CHICAGO - It happened so fast, like an overnight package that was ejected off a hurtling UPS truck and straight to your front door.
Without prior notice, Terrafirma shipped Stephen Holt and Isaac Go to Ginebra on Saturday for Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle.
The aimless Dyip also agreed to turn over their No. 3 first-round pick for the Kings' 10th pick. Yeah, feel free to grab a brown bag and vomit.
READ C-Stan says he relayed to Cone his desire to stay at Ginebra
Per my sources, Holt arrived from Los Angeles to Manila at 12:30 am Saturday. A few hours later, with still sleepy eyes, he was informed of the trade. Shortly thereafter, the PBA delivered the news to the rest of the country.
Teams have no obligation to notify players of any potential movement but whatever happened to simple courtesy?
Holt wasn't just a spare tire for the Dyip, he was the presumptive Rookie of the Year and a foundational piece who deserved a heads-up.
BUT TERRAFIRMA HAD OTHER PLANS.
Team manager Ronald Tubid defended the fishy swap with the tenacity of a fire and brimstone preacher in front of a captive crowd.
"It's C-Stan. He is a go-to guy, a ferocious rebounder. We can pit him against June Mar Fajardo," Tubid told me in a telephone interview Saturday night.
In other words, Terrafirma wants to win now, an argument that is hard to buy because this franchise hasn't shown the capacity to win anything yesterday, today and tomorrow.
When asked if his team got better after the trade, Tubid responded with an emphatic "yes."
Maybe he's right but given that C-Stan is 35 and Pringle is 37, this collaboration is unlikely to age well.
The No.3 pick turned out to be RJ Abarrientos. Passing on that spitfire or any of those blue-chips so that you can get, geewhiz, the 10th pick is not how progress is achieved.
Although Ginebra clearly won this trade, coach Tim Cone insists his team is "taking a step back without Christian."
I DISAGREE.
The Kings won the trade and are moving forward with Holt, Go and Abarrientos while the Dyip will stagnate in the slow-moving highway of mediocrity.
At the end of the day, you really can't blame Terrafirma for choosing to throw its future away.
But it's the PBA's obligation to make sure all trades are fair and do not create an impression that Ginebra, the goose that lays the golden egg, is being favored.
Which brings me to ask the following.
When did this trade proposal reach the league office? Why was it approved hastily while the Nambatac trade lingered?
Most importantly, where's that damn Study Group when you need them?
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