Barako's future in doubt

The PBA will hold a rare owners’ meeting at Club Filipino in Greenhills on Jan. 25 and among the topics to be discussed are the viability of constructing a self-owned coliseum, participation in the national team, the birth of the D-League and the process of negotiating a contract with a new TV coveror.

But shouldn’t the case of Barako Bull also be taken up?

Barako Bull was originally Red Bull when it joined the PBA in 2000. The George Chua franchise had a blazing start and picked up championships in 2001 (Commissioner’s Cup), 2002 (Commissioner’s Cup) and 2005-06 (Fiesta Conference), all with coach Yeng Guiao at the helm.

Since the 2008-09 Philippine Cup, the Bulls have been mired in the PBA cellar. They’ve wound up at the bottom of the heap the last five conferences, posting an overall record of 16-66. Guiao has left to join Air 21 and his Barako job was taken over by first, Leo Isaac and now, Junel Baculi.

When Barako – still known as Red Bull – won its last title in 2005-06, Guiao’s lineup listed the likes of Cyrus Baguio, Enrico Villanueva, Leo Najorda, Larry Fonacier, Mick Pennisi, Celino Cruz, Topex Robinson and Paolo Bugia. Those eight players are now with different squads. The only holdover is Lordy Tugade who just rejoined Barako after a trade with San Miguel Beer.

In the Philippine Cup last season, Barako’s roster included Yousif Aljamal, Najorda, Gilbert Lao, Ogie Menor and Rob Reyes. Those five cagers are no longer with the Bulls.

Barako started the current conference with swashbuckling players like Sunday Salvacion, Hans Thiele, Reed Juntilla and Mark Isip. They’ve since been traded to other teams.

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PBA commissioner Chito Salud stepped in thrice to revise recent Barako trades because he felt the Bulls were being short-changed. Apparently, Barako officials didn’t care if the team got the short end of the bargain. It took Salud to protect Barako’s interest – which makes you wonder about the team’s future.

The first trade involved the undrafted Thiele who collected eight points and 13 rebounds in Barako’s 74-68 win over Meralco last Oct. 10. After six games, Thiele was dealt to – you guessed it, Meralco – for role player Dennis Daa, undrafted in 2006. Thiele, 26, has a huge upside while Daa, 31, averaged 12.6 minutes last season. Daa was scoreless in three of five appearances before the trade. Salud intervened and added Meralco’s 2013 second round pick to “balance” the swap. You wonder why Barako would trade a promising rookie for a journeyman in his 30s?

The second trade involved Isip and Juntilla who finished the eliminations with a combined average of 25.7 points. The original deal would’ve sent both players to Meralco for Ford Arao, Khazim Mirza and Pong Escobal. Arao hadn’t scored in two games and Mirza was scoreless in one outing. Escobal averaged 5.2 points when the deal came up. In terms of scoring stats, the trade boiled down to 25.7 points for 5.2 points. Once again, Salud stepped into the picture. He added Marlou Aquino and a 2012 first round draft pick to sweeten the pie for Barako while removing Arao from the deal.

Aquino, 38, was inked to a one-conference contract by Meralco so it didn’t seem like the Bolts had a place for the Skyscraper in the future. If Barako has plans to rebuild – and it must retool to be competitive, will Aquino figure in the blueprint?

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The third trade involved Salvacion who averaged 12.6 points in the eliminations. Barako didn’t mind dealing Salvacion for Tugade, hitting at a 3.1 clip. There couldn’t be a more one-sided swap. So as if on cue, Salud moved in to add rookie Vaughn Canta to the mix. Canta had played two games for San Miguel, scoring 1-of-8 from the field. Against Barako last Nov. 12, he went 0-of-1 from the floor in a single minute of action. Salud’s “token” gesture was more a reminder for Barako to get its house in order.

If Barako is in it to win it, why is the team unloading key players like there’s no tomorrow? Why does Salud have to intervene whenever Barako negotiates a trade? The Bulls’ record of futility isn’t a laughing matter. Barako registered a 3-11 record this conference and while four of its losses were by five points or less, it was difficult for fans to take the franchise as a serious contender.

It appears that as soon as a player becomes marketable, Barako puts him up for a trade. Or for sale? Are there considerations other than players and draft picks in trading away marketable players like Thiele, Isip, Salvacion and Juntilla? Is Barako staying around in the PBA because there is “side” money to be made trading players? Is winning no longer a goal?

There is talk that the salaries of some Barako players are being paid by their former PBA teams. If this is true, then it is clearly a breach of integrity. How can anyone justify suiting up a player whose salary is being carried by a rival team? If Barako isn’t able to meet its payroll obligations, then it must cut and cut cleanly – not hang around to wait for trade “offers.”

If Salud is serious in fighting for parity and competitive balance in the PBA, then he must look into Barako Bull’s case now before the franchise blows up in everyone’s face, leaving a black mark in the league’s history.

If the Barako owners are determined to stick it out in the PBA, then they must show the capability of maintaining a competitive team. If not, then, for the sake of the league, fans and the game itself, put the franchise up for sale. It would be the only decent thing to do.