So yeah, there will be a "commercial" in the middle of my Best Careers list.
I get why Converge would release their old Alaska players. The fact of the matter is, that these players just "landed" on their laps. None of these players came from their system and they probably have a bigger price tag.
This is like forcing a dog lover to own a cat.
What I don't get is what in the blue hell is the MVP group doing. In some ways, you need to get weary of their current state. They have three teams in the PBA and none of them made significant moves in the offseason. TNT may have wrangled Henry Galinato and Jewel Ponferada from Rain or Shine but they also gave a first-round pick. NLEX acquired Ben Adamos while getting Richard Rodger, Enoch Valdez, and JM Nermal as their first three draft picks. Then Meralco acquired Norbert Torres because of their inability to make Mac Belo work and there was news a while back that they were having issues with Brandon Bates.
Add the fact that the MVP Group had a universally panned FIBA World Cup stint, the hastily-built Asian Games squad led by Justin Brownlee's sacrifice (and we hope it's not a long ban) won the country's first basketball gold medal in the last 61 years were spearheaded by Tim Cone, Alfrancis Chua, and a roster of players mostly affiliated with the SMC franchise, and whatever Ricky Vargas said in the post-Games media scrum that may or may not coincide with Mikey Williams' contract, they you have to wonder what on earth is happening with their squad.
While yeah, Chot Reyes is back as TNT's head coach, it feels as if this is their weakest team in years. This is a combo of their old championship team, a bunch of players on the injury list, Calvin Oftana, and a bunch of overachieving players.
When Ramon Ang pimped the fact that he spends one billion to keep three PBA franchises, you got why players are signing with them despite the lack of playing time. Jeron Teng is no exception.
Here are Teng's numbers from last season.
CATEGORY | 2022-23 SEASON | CAREER |
GAMES PLAYED | 30 | 142 |
POINTS | 12.90 | 10.32 |
REBOUNDS | 5.60 | 5.12 |
ASSISTS | 2.13 | 2.27 |
He went from unemployed to married with two years of sure work and it feels like Chua is thinking about this while still in Hangzhou. I know the San Miguel Beermen are loaded with options and Teng is going to see a lot of Terrence Romeo because now he's his teammate.
Time to cue in the time when Bro gave Jeron his DNA.
But this also means that SMC teams are getting stronger while the MVP teams are lagging in development, especially if you compare them to what's happening in Converge.
I bet Converge is targeting Arwind Santos - the former PBA MVP who is currently playing for their MPBL squad!
Mind you, this is the third Converge "gift" to the SMC teams. Last April, the Fiberxers sent Abu Tratter to Magnolia for a draft pick they used on BJ Andrade. A couple of months ago, Ginebra signed Maverick Ahanmisi. Now, they let Teng walk to San Miguel. Again, it's not like Converge wanted these players - especially with Ahanmisi's contract dispute last season and Teng's asking for a hefty sum which led to the SMC signing.
Look, it's bad enough that the PBA is controlled by two big market groups but lo and behold, now it's like the PBA is getting "SMC league" vibes again. With that said, you can't fault Alfrancis Chua with the current situation. The role of a PBA team is to win at all costs and one of the best ways to destroy their opponents is by draining the talent pool.
Converge is probably eyeing Justine Baltazar to come their way and while trading Jeron Teng to Terrafirma's first-round pick next season could have been a better idea, maybe this is a way to get something more in return. Inasmuch as Alaska tried to stand on its own when they were still in the PBA, they could have used better backup. Alaska's main trading partners at the time of their disbandment are Phoenix and Blackwater. No offense to both squads but their talent pool isn't as rich as the SMC teams. Even the MVP players can't compare with the SMC haul. Even I'm starting to believe that Northport deliberately un-signed Arwind Santos so he can play for Converge.
Anyway, hopefully Jeron Teng works out in San Miguel. He is probably going to be their main player off the bench but let's see what the Beermen are going to do with their current situation. Terrence Romeo is probably going to one of the guards to join either Marcio Lassiter or Jericho Cruz at the combo guard spot. CJ Perez and Jeron Teng would try to beat each other at the SF position with June Mar Fajardo, Vic Manuel, and Mo Tautuaa battling in the frontcourt. And then add the fact that they still have the likes of Chris Ross, Simon Enciso, Rodney Brondial, Allyn Bulanadi, and others.
This also makes Jeron the second Teng player to play for San Miguel with his dad one of the main players of their 1989 grand slam run with most of his individual accolades also were acquired because of his SMB run.
This is an imba moment for San Miguel but what can the other teams do to sway Teng, anyway?