Art and science

The recent PBA blockbuster trade involving eight players, three teams and two future draft picks wasn’t hatched in a day or two. An insider recently disclosed that it took at least six weeks, sleepless nights, long hours of negotiations and creative thinking to finalize the deal.

The bottom line was finding a win-win-win situation for the trading parties Rain Or Shine, Meralco and Air 21. It’s called the art and science of wheeling and dealing, something you don’t learn in school. The masters of the “trade” thrive in the thrill of putting together a package that is generous or satisfactory to all concerned. Nobody wants to get short-changed so the deal must be fair every which way – otherwise, forget it. Investment bankers think the same way, matching sources and users of funds with imaginative financial engineering.

“It’s one of the toys for the big boys,” said the insider who was privy to the talks that led to the trade. “Representatives of the three teams were getting called for updates and tweaks at least four times a day. It starts with a rumor then someone initiates a meeting to talk things over. You try to address everyone’s needs and concerns. You study how players fit in particular teams, if they can relate to the coaches, if they can play within their system. It’s not easy but that’s what makes it a big thrill – a challenge.”

The trade sent Sol Mercado, Erick Rodriguez and Paolo Bugia to Meralco, Ronjay Buenafe, Ronnie Matias, Beau Belga and two future Air 21 first round draft picks to Rain Or Shine and Reed Juntilla and Jay-R Reyes to Air 21. What made the deal somewhat complicated was the mix-up of players from three different teams so that, for instance, Meralco picked up Mercado and Bugia from the Elasto Painters while Rodriguez came from the Express.

Rain Or Shine coach Yeng Guiao said he couldn’t be happier getting draft picks in 2011 and 2013. Additionally, he is reunited with his former Air 21 players Buenafe, Matias and Belga. Although Matias won’t be available until next conference to recover from his ACL injury, it’s obvious he’s Guiao’s kind of player – hard-nosed, won’t back down and gritty. Belga is cut in the same mold as Matias – physical and rugged. He’ll surely fortify Rain Or Shine’s middle with holdover Doug Kramer. Buenafe was Guiao’s primary perimeter gunner at Air 21 and will relive his role with Rain Or Shine.

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As for Mercado, it’s no secret he was the target of at least three teams. But because of his superstar status, it was clear that a trade involving him couldn’t be just a one-on-one deal unless a James Yap was involved.

“Not too many fans know that after Meralco beat Rain Or Shine in triple overtime in the eliminations, Sol went over to coach Ryan (Gregorio) and congratulated him,” said the insider. “He even entered the Meralco dugout. That showed the respect Sol has for Ryan. So when this deal was being packaged, it was only logical that Meralco would be part of the trade.”

Reyes moving to Air 21 was also providential. “When Jay-R was playing for Letran in high school, he was being recruited by nearly all the UAAP and NCAA teams – he was that good,” continued the insider. “Jay-R chose to play for UP in the UAAP because he has always been very close to the Gregorio family, often taking his meals at their home. So it wasn’t difficult to bring Jay-R to Air 21 where Allan Gregorio is the team manager. To make the whole deal work, we had to find teams where the players would be comfortable and succeed.”

The other players just fell into place.

Are there more trades in the offing? Because the PBA is so dynamic, it wouldn’t be surprising if another blockbuster deal is announced sooner than later. Two teams were rumored to be offering starting guards for Mercado in a straight one-on-one deal but none worked out.

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As for Barako Bull’s leave of absence, the insider said the PBA should be more understanding of team owner George Chua’s plight.

 “Mr. Chua is recovering from some financial setbacks but he’s been with the PBA since 2000,” said the insider. “He’s part of the PBA family. Now that he’s down, it’s unfair to be hard on him. He’s hoping to make a comeback in the third conference but that remains to be seen if he can recover financially. I think he should be commended for giving way to the national team to take Barako’s spot in the second conference.”

Smart Gilas has been allowed by the PBA to play in Barako’s place in the coming second conference. Because of its forfeiture, Barako will not share in ticket sales and whatever sponsorships are raised for the conference. However, it will continue to receive a share in the TV income for the year.

Barako’s players will be available in a dispersal draft after the Philippine Cup finals. Undrafted players with live contracts will be paid their salaries by the PBA from Barako’s equity and share of TV income.

The players in the Barako roster are Marlou Aquino, Lordy Tugade, Vaughn Canta, Pong Escobal, Khasim Mirza, Chad Alonzo, Rob Wainwright, Mark Andaya, Paolo Hubalde, Marvin Cruz, Jojo Duncil, Aris Dimaunahan, Richard Yee, Jason Misolas, Ken Bono, Borgie Hermida, Dennis Daa and Bruce Viray. Since the start of this season, the Barako cagers who have moved to other teams were Sunday Salvacion, Mark Isip, Hans Thiele and Juntilla.

Postscript: Alaska topped the three-day invitational tournament that ended in Cebu last Thursday. The Aces beat Powerade, Meralco and M. Lhuillier to finish with a perfect 3-0 record. The Tigers wound up second at 2-1, Meralco third at 1-2 and M. Lhuillier fourth a 0-3. Alaska played with import Eddie Basden, formerly of the Chicago Bulls, while Powerade was bannered by Titus Ivory. “Alaska and Powerade played with their imports and it proved to be the difference maker,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio. “We dropped our last two assignments to Alaska and Powerade. I opted to sit out Bitoy Omolon (calf) and Thiele (left leg). Sol also didn’t play against Alaska with a bruised right hand so as not to aggravate their injuries.” The Bolts played without Asi Taulava and import Tony Danridge.