PBA na ulit... (ARCHIVED)

[chua_riwap]

Tama nga ang "tsismis"...........

Whoppers let go of Japeth


BURGER King fought long and hard to convince Japeth Aguilar to don its jersey. Turns out the bond wasn’t meant to last.

Chairman Lito Alvarez on Sunday night released his prized No. 1 draft pick, a shocking move by the Burger King official after relentlessly pursuing the Western Kentucky University reserve to sign up with the ball club.

Aguilar will eventually end up with the team he wants to play for -- Smart-Gilas -- but was at first traded to Barako Bull. The Energy Boosters will then ship Aguilar to Talk ‘N Text, which will then unload him to the national team.

The Smart-Gilas team is being bankrolled by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the amateur governing body chaired by Talk ‘N Text owner Manny V. Pangilinan.

Alvarez made the announcement in the Whoppers’ dugout shortly after their 93-80 loss to Purefoods the other night, a statement that caught the whole team by surprise.

Coach Yeng Guiao confirmed that Aguilar indeed has played his final game with the team, saying that it may yet be the most practical decision to make right now to allow everyone involved to be contented.

“Sa isang banda, maganda na rin ‘yan,” said Guiao. “At least hindi lang ang isang kampo ang masaya. And we’ve prepared hard naman for the season without Japeth.”

Alvarez could not be contacted for comment.

But while Guiao may have already accepted the fact that Aguilar is gone for good, some of the team members got upset.

“The team was totally shocked when Alvarez said that it was the first and last game of Japeth,” said a reliable source who requested not to be named. “It totally caught the team by surprise, and there were some who really felt upset by the move.”

The 6-foot-10, 22-year old promising player is now worry-free of trying to carry the burden of lifting a team he allegedly does not want to be a part of. In his only game with the Whoppers, he ended up with 10 points and 9 rebounds in 24 minutes of playing time.

“Japeth really wants to play for Smart-Gilas,” said Ronnie Nathaniels, Aguilar’s manager-adviser. “He is more comfortable there and he thinks that he can learn more from (Rajko) Toroman.”

Aguilar is expected to play with Smart-Gilas on Friday when it takes on Burger King. The Nationals will only play for 10 games in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup or merely in the first round of the eliminations before they compete in a series of tournaments overseas.

Burger King reportedly will acquire in return Talk ‘N Text’s No. 2 and No. 3 picks next season by trading Aguilar, which means that the Whoppers will have the top three choices in the 2010-11 draft since it already owns the No. 1 pick.

Although no official statement has been announced by Burger King as of yet, some strongly believe that monetary matters played a big role in the deal, with the Whoppers having this history of going into one-sided trades.

While the decision to let go of Aguilar did not violate any rules in the PBA’s by-laws and constitution, others see it as one ‘mockery’ where Alvarez rallied the governors behind him and threaten Aguilar with a lifetime ban if he does not sign up with Burger King.

[james00112233]

Ang bilis ng pangyayari. Na-trade agad si Japeth.

[shadow]

^everybody knows what will transpire naman the moment he signed the dotted line.

[niwde11]

japeth needs a new manager imo.

[baludoy]

basta may cash considerations, open dyan ang air21 franchise

seriously though, bk definitely got a lot from this episode: 2 future draft picks of TnT, money, & they saved face. considering wala pang pinermahan si japeth at sa kanila pa rights niya for the next 2 years if ever aguilar didn't sign-up, malaki talaga nakuha nila alvarez

[jonski]

Malaki lugi dito ang TNT since ibibigay nila si jpeth sa Smart Gilas.

[shadow]

japeth needs a new manager imo.

ok naman, they get what they wanted..to play for Smart Gilas. nagkaroon pa siya ng extra na kita, since pumirma siya ng 1 year contract.

[_Qwerty_]

ayus na naman ang buto buto sa Air21 Franchise!!! kumita na naman sila dito..

[shadow]

^oo nga! sana si Alvarez na lang nalunod nun Ondoy kesa kay Tony Chua.

kahit ako player ayaw ko rin maglaro sa BK, gagawin ko rin yun ginawa ni Aguilar, ibebenta rin siya after 3 years...

ayaw pa kasing magdisband na lang ibenta na lang nila sa iba yun franchise nila.

walang security of tenure sa team na yan, except for the son in law ng owner na wala dapat sa PBA kung talent lang ang paguusapan.

I'm not surprise kung SMB ang nagbabayad ng salary ni Arwind Santos during his stint sa Air21.

if they can't afford to pay the salaries of PBA stars, tangina balik na lang sila sa PBL where it's cheaper to maintain a team, tutal ganun din ang ginagawa nila sa PBA. training ground lang sila ng mga playes ng TnT and SMB.

mas mura doon sa PBL, tapos kapal pa ng mukha ni Alvarez na si Aguilar and bumababoy sa PBA, tingnan niya muna ginagawa niya.

[james00112233]

Based on the news I read, talagang lamang na lamang ang BK sa ginawang pag-trade kay Japeth. Porket sinasabi nila na makakabuti ito kay Japeth dahil makakapaglaro siya sa Gilas. Ang totoo eh napilitan lang talaga si Japeth dahil kay Alvarez na yan!