The Rabid Tiger

After months of speculation and back and forth proposals, the big trade that sent wingman Marcio Lassiter to Petron in exchange for center Rabeh Al-Hussuani, Lordy Tugade and Rey Guevarra was finally consummated.   This move caused an uproar among the Powerade Tigers fanbase as fans have already come to love Marcio and his style of play.

Former UAAP MVP and 2011 PBA Rookie of the Year

 

I, however, is among the minority that think that this trade isn't as bad as it seem.   Don't get me wrong, I love Marcio (I even picked him over Jvee last year for the top pick), but getting a talented young big like Rabeh is more than enough compensation.  Believe me, given this franchise's track record of dealing over the years, we could've done much worse.  For example, that first proposal of sending Noy Baclao and Rey Guevarra here instead, would've been horrible.

A lot of people seem to forget that Rabeh Al-Hussaini had a spectacular rookie year.   He averaged 14.7 points, and almost 7 rebounds in just 28 minutes per game.  He is expected to play at least 30 minutes per game here.  In comparison, Sonny Thoss, regarded as the best center today, averaged just 6 points and 5 rebounds in his rookie year.  Furthermore, Rabeh is just 23 years old, so he is still pretty much scratching the surface of his true potential.  Asi Taulava didn't even come to the PBA until he is 26!

Rabeh is a nice mix of size and skill, which is rare to see nowadays in big men.   He can play with his back to the basket or he can knock down a 10 footer.  Let's look at it like this, it is easier to find a quality wing like Lassiter than to find a big man of good caliber like Rabeh.

This leads me to believe that Powerade may have even gotten the better end of this trade.  Yes, we lost one of our "big three," but we got a post presence, something that we lacked this season.  That showed in the finals series against Talk N' Text, where we were clearly outsized.

Marcio, Gary and Jvee were our top 3 scorers.  The thing is, all 3 are perimeter players, which means our offense revolves primarily around outside shooting, making us a bit predictable.  With Rabeh, we now have a legit option inside.   His arrival balances our roster, and the addition of Lordy and Rey provides depth to our second unit.

Coming from an ACL injury and spending time in the doghouse after he recovered may have affected Rabeh's confidence and timing, but I hope having a bigger role in a new team will give him a fresh start.

Lordy Tugade may be 34 years old, but shooters have longer basketball life as they do not rely on athleticism, and as an old basketball adage goes, "shooting, like wine, gets better with age."  Or something like that.

Rey Guevarra, on the other hand, hasn't quite lived up to his status as a 3rd pick in the 2010 draft.  He is young, athletic and has good size for a guard.  He can be a decent role player.

As fate would have it, Powerade opens up the season on May 20 against Marcio and his new squad.  This will be a great opportunity for Rabeh to give Petron a little dose of regret.

Roar out.