CHICAGO --With the zeal and passion of a desperate door-to-door salesman, the management of Terrafirma insisted that the team got better following a heavily criticized pre-draft trade last month.
"We want to win now," a team official told me in a telephone interview after trading Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt, stud Isaac Go and a draft pick swap (a No.3 pick for a No. 10) for two old Ginebra warriors, Stanley Pringle and Christian Standhardinger.
Although one game is a small sample size, the Dyip's Governors' Cup debut on Wednesday versus Converge was an unmistakable sign of a team that decayed quickly as a result of that stupid trade.
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It's one thing to lose. It's another story to get blown out.
The Dyip played without heart. Without pride. And without a care in the world as they urinated on the red carpet the PBA used to unravel Season 49 just three nights ago.
I understand that they lost six players from the last conference and that they also have a replacement import. But that's not an excuse to surrender 47 points in the third quarter of a game that was 53-49 at the half,
LACKLUSTER.
Like rebounding, defense is a residue of hard work and desire, traits the Dyip did not display when the FiberXers changed gears and began to pull away.
Apparently, Terrafirma's concept of defense is an open border. Look how easy it was for Converge.
The FiberXers shot 55.8 percent from the field (48-of-86), 44 percent from three (11-of-25) and 37.5 percent from 4-point range (3-of-8).
Converge import Scotty Hopson exploded for 46 points and went 3-of-3 from 4. Alec Stockton had 21 and Schonny Winston came off the bench with 14 points and 4 dimes.
The FiberXers conquered the boards, 51-46, won the assists battle, 27-18, and coughed up less turnovers, 12-16.
"We played well," said coach Charles Tiu, whose new-age innovation is blending perfectly with Rajko Toromoan's old school principles at the Converge bench.
That they have somehow risen from the turmoil of the past two conferences, a famine that saw only three wins and one coaching change, is a tribute to the organization's long-term vision.
DYIP'S ROLLING DOWNHILL
Terrafirma, meanwhile, regressed after a Philippine Cup quarterfinal run.
On paper, C-Stan and Pringle did well and combined for 36 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists while each logging more than 32 minutes of play.
To quote former PBA commissioner and basketball savant Noli Eala's post on X: "Standhardinger and Pringle can score but do not play defense."
Even the previously magnificent Juami Tiongson looked lost without his running mate Holt, flaming out with a pedestrian 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting that included an 0-for-3 misadventure from 4-point country.
I reached out to Terrafirma for comment and got no response.
Maybe because management can no longer refute that their Dyip is broken.
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