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FINALLY,
the long-rumored trade involving longtime Red Bull
player Junthy Valenzuela has been consummated Monday.
However,
he won’t be traded in exchange for Sunday Salvacion.
Instead,
Ginebra, in acquiring Valenzuela, has agreed to let go
of its equally valuable first- and second-round picks in
the 2010 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Rookie
Draft.
“On a
personal and emotional level, it was really very hard to
allow Junthy to go because for almost nine years, I
never had problems with him. He’s been very ‘coachable’
the whole time he played for us,” Red Bull’s multititled
coach Yeng Guiao told the BusinessMirror.
Valenzuela, who will turn 29 this June, was one of six
“direct-hire” players of the Photokina franchise when it
entered the league in 2000 as its 10th member.
Then
known as the Batang Red Bull Energy Kings, the league
gave the then-expansion team a concession to elevate six
players from its amateur squad. They were Kerby Raymundo,
Davonn Harp, Lordy Tugade, Jimwell Torion, Bernard
Tanpua and Valenzuela.
Valenzuela was part of Red Bull’s two Commissioner Cup
(2001 and 2002) and Fiesta Conference (2006)
championship runs. He played two of Red Bull’s three
games in the current Fiesta Conference averaging six
points, a far cry from his 15.7 norm the previous
Philippine Cup. He also averaged 1.5 rebounds, 1.5
assists and one steal in about 13 minutes of action in
each game.
Red
Bull, despite the loss of another certified scorer in
Valenzuela, seem to thrive not with its players but with
the coaching system of Guiao, who has been at the helm
since the George Chua-owned franchise entered the league
eight years ago.
“We’re
looking for big men and with those picks though, I have
no idea who would be entering the draft by that time.
Hopefully, someone like Japeth Aguilar will be available
by then,” added Guiao, whose team won its first two
games before losing to Talk ’N Text on Friday.
The past
few years, Red Bull traded most of its established
superstars for practically nothing. They were Enrico
Villanueva, Lordy Tugade, two-time Most Valuable Player
Willie Miller, former Rookie of the Year Larry Fonacier
and Raymundo.
“We’ve
lost some of the best players who played for us before
but, eventually, a new crop of dependable players
emerged from our roster,” added Guiao.
Guiao is
hoping that the loss of Valenzuela will turn out to be
an opportunity for the likes of Magnum Membrere and Jojo
Duncil to shine and be integral parts of their campaign.
“We
still have Cyrus [Baguio],
who’s been improving a lot and I expect a few more of
our players to step up and fill the void,” said Guiao.
Rumors
of a trade involving Valenzuela has been going on even
before the start of the conference. What fueled the
speculation was when both Ginebra and Red Bull did not
use Valenzuela and Salvacion when the two teams started
their Fiesta Conference campaign against each other.
Ginebra
is currently at the bottom of the standings after losing
all its three games this conference. The Welcoat Dragons
are also winless so far in the conference.
“We will
miss him a lot, but we will also look for ways to make
up for his absence. And Red Bull character remains the
same,” added Guiao.
Valenzuela’s contract with Red Bull expires on June 30,
2009, and the BusinessMirror learned Valenzuela would be
asking for the maximum P350,000 a month salary, figures
which Red Bull reportedly could not heed.
Danny S.
week’s best
A DANNY
Seigle that is not even in full fighting shape is still
a cut above the rest.
This the
Magnolia forward proved by playing through pain, to be
adjudged as the Accel-Smart Philippine Basketball
Association Press Corps Player of the Week for the
period from April 6 to 13.
Notwithstanding a recurring foot injury, Seigle has been
consistently racking up the numbers, propping the
Beverage Masters to back-to-back wins in the week that
was in the Fiesta Conference and to an even 2-2 win-loss
record overall.
As is
his wont, Magnolia coach Siot Tanquincen would not
single out one player for his team’s revival from a
sorry start. But he could not help but beam with
pleasure at his prized six-foot-six forward’s continuing
evolvement.
“We keep
telling him not to force it, let the flow of the game
come to him and be more patient,” said Tanquincen. “He’s
been trying to do that and we are all seeing his
transformation into a more well-rounded player.”
Seemingly taking those pointers to heart, the 1999
Rookie of the Year gives up the ball more often, does
not force his shots and has more decent percentages than
what he’s had in the past.
Proofs
are the numbers Seigle put up in the Beverage Masters’
wins over defending champion Alaska and Talk ’N Text,
among the teams expected to go deep in the conference.
In an
89-81 breakthrough triumph over the Aces on Friday,
Seigle had 18 points, 14 in the second half. He shot
six-of-11 from the floor, added six rebounds and spiked
it up with three assists and a steal.
He
followed that up with a team-high 18 points on
eight-of-14 field shooting, 10 rebounds, two assists and
as many steals in a 91-86 victory over the Phone Pals on
Sunday.
Those
points are enough to keep Seigle in the company of
Barangay Ginebra’s Mark Caguioa as the only locals to
lead their respective teams in scoring in the
import-flavored tournament.
To think
he was not even supposed to see extended minutes oin the
floor, bothered as he is by a nagging Achilles tendon
injury that, as so often in the past, needed minor
surgery after the Philippine Cup.
Which
leads one with a boggled mind just trying to imagine
what Seigle can do once he’s completely healed. |
