PBA Scores, News and Updates

[krimson38]

Ano nangyare?

Mike Silungan (5th round), main man ng lowly UP Maroons ito dati

I am surprised to see Mike Silungan drop all the way to the 5th round. While Silungan shoots way too many three-pointers, I didn't think that 40+ players would be picked before him. I thought he would be drafted late 2nd round/early 3rd.

[Zurca]

Amid furor over Barako trades, Salud insists he didn't perceive any 'blatantly one-sided' deals on draft day

PBA commissioner Chito Salud on Monday insisted he did not perceive any 'blatantly lopsided' trades during the PBA rookie draft amid the public outcry over Barako Bull's decision to trade its valuable first-round picks to Barangay Ginebra and Globalport.

Salud has come under fire from some fans for his perceived failure to veto the controversial draft-day trades that saw Barako Bull send the No. 4 pick overall to Ginebra for Rico Maierhofer and Willy Wilson and the fifth pick to Petron for rarely used playrs Mark Isip and Magi Sison.

That pick eventually landed on the lap of Globalport in a separate trade for Yousef Taha - a right the Batang Pier used to grab former Far Eastern University star Terrence Romeo.

Those deals - as well as a separate Barako trade for the No. 6 pick which Globalport got in exchange for Denok Miranda and used to take former UAAP MVP RR Garcia - have come under fire from fans, team officials and players in the media and on social networking sites.

Former league MVP Eric Menk best captured the public sentiment over the trades when he tweeted on his account @EMenk30: "Barako Bull proves again today that they are the most "unselfish" team in the PBA......"

Even PLDT head Manny V. Pangilinan couldn't resist commenting about the issue. He said in a rare tweet: "Barako gave up all its 1st round picks, and did its 2nd round. "The world wonders" - Admiral Chester W Nimitz."

Still, Salud said he didn't see any trades on draft day that can be perceived as "blatantly lopsided."

"A team can strengthen its lineup through trades and/ or draft picks. I did not perceive any blatantly lopsided trades during the draft," Salud said in a statement released to media outlets.

Salud also refused to wade into the dispute over the possible motives of Barako Bull in trading away the first-round picks amid lingering accusations that the Energy Cola franchise is being run like a "farm team" of San Miguel-owned ballclubs.

"If the issue is the strategy, wisdom, and rationale behind Barako's or any other team's decision to trade their picks for current stars or vice versa, that's obviously not within my province to explain or second-guess," said the lawyer.

League insiders also bared that trades for draft picks can be announced on the draft floor without prior approval from the Commissioner's Office - an arrangement agreed upon by the league board.

A source confirmed that Salud was informed about the Barako trades right on the draft floor, although it is believed that the commissioner still holds the power to shoot down "blatantly one-sided deals" in the days after the rookie draft.

But judging from his statement, it is clear Salud has no plan to do so with regards to Barako Bull's controversial transactions.

"It remains clearly and solely within the ballclubs' prerogative and the teams would thus be in the position to explain the direction they have chosen to take, provided of course there are no one-sided trades involved," he added.

"In any case, I keep a watchful eye on these things as our member teams are aware."

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Cone thrilled to add Chua, Melton to San Mig's bountiful rookie draft harvest

SAN Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone couldn’t hide his excitement over four major acquisitions from the rookie draft which should make the Mixers deeper and younger beginning next season.

The bountiful rookie harvest included two big men in Ian Sangalang (selected second overall) and Justin Chua (10th), an athletic point guard in Fil-Am Justin Melton (13th) and a swingman in JR Cawaling (30th).

Cone said outside the 6-foot-5 Sangalang, he felt Chua was a gem of a catch with the last pick of the first round because of his decent perimeter shooting size and the ability to guard big men on the low block.

“We wanted two bigs and we were looking at either for Chua or (Isaac) Holstein,” explained Cone after the draft that saw 44 of the record total 79 rookie hopefuls selected.

Cone, in fact, said he never thought Chua would still be available that late in the draft and in the process passed up on UST scoring machine Jeric Teng when the chance to grab the former Ateneo back-up center presented itself.

“I thought Chua is gonna go 5, 6 or 7 because when he came to our draft camp, he didn’t miss a shot, and that excited the coaching staff. He’s a big man who can shoot and he can defend big men,” he added.

Even Melton, the 5’11” guard from Angeles, Pampanga, caught the fancy of the multi-titled PBA mentor because of his athleticism.

“Melton is just too good of an athlete to pass up. He could jump out of the gym, incredibly quick, who just needs to work on his point guard skills and leadership skills,” said the 55-year-old San Mig bench tactician.

Since the reigning PBA Governors' Cup champions won't return to practice until November 11, Cone said he’ll begin working with Sangalang, Chua and Cawaling starting Wednesday to introduce them to his trademark triangle offense.

“We just have one week to prepare because we don’t start practice until Monday (November 11). I’ll try to work with the rookies and the coaching staff on Wednesday and Thursday,” said Cone.

“We’ll teach them some of the basics of the triangle (offense) and get (assistant coaches) Johnny (Abarrientos) and Jeff (Cariaso) to run the triangle with them so they’ll (rookies) have some basic before they go to camp.”

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Massive draft-day buildup proof Batang Pier mean business, says Washington

THE series of trades Globalport pulled off on Draft Day isn’t lost on veteran forward Jay Washington, who’s convinced the young franchise is out to make a statement in its second PBA season.

Washington said selecting the likes of Far Eastern University stars Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia by trading away promising Yousif Taha and veteran point guard Denok Miranda is proof the Batang Pier are serious in putting together the pieces of what he hopes would be a champion roster someday.

Globalport acquired the No. 5 pick from Petron by sending away Taha before promptly using the selection to get Romeo, the high-scoring reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player. Petron acquired the pick from Barako Bull in exchange for Mark Isip and Magi Sison.

The chance to pick Garcia, himself a former UAAP MVP, came when the Batang Pier traded Miranda to Barako for the No. 6 selection.

And for its own pick at no. 7, Globalport lost no time taking in Fil-Am big man Isaac Holstein.

“I just think it (trades initiated) shows how aggressive our management is. They (Globalport management) are not playing around. They mean business,” Washington told Spin.ph.as he joined owner Mikee Romero, team officials, and fellow players in welcoming their draftees on Sunday at Robinsons Place in Manila.

Globalport later added two-time UAAP Finals MVP Nico Salva to its rookie haul by tabbing the big man out of Ateneo at the start of the second round.

Other rookie picks by the Batang Pier in the late rounds include LA Revilla and Jopher Custodio.

The 6-foot-7 Washington, a former two-time Best Player of the Conference while playing for Petron, believes their rookies could easily make an impact if given the time to jell with the rest of the team.

“We’ve got a lot of quality picks that can help us win soon and contribute. We’re a totally different team after this draft. Now we just got to come together and see what we can do and jell together,” he added.

The 32-year-old power forward is also thankful that management has added veteran center Enrico Villanueva to the mix after Globalport shipped out former two-time league MVP Willie Miller and backup slotman Hans Thiele to Barako Bull on Draft Day.

“With Rico, he had many battles out there. His competitive level is very high. He’s another veteran who can lead young guys here, so definitely he’s gonna help,” explained Washington.

Globalport ended its maiden season in Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league with a 7-31 win-loss record overall, capped by its very first playoff appearance during the Governors Cup.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

San Mig gets Holstein from Globalport in exchange for rookie Chua, Najorda

JUST two days after the PBA draft, San Mig Coffee sent rookie big man Justin Chua to Globalport in exchange for the Batang Pier’s own rookie draftee Isaac Holstein on Tuesday.

San Mig coach Tim Cone confirmed the deal, saying the Mixers had packaged No. 10 pick Chua with Leo Najorda to acquire the rights to Holstein, Globalport's No. 7 pick overall in Sunday's draft.

In explaining the deal, Cone said San Mig's loaded frontline would make it hard for Chua to progress in his first season and sees the former Ateneo mainstay getting a better opportunity with the Batang Pier.

“Yes, we actually traded Justin and Leo for Isaac Holstein because honestly, Globalport was just looking for someone who could contribute to their team right away,” Cone told Spin.ph.

“I mean, we have Ping (Marc Pingris), Rafi Reavis, Yancy de Ocampo, Ian Sangalang and Jewel Ponferada so Justin will have a real playing time crunch with us,” he said.

In contrast, the 6-7 Holstein can afford to spend some time developing under Cone's system while waiting for his own opportunity.

Cone admitted keeping an eye on the West Virginia University product before and after the draft.

“With Isaac, we have the time and patience to work with him because we’re a defensive team first. Isaac was our target all the time even after the draft,” added the multi-titled PBA mentor.

However, it is not yet clear if the trade for the two big men had been pre-arranged before the draft as part of a deal Globalport had with another San Miguel-owned team, Petron.

On Sunday, Globalport got the No. 5 pick overall by sending Yousef Taha to Petron, who had earlier acquired the draft pick from Barako Bull in a separate deal involving Mark Isip and Magi Sison.

Ironically, Globalport coach Junel Baculi had earlier told Spin.ph that the reason they passed up on Chua at No. 7 was because he is more like a "duplication" of Batang Pier mainstays Jay Washington and Jondan Salvador.

Now Chua is on Baculi's team.

The trade has been approved by the Commissioner's Office.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Selection headache for Ramos as trades leave Barako Bull with surplus of players

A FLURRY of trades in the offseason has left Barako Bull with a surplus of players, giving the coaching staff led by Bong Ramos a headache as it prepares to prune down the team two weeks before the PBA season.

No less than 27 players are in the team pool and a total of 24 players showed up in Barako's regular morning practice on Tuesday — 10 holdovers from the past season, eight coming from recent trade deals, five rookies from Sunday’s draft and a free agent.

Barako Bull acquired big men Willy Wilson and Rico Maierhofer from Barangay Ginebra during draft day after trading away its fourth pick - just one of several perplexing trades that drew criticism from fans and fanned accusations that the Energy Cola are a 'San Miguel farm team.'

The Energy Cola also gave up their fifth pick in exchange for Mark Isip and seldom-used big man Magi Sison of Petron (which traded the pick to Globalport for Yousif Taha) before totally skipping the first round by giving its sixth pick to Globalport for guard Dennis Miranda.

Before that, Barako Bull also swapped Eman Monfort for Rob Labagala of Ginebra.

Their top pick in the draft was 14th overall, which they used to take former San Miguel Beermen guard Jeric Fortuna. Carlo Lastimosa was the final pick of the second round, and he was joined by Darwin Cordero in the third round and Jett Vidal in the fourth.

Ramos said the coaching staff and management will have to trim down the bulging roster by Wednesday since the team is set to leave on Thursday morning for a four-team pocket tournament in Cebu.

“Meron na naman akong naisip na matitira but I still have to talk to management about it,” said Ramos.

There were also changes to the Barako Bull coaching staff with the arrival of Koy Banal, who is coming off a one-conference stint with Petron as one of Boosters coach Gee Abanilla’s assistants.

Despite the team coming under fire for what fans had lambasted as "lopsided" deals, Ramos said he is happy to have a pool of "tried and tested" players to choose from.

“Marami lang 27 (players) sa ngayon, pero kasi ang importante sa akin ngayon, yung sinasabi na beterano, tried and tested na sila sa PBA. Positive yun na nakikita ko sa practice. Pati attitude at intensity nila,” Ramos told Spin.ph after the team’s practice at the Gatorade Hoops Center.

Ramos said he intends to put together a full-court trapping team that has a lot of options on the half-court set.

“I think I will have a group na pang full-court, pang mabilis at pang set up,” explained the Barako Bull mentor.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

'Buff' Eric Menk shows up for Globalport practice as contract talks get underway

A BUFF Eric Menk surprised everyone including coach Junel Baculi when he showed up for Globalport's practice on Wednesday morning at the Moro Lorenzo gym inside the Ateneo campus.

“I heard the team is working on having him here pero I didn’t expect na ngayon siya darating,” said Baculi, who bared how team owner Mikee Romero has been personally batting for Menk’s inclusion in their team’s roster for the coming season.

Inactive since playing for San Miguel Beer in its successful title campaign in the ABL in June, the former PBA MVP is being eyed by Romero as the final piece in a massive offseason buildup that saw the Batang Pier collar top rookies and talented veterans.

More than Menk's presence, what surprised Baculi and Globalport's players was the well-chiselled physique and impressive play of the many-time All-Star despite months of inactivity.

“Pumayat si Eric. Mukhang kundisyon. 'Yung old moves niya andun pa rin,” said the fiery mentor.

Globalport veteran big man Jondan Salvador said of the 39-year-old power forward: “Okay naman siya. Parang nag-lose ng weight. Mukhang mas kundisyon nga siya ngayon. Nakasabay siya sa practice namin kanina. Nakatapos pa tapos nag-extra shooting pa siya after."

“Nag extra work out siguro yun for a few weeks, kasi andun yung kilos eh,” he added. “Game shape lang kulang sa kanya, kasi June 12 pa siya huli naglaro. Pero pagnakuha niya 'yun, babalik ang bagsik niyan. Beterano na 'yan nasa system na niya ang laro.”

Although Menk will be a big threat to him in the battle for playing time, Salvador said he doesn’t mind.

“Malaking addition sa amin si Eric Menk, syempre yung respect sa kanya ng mga big men … hindi nawawala yun,” said Salvador. “Eric Menk is Eric Menk!”

“Walang problema sa akin kung ako pa maapektuhan sa playing time, basta tayo lalaro kung mabibigyan ng time. Lagi naman tayong ganun eh. Always ready!” he added.

Meanwhile, Baculi bared that Globalport management is still in the thick of negotiations with Menk, who is an unrestricted free agent after being dropped from the lineup by Ginebra.

“Everything is not yet cast in stone, in as far as his career with the team is concerned. Pero our management is already working on it," Baculi said.

But there is no doubt in Baculi's mind that Menk will come in handy for him next season.

"We will need Eric in our frontline … He’ll be a big factor inside,” he said.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Garcia, Jeric Teng join PBA Millionaires' Club after agreeing to multi-year deals

Former UAAP MVP leads RR Garcia and University of Santo Tomas star Jeric Teng lead the new batch of rookie millionaires after reaching deals with their respective PBA teams on Thursday.

Garcia, the veteran guard out of Far Eastern University and former MVP of the UAAP, joined the PBA’s 'Millionaires' Club' after agreeing to a three-year contract with Globalport worth P8.5 million, according to his agent Ed Ponceja.

Selected sixth overall in the draft, Garcia is expected to receive the rookie maximum of P150,000 a month during his first year, P225,000 on the second year and P337,500 on his third and final year of contract.

The 6’1” Teng, on the other hand, signed a two-year deal with a Rain or Shine team which drafted him 12th overall in Sunday’s PBA rookie draft at Robinsons Place in Malate, Manila.

While details of the contract were withheld by Rain or Shine management, the sweet-shooting UST gunner will earn more or less P3.3 million excluding bonuses and other perks for the duration of his two-year deal, insiders said.

Former Adamson Falcon shooter Alex Nuyles, Rain or Shine’s ninth pick in the draft, will get roughly P3.9 million in his two-year deal under the Asian Coatings franchise co-owned by businessmen Raymund Yu and Terry Que.

Former Ateneo backcup big man Justin Chua has also inked a two-year deal with Globalport worth an estimated P3.5 million, while fellow Blue Eagle Ryan Buenafe is expected to get almost the same deal with the Alaska Aces.

The three top picks Greg Slaughter of Barangay Ginebra, Ian Sangalang of San Mig Coffee and Raymond Almazan are expected to sign lucrative three-year maximum rookie deals worth around P8.5 million by next week.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Uichico puts premium on speed and heart for undersized SEA Games team

SHORT in height but loaded with speed and heart.

It’s how national coach Jong Uichico described the Philippine men’s basketball team bound for the Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar following the announcement of the official lineup Thursday.

“It has to be a running team because we don’t have the size. So that’s what the lineup dictates,” said Uichico.

The 12-man lineup for the biennial meet didn’t include De La Salle big man Arnold Van Opstal and pro-bound players Raymond Almazan, Terrence Romeo, and RR Garcia, all of whom were originally named as part of the 19-man training pool formed a month ago.

“I don’t think they were permitted,” Uichico told Spin.ph, referring to the four players.

“The lineup was submitted yesterday (Wednesday). Mabilis lang talaga ang proseso, pero okay na naman. Whoever is in the pool, `yun na,” he added.

Almazan, Romeo, and Garcia were picked up in the first round during Sunday’s annual PBA draft.

Uichico said the team can no longer wait for the four players to show up in practice and will just proceed with its training since time is of the essence with just a month to go before the 27th edition of the meet gets underway.

The basketball competition is set on December 8-16 at the Zayar Thiri Indoor Stadium.

“If you make any changes in the lineup during the manager’s meeting sometime in December, it will have to be because the team has an injured player. Now, that’s what’s there. We don’t have much,” said Uichico, who’s also a deputy coach at Meralco.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Sonny Barrios urged support for the SEA Games team.

“Coach Jong has assembled a competitive team from the best talent available to him to defend the SEA Games crown,” said Barrios. “Let us rally behind them as they prepare for the challenge ahead, and we wish them well."

With naturalized player Marcus Douthit and alternates Jake Pascaul and Prince Caperal as the only legitimate big men in the team, Uichico is putting premium on speed and quickness as its main assets.

Apart from Douthit, Caperal, and Pascual, also named to the team were Gilas cadets Kevin Alas, Garvo Lanete, Ronald Pascual, and Matt Ganuelas, along with college stars Bobby Ray Parks, Kiefer Ravena, Kevin Ferrer, Jericho Cruz, and Mark Belo.

Except in 1989, the Philippines has won all the men’s basketball gold since it began participating in the SEA Games in 1977.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Trillo up against grand slam-winning pair in race for Coach of the Year award

LUIGI Trillo, the rookie coach who steered Alaska to the Commissioner’s Cup title last season, is up against Grand Slam winners Norman Black of Talk ‘N Text and San Mig Coffee’s Tim Cone in the balloting for the PBA Press Corps’ Coach of the Year award.

Black, who had his Triple Crown sweep with San Miguel in 1989, piloted the Tropang Texters to a third successive conquest of the Philippine Cup, while Cone, who had his Grand Slam in 1996 with Alaska, guided the Mixers to the Governors’ Cup title.

The awarding of the Baby Dalupan trophy to the Coach of the Year will be one of the highlights of the PBAPC’s 'A Banquet of Heroes' night presented by Meralco at Wack Wack on Tuesday where the finest performers of the past season will be honored.

Also up for grabs in the program that starts at 7 p.m. at Banquet B is the Executive of the Year trophy where Team PBA, led by chair Robert Non, commissioner Chito Salud and top Gilas-Pilipinas backer Manny V. Pangilinan of Talk ‘N Text, is the hot favorite.

Aside from winning a title in just his third full conference as coach, Trillo also guided Alaska to the best winning percentage last season, according to chief PBA statistician and PBAPC member Fidel Mangonon III.

The .636 winning percentage of the Aces for their 35-20 record was slihtly better than that of Black’s Talk ‘N Text crew, which had .625 (35-21). Alaska’s total victories was also 24 more than what it had in 2012 for the franchise’s second biggest turnaround.

Cone’s Mixers finished with a 38-26 record for the year, for a .594 clip which was third best in the league.

Also, Alaska’s 24-win improvement was the most by any team since Purefoods also posted the same in 2009, which, ultimately, gave Ryan Gregorio the Coach of the Year trophy.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Pingris bestowed Defensive Player of the Year award as Lassiter named comeback king

MARC Pingris of San Mig Coffee, Marcio Lassiter of Petron Blaze and Jervy Cruz of Rain or Shine, workhorses all, are up for special awards on Tuesday night when the PBA Press Corps’ 'A Banquet of Heroes' presented by Meralco is held at posh Wack Wack Golf Club in Mandaluyong.

Pingris will finally claim a place in PBA history as one of its finest defenders ever when he is awarded the Defensive Player of the Year trophy, even as Lassiter was unanimously chosen as the winner of the Bogs Adornado Trophy for the PBAPC’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Cruz, the former UAAP MVP with Santo Tomas, edged out Reynel Hugnatan for the Mr. Quality Minutes award after averaging close to nine points in less than 18 minutes of action in 52 games for the Elasto Painters.

The formal affair starts at 7 p.m. at the Banquet B Hall of the exclusive club where the Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year trophies, named after the legendary Baby Dalupan and the late Danny Floro, respectively, will also be handed out.

Luigi Trillo of Alaska, Norman Black of Talk ‘N Text and Tim Cone of San Mig are the candidates for the Coach of the Year honor, while Team PBA is the odds-on choice to win the Executive of the Year award.

Manny V. Pangilinan, the Talk ‘N Text and Meralco owner and president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, will talk of Gilas-Pilipinas’ journey in bringing the Philippines back to the World Basketball stage.

Members of the 1973 and 1986 Asian Basketball Confederation teams like Samboy Lim, Tonichi Yturri, Adornado, Yoyong Martirez, Manny Paner, Jimmy Mariano, among others, will be present to toast the current crop of nationals players.

From SPIN.ph

[kingjames24szupladoh]

PBA 39th Season (Philippine Cup) Opening Ceremony and Games (November 17,2013)

* 2:00 pm - Opening Ceremonies

* 3:00 pm - San Mig Coffee Mixers vs Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

* 5:15 pm - Meralco Bolts vs Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (USEP Gym, Davao City)

* 7:00 pm - Alaska Aces vs Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (New Cebu Coliseum)

** The Meralco-TNT and Alaska-ROS games will be aired on a delayed basis.

[Zurca]

Early Governors Cup exit a blessing in disguise for recharged Talk 'N Text

VETERAN forward Larry Fonacier said Talk ’N Text is fully recharged and all set for its bid for a fourth successive PBA Philippine Cup title.

The Fiba Asia stint of Fonacier, Jason Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo affected the Texters’ performance in the season-ending Governors’ Cup but now they hope to start the new season with a bang after a long break and a training stint at the Joe Abunassar Impact Basketball Center in Las Vegas.

Fonacier, one of the team’s acknowledged leaders, said they are determined to make up for their poor Governors Cup performance that saw them miss the playoffs after losing to Barangay Ginebra in the knockout match for the last quarterfinal berth.

But at the same time, Fonacier admitted the Texters' early Governors Cup exit was a blessing in disguise as it helped most of their top players recharge after a long season that saw them juggle commitments with both the PBA ballclub and the national team.

“Tamang tama lang ang timing before our first game on November 17 kasi last conference, yun ang pinakamatagal na break namin (after being eliminated), since we played a lot in the semis and finals (in previous seasons), so that break helped us,” Fonacier said.

Now the refreshed Texters are nearing top form again after putting in the work at the renowned Joe Abunassar Impact Basketball Center in Las Vegas.

“After our two-week training (in the US), medyo maganda na conditioning naming lahat,” Fonacier told Spin.ph.

With Gilas Pilipinas set to resume training for its Fiba World Cup campaign, Fonacier intends to spend more time in the gym to keep himself in the best shape of his career.

“Siguro, I just need to spend more time in the gym. Kailangang magpalakas ng katawan in this type of schedule,” explained the 31-year-old Talk ’N Text gunner, referring to the expected adjusted PBA schedule this coming season to give way to Gilas’ participation in the World Cup in Spain next year.

Fonacier, the 2011-2012 Philippine Cup Finals MVP, averaged 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 54 games this past season.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Trillo hot pick for Coach of the Year award in 'Banquet of Heroes' gathering

A GATHERING of past and present cage luminaries will toast the brightest individual performers in the last PBA season when the PBA Press Corps’ 'A Banquet of Heroes' is presented by Meralco on Tuesday night at posh Wack Wack Golf Club.

The Coach of the Year and the Executive of the Year will be known in the formal affair that starts at 7 p.m. even as the journey of Gilas Pilipinas back to the World Championship stage will be recounted by no less than Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president and PBA team owner Manny V. Pangilinan.

Luigi Trillo of Alaska is the hot pick to win the Coach of the Year award, named after the legendary Baby Dalupan, while Team PBA, after a smashing take at the gates, is expected to romp off with the Danny Floro Executive of the Year trophy.

The Bogs Adornado trophy for the Comeback Player of the Year will also be handed out and the SK Zic-All-Rookie Team will be known even as LA Tenorio of Barangay Ginebra will accept the Accel Order of Merit award for being the player with most Player of the Week citations last season.

Gary David, who will play for new team Meralco when the 39th Season opens on Sunday, won the Scoring Champ title for the second straight year, while Marc Pingris of San Mig Coffee was the unanimous choice for a second Defensive Player of the Year trophy.

Quinito Henson, Sev Sarmenta and Erika Padilla will emcee the affair, where members of the 1973 and 1986 champion Asian Basketball Confederation (the forerunner of the Fiba-Asia) will be present to toast the Gilas Five.

Aside from Adornado, Manny Paner, Yoyong Martirez and Jimmy Mariano will be present for the 1973 team, while Samboy Lim, Hector Calma, Jerry Codinera, Tonichiu Yturri and Franz Pumaren will represent the 1986 squad.

The Inquirer’s Musong R. Castillo, the outgoing PBA Press Corps president, is inviting management, players and officials of the teams as well as fellow sportswriters to attend the affair.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

PBA gives 1 million pesos to victims of Yolanda

The PBA, through the Commissioner and the Board of Governors, is donating P1 million to the Alagang Kapatid Foundation, Inc. to help in the relief efforts in areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda.

“We stand united in alleviating  the hardships of our kababayans in this latest disaster,” said PBA chairman Mon Segismundo, who cited the donation as “proof of the strength of our collaboration and partnership between PBA and TV5.”

Tacloban City, the province of Leyte and other parts of the Visayas were ravaged by Yolanda the past weekend, with tens of thousands losing their homes, properties and loved ones.

The latest disaster to hit the country ranks among the worst in history.

From Inquirer.net