Terrafirma posted a 9-16 record this season. The .360 win-loss percentage is a franchise record. When they paired Juami Tiongson with top pick Stephen Holt alongside Javi Gomez de Liano, Isaac Go, and the big man rookie tandem of Kemark Carino and Mark Louie Sangalang, the team went from whipping boy to SOMEWHAT whipping boy.
A day before the 2024 PBA Draft, Team Dyip lost Holt and Go. They already lost Javi GDL to Korea weeks before the trade and a conference ago, they lost their other top pick Taylor Miller because he got homesick.
Ugh.
That said, Terrafirma gained MVP candidate Christian Standhardinger as well as former Mythical Teamer Stanley Pringle. I know they have a combined age of 72 years old, but if history serves us right, Terrafirma ( or Kia, Mahindra, and Columbian) had fared worse.
And then there's also a pick swap.
Whoa.
GINEBRA GETS:
STEPHEN HOLT
2023 | ROUND 1 PICK 1 - TERRAFIRMA
YEAR OF BIRTH | 1991 (33)
24 GAMES | 17.0PPG | 6.9RPG | 5.5APG | 1.9SPG
ISAAC GO
2019 | GILAS ROUND PICK 1 - TERRAFIRMA
YEAR OF BIRTH | 1996 (28)
25 GAMES | 8.8PPG | 5.2RPG | 1.2APG | 0.7BPG
SEASON 49 | ROUND 1 PICK 3 - TERRAFIRMA (JULY 14, 2024 DRAFT)
TERRAFIRMA GETS:
CHRISTIAN STANDHARDINGER
2017 | ROUND 1 PICK 1 - SAN MIGUEL (FROM KIA/TERRAFIRMA)
YEAR OF BIRTH | 1989 (35)
34 GAMES | 19.2PPG | 10.2RPG | 5.0APG | 0.7SPG
STANLEY PRINGLE
2014 | ROUND 1 PICK 1 - GLOBALPORT
YEAR OF BIRTH | 1987 (37)
34 GAMES | 8.4PPG | 2.4RPG | 1.7APG | 1.0SPG
SEASON 49 | ROUND 1 PICK 10 - GINEBRA (JULY 14, 2024 DRAFT)
I get the sentiment that Terrafirma got robbed in this trade, but except for the pick swap and the ages of the players involved, it's not that grave of an advantage.
Let me put this here first. A 40-year-old Arwind Santos was traded to Northport in 2021 for 34-year-old Vic Manuel. Even if Santos was unceremoniously released by Northport before the 2023-24 PBA season, his numbers are better than The Muscle Man's San Miguel stint. And while injuries plagued Alex Cabagnot's move from San Miguel to Terrafirma, he had a (debatable) better stint as compared to Simon Enciso.
Jeremiah Gray has a career PBA average of 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 44 games for the Kings. Ginebra snagged his rights in the 2022 PBA Draft in a pick swap with Terrafirma alongside Brian Enriquez. While Enriquez has since moved to other leagues, Javi Gomez de Liano's career PBA averages consist of 10.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.8 steals in 58 games.
Yes, these players will strengthen Ginebra's lineup but this would also diminish the opportunities. If C-Stan and Stan The Man stay with Terrafirma, then if healthy, they can help the team with their veteran savvy and championship experience as well as what they historically bring to the table.
In terms of numbers, both Standhardinger and Pringle enjoyed their best seasons with Globalport/Northport. More importantly, Standhardinger can play like an import in Terrafirma with a healthy Pringle by his side. In some ways, the tenth pick could be Jonnel Policarpio, Evan Nelle, Jerom Lastimosa, Ben Phillips, Caelan Tiongson, Brandon Ramirez, or whatever is good for their squad.
And I get the age thing, but I also know for a fact that most PBA rookies are old by NBA standards. This is also a good thing for Terrafirma since Javi is the third player they lost to the international leagues after Jordan Heading (who has yet to play for the team) and Roosevelt Adams. I know Alex Cabagnot and Jay Washington have had time with the East Asian teams but if the Terrafirma pay is okay, then I doubt if these aging vets will go outside the country to strut their wares in other leagues.
Justin Brownlee, for example, is already 36 years old.
And this is the point I am trying to make for Ginebra's side. Obtaining the services of Go, a former Gilas cadet, and the third pick overall automatically gives the national squad two players who know how the triangle offense system works. It's no secret that Pringle can't represent Gilas unless the team joins a tournament not sanctioned by FIBA, like the Asian Games. The same can be said with C-Stan, who also announced his retirement from international competition in 2023. If one of these players chooses to play for Gilas, then a naturalized player like Brownlee or Jordan Clarkson can compete for the squad.
So I'm guessing the third pick is either RJ Abarrientos or Kai Ballungay. What puzzles me about the Ginebra trade is that they are doing away with C-Stan, the Barangay's answer to June Mar Fajardo. I don't know if Tim Cone is going to experiment on a high-triangle, in which the big man takes the X amount of shots, but Go is a step down to Standhardinger. Also, C-Stan and surprisingly Pringle, were both 34 out of 34 in terms of total games played. The other players who had a perfect showing were Maverick Ahanmisi and Japeth Aguilar. With Jamie Malonzo still in sickbay and the returning Jeremiah Gray more of a small forward than a center, the Kings will have Isaac Go and Sidney Onwubere at the frontline, and hopefully Justine Baltazar (impossible) or Kai Ballungay coming from the draft.
But then, can Ballungay play for Gilas Pilipinas? If his case is complicated, then RJ Abarrientos will be Ginebra's pick. The combo guard from Far Eastern University just finished a KBL and Japan B-League stint, and with the departure of Pringle, the impending retirement of LA Tenorio, and having a backup plan in case they need to play without Scottie Thompson, Abarrientos is undoubtedly the best move. I have said this in my final mock draft but Cone's Latvia-bound squad was criticized on two fronts, and Abarrientos checks out as a natural point guard and a ready player for international tournaments.
In some ways, I fear that Ahanmisi could be a pawn for the team to get another player. Blackwater just messed up their team when they traded away Rey Nambatac for Kib Montalbo, Jewel Ponferada, and a draft pick. This means they have a shot to score a worst-place finish, even if they have potentially a Barefield in their squad. Now I am not saying that Ginebra is also going to take the Blackwater pick, however, maybe this could pave the way for Kai Sotto applying in 2025, just in case his NBA dream is taking longer than expected.
Oh, the humanity when that happens.
As for Holt, he is just going to do his thing. With him in the lineup, Ginebra might explore the possibility of having a seven-foot import instead of Brownlee. As I said, Justin Noypi is already 36 years old and Holt plays a bit like him, sans the offensive explosiveness. I can see Holt twinning as a point forward, and this makes the Ballungay and Abarrientos debate a Tim Cone head-scratcher.
But I bet Cone would be ecstatic drafting an Abarrientos at the third spot with the possibility of getting a Lastimosa in the second round. While I doubt Jerom Lastimosa will drop to number 16, that would be a win-win scenario for the Kings.
For years, basketball fans have asked what if Christian Standhardinger's rights were never traded to San Miguel. Now, we can answer that question. I get why people are pissed with the trade but this is just the way the PBA is. You can't fault Ginebra for exploring the best options, but I really think Terrafirma is better off with these two players.