Meralco exorcises the ghost of Marlou Aquino

Pretty sure that Meralco Bolts team manager Virgil Villavicencio is patting himself at the back, succeeding in where his predecessor Buddy Encarnado (of the now defunct Santa Lucia franchise) failed-- ridding his team of one Marlou Aquino.

Granted, Aquino was the country's marquee big man for about six-eight years (from his PBL Stag Pale Pilsen and PBA Ginebra stints; the moment he was dealt to Santa Lucia, everything went downhill after a year or two) but the guy has been an absolute ghost. Trust me, I've been a fan of the "Skyscraper" at one point, and he is the epitome of the word "lazy" and best embodies the type of players who would dominate one year, get a huge contract, and coast the rest of the way (or until a renewal is around the corner).

In case you haven't heard, Meralco traded Aquino, slow-footed point guard Pong Escobal, rookie Khasim Mirza and their 2012 first round draft pick to farm team Barako Bull in exchange for solid power forward Mark Isip and volume scorer Reed Juntilla.

The trade allows the Bolts to commit to a more uptempo approach-- similar to their head coach Ryan Gregorio's old Purefoods teams. It opens up the floor for Chris Ross-- who is starting to blossom (by simply slowing a step or two down) and athletic bigs Hans Thiele, Gabby Espinas and even Beau Belga.

Another silver lining is Juntilla, who could develop into what PJ Simon is for James Yap. It's no secret that Mac Cardona is "THE MAN" on the Bolts' roster, but the team clearly needs a 2nd and 3rd option to go to (with Espinas being the only consistent player around).

As for Aquino, either he provides the Bulls with an interior presence and shows that he still has somet left in the tank OR he fades into obscurity, never living up to what he could've been (or was once was)-- a crafty Pinoy low post player complete with skyhook, kili-kili shot and goggles.