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    COLUMN: Rarely motivated at NorthPort, Slaughter has millions of reasons to play in B2

    Rarely motivated at NorthPort, Greg Slaughter has millions of reasons to play in B2
    Jul 9, 2022
    The move overseas may not necessarily guarantee Greg Slaughter happiness, but with that money, he can at least choose his misery
    PHOTO: Dante Peralta
    spin zone

    CHICAGO — Some 159 days after his contract with NorthPort expired last Jan. 31, one of the PBA's most polarizing figures has finally found a new home.

    Greg Slaughter is now a member of the Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the Japan B.League's second division.

    According to my sources, the deal is worth $22,000 (around ₱1.2 million) a month for two years plus perks and bonuses.

    The move overseas may not necessarily guarantee Greg happiness, but with that ungodly sum of money, he can at least choose his misery.

    His departure from the Philippines also means Greg won't be able to return and play in the PBA anytime soon unless he negotiates a release from NorthPort, which owns his rights for the next five years.

    Slaughter's switch of league allegiance effectively ends a contentious 10-month union pockmarked with controversy, including a very public spat that swiftly descended into a comedic he-said-they-said contract offer barb.

    NorthPort appeared to have gotten the better end of the divorce and started this Philippine Cup conference at 2-0.

    Following the mini spurt, star guard Robert Bolick, who may not necessarily be alluding to Greg's then on-going dispute with the team, even boldly declared that their success can be attributed to one big factor.

    "Wala kaming problema sa team. Wala kaming issues."

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    OOPS! FOOT IN MOUTH ALERT

    That was last June 11 and NorthPort has since lost five in a row doing very NorthPort deeds. That's how quickly they plunged from windfall to freefall.

    Maybe, just maybe, they do miss Greg more than they are willing to let on.

    Through seven agonizing games, NorthPort has surrendered 680 points and is ranked 10th in the league in points per game allowed at a whopping 97.1 per.

    The Batang Pier are also just seventh among 12 teams in rebounding with only 50.7.

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    Now tell me, is NorthPort better off without a 7-foot, 258-pound big, who, when motivated, can easily be among the top three bigs in the PBA even at the ripe age of 34?

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    PUSHED BY THE WAYSIDE

    But here's the thing, Greg was rarely motivated at NorthPort.

    He was ignored, instead. Like that time in September 2121 when he was subbed out of a crucial endgame play despite having an 85-inch wingspan that could have made life hell for Magnolia's inbounds passer.

    He was disrespected, too. Like that time in February when he wanted to talk to management about a deal only to find out that the team sent him a contract offer via parcel service.

    Contracts need personal touch, these ain't Avon products that you leave to the delivery guy.

    Look, Greg Slaughter ain't the Pope. He has sinned, And he can be hard to deal with at times, I'm told.

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    But he is a star. And in basketball, stars get special treatment that guys on the end of the bench don't. This isn't about fairness. This is simply reality.

    The bottomline is, if NorthPort really wanted Greg, they would have picked up the damn phone. Sadly, they seemed to only want to string along the poor guy.

    But Greg Slaughter is now free.

    And may he find whatever it is he is looking for in the Land of the Rising Sun.

    Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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    The move overseas may not necessarily guarantee Greg Slaughter happiness, but with that money, he can at least choose his misery
    PHOTO: Dante Peralta
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