JUSTIN Chua, Mike Miranda, and Greg Slaughter are among the big men under consideration by Rain or Shine whose depleted frontcourt is aching for help.
RoS may as well add Christian Standhardinger to that distinguished list.
A reliable source told SPIN.ph that a Rain or Shine player regularly communicates with the 6-foot-7 Fil-German, who last played for Terrafirma in PBA Season 49 before opting to retire.
READ Guiao says ROS considering Miranda and Chua. Why not Slaughter?
COLUMN: Can TNT finally succeed in signing Standhardinger?
That player is Stanley Pringle and a source said:“Laging nakakausap ni Stanley yun."
Pringle and Standhardinger appear to have a bond, having played together at Barangay Ginebra where they won three championships before the two were traded to Terrafirma mid-season of last year for Stephen Holt, Isaac Go, and the rights to the No. 3 overall pick in the Season 49 draft who turned out to be RJ Abarrientos.
Pringle soldiered on and finished his contract with the Dyip, eventually becoming an unrestricted free agent. Shortly thereafter, he was signed to a two-year deal by the Elasto Painters during the offseason.
Standhardinger on the other hand, played in a few games with the Dyip, got sidelined by a knee injury, and then announced his retirement from basketball. His contract with Terrafirma expired in December of 2024, meaning he currrently is an unrestricted free agent although his signing rights still belong to the Dyip franchise.
Since his retirement, not a word has been heard from the 36-year-old former No. 1 overall pick.
“Pero si Stanley lagi niyang nakakausap si Christian,” added the source. This has tempted some people at Rain or Shine to ask Pringle to talk to his friend and ask him if he is interested in coming out of retirement.
“Minsan nga gusto na naming ipakausap ni Stanley si Christian sa amin, e," the source said.
With the Elasto Painters badly needing a big man after the season-ending injury to Keith Datu, why not?
As they say, there's no harm trying. - Gerry Ramos
'Playing coach' Tenorio yet to show up
LA Tenorio reportedly has a Magnolia uniform ready and pressed whenever he comes out to coach the Hotshots. It is there because the once star player of Barangay Ginebra is officially a player for the team, albeit on the injured list, but ready to play just in case.
Tenorio, after six games handling Magnolia as its new coach in the PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup, has not seen the need for wearing the uniform and join the fray as a player.
At least, not yet.
The Magnolia playing coach is on the injured/ reserve list of the squad and can be activated in the roster at any point this conference. He also his own set of uniform just in case that happens.
Tenorio said his jersey number remains No. 5 in case he plays for Magnolia. It is the same number he wore during his PBA career that saw him play for 13 seasons with Barangay Ginebra.
Though he is eligible to be on the roster and has his own jersey, Tenorio said playing is the farthest from his mind right now. One reason is the continued wellbeing of his players where no one is nursing a significant injury.
Add the fact that Magnolia is also performing well under him as coach, with the team holding a 4-2 win-loss record as of posting time, good for a tie for fourth place with San Miguel Beer.
“Maganda tinatakbo ng team eh. Biglang pagpasok ko, masira eh. Masisi pa ako,” said Tenorio in jest.
As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. - Reuben Terrado
Baclaan allays ACL fears
KEAN Baclaan may be lost for the current season, but optimism is high for the flamboyant guard to be back for La Salle come UAAP Season 89.
No less than Green Archers coach Topex Robinson disclosed that Baclaan won’t be undergoing any major operation for the torn MCL on his right knee.
“Yun naman yung relief sa amin, na he’ll still be able to play next season,” he said.
There were fears that Baclaan’s injury might have been worse than initially diagnosed, with a few La Salle officials thinking it might be an ACL injury.
An ACL injury would have meant a year-long recovery, which would put his stint next year in doubt.
But another round of checkups two weeks back ruled that possibility out. With that, Baclaan can turn his attention to his rehabilitation, undergoing PRP therapy as he traverses his road to recovery.
Before the injury, he was averaging 10.2 points on 34-percent field goal shooting, on top of 4.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 21 minutes of play per game through five games.
For now, Baclaan has accepted his role as one of the team's chief cheerleaders, doing his thing at the sidelines as the Green Archers try to reclaim the crown this UAAP Season 88. - RL
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