THOUGHTS | MAGNOLIA'S PROBLEM

In Game 2 of the quarterfinals matchup against the TNT Tropang 5G, LA Tenorio went berserk on the sidelines. He ripped into his players for their lackluster performance in the third quarter. He shouted at them, hurled a barrage of obscenities, and even slammed his board.

Basically, he resorted to something he had seen Tim Cone, Yeng Guiao, and Chot Reyes do before.

The Hotshots never got into their groove that game, resulting in Magnolia falling behind 0-2 in their best-of-five series.

Now, an outburst like that could either leave his players hell-bent on bouncing back or leave the entire roster demoralized and questioning their abilities.

Guess which way this outburst went when Game 3 came around?

Which brings us to LA Tenorio.

Tenorio is a rookie coach. He even played a couple of games for the Hotshots this season. Magnolia is a mix of aging veterans and young up-and-comers. On top of that, Tenorio was asked to coach Magnolia after spending a decade playing for Ginebra.

Before playing those games for Magnolia this season, the Hotshots were the only SMC team Tenorio had never played for.

Basically, he started his PBA career with San Miguel, grew as a player with Alaska, and won championship after championship with Ginebra.

Meanwhile, Mark Barroca and Ian Sangalang were part of Magnolia's grand slam-winning team when the franchise was still known as the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers. As for Paul Lee, he was acquired by the squad to replace its former two-time MVP, James Yap.

Essentially, Tenorio inherited a roster that had been built for Chito Victolero, complete with pieces that might not necessarily fit his own vision, and vets who have been with the team since their grand slam achievement. If he wants to build the team in his image, he might eventually have to move on from some of its veterans.

This is why Tenorio's appointment as Magnolia's head coach was a problematic situation right from the get-go.

Sure, Lee might be expendable at this point, given his diminished playing time this season, but you can't say the same about Barroca and Sangalang. And I'm not saying the veterans are secretly conspiring against their coach. I'm saying they understand that, to extend their careers in the league, they might need to triple their efforts and try to outplay all the young guns rather than settle for smaller roles by default.

When Tim Cone joined Ginebra, one of the first things he did was reduce the roles of Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand.

Yes, these guys were getting old, but before that move, it was difficult to imagine a Ginebra offense without a healthy Fast and Furious duo leading the way.

Again, Tenorio is a rookie coach, while Cone is a two-time grand slam champion. Caguioa and Helterbrand were aging stars who had been battling injuries over the preceding seasons. Barroca and Sangalang, meanwhile, are aging stars who can still provide starter-level minutes and gameplay.

When Cone went to Ginebra, he was already a proven coach with the clout to make changes. When Tenorio took over Magnolia, the 42-year-old rookie coach had to contend with players earning multi-million-peso salaries, as well as veterans who were once his contemporaries.

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And then there's that Game 3 huddle in the fourth quarter. Tenorio was sighing, smiling at the turnovers and broken plays, and looking like he wished he could just leave the arena right then and there. And while, yeah, Magnolia managed to cut the deficit in the fourth quarter, the question is whether the comeback was ever truly believable.

Tenorio kept turning to the seldom-used Gab Gomez during that stretch, while also giving minutes to guys like Chris Koon, Javi Gomez de Liano, Yutien Andrada, and James Laput. Sure, these players could have been affected by Tenorio's outburst. But if the starters weren't responding, getting extra playing time on the court could be a bonus for the younger players' futures with the franchise.

These players have the luxury of siding with their teammates while still supporting their coach. They can't afford to jeopardize their young careers when they've been allowed to make an impact. Gomez, a third-round pick in this season's draft, scored nine points in 15 games before adding six more in this game. At 0.93 PPG, the only way he can cling to a roster spot next season is by following his coach's lead. This isn't rocket science if you think about it.

In the first quarter, Magnolia was basically a Kobe Buffen show, with Ian Sangalang getting hot and Jerom Lastimosa chipping in a couple of baskets. Lastimosa failed to keep piling up the points in the second half. Zavier Lucero, a dependable big man with seemingly limitless range, went scoreless through the first three quarters before finishing with seven points.

Buffen and Sangalang accounted for almost 50 percent of the team's total output, while Lastimosa and Lucero combined for just 15 points.

In Game 2, Lucero had 16 points, while Lastimosa added 13.

At this point, Tenorio has to recognize that these two players might respond better to positive reinforcement. But then again, maybe Magnolia's chances were slim to none to begin with.

These two stars are vital cogs in building the franchise around, but that can only happen if Sangalang and Barroca step down from their roles. Even with a combined age of 74, though, I doubt that will happen next season. Both players are Magnolia lifers, and I'm not sure the team has anyone who can replace them at the moment.

At 34, Sangalang is still fairly young and shouldn't be considered unplayable just yet. Meanwhile, there's a reason Barroca, at 40, is still logging heavy minutes. The issue with Lastimosa is his decision-making. As for Lucero, while he's a monster on the boards, Magnolia is playing him at center.

The return of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson certainly tilted the matchup in TNT's favor. The Tropang 5G also had their key players returning from injury.

The fact that Jayson Castro is spending more time on the bench and taking fewer shots indicates that he no longer needs to go apeshit on offense with RHJ, Calvin Oftana, Rey Nambatac, Jordan Heading, RR Pogoy, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and the vastly improved Henry Galinato at his disposal.

That said, we can also see how disjointed Magnolia becomes when the game reaches its most crucial moments.

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The Hotshots finished the season with a dismal 1-5 playoff record, including four TNT losses, reaching only the quarterfinals in all three conferences.

I don't know how Tenorio can tinker with the roster to suit his preferences, but he has four months and a top-10 draft pick to improve his team's performance next season.

On paper, Magnolia is overloaded with guards. Maybe Tenorio needs to find a better point guard so he can move Lastimosa to the shooting guard position.

He also has a stable of big men, but perhaps he needs to find a young anchor in the paint so Lucero can transition into a combo forward.

Magnolia has plenty of good players, but they don't necessarily fit what Tenorio wants to do with his system.

The offseason will be an interesting one for Magnolia, as I can see the team potentially acquiring a bunch of players from the farm teams.

So, yeah, don't be shocked if a guy like Maverick Ahanmisi suddenly decides to sign with Magnolia or if the Hotshots pull off a trade for Geo Chiu.

I don't know if this is something the team should be worried about just yet, but it's certainly hard to shake off the Intro Boys tag when you look at Magnolia's current lineup.