Bolts rebuild without Asi

MANILA, Philippines - Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio is moving ahead with the Bolts’ rebuilding plans as he bid center Asi Taulava goodbye the other day after a two-year ride in the PBA.

Taulava,39, declined Meralco’s offer of a two-year extension at the maximum salary to sign a contract with San Miguel Beer in the ABL. Taulava’s agent Sheryl Reyes told The STAR “one big reason (why he moved to the ABL) is because of the time he can spend with his family since games are once a week.”

Reyes said Taulava had a “strong” offer to play for Foshan in the Chinese league. “It was a six-month contract from the same team that (Marcus) Douthit played for last season,” she added. “Because of relocation, it will be hard so we leaned towards the San Miguel offer.”

Gregorio said Taulava is a big loss and Meralco tried to retain him. “Asi was an important component in our team,” he said. “He wasn’t only our starting center, he was also our team leader. When he talked, everyone listened. He was like a big brother to all of us. We offered him a two-year deal at PBA max salary plus an opportunity to work for the organization after his basketball career. It was a sign of our appreciation for the loyalty that he bestowed to our organization. He started his career with us. When he had problems before, we were with him every step of the way. He’s a great person. He deserves to be taken care of. I heard about offers from the ABL and even in China. In the end, it was his decision. We respect whatever decision he reached. Then, we all move on.”

Gregorio said anticipating Taulava’s eventual exit, Meralco has shored up its frontline. “That’s why we got Jay-R Reyes, Jason Ballesteros and Kelly Nabong,” he said. “For every difficulty, there is an opportunity. Our big guys must step up. The sad thing is that our fans will be robbed of an opportunity to see an icon finish his career in the PBA. We did what we had to do to get Asi back. But he went to a different direction.”

As for the rebuilding process, Meralco PBA governor Ramon Segismundo said it is progressing according to plan. “Cliff Hodge promises to be a significant factor,” said Segismundo. “Ryan Buenafe will add more grit and determination. Mac (Cardona) and Sol (Mercado) continue to be our 1-2 punch. And watch out for the dazzling new ‘throwback’ or ‘retro’ uniform.”

Segismundo said the new Meralco jersey will be “almost like” the Reddy Kilowatt uniform in the MICAA of the ‘70s which Robert Jaworski wore “without the short-shorts and the buckles.” He said the look will relive Meralco’s glory days of the pre-PBA era.

Buenafe’s arrival is a major element in the Bolts rebuilding process. “Ronjay can shoot consistently from beyond the arc and he has great ball skills to get to the basket and manufacture his points,” said Gregorio. “He will play a major role in our scheme of things, both on offense and defense. He can play with Mac and Sol. When that happens, it is going to be a high-octane brand of basketball that we will play. Mac will play the three and Sol and Ronjay can inter-change at the one and two spots.”

With Buenafe in the roster, Mark Macapagal has been pushed back in the rotation. But Gregorio said there’s still a place for Macapagal in the lineup. “We offered Mark a one-year deal which he is still deciding on,” said Gregorio. “If any team is interested, then we will ask for an acceptable trade to consummate the transaction. Other players like Dennis Daa and Mark Yee were released early for them to try out the free agency market while Gilbert Bulawan and Yousif Aljamal were given fresh one-year renewals.”

Hodge, picked fourth overall in the recent draft, is a key addition. “We were so lucky that Hodge was still available (when we picked in the draft),” said Gregorio. “He fell on our lap and we are excited to have him on board. For the past two years at Meralco, I’ve been praying that a Marc Pingris prototype would join our team. My prayers were answered. He is closest to Pingris in terms of rebounding ability, hustle, effort rendered and defense. To top it all, he also has a decent offensive game.”

Meralco hasn’t finished in the top four of any conference in two years in the PBA although the Bolts made franchise history by breaking into their first-ever semifinals, which involved six teams, in the last Governors Cup. But there was a significant improvement in Meralco’s performance which went from 13-20 (.394) in 2010-11 to 21-23 (.488) last season.