Is Air 21 selling out?

By agreeing to trade the top three rookies picked in the PBA draft last year, Air 21 appears to be close to ending its history in Asia’s first play-for-pay basketball league. There’s no clearer indication of cashing in its chips than dealing the three players who were supposed to form the backbone of Air 21’s future.

You can’t chastise the Air 21 owners for deciding to unload Noy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Rey Guevarra who were chosen 1-2-3 in the last sweepstakes. That’s the owners’ prerogative. And if the owners want to sell out, that’s their prerogative, too.

What the PBA needs are franchise owners who are committed to stay competitive in the league over the long haul. The sooner the PBA weeds out owners who are not in it to win it, the better for the league and the fans. Owners with no long-term plans of building a championship contender shouldn’t be allowed to join the league in the first place.

We all know that the fortunes of a PBA team are largely dependent on the resources of the owning entity. It’s no secret that the owning entity must be in the pink of business health to own a PBA franchise. A company that is floundering and struggling for profits has no business owning a PBA team.

It’s possible that a company will fall into hard times in the course of owning a PBA franchise. Barako Bull is a prime example of a team whose future was compromised because its owning entity suffered business setbacks. That’s why Barako has filed a leave of absence. Its owning entity has lost the ability to sustain a PBA contender. If the owning entity is able to bounce back, for sure, it will reactivate Barako. But if the business outlook remains cloudy, Barako will remain in the closet. In fact, if the trend doesn’t reverse, the franchise itself may be up for sale. The scuttlebutt is a buyer is ready to take over the Barako franchise.

In Air 21’s case, there must be an overriding business consideration for the owners to think beyond the PBA. It must be a new direction for the company with the PBA out of the equation.

* * * *

Yesterday, the Express was hard at work in practice and team officials still had no knowledge of what loomed in the future. Coach Bong Ramos couldn’t confirm if import Jeremy Robinson would stay on or if Alpha Bangura would come in as his replacement. Nobody seemed to know what was going in – which was sad.

There was talk that Air 21 governor Johann Ramos had tendered his resignation from the Board but not from the company. If true, it must have had something to do with the trade. A team insider said he hopes Ramos would reconsider. But if the franchise is indeed up for sale, then Ramos’ exit would be irreversible.

On paper, it’s difficult to justify swapping Baclao, Al-Hussaini and Guevarra to San Miguel Beer for Danny Seigle, Mick Pennisi and Joseph Yeo. It’s like giving away the future for the past. Seigle, 34, sat out the last three games of the previous conference after severely spraining his ankle. Pennisi has scored only eight points in his last 12 outings and no more than two in a game. He’s turning 36 next month.

To balance the trade, PBA commissioner Chito Salud added a pair of San Miguel first round picks so Air 21 has at least something to build on for the future. The trade, however, is still pending approval by Salud.

Air 21 came closest to winning a championship in the 2007-08 Fiesta Conference where the Express lost to Barangay Ginebra in the title series that went the seven-game distance. It was eliminated in the first game of the wildcards in the last three conferences.

Curiously, Air 21 appeared to be on the verge of retooling when it took the top three rookies in last year’s draft and tapped Ramos to take over from coach Yeng Guiao who has moved to Rain Or Shine. Leo Austria and Junel Baculi were interviewed for the job before Ramos was hired. Then came an offseason shakeup that caught even team manager Allan Gregorio by surprise. While Gregorio was in Dubai attending to his duties as Smart Gilas assistant coach, four mainstays were traded. Ronjay Buenafe, Ronnie Matias, Erick Rodriguez and J. R. Quinahan left as Jay-R Reyes, Reed Juntilla and Leo Avenido moved in.

Players who wore the Air 21 colors in the past included Arwind Santos, Ranidel de Ocampo, Mike Cortez, J. C. Intal, Don Allado, Gary David and Nino Canaleta. So it’s not as if Air 21 was loaded with deadbeats since entering the PBA in 2002.

* * * *

Like Barako, Air 21 has lately become the target of PBA contenders for trades. It has gained the dubious reputation as a springboard for other teams, a franchise that’s wide open for business.

Once more, it must be reiterated that if Air 21 has reevaluated its core business future and found no relevance in supporting a PBA team, then the only option left is to leave gracefully.

Salud’s mandate is to make the PBA stronger and that only means fortifying its stable of teams. The Barako franchise is reportedly close to being bought by a thriving oil company based in the South. With Air 21’s recent move to leverage its future, a sell-out appears imminent – something that Salud might want to encourage if only to guarantee that those left in the fold are bound by the uncompromising principle of staying competitive for the long haul.

Let’s respect the new direction envisioned by Air 21’s owners. At the same time, let’s respect what the PBA stands for – a commitment to excellence and competitive balance.