WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PAMPANGA GIANT LANTERNS?!?

I was about to write something about Converge's inability to win in the 2025-26 PBA Commissioner's Cup despite their star-studded lineup.

They are sitting with a 2-6 record, and as of this moment, their import, former NBA player Kylor Kelley, is averaging just 12.5 ppg, which is dead last among imports—active and fired—and is fifth-best on the team after Juan Gomez de Liano, Alec Stockton, Justin Arana, and Justine Baltazar.

This is also a team that went big heading into the conference, as they have in their arsenal Mikey Williams, Jonnel Policarpio, and Calvin Abueva.

It felt like the chemistry they had at the conference prior was zapped out of them because of their major acquisitions, the team's inability to trust Kelley to be more than just a role player-type of import, and how they were getting outclassed by their opponents on a near-consistent basis.

And then, I made a pivot because...

Was I living under a rock that I didn't know the Pampanga Giant Lanterns had already disbanded?

Hmmm...

Pampanga is one of the MPBL's best teams of all time. Led by Justine Baltazar and coach Delta Pineda, the team whooped everyone's ass with gameplay a notch above everyone else.

In terms of teams that can realistically win in the PBA, they are at that level.

In some ways, the team successfully invaded the PBA when Delta Pineda became the coach of the Converge FiberXers and then, one by one, acquired his Pampanga core. Aside from Balti, the team has Archie Concepcion, MJ Garcia, Larry Muyang, John Lloyd Clemente, Ronan Santos, and Kurt Reyson.

The way they acquired Muyang was also controversial.

I often remarked that what they did was nothing short of spectacular because while the SMC and MVP teams were checking out farm teams and colleges whose graduating players may or may not end up playing for them in the pros, the Giant Lanterns made a move by bolstering their squad with unsigned rookies and PBA free agents who can play for Converge at the snap of a finger.

However, the team was out of the MPBL in 2026, and as I was looking for info as to what happened, I don't really see any juicy details about it.

I guess this is just a case of finally getting to the PBA, which is basically what Delta Pineda's endgame is.

In 2002, the rise of FedEx Express in the PBA also saw the end of the Laguna Lakers in the MBA. Over time, we have seen PBL teams like Purefoods, Swift, Sta. Lucia, Tanduay, Red Bull, and Welcoat instantly or gradually disband to concentrate on one professional team, as NLEX, Blackwater, and Phoenix did when they crossed over to the PBA from the PBA D-League. For Harbour Centre, they slowly entered the PBA as a major stakeholder in the Burger King Whoppers before getting their own team in 2012.

Now, I don't know if Pampanga's status would be a hiatus or a permanent exodus, but the only gripe I have with this is that it ruins the possibility of having an MPBL farm team.

And I mean, instead of having Terrafirma, Titan Ultra, and Blackwater acting as some major team's farm squad, maybe it's time for teams to consider having affiliates again. I know recently graduated players may not land on a top PBA team in this setup, but it can work in the sense that a team can loan their benchwarmers to the MPBL for conditioning. Enoch Valdez and JM Calma are examples of players who need to see court time that their teams obviously can't give them because they are in the business of championships instead of developing their players. A player like Jeo Ambohot can also look to the MPBL to iron out the kinks in his game. Yes, he will never be a 10-point scorer in the league, but maybe he can be a better defender in the process.

There are benchwarmers in the PBA who have lost their confidence, and there are those like Concepcion, Clemente, and Garcia who weren't "PBA material" when they were drafted but became better in the MPBL. Even Muyang got his player stock raised when he left Phoenix.

And that's just what I think we need here.

In the coming 2027 PBA Draft, you can expect more benchwarmers sitting idly on the sidelines or in the first row behind the bench rather than prominently strutting their wares on the court. If PBA teams can't sponsor a team, then why can't they just let their signed players toil in the MPBL on loan, possibly with the down-and-out teams since it's their game they are looking to develop and not their championship drive, with the end of their contracts on hold until the PBA teams give up their rights or let them rot in unrestricted free agency?

If you think about it, it's better for them in the long run than just telling a player to waste away the prime of their careers with no court time to show.