Powerade's season debut will be on October 6, 5pm, against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Yep, the same team that has been a scourge for the Tigers this past season, eliminating Coke in a do-or-die wildcard match in both conferences.
The Powerade Tigers isn't finished retooling yet, as they engaged into yet another deal. This time sending workhorse forward Larry Rodriguez to Rain or Shine in exchange for veteran Eddie Laure and Rain or Shine's 1st round pick in next year.
Wow! This is actually the first time I've seen the Tigers acquire a 1st round pick in a trade deal! We all know that most of the time, it is us that have been giving away1st rounders to other teams. This is a nice improvement.
Well, personally, I hate to see Rodriguez go. I became a fan when I saw his performance in last season's Philippine Cup. He is a bit undersized for a power forward, but he sure knows how to pick his spots and he's got a pretty decent offensive game. He averaged about 10 points and 7 rebounds while starting for the Tigers. Unfortunately, the team rarely played him in the 2nd conference.
Eddie Laure, on the other hand, is another undersized power forward, standing at 6'3''. While L-Rod is an inside operator, Laure is more of a perimeter player. He can hit mid-range jumpers and his range extends way up to the 3 point line. There is a chance that he will be playing mainly as a small forward in Powerade, and could compete with rookie Sean Anthony for a starting spot. The only downside though, is that Laure is already 33 years old (6 years older than Larry), and he'll be joining forces with a 37 year-old Asi and a 36 year-old Espino in the frontline. Yikes!
This would've been a really bad trade if not for the 2011 1st round pick that Powerade acquired as part of the deal. Powerade now has 2 first round picks next year, including their own. This is good, since we could be seeing an influx of fil-fors and local talents in next year's draft.
So for next season, not only will I be rooting for Powerade, but I will be rooting against Rain or Shine as well, and hope that they end up in the cellar to give us a better position in next year's draft. Haha!
Roar out!
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