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ALTHOUGH
it lost another one of its foundations, the Red Bull
franchise remains unperturbed, especially because the
architect of the Barakos’ success is still with the
team.
Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum, Red Bull will
again enter the court facing a reality that one of its
hardworking players is gone for good, as it battles the
Purefoods TJ Giants at the resumption of the
Smart-Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta
Conference.
Red Bull
coach Yeng Guiao, the man responsible for making his
team play just like real contenders despite the lack of
so-called superstars, will rely on his bench composed of
players who will most likely end up as practice players
for other coaches in the league.
“We’ve
proven that we can always find ways to block any void in
our rotation because our team is about playing with a
system and not relying on superstars,” said Guiao.
Guiao
said he expects little trouble adjusting to the loss of
Junthy Valenzuela, who was traded Monday for Ginebra’s
future draft picks—the second round and first round of
the 2009 and 2010 drafts, respectively. Among those
Guiao feels would step up are rookie Jojo Duncil and
journeyman Francis “Kiko” Adriano.
“Last
season Kiko showed us he can play with our system. Now
it’s his time to shine, as well as Jojo, who’s been
aching to prove that he belongs here,” added Guiao.
The past
few years, Red Bull traded most of its established
superstars for practically nothing, namely, Enrico
Villanueva, Lordy Tugade, two-time Most Valuable Player
Willie Miller, former Rookie of the Year Larry Fonacier
and Kerby Raymundo.
The
Barakos 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.
They
also have a very effective seven-foot import Adam Parada,
who has been manning the paint with aplomb.
“Red
Bull is tough with or without big-name players for as
long as coach Yeng is there,” said Purefoods coach Ryan
Gregorio.
For the
7:20 p.m. game, Gregorio will rely on his team’s
quickness and eagerness of import Darius Rice to redeem
himself to offset Red Bull’s advantage in height.
Meanwhile, in the first game at 4:50 p.m., winless
Welcoat Dragons’ aim of notching their first win is
expected to be another laborious task as they battle an
ever-disciplined Alaska Aces. |
