PBA na ulit... (ARCHIVED)

**shadow** · March 26th, 2008 01:49 PM

bakit Purefoods yata ang apple of the eye ng SMB management....sana binigay na lang sa Ginerba import nila

Experts say Purefoods import the real deal
By Nelson Beltran
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 Experts in the business are pointing to Purefoods’ Darius Rice as the import to watch in the PBA Fiesta Cup opening Saturday in Panabo, Davao del Norte.
American conditioning coaches Kevin Barbosa and Kirk Collier are among those considering Rice the best in the start list of imports that includes three returnees in Wesley Wilson of Sta. Lucia Realty, Randy Holcomb of Alaska Milk and Jameel Watkins of Magnolia.
“Coach Kevin (Barbosa) couldn’t believe Darius Rice is coming. He said Darius is the real deal. He’s a legit NBA material,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio on Barbosa’s comment on their import acquisition.
Gregorio said Collier said practically the same thing.
Gregorio was keeping his fingers crossed Rice shall have boarded his Northwest flight to Manila last night. Rice is expected to join the Giants in practice starting Thursday.
“He’s really a legit NBA material but we’re taking a lot of risk in signing him. Our contract has a clause that he’ll leave us if he gets a call from the NBA,” said Gregorio.
“We’re the only team without an import yet. We’ve been waiting for long. Hopefully, it’s worth the wait,” Gregorio added.
Rice, nephew of NFL future Hall of Famer wide receiver Jerry Rice, took some time to get his release papers from the Puerto Rican league where he’s the leading scorer and rebounder of his team.
“Before going to Puerto Rico, he was in China playing two games, scoring 53 and 58 points. A lot are after his services,” said Gregorio.
Rice was a McDonald’s All-American in his senior year in high school. Like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and others, Rice, already 6-foot-10 then, was already an NBA prospect after high school but he opted to study and play college ball with the Miami Hurricanes.
Rice played four seasons at Miami (2000-04), averaging 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals over the course of 116 games, 113 of them as a starter.
He’s fourth among Miami’s all-time leaders in scoring (1,865 points) and second in three-point field goals at 260.
He wasn’t drafted in the NBA but was the last cut in the Miami Heat roster for the 2005 campaign and in the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup this season.
Only at 25, his prospect of making it to the NBA, however, is big.
The other imports are Bobby Burries and Jason Dixon of Coca-Cola, Cory Santee and Jason Keep of Welcoat, Rahshon Turner of Ginebra, Aaron McGhee of Talk n Text, Adam Parada of Red Bull and Steve Thomas for Air21.
All are in except Rice with Wilson arriving Saturday and joining the Realtors in two practice sessions so far.
“He’s in a good condition. Pinagsususupalpal si Marlou (Aquino) at Dennis (Espino). I think we could go places with him,” said coach Boyet Fernandez whose team is in contention for a double championship in the season.

**RedHorse** · March 26th, 2008 11:14 PM

done deal, and it's huge:

villanueva switches team with pingris!

magkaaway, mag team mate?

enrico and kerby? mga ex-RB, mga PFs na!

in the works (wag naman sana)

junthy for sunday!

aarrgh! parang ayaw ko ng mag RB..

(as seen from ANC's hardball)

**chua_riwap** · March 26th, 2008 11:22 PM

^^ Junthy to BGK, swap w/ Sunday?

Welcome to BGK, Diego............

**glenngj** · March 27th, 2008 01:14 AM

may nabasa ako na column na BGK will trade reavis for yancy de ocampo..

**chua_riwap** · March 27th, 2008 02:27 AM

Si Adducul, may cancer? Nasopharynx cancer. Nagkabukol sa leeg........

Out na muna siya for the rest of the conference.

**shadow** · March 27th, 2008 09:58 AM

mukhang gusto nila ibalik yun physical game ng Gineba...valenzuela + tubid= rumble in Araneta

dapat binigay na lang sa Ginebra si Pingris, ano naman gagawin niya sa Magnolia ang daming malalaki, mababangko lang siya doon...

**glenngj** · March 27th, 2008 10:24 AM

adducul confirm na may cancer nga, before the fiesta conference starts daming trade na nagaganap..

Adducul battles Big C; Rico traded for Pingris
By Nelson Beltran
Thursday, March 27, 2008 Romel Adducul, the Purefoods starting center who’s been a marquee player since his collegiate days, is diagnosed to be afflicted with nasopharynx cancer, prompting his ballclub to initiate a blockbuster deal involving Enrico Villanueva and Mark Pingris.
Adducul, 31, who is in the early stage of the ailment, has been declared out of at least the coming Fiesta Conference as he’s now undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Adducul’s ouster led Purefoods to work on the trade which actually involved five players plus a draft pick from four ball clubs.
San Miguel Corp. used Coca-Cola as the third party as it traded Villanueva for Pingris in a major transaction three days before the start of the season-ending reinforced tourney.
Magnolia first released Villanueva and Willy Wilson to Coca-Cola in exchange for Chester Tolomia. Then Coke shipped Villanueva to Purefoods for Pingris who was then sent to Magnolia in exchange for a future draft pick.
Ginebra joined the deal by releasing Mark Macapagal to Coca-Cola for Wilson.
“Romel’s ouster was a major factor in our decision to work on the trade. Without Romel and also Omanzie Rodriguez who underwent an ACL surgery, we no longer have a legitimate center,” said Purefoods governor Rene Pardo.
“A 6-foot-5 (Villanueva) for a 6-foot-3 (Pingris) makes a big difference,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.
Pardo, however, is hopeful Adducul can come back as he’s responding well to treatment.
“The good thing is that he’s young and athletic. Actually, he’s still joining us in practice. Lumiliit na ang bukol nya sa leeg,” said Pardo.
Pardo said Adducul felt symptoms of the cancer during the semifinals of the All-Filipino tourney.
“He was ignoring it because he wanted to help the team. When he was finally diagnosed to have cancer, at first he didn’t want it to be known by the public. He decided to let it be known after the announcement of former President Cory Aquino’s ailment,” said Pardo.
In agreeing to be the conduit in the trade involving SMC teams, Coca-Cola got Macapagal and a draft pick while losing only Tolomia. SMC ball clubs – Magnolia, Ginebra and Purefoods – are not allowed to have a direct trade deal with one another.
Meanwhile, practically all the Air21 players face possible sanction even before the start of the season-ending conference as they beat up Talk n Text import Aaron McGhee in a tumultuous tune-up game at the Sports Camp in Taguig yesterday.
“He (McGhee) had many wayward elbows thrown. Ranidel (De Ocampo) got hit early in the second quarter, and this sparked the melee,” said Air21 coach Bo Perasol.

**shadow** · March 27th, 2008 10:47 AM

glenngj, you should read this....:book:

Posting Articles (e.g. copy and paste material)

**glenngj** · March 27th, 2008 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by shadow

glenngj, you should read this....:book:

Posting Articles (e.g. copy and paste material)

coming from philstar.com sports section.. thanks for the info

**suv** · March 27th, 2008 04:12 PM

Itong hirap talaga pag na-sister eh.....

Dapat draft pick na lang ipinalit kay villanueva......hindi naman gaano masakit sa mga san miguel supporters na mawala si enrico.... Pero sa Purefoods supporters masakit na mawala si Pingris....

Ibalik na lang kay Don Jaime ang Purefoods!!!