SAN Mig Coffee star guard Peter June Simon was honest enough to admit that he has been affected by rumors linking him to trade deals.
For the past few days, the longtime Mixers mainstay has been the object of trade rumors mostly created by fans and posted on different fan pages.
One bogus poster even used the name of this writer to spread the false report about Simon going to Petron for Alex Cabagnot, which spread on fan sites even if the supposed trade was illogical since sister teams are forbidden from swapping players directly to begin with.
"Nadinig ko nga din yun (rumor) saka nabasa sa FB (Facebook). Syempre kahit papano naapektuhan ako," said the pride of Makilala, North Cotabato.
They Said It!
"Sa totoo lang, ayoko nang ma-trade. Dito ko na sa San Mig gustong mag-retire." - San Mig guard PJ Simon
Simon said he wants to follow in the footsteps of childhood idols Alvin Patrimonio and Rey Evangelista, who both started and ended their pro careers with the former Purefoods franchise.
"Sana maging katulad nila ako na sa isang team na nag-retire ... hindi ko na ma-imagine sarili ko na lalaro sa ibang koponan," said the player acquired by Purefoods from the free agent market in 2004.
Still, the San Mig guard said he is heartened by the support of fans who leapt to his defense.
"Saka natutuwa rin ako sa pagmamahal sa akin ng fans ng San Mig. Kasi nakikita ko kung paano nila ako ipagtanggol at ipaglaban sa mga maling trade rumor," Simon said. "Sana talaga dito na ako mag-retire."
Simon's pal James Yap also called for a stop to trade rumors involving his longtime teammate.
"Sana huwag na nila gawin mga ganun. Kasi nakakaawa mga players na nai-involve tapos di naman totoo," said the two-time league MVP. "Saka si PJ dito lang 'yan sa San Mig."
Meanwhile, San Mig team governor Rene Pardo said he also got wind of the trade rumors but chose to ignore them.
"Nakita ko nga yun. Ikaw pa ginamit. Hindi ko na lang pinansin kasi alam ko namang hindi totoo," said the amiable team official.
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