So I have had a lot of unfinished blogs, and a ton of news that I snubbed because I have been busy with work.
Jordan Adams scored 50 points!
What do you expect, he's an import!
Justin Brownlee scored 51 points!
What do you expect, he's on the same level as Bobby Parks, Norman Black, and Sean Chambers!
And, he's an import!
Arvin Tolentino scored 51 points!
What do you expect...
...
...
Wait...
WHAT?
Arvin Tolentino averaged 21.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks last season. These numbers sent the former FEU Tamaraw to his second all-star game and at the end of the season, got his first Mythical First Team selection. The season prior, Tolentino scored a Mythical Second Team spot.
The dude has been on fire, and to think in the 2019 PBA Draft, a couple of teams snubbed him for the likes of Roosevelt Adams and numbers two to nine of that draft. The regular first round of the draft was such a stinker that five out of the nine names ahead of him are playing in other leagues.
Also, Ginebra must be shaken to the core because they overbought for Jamie Malonzo with Tolentino, Prince Caperal, and their 2022 first-round pick.
That pick turned into Cade Flores.
I mean, I know Flores' minutes are far from what he got during his rookie year at the moment, but... what the hell, right?
THE ILDEFONSO SITUATION
Anyway, I have kept mum on the whole Ildefonso Family story because I am a fan of Danny Ildefonso. San Miguel's starting core during the early 2000s should have had a grand slam and I thought the management messed up big time benching the said core. They should have traded Ildefonso alongside Danny Seigle, Dorian Pena, and Dondon Hontiveros back in 2011 to the Air21 Express when he still had value.
That said, I also didn't like the way Demolition Danny handled the Dave Ildefonso situation. Yes, he has every right to protect his child because he is a parent, but he also needs to know that he is also part of the Converge coaching staff.
He can't say "farm team" to another team, especially with the way Converge played last season. The FiberXers finished the season with a 3-19 mark, and the teams they defeated were MVP squads TNT and Meralco in the Commissioner's Cup, and quarterfinal-bound Terrafirma in the Philippine Cup. This means Converge failed to win against "farm teams" Northport and Blackwater last season, just because they wanted to score the draft rights to Justine Baltazar.
Granted, Baltazar is going to be a bonafide stud.
But then again, they could have pulled a draft-day trade involving Dave Ildefonso with one of their players.
I thought Schonny Winston was on the trading block...
And speaking of draft rights, these international guys are coming to the league with so much hype, but it's not like they are turning the league upside down. Well, I guess we can say it's all good when we talk about Sedrick Barefield, Caelan Tiongson, and Felix F'N Lemetti whose dagger threes are so cool to watch, but let's not forget that some guys went from college to go to either Japan, Korea, or Taiwan because they wanted to boost their stock and they didn't want to become rookie pushover second-stringers in the PBA.
Again, there is a reason why these leagues continue to keep Filipino imports in their league while we have stopped using Asian imports. Some imports are going to be like Michael Madanly, but others are going to be like Sanchir Tungalag and Mahmoud Abdeen.
This is the situation with Dave Ildefonso. The 24-year-old former Ateneo Blue Eagle spent two seasons with the KBL's Suwon KT Sonicboom and in 44 games, he averaged 4.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. Suwon made the KBL Finals in his final season, but the last time he played for the squad was in December 2023, and the battle between Suwon's Heo Hoon and Busan KCC Egis' Heo Ung ended in May.
Like the Ildefonsos, these guys are the sons of Korean legend Hur Jae.
Regardless of how he played in the KBL, Dave Ildefonso is still a champion UAAP player, and his international experience will be vital, which is why Northport selected him fifth overall in the 2024 PBA Draft.
So yeah, Northport fans have every right to be upset at Dave Ildefonso. Yes, the Batang Pier got hold of Jio Jalalon and Abu Tratter on a different trade, but Zav Lucero was one thing that could shape their future. The fact that Tolentino, Flores, Lucero, JM Calma, and Will Navarro almost have the same gameplay as Arwind Santos is not a bad thing. Gaining a player like Ildefonso is going to shore up the team's SG/SF spot.
Back to the Danny I. comment, I felt that Danny Ildefonso had a light sentence with that 20,000-peso fine. When Don Allado lashed out at the league's officiating, he had the suspension and a 500k-fine combo package. When Daniel Orton said that the PBA was a joke for having Manny Pacquiao, he got a 250k fine which triggered his ouster.
In Demolition Danny's case, forget that he lashed out at the PBA "farm teams." The thing about this is that he took to social media his son's contract situation knowing that the last tournament his son played in was with the Strong Group Athletics. SGA has Converge ties in their lineup with Charles Tiu, Rajko Toroman, and Jacob Lao.
If this was the NBA, he could have been called for tampering, especially if Northport and Dave Ildefonso have exhausted all ways to get a deal and all of a sudden, Converge becomes the number one team interested in his services.
I thought the PBA's super fines were too much, especially the aforementioned Allado and Orton jabs. I am okay with the Ildefonso fine because I rather have players engage in verbal bombs than actual physical harm.
Okay, so what's with Arvin Tolentino's 51 points, though?
THEY STILL HAVE TRADITION
The thing about Northport is that even if they are considered a PBA "farm team," no self-respecting player would roll up and die with the accusation. During the post-game interview, Bonnie Tan and Arvin Tolentino used the situation to fuel their 135 to 109 onslaught.
Not only is Tolentino their superstar, but he was also part of the league's Mythical First Team last season.
So yeah, he took the comments personally.
Also, let's not forget that the reason why the Northport Batang Pier happened is because of what the Harbour Centre Port Masters had done. Coached by Jorge Gallent with the likes of Jayson Castro, LA Tenorio, Macmac Cardona, Beau Belga, Joseph Yeo, JC Intal, Josh Urbiztondo, Jerwin Gaco, and Solomon Mercado at one point in their careers, this team won seven straight PBL titles. Now, this team also had their moment in the ABL when the Philippine Patriots scored two straight finals appearances, winning the inaugural one in 2010. This was also Mikee Romero's second PBA franchise, with the Burger King Titans serving as his starting point.
In the franchise's history and many iterations, a PBA championship has eluded them. In fact, they haven't made the finals since taking over from the Powerade Tigers in 2012. Of all the teams they have fielded, this Northport team could make the case.
Danny Ildefonso never really called Northport out as a farm team, but Northport took his comments to heart.
And it's awesome.
THE RIVALRY HAS OLD-SCHOOL VIBES
In the '90s, the PBA had a couple of "midcard" rivalries. Ginebra and San Miguel had sibling rivalry, but Ginebra also had their set of beef with Shell. Like San Beda and San Sebastian, the PBA had a thing called "Battle of the Saints" with San Miguel and Sta. Lucia locking horns. There was a time when Purefoods and Pepsi were swapping players, and it was all good until they offered a huge amount of money to sway either Alvin Patrimonio or the prime version of Jerry Codinera to their camp.
And of course, there is Alaska versus the RFM Corporation. Whether you call them Pop Cola, Sarsi, Swift, or Sunkist, for some reason they have bad blood with each other. The two opposing sides fought in three consecutive finals from 1994 to 1995.
THE ALASKA VERSUS RFM FRANCHISE RIVALRY
YEAR | CONF | CHAMPION | RUNNER-UP | 3RD PLACE |
1994 | ALL-FIL | SAN MIGUEL | CONEY ISLAND (PUREFOODS) | ALASKA (DEFEATING SWIFT) |
COMM | PUREFOODS | ALASKA | SWIFT (SMB FORFEITS FOR ASIAN GAMES PREP) | |
GOV | ALASKA | SWIFT | PEPSI | |
1995 | ALL-FIL | SUNKIST | ALASKA | STA. LUCIA |
COMM | SUNKIST | ALASKA | STA. LUCIA | |
GOV | ALASKA | SAN MIGUEL | SUNKIST | |
1996 | ALL-FIL | ALASKA | PUREFOODS | SAN MIGUEL |
COMM | ALASKA | SHELL | STA. LUCIA | |
GOV | ALASKA | GINEBRA | SHELL |
In 1995, coached by Derrick Pumaren and led by Vergel Meneses, Nelson Asaytono, Boybits Victoria, and Bonel Balingit, among others, the Sunkist Orange Juicers finished every conference with a win. However, the Governors' Cup is different, because they defeated the Sta. Lucia Realtors in the third-place series.
Had they won the Governors' Cup championship, Sunkist would have been the fourth team to score a PBA grand slam after Crispa in 1976, Crispa in 1983, and San Miguel in 1989.
Instead, the distinction went to Alaska a season later, with injuries and the Nelson Asaytono and Ato Agustin trade messing up the Sunkist lineup.
From Sunkist in 1996, that team became Pop Cola from 1997 to 2001 (with a brief run as Swift again) before selling their franchise to Coca-Cola. The Tigers would become SMC's fourth PBA franchise before selling their stake in 2006. Coca-Cola would continue its PBA run until 2012, with the team rebranding to Powerade in 2010. Then in 2012, Powerade sold its franchise rights to GlobalPort, which eventually became the Northport Batang Pier.
Meanwhile, Alaska sold its franchise rights to Converge.
We all love the Manila Clasico, the Rain Or Shine Elastopainters battling any of the PBA superpowers, and whenever an SMC team battles an MVP team, but for these title-less franchises to grow, they need a scene to act on.
The moment a Converge assistant coach said "farm team," Northport took offense and then defeated them decisively. Also, what happens if they can't come to terms with Dave Ildefonso?
Or worse, what if they COME TO TERMS with Dave Ildefonso?
Will he be the bad seed of their locker room or is he ready to battle his father's team?
THIS IS BEEF RIGHT HERE!!!
I don't know what it is with Yeng Guiao and second-generation players, because it feels as if Kiefer Ravena played with restraint in NLEX, but Dave Ildefonso is going to have a different environment as compared to Shaun Ildefonso. If he plays for Northport, he has the chance to either cut the minutes of Tolentino or mess up the playing time of Joshua Munzon because he is that talented.
Right now, there is another rivalry taking place - and that is the farm teams going against the major teams. In this young Governors' Cup conference, we have seen Converge break TNT, Blackwater foil Ginebra, and while NLEX is part of the MVP group, it's hard to see why San Miguel lost to them.
Again, this is why we need the Converge and Northport rivalry.