Ed Picson and I just finished covering the Red Bull-Barangay Ginebra thriller in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum last Sunday and we chanced upon Barakos coach Yeng Guiao leaving the press room after the post-game conference. He was obviously in a good mood and why not?
Ginebra was in control of the match for three quarters until Red Bull got its act together in a late rally behind import Adam Parada, Cyrus Baguio and Mike Hrabak to win, 89-83.
Grinning from ear to ear, Guiao dropped a bombshell as Ed and I cornered him for a brief chat in the corridor.
“Did you know that Parada is from Pampanga?” he asked us with a curious glint in his eye.
Ed and I looked at each other, not knowing if Guiao was pulling our leg.
Guiao continued. “I looked at his birth certificate,” he went on. “Parada is from Mexico and as far as I’m concerned, that’s Mexico, Pampanga.”
We all burst in loud laughter. Only the vice governor from Pampanga could get away with a joke like that.
What a change in Guiao’s demeanor, I thought. About an hour before, Guiao was his usual firebrand self and got a technical for riding on the referees. But with the game over and done with, Guiao was back to normal. He was all smiles because beating Ginebra is always a feat, considering the big crowd that cheers for the Kings.
Besides, there was Mark Caguioa to contend with. The Spark erupted for 33 points and appeared on the way to lead Ginebra to a rousing win until the Barakos stepped it up. Pulling the rug from under Ginebra, despite Caguioa’s 33 points, had to be a reason for Guiao to smile.
But the big reason was Parada’s performance.
In the offseason, Red Bull and Magnolia were involved in a tug-of-war for Georgetown center Jameel Watkins’ services. Watkins eventually signed with Magnolia, leaving Parada for the Barakos. Red Bull could be so lucky.
From the way Parada played against Ginebra, it looks like he’s bound to be the import yardstick this conference. For the record, he finished with 28 points, 21 rebounds, two assists and five blocked shots in 43 minutes.
Ginebra import Rahshon Turner tried desperately to contain Parada in their matchup. He did a more than decent job fronting the former University of California at Irvine stalwart and dissuading the entry pass. When Turner got into foul trouble, Ginebra coach Joseph Uichico called for a zone which for a while, took away Parada’s low post attack. But as the game wore on, Parada just became more and more difficult to stop. In a pivotal play down the stretch, Parada grabbed the ball in mid-air after Kiko Adriano muffed a side jumper and stuffed it through.
“He’s got good hands,” marveled Guiao. “And he’s got a good attitude.”
Did Parada complain that he wasn’t getting the ball enough when Ginebra zoned?
“No,” replied Guiao. “He saw we were trying to get him the ball. He never complained. I knew if he just stayed patient, he’ll get the offensive rebounds and there wouldn’t be anyone out there to stop him from making the put-back.”
Clearly, Parada is what the doctor ordered for Red Bull. That’s Doctor J, by the way——Andy Jao who’s the team’s long-time consultant and import recruiter. Jao remembered watching Parada play for Mexico against the US at the Tournament of the Americas in Las Vegas last year and a player that good is difficult to erase in Dr. J’s memory.
“I covered the game on TV and Parada scored 17 points,” said Jao. “That was against a US team loaded with NBA stars.”
In the last conference where Red Bull finished third, the Barakos were glaringly weak in the middle. Mick Pennisi isn’t a natural center and neither is Carlo Sharma. Yet, both Pennisi and Sharma were pressed for duty at the slot because Guiao had no one else to turn to.
Now that Parada’s in the lineup, Pennisi and Sharma are able to slide back to their natural positions. And Guiao couldn’t be happier.
“What makes Parada even more valuable is he draws the defense towards him and that opens up opportunities for the locals,” said Guiao. That was evident in last Sunday’s game where Baguio and Hrabak got away with big baskets in the fourth period as Ginebra’s defenders converged on Parada.
There’s talk that 7-2, 315-pound NBA veteran Garth Joseph is available to play in the PBA and waiting for offers. Joseph played for Iran as an import in the FIBA Champions Cup last year and was an awesome force. If teams are shopping for an import who can match up with Parada, Joseph should be high on the list.