passed away in Pangasinan recently, preventing him from joining practice for two days. But there were some bright notes, like Yousif Aljamal draining four triples for 12 points and Ali Peek hauling down seven rebounds.

But those are overshadowed by the fact that Jayjay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa and Eric Menk each had at least 12 points, while Rudy Hatfield added on to anchoring the defense on Johnson by snaring 10 rebounds for Barangay Ginebra.

The Kings also shot 50 percent from the floor, the percentage pulled down a bit by its 11-for-24 clip from beyond the arc.

Tubid going a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point land and Ambres and Helterbrand adding three triples each helped Barangay Ginebra pull away, although it was Caguioa's fastbreak layup that made it a 93-70 count, 4:29 left.

That proved enough to put a stamp on Barangay Ginebra's total domination of the second half and quash whatever drive the Realtors may still have had.

It was a different story in the first two quarters.

With Tubid scoring eight straight points during a 13-4 run to start the second period, the Kings seemed well on their way to a runaway win.

Those thoughts quickly vanished when Aljamal came in to drain three triples and, with help from Johnson and Gabby Espinas (13 points), led SLR in whittling the deficit to just 37-48.

It took another trey by Tubid before Barangay Ginebra had a 51-37 halftime lead it sustained to 77-63 going into the fourth period, mainly due to Ambres' 14 third quarter points. (NC)

Lamest Reason to Close a Lopsided Trade

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Thu, 13 May 2010 05:22:00 +0000

The Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters reportedly acquired former MVP, Kelly Williams, former rookie of the year, Ryan Reyes, and Charles Waters from the Sta. Lucia Realtors. The Realtors in turn got the services of aging Ali Peek and Nic Belasco, Pong Escobal all from the Texters as well as Yousif Aljamal and Ogie Menor from the Barako Bull.

The trade ended weeks of speculation and completed a nine-player, three-team trade deal, which is considered the biggest this season. Aside from Mark Isip, the Energy Coffee Masters also received a future pick. Charles Waters was also transferred from SLR to TNT.

Williams and Reyes, both played for the PBA-backed national team to the FIBA Asia Championship in separate occasions, were rumored to be going to the Tropang Texters as a diverting route to the Smart-Gilas Pilipinas developmental squad.

After trading all important members of its 2008 All-Filipino squad, the Realtors latest move is not at all surprising. In a season to forget up to this point they have decided it is time to blow things up and maximize their two most tradable assets. Williams is having a career year, but because he is receiving the maximum salary, the team does not feel confident in their ability pay him regularly.

That's when the Tropang Texters, who have never had any trouble paying anyone, became the most attractive trading partner. The Manny Pangilinan-owned team were willing to send them under-performing, slightly expensive and definitely aging Peek and Belasco. They did not even loose any of their starting five players in securing the services of one of the most sought-after duo. But in this deal the Realtors get players that they could decide to hold onto for another year or until they decide to sell their franchise.

This deal has to rank up there in the PBA record books as one of the best that the Tropang Texters have ever pulled off and the most stupid if not lopsided that the Realtors agreed to. The benefits the Tropang Texters receive in this deal are clear. The benefits for the Realtors .... nothing.

One thing clearly emerged from this trade though. All Realtors fans are not dumb enough to believe Manager Buddy Encarnado's reason that they are doing this "because of a higher calling and that is to represent the national team." Maybe they can also put this in the record books as one of the lamest reasons for trading potential franchise players.

SLR 91, Aces 87

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Thu, 13 May 2010 01:27:00 +0000

Sta. Lucia outfought Alaska Milk in the crunch on 13 May 2010, hacking out a 91-87 win in what could well be Kelly Williams’ last game as a Realtor.

SLR and Talk n Text top officials were to finalize their trade deal involving Williams after the game.

"There's some issue about Kelly. It's for management to talk about it. What I can say is that I can't picture my team without my MVP (Williams)," said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez on the impending trade.

Anthony Johnson went 6-of-6 from the stripe in the final minute as Sta. Lucia beat out Alaska in a fierce battle to close out with a 4-5 win-loss card in the initial round of the PBA Fiesta Conference elimination phase.

Johnson finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals while Williams wound up with 15 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists in what could well be his farewell outing as a Realtor.

Talk n Text is after Williams who the Smart-PLDT franchise intends to loan to the Smart Gilas RP team in at least three major international competitions.

Williams is likely to be already with the Tropang Texters as they clash with the Coca-Cola Tigers Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.

"It's for management to confirm or deny it but I really can't visualize my team without Kelly. I came in this team with Kelly already there. I was an assistant coach when we picked him as the top draft pick (in 2006)," said Fernandez.

Ryan Reyes and Nelbert Omolon contributed double-digit outputs as the Realtors made it five in a row over the Aces in their head-on duels in the import-laden tourney.

The Aces appeared headed for a win when they ignited a bristling 16-6 run to surge ahead at 87-83 with 1:59 left to play.

The Realtors, however, didn't give up, coming up with a decisive endgame run to salvage the game.

Sta. Lucia dealt Alaska a fourth loss against the same number of wins.

Cyrus Baguio put in 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, keying the run that had Alaska racing ahead entering the final stretch.

LA Tenorio had his sterling exploits before missing crucial shots at endgame that hastened their downfall. (SB)

SLR 74, SMB 93

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Sat, 08 May 2010 01:25:00 +0000

With Kelly Williams bound to move over to Talk n Text in the next few days, the Sta. Lucia Realtors were aching to beat the San Miguel Beermen on 7 May 2010.

The Beermen, however, had another thing in mind. San Miguel stretched its hot streak to seven games, assuring itself of a slot in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference playoff phase with a 93-74 whipping of Sta. Lucia at the Araneta Coliseum.

Arwind Santos and Gabe Freeman both churned out double-double numbers as the Beermen bucked the absence of the injury-stricken Jay Washington in keeping their domination of Williams and his Sta. Lucia teammates.

"Ang idea lang namin was not to take Sta. Lucia for granted. We know that they're a very aggressive team. Blue-collar worker yan. Patay ka kapag minaliit mo sila," said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

"The guys kept that in mind. Arwind Santos typified the effort the team put in as he did a good job on both ends of the court. Dumepensa na kay Anthony Johnson, nag-deliver pa sa opensa," Tanquingcen added.

Santos came through with 18 points and 15 rebounds, outclassing Williams in what's probably one of his last few games as a Realtor. Top officials of both Sta. Lucia and Talk n Text admit they're close to coming to terms regarding Williams' transfer to the Smart-PLDT franchise.

At halftime, Williams said: "Wherever I end up with, I'll to do what I have to do – give my best in each game."

Williams struggled with a 6-of-24 field-goal shooting for 14 points that went with 12 rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block in 44 minutes of action. The entire Sta. Lucia team shot only 31.9 percent from the field as the Realtors suffered a fifth straight loss to the Beermen dating back to last season.

San Miguel guaranteed itself of a spot in the post-elims play as it closed out with an 8-1 win-loss record in the first round of the preliminary phase. Sta. Lucia suffered a fifth loss against three wins.

"We finished on top in the first round but pero mukhang mahihirapan na kami sa second round. Nagsisimula ng mag-pick up ng rhythm ang mga kalaban," said Tanquingcen.

San Miguel opened a 17-point spread, 59-42, in the third quarter but Sta. Lucia came back to life on a 16-6 run. Both teams struggled at the start with the Realtors taking a 16-15 edge in the opening period before the Beermen seized control and surged ahead, 41-35, at halftime. (SB)

What The Heck Were They Thinking?

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Wed, 05 May 2010 05:21:00 +0000

It all started as a rumor. Later on the team's very own manager confirmed that they are willing to part with their marquee player given the right price. Now that nightmare seems to have become a reality for the Sta. Lucia Realtors.

Just two days after General Manager Buddy Encarnado announced that the company is not turning its back from the national team and are willing to loan Kelly Williams to the Smart-Gilas national developmental team, a report was unofficially released that the offer was taken by Talk N Text Tropang Texters and a trade was consummated.

The former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) was sent to the Texters in exchange for Jared Dillinger. Williams, in turn, will not be allowed to play in the PBA until the time he has already fulfilled his commitment with the national developmental team coached by Rajko Toroman.

This is like the case of 2009 top draft pick 6'9" Japeth Aguilar, who was selected first by the Burger King Whoopers, but was later traded to the Texters after playing only one game. An arrangement was made where Aguilar can only play with the Tropang Texters after the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship and, if ever the Philippines qualified to the 2012 London Olympics, he will only play after the Olympics.

Inside sources reported that Williams was informed about the management's decision only after he had reported for practice at 5:00 in the afternoon yesterday (4 May 2010). He left the gym with a heavy heart because, after spending three years with the Realtors and leading them to their first ever All-Filipino title in 2008, they did not inform him that they are trying to shop him around. Since he was chosen by the Realtors as the top pick in 2007, Williams led the team in both scoring and rebounding and is averaging double-double in both categories.

With the departure of Williams, sports critics say that the Realtors are unloading player after player to ease their financial problems. This has also fueled rumors that the management is indeed contemplating selling their franchise.

It can be recalled that the major players who were responsible for that All-Filipino title run were already released by the Realtors. First to go was point-guard Dennis Miranda, followed by team captain Dennis Espino and Norman Gonzalez. Before the start of the import-laden conference, the Realtors traded high-flying Joseph Yeo to San Miguel Beermen for a virtually untested Bonbon Custodio.

SLR 108, Coke 94

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Sun, 02 May 2010 01:25:00 +0000

Marlou Aquino had an unusually impressive game. If he could keep it up, Sta. Lucia Realty coach Boyet Fernandez claims the Realtors will be in good shape.

Aquino had a 20-point game for the first time in nearly three years last 1 May 2010, helping the Realtors get past the Coca-Cola Tigers, 108-94, in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Cuneta Astrodome.

"Give it to the big fellow. I guess he was challenged playing against Asi (Taulava) and Cap (Dennis Espino). If he plays that way consistently we’ll be tough to beat," Fernandez said.

Aquino, the 14-year league veteran who also had three assists and one shot block, has not had a 20-point game since scoring 22 points against Red Bull in Game 2 of their 2006-07 Philippine Cup quarterfinal series.

After turning in a season-high 43 points the previous game, import Anthony Johnson had another big night with 29 points and 17 rebounds as the Realtors won two in a row for the first time in the conference.

"Everybody stepped up tonight. But I guess the key was that the players finally realized that we're not as strong as we were a season ago and that we don't stand a chance to win if we don't play defense," Fernandez said.

The Tigers stayed within striking distance off the Realtors for in the first half but their attempt to seize control in the second half fizzled as import James Penny picked up his fifth foul early in the third quarter and had to sit for most part of the second half.

Sta. Lucia shot 44 percent, going 10 of 27 from the 3-point range while recording a season-high 31 assists. The Realtors also capitalized on the Tigers’ 24 turnovers that netted them 29 points.

Ryan Reyes scored 15 points and had eight assists while Kelly Williams added 14 and nine rebounds for the Realtors, who improved to 3-4 (win-loss) record.

Gary David poured in 26 points, Chico Lanete had 16 and seven assists and Penny managed just 15 points – his lowest this conference – on a 6-of-11 shooting from the field as Coca-Cola (4-4) lost its third in a row and fourth in its last five games. (DBC)

SLR 106, Air21 98

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:24:00 +0000

Sta. Lucia Realty was about to do another collapse, but Anthony Johnson would not let it.

With Johnson scoring a season-high and career-high-tying 43 points the Realtors managed to fashion a 106-98 overtime victory over the feisty Air21 Express on 18 April 2010 in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

It was a stirring win for Sta. Lucia, which went into the game reeling from three straight losses and seemingly on the verge of another after squandering as much as a 60-36 second-half lead.

Johnson took over as he practically single-handedly picked up his teammates' flagging spirits by scoring all but four of his team's 15 points in the extension, while taking the fight out of the Express.

"I'm just happy AJ stepped up," said SLR coach Boyet Fernandez of Johnson, who also hauled down 13 rebounds and swatted away five shots while going a perfect 11-of-11 from the line.

The lessons learned from the game should serve his team in good stead, Fernandez added.

"Credit to Air21, they came back and even led," he noted of the team that fought back and took an 84-77 lead into the last 5:25 of regulation.

"Nabaligtad nung second half. My guys thought it's already a won ballgame despite the fact I told them we could not take Air21 for granted because they will try to come back and indeed they did."

The win jacked SLR's win-loss record to 2-4, a full game ahead of Air21's 1-5 that dropped it into the cellar in the company of idle Barako Energy Coffee.

Air21 coach Yeng Guiao said his team also learned some things from the game, both good and bad.

"The good side of this, after being behind, bringing the game into overtime and having a chance to win it," Guiao said. "The bad side, we had to be behind by 20-plus points before we started working harder."

Jason Forte had 26 points and 19 rebounds and Mike Cortez added 17 points as they led the big comeback from the deficit that made Guiao almost give up the ghost right at halftime after his team trailed by 36-58.

"After the first half, I thought it was a lost cause already," he admitted. "I just asked the guys to be decent in losing. But they worked harder and put ourselves in a situation where we can win, kaya sayang talaga."

Such thoughts were farthest from Air21’s collective mind when Cortez’s one-handed follow-up of Forte’s missed free throw beat the gameclock and pegged a 91-all count at the end of regulation.

Then Johnson took over after Cortez’s floater gave the Express a 95-93 lead. His sixth triple for the game sparked his seven straight points that made it a 100-95 count.

Forte went coast to coast and finished with an emphatic dunk and canned a charity, but Johnson’s elbow jumper and Ryan Reyes’ acrobatic up-and-under twister made it a safe 104-98 spread, only 2.5 ticks left.

Forte ultimately wound up shooting 4-of-13 from the stripe and Guiao said they will arrive at a decision either Monday or Tuesday on whether to retain him or bring in a replacement for the man who subbed for original import Keena Young.

Free throw shooting is also the bane of Kelly Williams, who missed six of eight charity tries that prevented him from putting up better numbers than 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Reyes was the lone other SLR local in double figures with 15 points, which he added with nine assists and eight rebounds.

Mainly behind Johnson Sta. Lucia made 11 of 26 three-point attempts, nine in the first half which it dominated by stopping Air21’s penetrators and pressuring the Express into making some harried shots.

Johnson already had 21 points at the half and Sta. Lucia used a torrid field shooting to steadily pull away and take the half 58-36.

The Realtors shot 22-of-42 from the floor, including 9-for-14 from beyond the arc, compared to the Express’ 13-of-39.

Air21 actually started the second period 6-0 to claw back within 24-36. Then Johnson drained back-to-back triples, adding to the Realtors’ comfort zone that enabled them to pad their lead to 56-35.

The rout was seemingly well on its way as early as the last three minutes of the first period, when Sta. Lucia used a 13-0 run to break off from a 23-18 count and start the next quarter with an 18-point spread.

Rookie Joshua Urbiztondo started that most telling of runs with a trey and added four more points while Bonbon Custodio added four and Johnson two charities. (NC)

SLR 89, TnT 102

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 01:23:00 +0000

Talk 'N Text finally had its first back-to-back wins in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference.

It was, however, something head coach Chot Reyes wasn't really excited about. Rather, it was the way the Tropang Texters are now slowly coming together as a team.

Macmac Cardona and Ranidel de Ocampo combined for nearly half of Talk 'N Text's output, and Jason Castro came off the bench to spark a decisive first-half breakaway and the Tropang Texters beat Sta. Lucia Realty 102-89 on 11 April 2010 in the league’s first-ever game at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Cardona scored 23 points and De Ocampo had 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Castro shot 5-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line for 15 points in the opening half alone as Talk ‘N Text, playing without the injured Ali Peek, picked up its third win as against two losses.

“I think more than the two straight wins was the way we’re playing,” said Reyes. “I like the way we are coming together. They’re getting to know how to play with Shawn (Daniels).”

Daniels saw action for merely 22 minutes because of foul trouble, contributing only six points – fewest for an import this conference -- and seven rebounds. Still, it was not the kind Talk ‘N Text should be upset about.

Good thing Castro was in attack mode.

Castro elevated the Tropang Texters into an offensive level the Realtors couldn't stop. He scored 10 points in the second quarter and helped Talk 'N Text erect the largest margin in the game at 22 points (58-36), before the 2008-09 Philippine Cup champions settled for a 63-43 halftime lead.

That output in the first half was the highest by any team in the conference, and the lead a formidable investment to hold off a blistering rally by Sta. Lucia, which came to within 85-78, in the fourth quarter.

"It was a very courageous stand by Sta. Lucia," said Reyes. "I'’m just glad that we had a big cushion in the first half and able to withstand the foul trouble of Daniels."

Anthony Johnson scored 27 points and pulled down 16 rebounds and Kelly Williams had his breakout game for the season-ending tournament with 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Realtors even as Gabby Espinas added 12 points.

Already the worst offensive, rebounding, and assisting team, Sta. Lucia further stepped into unfamiliar territory by suffering its worst start under head coach Boyet Fernandez with the Realtors’ fourth defeat in five games.

Fernandez had his erstwhile worst start during the time he became head coach in the 2007-08 Fiesta Conference, when the Realtors lost three of their first four games.

And unless the Realtors change their acts, the record may not be snapped that soon.

"Wala kaming transition defense. We're not executing well. We're not a strong team, but we are a fighting team. We are not a true offensive team, but we are a true defensive team," said Fernandez.

Fernandez even took a shot at the man who the Realtors got in exchange for Joseph Yeo – Bonbon Custodio.

"I'm waiting for him (to play well)," said Fernandez. "I told him that he should be ready every time he comes off the bench.”

Custodio played for only four minutes and only had one statistic – a foul – across his name in the game against Talk 'N Text.

A big factor that went against the Realtors, too, was the early foul trouble of Ryan Reyes. The fearless guard had four fouls in the first half alone and was whistled for his fifth in the third period. (ZM)

SLR 79, B-Meg 86

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:22:00 +0000

The Philippine Cup ruler was off to a triumphant start in the import-laden tourney. Coach Ryan Gregorio and his troops won their first game under the B-MEG Derby Ace banner, topping Sta. Lucia Realty, 86-79, in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference at the Cuneta Astrodome on 7 April 2010.

Import Lorenzo Wade played limited minutes due to early fouls but the Derby Ace locals rose to the occasion as the Llamados, formerly the Purefoods TJ Giants, beat out the Realtors in a fierce battle.

"We buckled down on defense. That's still the way we play and even our import is slowly understanding why we're successful," said the Derby Ace mentor.

"The biggest thing is that we understand that we're not the champion in this tournament. The earlier we understand that, the better for us," Gregorio added.

The Llamados play back-to-back games, taking on the Air21 Express on Friday in the same venue.

"We're playing again Friday. What's nice is that we know how to play consecutive games. More important is that we have to win as many games possible while awaiting the return of Kerby Raymundo," said Gregorio.

"Kerby is rehabilitating his injured knee. But for as long as the other guys are stepping up, we have no problem," Gregorio added.

Nino Canaleta did just that against Sta. Lucia with the 6-foot-3 forward pouring in 14 of his 18 points in the final half.

"We kept it close until we missed a string of foul shots at the finish. Those missed foul shots cost us the game," said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez.

The Realtors were in hot chase of the Llamados entering the final stretch when they bricked five straight free throws. Overall, Sta. Lucia muffed 17 of 37 charities. The Llamados cashed in on these misses in handing the Realtors a third loss against a lone win.

Despite Wade on the bench, the Llamados got away with a crucial run bridging the last two quarters to open up a 14-point spread at 72-58. But the Realtors never gave up, banking on the gutsy plays of Ryan Reyes, Kelly Williams and Jason Urbiztondo to come back in the thick of things at 73-76. Then came the Realtors' successive missed free throws allowing the Llamados to regain control.

Derby Ace swayed the tide back in its favor on a basket each by Wade, Roger Yap and Canaleta. Wade marked his debut in the local pro league with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal against six turnovers. James Yap, like Canaleta, produced 18 points with Paul Artadi adding 10 points, two rebounds, two steals and one assist. Anthony Johnson led the Realtors with 26 points, nine rebounds and one steal. Johnson had his own crucial misses that hastened the Realtors’ downfall. (SB)

SLR 77, RoS 84

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:22:00 +0000

There was no stopping Rain or Shine in its second outing after being beaten at the finish in its debut two nights earlier.

The Elasto Painters bucked early fouls to key players, pulling off an 84-77 win over the Sta. Lucia Realtors in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference at the Ynares Sports Center on 28 March 2010.

Jai Lewis and Sol Mercado delivered the goods as they returned to the floor in the closing minutes, and the Elasto Painters checked a breakdown, notching a first win after bowing to the Talk n Text Tropang Texters Wednesday.

"Today's game showed our character as a team. We pulled through despite our key players sitting down precious minutes due to fouls," said Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia.

"We faced scary moments when they started to hit their outside shots, but the boys never lost composure. We did a good job controlling the boards at endgame," Garcia added.

Lewis grabbed rebounds and knocked in free throws while Mercado converted a tough drive and a three-pointer as they personally held off Sta. Lucia’s siege at endgame.

The Realtors failed to complete a comeback from the depth of a 20-point deficit, suffering a second loss in three starts.

Anthony Johnson and his teammates waged a spirited chase in the final half while Lewis, Norwood and JayR Reyes rode the bench in foul-trouble situation.

Jason Urbiztondo and Paolo Mendoza hit from afar, helping Johnson get the Realtors to within one, 69-70, after trailing by 20 at 26-46.

The Realtors engaged the Painters in a battle at crunch time before losing just the same as Bonbon Custodio committed an error then Mendoza misfired a trey in the final minute.

Mercado settled the outcome of the game on a jumper making it 82-77 with time down to 21 seconds.

The burly Fil-foreign guard finished with 19 points, three steals and two assists.

Norwood made back-to-back three-point plays to close their utter domination of the Realtors in the first half at 44-26.

The Elasto Painters pummeled the Realtors from the start, erecting double-digit spreads right in the first quarter.

Norwood and Mercado both started strong, combining for 23 points in the first 24 minutes of play.

For the Realtors, nothing worked in the first half with the team struggling for only 10 in the first period and 16 in the next. (SB)

SLR 86, Kings 72

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:21:00 +0000

Getting an elbow from Ronald Tubid, Anthony Johnson retaliated at the whole Barangay Ginebra team, sparking a key run that carried Sta. Lucia Realty to an emphatic win.

Johnson pumped in back-to-back three-pointers right after being felled by Tubid and the Realtors broke away en route to an 86-72 victory over the Kings on 26 March 2010 in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The Realtors nailed their first win after being beaten by the Barako Energy Coffee Masters in the tournament opener last 21 March 2010.

“We came out with great energy tonight, determined to make up for our bad showing in our first game,” said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez.

“I’m happy the boys started strong and finished even stronger. Magandang character ang ipinakita nila,” Fernandez added.

Johnson logged 22 points and 13 rebounds while Kelly Williams added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists as they led the SLR charge in foiling Ginebra’s bid for early leadership in the reinforced tourney.

For Ginebra, it didn’t help that import Awvee Storey was far less productive than his debut game.

Storey was able to finish in double figures only after making six points in the last two minutes of play. He made only 13 points but grabbed 22 rebounds.

Williams did a good job defending the Ginebra import.

“He’s strong. I just kept a body on him and did my best to keep him off the glass,” said Williams.

The 2008 MVP winner also had sterling efforts offensively, putting in his share in a 19-7 run SLR unleashed to get an 80-61 spread entering the last three minutes of play.

The Realtors actually seized the early initiatives, taking the half at 44-39 and sitting on a 61-54 cushion after the first three quarters of play.

Ryan Reyes and Nelbert Omolon were two other Realtors who finished in double figures with 14 and 12, respectively.

With the Realtors putting the game beyond reach early, Ginebra coach Jong Uichico used the opportunity to break in new recruit John Ferriols and newly reactivated Junthy Valenzuela. (SB)

SLR 93, Barako 97

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 01:20:00 +0000

Sammy Monroe came up with the game expected of him. And so did Al Vergara,

With the two coming up big, Barako Coffee managed to waylay Sta. Lucia Realty 97-93 to open up its 2010 Fiesta Conference campaign on a very bright note.

Vergara's two clutch jumpers in the stretch preserved Monroe's beauty of a team-high 39 points and the Coffee Masters' first opening game win in two seasons at the Araneta Coliseum.

"Al has been there before," simply said Barako coach Junel Baculi of the grizzled point guard who played eight games with Purefoods in last season's Fiesta and is coming off a stint with the Singapore Slingers. "He's been in international competitions, with the national team and he's been in clutch situations before".

Those four straight points followed Monroe's tie-breaking charities and completely bailed the Coffee Masters out of a precarious 90-88 lead and into its first opening day win in a conference since the 2008 edition of the tournament.

The initial win is something to crow about, Baculi added, and should only boost the confidence of a vastly retooled franchise that has finished dead last in the last three conferences.

"I told the team to work hard because we want to prove something in this league, that we belong. Fortunately we won," said Baculi, himself a former assistant coach in Burger King, now Air21.

"But it doesn't stop there. We still have 17 (eliminations games) to go and it's such a long long way."

The Coffee Masters wound up making 37 of 69 field shots for 53.6 percent, the team's highest in a game in the last six conferences.

Sta. Lucia trailed by as many as 12 points in the third quarter but managed to make it a tight game, mainly though the efforts of Anthony Johnson, who sizzled for 41 points on top of 13 rebounds. The balik-import almost offset all those with eight turnovers, another game-high.

The Realtors managed to tie the count for the eighth and last time at 88, but simply could not match the Coffee Masters' homeward surge.

Johnson capped his performance with a three-point play that made it 91-94 and a pair of charities that pulled them within 93-95.

Each time, however, Monroe made the charities that kept Barako's head above water.

Leo Najorda was the lone other Barako player in double figures but, like Vergara, Rob Reyes, Rob Wainwright, Jojo Duncil and Yousif Aljamal contributed quality minutes through hustle and defense.

"We have players willing to accept their roles in the system," stressed Baculi, referring to new recruits Vergara, Wainwright and rookie Jerwin Gaco.

Gabby Espinas chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds and Ryan Reyes 13, seven and five assists. But the latter was saddled by foul trouble, as well as Kelly Williams, who only had six points.

Barako Coffee readily served notice of its intent right in the opening minutes, leading by seven in the first period and by six in the second.

Then Monroe, coming off a stint in the Mexican league, fully unloaded his vast repertoire of shots in the third period, making six of nine shots for 17 points in powering Barako to a 67-55 lead. (NC)

SLR Lot For Sale?

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:18:00 +0000

The rumor started flying a few months ago when several key players were traded for practically nothing, but future draft picks. The rumor only died down when the team continued to compete unsuccessfully in the 2009-2010 PBA Philippine Cup. However, the rumor started to pick up again this week after another player who was recently signed to a maximum contract for three years was shipped in exchange for an unproven bench player.

The trade that sent Joseph Yeo of the Sta. Lucia Realtors for Bonbon Custodio of the San Miguel Beermen allegedly took place when the former found its coffers slowly depleted as a result of the on-going economic downturn. Not even the rabid lobbying by some team personnel could convince the principals on the financial viability of keeping their PBA stake intact.

Nothwitstanding all of these developments, the SLR management is still mum on the supposed initial negotiation with a top executive from another company to sell their right to the franchise. The prospective buyer represents one of the most establish companies in the country and was the key in making its owner one of the richest businessman in the region.

According to one source, "That's why this team wants to remain competitive because they want to keep the high value once it will be sold. This will give them a good reason to sell its franchise at a competitive price because they still have good materials on their squad."

The rumor was further fueled by an alleged statement of coach Boyet Fernandez in the official SLR site saying, "If this would be our last conference we will go out with all our heart's out. Again maraming salamat po sa support ninyo."

It can be recalled that before the end of 1992, Presto management announced the sale of its franchise. Before the 1993 PBA season started, the Sta. Lucia Realty bought the franchise rights. Sta. Lucia was considered as a new PBA team then, so therefore the past records and history of the Gokongwei franchise were not included in Sta. Lucia's history.

More Lopsided Trade from SLR

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:17:00 +0000

Buddy Encarnado, the amiable manager of the Sta. Lucia Realtors, would like to have the fans think that a Joseph Yeo-Bonbon Custodio is not a lopsided trade. Instead, it has something to do with cap space and salaries. Suddenly, they want to turn this into some kind of technical term.

Sorry folks, but if there was one lopsided trade this year, definitely this is one of them. If the numbers are not clear, it's like this: SLR will be giving away a player whose average last conference is 13.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for somebody who spends most of his time in the bench and manages to produce 4.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per outing.

In short, when a team gives one of its best scorers for a piece of almost NOTHING, it's lopsided.

Yeo has a significant impact for the Realtors and is posting good efficient numbers for a 'sixth man,' which he relish according to its definition. His style fits the SLR game play and needs only the consistency of Willie Miller to reach another level. He is also considerably young and provides extra juice of energy for the team. And during the All-Filipinos Final series two years ago, he showed everyone why he was chosen number three overall in the draft by helping the Realtors top the Purefoods Giants in 7 grueling games.

SLR will get Custodio in the trade, who is a decent player hounded by game-fixing issues when he was still in the amateurs. Picked 8th overall by the Beermen in 2008, Custodio will give the Realtors a cheaper and smaller version of Samboy Lim minus the points production.

The Custodio/Ryan Reyes back court tandem is weird even if it is the least confusing thing about this whole situation. For one, the Realtors decided to pass of Jeff Chan in the 2008 draft to get overrated Kelvin Gregorio. They thought that a cheaper bigman can fetch them more in the market until he got injured.

Then there's the question of what the Realtors are thinking. Okay, so Yeo just signed a maximum deal for three years and is not getting younger. But giving all these for somebody nobody is sure can fill in his shoes? And all of these because the team is in dire financial situation? They could have asked unabashedly for more than that like a 'future draft pick' if they ever heard of one.

The Realtors may have been able to save from the Yeo-Custodio deal, but if they don't use that savings to acquire a more serviceable free agent, then they will have to kiss their championship aspirations for several years a wet goodbye.

K-Will Should Try Pacing

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:16:00 +0000

For better and for worse.

Though Kelly Williams has enjoyed a fantastic first conference so far and SLR fans loved the way the the Realtors has hung around the top four teams in the elimination round of the 2009-2010 Philippine Cup, they are badly underachieving offensively. This is the main reason why they failed to get pass the Wildcard Phase and advance to the quarterfinals.

That's the 'for worse,' and it is not new to everyone that the Realtors cannot win a championship by playing exactly this way. Why they would want to, nobody really knows. Draft positioning maybe.

It hurts to even talk about it, but another reason why they want to play the way they did is because K-Will needlessly trying to dominate games offensively. It involves him playing the hero late, which he's done tremendously in several games before, but this year, it caused problems to the team offensively.

Take the case of the 18 games K-Will played during the elimination round in the last conference. He averaged 17.3 points per game, but if you take 16 shots every outing , he sure as hell better score at least 17.3 points. How would Realtors fans like it if Marlou Aquino or Gabby Espinas had a game that saw them take 16 shots to score 17.3 points since they both have at least a shooting percentage of 50.0 from the shaded area? Everyone from the water boys to TV analysts will ride them out of the dugout, chanting something rude like, 'bwakaw' or 'buwaya' the whole trip out.

Even National Basketball Association (NBA) superstars are not attempting these many shots per game, unless they really are in the zone like Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade or Lebron James.

Percentage-wise, Williams' 'volume shooting' accounts for 20.1 percent of all the shots taken by the whole team. There's no shame in that, it's just he could only manage to sink 37.5 percent of those shots. He fared terribly beyond the arc, where his shooting percentage is pathetically mind-boggling - 16.4 percent.

So this is why the Realtors will find it hard to win the any games beyond the elimination round. Missing 8 of 16 shots in two non-consecutive games can be considered a fluke. A blip. Something harmless to look back once the reinforced-conference starts. However, if it happens consistently for Williams, then the Realtors need to stop it.

In more ways than one.

Williams needs to take it easy. He is to be lauded to no end for his stamina and conditioning last conference and for his astounding dominance in rebounding the ball. But he is not to be lauded nor tolerated for playing at times beyond the three-point area and with a level of intelligence that is beneath him.

There is no reason a player like Williams, on a team that only lacks a formidable center, should be averaging 16 shots per game. That's over a shot more per game during the 2008-2009 season. While some may argue that it is insignificant considering that he is the team's go-to guy, it really is important. To say nothing of the fact that his shooting percentages the previous season from the rainbow arc is 23.7 percent.

The minutes are also up from 37.7 per game to 40.1 minutes, which means that Williams really needs to back off. He has to. For a team like the Realtors - even with a shallow bench, the coaching staff needs to partition the scoring load. There's no excuse for putting somebody like Chito Jaime on the floor and produce only 2 points per game. It all boils down to execution and decision-making.

Decision-making needs to be the point-guard's forte. He translate the drawn play on the floor. And if players like Chris Pacana got burned on defense as much as he does, then he has to stop calling his own number for long two-pointers early in the shot clock.

The execution? This burden should be weigh on coach Boyet Fernandez. The Realtors comes out of timeouts and runs a screen-and-roll set instead of the triple post, the ultimate teach-a-man-to-fish/give-a-man-a-fish situation. Coach Fernandez has been giving this team the fish for three years now. They did win the 2007-2008 year, but they could have won some more if the offense is more fluid like their defense.

Good thing going for the Realtors is that even they are not playing as well as they should on offense, this can still be corrected when their resident reinforcement, Anthony Johnson, joins the team in their bid to win another crown.

Don't-Ask, Don't-Tell PBA

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:03:00 +0000

Beyond the ordinary warnings that goes along with trade calls and with league memos, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) appears powerless in admonishing sister teams from controlling the trade through prearranged deals. Even if it was quiet obvious that something was being cooked to ensure that a sister team will get the player they direly need (i.e. Enrico Villanueva, Marc Pingris, among others), the message is clear: push through with the deal, but don't let us catch any hint of a spurious arrangement.

PBA officials ought to confess to an irrefutable truth existing in the league for some time now: Unless teams are completely careless and foolish, the league is powerless, if not unmotivated, to police itself against powerful companies.

If PBA officials really want to catch teams, many fans believed that they can. However, truth be told, it appears that they don't. Since sister teams were allowed to trade with each other using a conduit, the league became a bowl full of one-sided deals. Do you think teams that employ potential franchise players will allow other teams to get their hands on him aside from their sorority members? You're kidding yourself. The phone calls come and go every day, but most of these calls are made to ask what sister teams really need to advance in the next stage.

There was a rumor a few years ago that a team manager called an agent every week, trying to convince that person to push his unhappy star to strike a deal with a sister team even if that same team will likely put the player in the injured list. Discussions started to fly around that the main reason for the force trade was to deny a powerhouse team a reliable sixth man because they were not part of the 'Company.'

Discussions between executives and agents about the draft choices in 2011 and 2012 are also well under way right now. Even it the discussion can be labeled as tampering, and its called about as often as the carry, nothing is being done to prevent or just minimize the talks. No investigation will likely be called either.

No one gets caught and no one gets punished. The PBA is the country's ultimate "don't-ask-don't-tell" league. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of improper discussions and, ultimately, deals that take place between sister teams. No one gets busted because the league is mostly interested that everyone just stays discreet.

Teams like the Sta. Lucia Realtors, Coca-Cola Tigers, Red Bull Barakos and Rain or Shine Elastopainters will continue to get the raw end of all these deals. But if their cause is not protected by the league, it will still be a business as usual in the Don't-Ask, Don't-Tell PBA.

Threes Are Cheaper for SLR

noreply@blogger.com (Kirhat) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:02:00 +0000

Believe it or not, there's was one spectacle in the Sta. Lucia Realtors (SLR) game in the last two years that doesn't involve one-sided deals to accommodate cost-cutting measures. This one centers on the rate at which the players are pulling up 25 feet from the basket, letting the ball fly and not getting the much-needed 3 points.

The Realtors attempted about 365 three-point shots during the 2009 PBA Philippine Cup, or approximately 25 percent more than they did just 3 years ago. The number of attempts from the rainbow area translates to an average of 20.3 attempts each game or 26 percent of all shots thrown, including those from the two-point area.

This development could be attributed to many fathers: the legalization of zone defenses, the growing pool of capable shooters from college and abroad and the mindsets of some new coaches, to name a few. But unlike some PBA fads (i.e. alley hoop dunks, mohawk hair style and headbands), this one may have less to do with strategy than economics. Simply put, three-point bombers tend to be among the cheapest specialist players in the game — and right now, for the Realtors, cheap is good.

As the Realty company tries to shake off the effects of the sluggish economy, the average team payroll has dropped by trading away expensive low-post players (i.e. Dennis Espino and Norman Gonzalez) for some unproven draft picks. The team's available salary, which is directly tied to overall revenue they receive from all marketing programs, fell this season for just the first time in nearly two decades. Last September 2009, team manager Buddy Encarnado admitted that the company did not earn much to pay steep increases and maintain high player wage rates.

The SLR situation is similar to what happened to American baseball's Oakland A's. When faced with financial constraints, Oakland pioneered the trend of trying to build winning teams by identifying players whose skills were undervalued by the market.

During the 18 games of the elimination round, the key players with the most number of attempts for the Realtors, make much less than the team's top shot blocker and their top player in steals.

Josh Urbiztondo, who tries to loosen the defense in the shaded area by shooting threes, makes less than Marlou Aquino or Ryan Reyes. This is the case inside the team even if Aquino can only managed 5.5 points per ball game compared to Urbiztondo's 8.7 points. It appears that guys who can shoot are almost always going to have a place to play with the Realtors, but nobody will see them making PhP 200-300 thousand a month.

Before the three-point shot was instituted in 1979 in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most American teams used a system where a center would dominate near the basket while a midsize forward did most of the scoring and the guards picked up the scraps.

But as soon as it arrived, players here and abroad fell in love with the three, which gave them a way to score points and look flashy without getting manhandled by defenders. Maybe this is the reason why resident franchise player, Kelly Williams, takes about three 3-point shots per game even if he only averages 16.7 percent from that zone, the lowest among those in the team that took at least 25 attempts in the elimination round.

The correlation between the number of threes a team makes and its winning percentage is relatively weak in the NBA, 0.3 on a scale where 1 shows a direct relationship and 0 shows no relationship at all. However, even if the jury's still out as to whether or not three-pointers help Realtors win their games, one thing is clear: they cannot win CONSISTENTLY at all if they are shooting less than 26 percent from arc.

"Everyone loves that three-pointer," said NBA Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was famous for his close-in and almost indefensible skyhook. "It's childish if you ask me."