THOUGHTS | PBA'S SUPERSTAR FREE AGENTS

What the hell is a silent ban, anyway? Because let’s be real — there are players who should still be in the PBA but, for some reason, aren’t. I don’t know why they’re out of the league or stuck in basketball limbo, but some of these cases just don’t make sense.

Take Macmac Cardona, for example. He should have had a farewell tour like Mark Caguioa. Both were brash and cocky, but that was their edge. When Tim Cone took over Ginebra, you could see how Caguioa adjusted. The Spark became more of a nostalgia act than a go-to scorer. Yes, he and Jayjay Helterbrand would rally the never-say-die spirit when needed, especially during their championship drives. However, I thought Caguioa still had the skills to score in double figures consistently.

He lost his starting spot to Scottie Thompson just like that, but he accepted it, swallowed his pride, and stayed loyal to Barangay Ginebra until the end.

Cardona, on the other hand, was a score-first combo guard who could’ve helped a lot of teams. But maybe he rubbed too many people the wrong way. But again, that's how he plays. If he can't have the swagger, then what is the point of having Captain Hook in your roster? I believe his off-court problems wouldn't have been as grave if he had an outlet to take out his frustrations.

The difference between Caguioa and Cardona is that Mark The Spark is a Ginebra lifer. Meanwhile, Cardona's career went haywire after his stint with the Meralco Bolts.

The same goes for Gary David, who also deserved a better send-off. His wearing a San Miguel jersey felt unreal, and David losing his career after a bunch of games with Mahindra was equally depressing. Then you’ve got other names who, for various reasons, either lost their spots or fell out of favor — Danny Ildefonso, Don Allado, Chris Ellis, Ray Parks, and Christian Standhardinger at one point or another.

Now, while everyone’s been talking about Greg Slaughter, the first name that comes to mind when discussing silent bans should be Terrence Romeo. In a league where stars can still play at a high level past 35, Romeo is just 33. Yes, injuries have slowed him down, but he’s a three-time scoring champion and a two-time Mythical Team member. He may be seen as a locker room headache, but again, that's his game. The man plays with swagger, and if you want to have the Terrence Romeo experience, you need to find his positives.

If I were Titan Ultra, I’d try to bring in both Romeo and Slaughter just to send a message to the SMC bloc — that these players can still dominate if you just let them be.

Now, back to Slaughter. The whole reason I started writing this piece was because of a Yeng Guiao interview on Spin.ph. When asked if he’d look for frontliners to replace the injured Keith Datu and Luis Villegas, Guiao mentioned names like Mike Miranda and Justin Chua, but not Slaughter. And honestly, I get it.

Guiao has a system, and Slaughter doesn’t exactly fit in it. Gregzilla may look entitled, but he earned his PBA achievements. Yes, he's no June Mar Fajardo, but to say that he's useless is just insane. That said, Guiao prefers bigs who stretch the floor, play hard-nosed defense, and obey orders. I remember a time when Guiao was Gilas' coach, and his way of pushing his players did the opposite to Slaughter. That said, if Guiao could bench Asi Taulava for Raul Soyud, then yeah, he’d probably pick Miranda over Slaughter any day. Miranda’s the kind of player Guiao molded — loyal, system-driven, and willing to do what the fiery mentor wants.

As for Stanley Pringle, he’s the kind of veteran leader Guiao needs — the Nelson Asaytono or Vince Hizon type from his Red Bull days, or the Larry Fonacier–Cyrus Baguio player from his NLEX stint. Pringle gives the Elasto Painters that veteran presence to take them to the next level. Sure, he’d get more touches at Terrafirma, but Rain or Shine is a far more stable franchise.

Speaking of Rain or Shine, I still think they shouldn’t have traded Mark Denver Omega to Converge. Christian Manaytay may have size, but I’m not sure he can guard the league’s top bigs. Jun Roque and Deo Cuajao are more wings than enforcers.

Now, about these so-called “silent bans.” PBA teams should really stop doing them — but it’s not like they’re alone. Even the NBA does this. Instead of outright banning players though, teams quietly phase them out or relegate them to cameo roles. These are the stars who once ruled the league but became expendable because of ego clashes or money issues.

We’ve seen this story play out before — Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Gilbert Arenas, Dwight Howard — all pushed out of the spotlight despite still having game. Paul George might be next. Maybe even Kawhi Leonard, depending on how things unfold in his current scandal.

And then there’s Russell Westbrook, who’s been defying that fate for years. He was supposed to be a backup in Sacramento behind Dennis Schroder, yet he’s been leading the team in scoring alongside DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Westbrook plays with the same flair and fire as Romeo — minus the dunks — and somehow, at 37, he still has a team. Meanwhile, Romeo, at 33, doesn’t.

Hopefully, before he’s reduced to playing 3x3 full-time, Romeo lands on a team that actually values what he brings. Because if Titan Ultra plays their cards right, a Romeo–Slaughter combo could be their ticket to legitimacy — especially if they manage to land a solid international top pick in the 2027 PBA Draft.

As for Standhardinger, TNT wants him, but his rights are still with Terrafirma. The only way that deal happens is if Terrafirma sells its franchise to an independent owner — one who won’t bend to SMC “requests” the way Titan Ultra did when they handed over Chris Koon.