Trade bait

It is not often that a player can stir up Philippine Basketball Association fans even before his first game as a professional. Apparently, Christian Standhardinger has that power, even without his even being officially selected as the top pick of this year’s PBA Rookie Draft. So much opinion has swirled around him that it seems Kiefer Ravena and Jeron Teng, who were being mentioned in the same breath, are now in a separate conversation about who will be selected second. But let’s hold that thought.

Based on initial reports, Kia was willing to swap the number one pick to the San Miguel Beermen for a package that included Jay-R Reyes, rookie Rashawn McCarthy, and a choice between Keith Agovida or the Beermen’s first round, number 12 pick for this year. Lately, there have been reports that SMB was to revise the trade bundle to now include Yancy de Ocampo, McCarthy, Ronald Tubid and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser.

First off, both teams are well within their rights to discuss any possible trade, regardless of what the fans think. Before anything becomes official, it has to go through commissioner Chito Narvasa, who knows his basketball but must see what the intent behind the trade is, for both sides. Though it is a less-publicized fact, the commissioner’s office has shot down many trade offers that it has felt would not serve the best interests of the league.

What are fans upset about?

On one hand, Kia is giving away a rare pearl of great price (to borrow a Biblical expression), for what they feel are – pardon the pun – the dregs of a championship team, more so considering what San Miguel Beer has accomplished this year. Just a few days ago, starting center June Mar Fajardo won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Most Valuable Player Award. His teammates and runners-up Alex Cabagnot and Chris Ross, and veteran forward Arwind Santos joined him on the Mythical First Team, the first time in the league’s history that four teammates did so. The phrase “embarrassment of riches”, first coined in the 1700’s, certainly comes to mind, don’t you think?

What fans object to is the notion that the rich would get richer and the poor would get poorer, theoretically skewing the balance of the league. Kia has not yet proven anything, and here they are with the chance to land an experienced, 6’8”, internationally-trained, Filipino-German player who has already suited up for the Philippine team on multiple occasions; someone who also has a great work ethic and is apparently a good teammate. And the bonus is he has played with Fajardo, and therefore has a level of familiarity with the league’s reigning best player. For the more vocal fans, the trade does not make sense based on what they see. Granted, they are not privy to backroom negotiations and future plans.

In the early days of the PBA, before drafts and salary caps, Crispa and Toyota have all the best talent. The Redmanizers could field a starting lineup of MVPs, for goodness’ sake, and the two teams won 22 of the league’s first 30 championships. Still, U-Tex was somehow able to defeat both juggernauts in the finals. Compelling though the rivalry may have been, parity eventually became more palatable. So fans are understandably worried.

Somehow, a modified trade may bring some relief, but the proof of the pudding is still in the eating. If Kia starts winning more – competing better – even after the trade, well and good. As it stands, the Beermen will keep on winning; they are that strong, and Fajardo is still only 27 with no vices, not even a predilection for nightlife. What if flaming up for fans is a fear that the best keep getting better, that trades can be used to usurp the checks and balances provided by the draft. After the trade is either vetoed or approved, their faith will either be strengthened or weakened, though you can never please everybody.

In corporate training, FEAR is defined as “False Expectations Appearing Real”. The fans speaking out are just looking for assurance that the PBA will be balanced and competitive, that their fear is baseless. And that is what we all want.