I thought it was only my eyebrows that were raised when Barako Bull traded their 4th, 5th, and 6th first round picks in the last PBA Rookie Draft.
Then an eminent sportswriter of a rival newspaper chain, made it the subject of a long commentary.
At that time, even with the drafting of Slaughter, Sangalang and Almazan, there was still a deep sea of talent in almost all positions.
After passing up on its first three top picks, Barako then made a choice on the fourth round of the second round, or 14th overall.
Why? For what?
It was probably at that point when the choice no longer had strings attached and was made purely for the interest of the team. In fact, if the team was serious in its rebuilding effort, Barako could have created one new team, which would have become immediately competitive — even with the souped-up teams like Ginebra and Global Port.
It was an unprecedented move in the local pro league, or even in the entire basketball universe. Its implications appear so deep-rooted that it would take a Dan Brown to unravel the mystery.
Even the keen eye of the PBA Commissioner did not see anything, or more appropriately, smell anything fishy somewhere, assuming that like us, he is not privy to things that are known only to the Prior of Zion.
Maybe, it is more important at this point, to maintain the present number of teams, which appears to be an ideal one in terms of generating revenues, instead of seeing to it that trades and rookie drafts would keep the balance of the teams.
The key to the mystery may be hidden in the trades which eventually gave Barako the top picks. It’s such a tedious task however, that I will leave it to the readers to make their own deductions.
Let me just share with you a few things done by Barako that have made you and me wonder.
One was the Josh Urbiztondo trade. After almost leading Barako to kingdom come, he got transported to Ginebra to help the effort of the Barangay in the semi-final round.
Poor Josh.
Instead of being able to strut his wares and increase his rising value, he was strapped to the bench with LA Tenorio and JJ Heltebrand healthy.
Now, Eman Monfort.
Coach Toroman points to the sidelining of the flashy point guard as the reason for the woes of Barako towards the end of the Commissioner’s Cup, where it zoomed to the top in the early going, only to end up struggling to keep its place in the quarterfinals. Now, the former Blue Eagle is being shipped somewhere else.
Then look at the composition of the team, past and present.
It seems like a temporary resting place, retirement and recuperating home for players coming from the teams from a group of companies.
It is also an open secret around the PBA circle that the payroll of Barako is taken cared of by this conglomerate.
Having a dispensable team like Barako in the fold gives you a lot of flexibility, in terms of player availability and movement, when needed.
I will not hazard to opine whether this is good for the PBA, Philippine basketball and the sports fans.
What I am sure of is that the presence of a team that serves as a conduit, medium and channel to serve the ends of one group, does not promote the expressed policy of the PBA to keep the teams in the league competitive.
Actually, nothing to be frantic about if we accept the reality that the PBA is a business, a public relations tool, and yes, entertainment.
When two of our homegrown boys face off against each other on opening night, and maybe finally make Philippine basketball realize that the game is also played elsewhere outside of Metro Manila, even the most critical among us will forget the tragedy of an inconsequential team like Barako Bull, whose snort may not even frighten the most timid toreador in a bullfight.