5-TEAM, 10-PLAYER RIGODON APPROVED
After a through evaluation, PBA Commissioner Chito Salud approved four trades involving 10 players and five teams on Tuesday, the biggest player movement in league history as far as number of teams involved in a single day.
Petron Blaze improved its wing firepower, San Mig Coffee beefed up its backcourt, Barako Bull infused young blood in its lineup while Alaska and Barangay Ginebra got one player they needed each in agreeing to the multi-player trade deal.
The Boosters acquired Barako Bull top gun Ronald Tubid while giving away Jojo Duncil and Fil-Am rookie Alex Mallari.
Afterwards, the Energy Cola brought Mallari, veteran forward Leo Najorda, another freshman Lester Alvarez plus a 2014 first round draft pick acquired previously from the Boosters over to the San Mig Coffee Mixers in exchange for JC Intal, Jonas Villanueva and Aldrech Ramos.
Ramos was then traded by Barako Bull to Alaska in exchange for Mac Baracael who was then quickly shipped to Barangay Ginebra for Allein Maliksi, who returned to the team which drafted him ninth overall in the first round of the 2001 Draft.
All five teams tweaked their lineups with 17 days to go before the opening of the Commissioner’s Cup on Feb. 8.
Ending up with a stronger and younger squad with the acquisition of Intal, Villanueva, Duncil and Maliksi, Barako Bull is looking to bounce back from a dismal ninth place in the recent Philippine Cup where it missed the playoffs.
Having added more youth with Mallari and Alvarez and toughness with Najorda, the Mixers are defending the Commissioner’s Cup crown they won in an epic seven-game battle with the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters last year. (SB/FM)
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