The SMC teams have had this tried and tested formula, in which they ALLEGEDLY give the San Miguel Beermen, the Barangay Ginebra Kings, and the Magnolia Hotshots the best veterans the PBA would allow them to take, and then have their ALLEGED affiliates – Northport Batang Pier and Terrafirma Dyip – develop the up and coming talents so they can elevate them to the three SMC teams. Sometimes, these teams unload their draft picks for washed-up veterans.
This is why we call Northport and Terrafirma the SMC farm teams.
It’s also the same case with the Blackwater Bossing, but they are ALLEGEDLY affiliated with the other side, the MVP group.
And while Yeng Guiao wouldn’t admit this, his Rain or Shine Elasto Painters as well as the Phoenix Fuel Masters are also part of MVP’s ALLEGED sphere of influence. Rain or Shine for one, started their “alliance” with the group during the 2013 Gilas Pilipinas runs when they said they would gladly support the cause by lending Gabe Norwood and Jeff Chan, as well as reserve Beau Belga to their cause. And as for Phoenix, you can look at Justin Chua’s PBA team map as proof. These are the teams that would ALLEGEDLY accept draft picks and once or twice in two years, as conduits as well.
I am just being real here. No, I am not implying that they are allies. I had the word "ALLEGEDLY" in ALL CAPS to accentuate that point. However, when it smells like a dead fish and looks like a dead fish, it can’t be an external hard drive, being sold on a marketplace, attracting buyers, flies, and other bystanders.
This practice has its pros and cons. San Miguel, Ginebra, and Magnolia are the three oldest teams in the league - which also gives them the most number of fans. For most players, it's a dream come true for them to play for their favorite teams. That said, they also have made the league imbalanced, with even the independent teams like Rain or Shine and Phoenix struggling to breach a finals berth. The move to San Miguel also makes or breaks a player's Hall of Fame career. Before his SMC stint, Enrico Villanueva was seen as the next best thing in the PBA. However, no thanks to Red Bull's financial issues, he was traded to San Miguel, then Purefoods, and finally to Ginebra, and his career faltered. The same can be said with most of his Ateneo teammates like Rich Alvarez, Wesley Gonzales, and JC Intal as well as Paul Artadi, Mike Cortez, Ronald Tubid, Don Allado, and Romel Adducul. Willie Miller's career started to decline after he was traded to Ginebra for Cyrus Baguio. Coincidentally, Skyrus' career bounced back after moving to Alaska.
And how about Samigue Eman, who is the doomed version of June Mar Fajardo? He was so happy to play in the team that he got his name that he forgot that he had no place in the rotation. According to Wiki, San Miguel acquired Eman's rights in a trade with Coca-Cola. However, because of PBA's wickedly bad online history as well as remembering that when Coca-Cola left SMC and the three teams were gutting its assets, we don't know who San Miguel gave up.
The MVP Group is no different, although not as grave. Renren Ritualo is their version of Enrico Villanueva. Ritualo should have been the next Allan Caidic if only he stayed with Air21. Asi Taulava and Macmac Cardona have played for all three MVP teams like Ritualo, and while they were able to maintain their numbers, it also messed up parts of their careers. Before Yancy De Ocampo went to all three SMC teams, Air21 and TNT ping-ponged on his services.
That said, unlike the SMC group, the MVP group isn’t as stable. Meralco just won their first championship last season with a core created mostly through draft picks and trades from the aforementioned teams. Meanwhile, TNT had one of their worst years even with the return of celebrated coach Chot Reyes. NLEX, a team that was once coached by Yeng Guiao, has yet to win a title since obtaining the franchise rights from Air21 in 2014.
Look, it’s no secret that these transactions are happening. If you check out the league’s player movement from 2002 to 2010, you’ll know that farm teams and conduits exist.
The thing about the San Miguel teams is that they allegedly finance one billion pesos for their basketball operations. You can't fault the SMC for using their money to build a grand slam-competing squad.
I mean, why even join if you're not going to give it your all?
It's the same reason why the MVP teams are trying to go head-to-head with them. I mean, MVP is seen as the chief benefactor of our national team program and they have to power up their teams to at least get the top players to play for Gilas.
You can expect them to raid every top star and every top pick from their farm teams because when you fund that much, you need results.
That said, I think the PBA, and now San Miguel, finally understand that the farm teams are detrimental to their fans.
When the late Bong Tan sold Tanduay’s rights to FedEx in 2002, he had a parting shot, telling everyone that the PBA is a San Miguel league. He would then trade his best players to the four SMC teams (back then, they also had the Coca-Cola Tigers) – with the most notable players being Eric Menk to Ginebra and Dondon Hontiveros to San Miguel.
Imagine how the San Miguel Beermen must have felt to potentially lose a quarterfinal spot to the lowly Terrafirma Dyip.
Furthermore, imagine how insane it was that San Miguel, a team that arguably has the second-biggest fanbase and gets a third of what the SMC spends on their PBA teams, gets beaten by their MVP rival, whose team is built on draft picks and fair trades...
AND EVERYBODY WANTS TO SEE THE BEERMEN LOSE!!!
The Meralco win was an eye-opener for the league because it drew attention. This is to think that if San Miguel had won, it would have been their 30th championship. For some reason, a team that never really had crowd support all of a sudden had one because this forces a change in the system. You can call it David versus Goliath or out with the old and in with the new, but regardless, it forced change.
And I know that Meralco is part of the MVP Group. However, the Bolts just won their first title in 13 seasons. Also, the only NLEX playoff we ever witnessed was two instances for the final quarterfinal slot. Ginebra may have 15 championships but Magnolia has 14 and a grand slam.
That's why I guess the PBA and even the San Miguel teams knew that they needed to change things to make the league. Of course, they are still going with their usual antics, but it's not going to be as grave as it once was.
Again, it took a month before the Rey Nambatac trade to TNT pushed through and it had to take Ginebra’s top player to obtain Terrafirma’s top player, even if the other parts of the trade were shady. Again, we have seen worse Terrafirma trades, and as Johnedel Cardel would put it, he finally has a big man who would anchor his team.
The Jio Jalalon trade for Zav Lucero is the icing on the cake because a couple of years ago, Magnolia could have acquired the former UP Fighting Maroon for just Abu Tratter. Even with the alleged controversy surrounding Jalalon (that is more personal than professional,) if Northport can take an above-average point guard to perhaps lead the team to a championship, then this acquisition is heaven-sent.
The PBA had its best years in the '70s but more during the '90s. The '70s will not work in the current PBA scheme because if you hate San Miguel, Ginebra, and Magnolia, then you're surely going to be sick of a potential Crispa or Toyota championship. Back in the day, they are looking forward to seeing Atoy Co and Philip Cezar battle Ramon Fernandez and Robert Jaworski, but now, not so much. The '90s is a better time to pattern because all eight teams have their own set of fans, as well as rivalries to look forward to.
Ginebra had rivalries with Purefoods, but with Shell and Mobiline as well. Back then, Marlou Aquino versus Andy Seigle was a must-see match, and even if Ginebra had a bad season, people tuned in to see Pido Jarencio because the game is in the Araneta Coliseum and for some reason, The Fireman's game becomes extra good because of the venue. There was a time when Poch Juinio and Art Dela Cruz fought every time they faced each other. Bonel Balingit went from gentle giant to Mythical Teamer and fans loved his development. Nelson Asaytono would always play well against Purefoods and there's an automatic revenge theme for every superstar who is playing against his former team.
During the '90s, Sta. Lucia was the only team to miss out on the championships, but the team was a perennial third-place winner.
RANK | TEAM | JOINED | TITLES |
1 | SAN MIGUEL | 1975 | 29 |
2 | GINEBRA | 1979 | 15 |
3 | MAGNOLIA | 1988 | 14 |
4 | TNT | 1990 | 10 |
5 | RAIN OR SHINE | 2006 | 2 |
6 | MERALCO | 2010 | 1 |
7 | GLOBALPORT | 2012 | 0 |
8 | NLEX | 2014 | 0 |
9 | TERRAFIRMA | 2014 | 0 |
10 | BLACKWATER | 2014 | 0 |
11 | PHOENIX | 2015 | 0 |
12 | CONVERGE | 2022 | 0 |
This is the current roster of teams in the PBA at the moment. Only 6 of the 12 teams have won championships, and if you combine the last eight teams, they only make up 30 percent of TNT's championships.
Now these are the eight teams that competed in the '90s.
RANK | TEAM | JOINED/LEFT | TITLES |
1 | SAN MIGUEL | 1975 | 29 |
2 | GINEBRA | 1979 | 15 |
3 | ALASKA | 1986 - 2021 | 14 |
4 | MAGNOLIA | 1988 | 14 |
5 | TNT | 1990 | 10 |
6 | SHELL | 1985 - 2005 | 4 |
7 | POP COLA | 1990 - 2001 | 4 |
8 | STA. LUCIA | 1993 - 2010 | 2 |
If the PBA wants to clean its tarnished image, it needs to create parity amongst the 12 teams. Meralco's winning moment is the first step for many things. Say what you want with Terrafirma, but they now have Christian Standhardinger. If he, Stanley Pringle, and Juami Tiongson can play great together, then Team Dyip is going to be a threat. Blackwater if they can get their act going, has parts of Alaska's core and now they have Sedrick Barefield. Northport has also strengthened its roster and we all know that with the right pieces, Rain or Shine and Phoenix can gatecrash a semifinal series.
The PBA said that they are the best sports show in 2024. They are right, but it's like being the nicest guy in prison. They are still in prison unless they are free from the worst hurdle, and that's the primetime dramas. SMC might have the best teams but if they can't break their revenue, this means nothing.
That is why they need to nerf the best teams. This is the only way to make people care about the rest of the teams.
If there is a time to bring back league parity, it's now.