On the table: Lassiter to join Petron

Lassiter: One conference rental for Powerade (?)

And the rich keep getting richer.

The Petron Blaze Boosters and Powerade Tigers are already in the final stages (read: just waiting for the approval of PBA Commissioner Chito Salud) of a deal that will send this year's 4th overall pick Marcio Lassiter to Petron in exchange for 2010 top pick Noy Baclao and 3rd overall Rey Guevarra.

And yes, Petron does have all Top 3 picks of the 2010 draft on their roster and now, will have 2 of the clear frontrunners in Chris Lutz and Lassiter.


What this does:

For Petron, it will fortify their line-up even more on both ends. Lassiter will easily come in as the starting SF, with Lutz at SG, Alex Cabagnot at PG and Arwind Santos at his preferred PF spot. Defensively, only Cabagnot is left as a liability and the way he's improved the last two conferences, that's not even a bad thing. Santos may be a little skinny, but we all know what he can do when he's closer to the rim and doesn't have to chase around speedy players (read: there's a reason why he is the "Tapal King.")

In case Petron coach Ato Agustin is feeling a little conservative, then Santos can go play SF with Lassiter coming off the bench to spell either him or Lutz. Either way, Petron wins big on both ends.

On the Tigers front, they lose. Big.

Gary David, KKS' Bataan Bomber, loses his Scottie Pippen. The basketball IQ, the defense and moxy-- all gone. Lassiter's game is more than just the TV-hype swag. He knows how to play around a superstar, be it David or fellow rookie JVee Casio. He picks his spots and almost always knows when to let others take over, or when it's time for him to make things happen.

Also, he's the only guy on the Tigers roster who actually knows how to play man to man defense.

With Guevarra, the Tigers get an upgrade over David sub Francis Allera. Though it's been a while since Guevarra has done anything worth anyone's time, he's athleticism isn't something any team should sleep on. With David sure to get heavy playing time (as always), we can forgive this pick and call it as an insurance policy for the Tigers.

Then there's Noy Baclao.

He's put on a lot of weight since leading Ateneo all the way in the UAAP, and has lost that quick foot and hand speed that has made him such an intimidating force in the amateurs.

Can he reclaim his lost glory with Powerade? KKS doesn't see why he can't. Given enough playing time, he'll be sure to go back to his strengths which has always been on the defensive end. At Powerade, he'll be asked to become that interior presence (defensively) to aide Doug Kramer. In the Commissioner's Cup (up to the Governor's), the two Ateneans will most likely sub for one another.

The impending trade will also open things up for PNoy's nephew, Sean Anthony at small forward. He showed range in the latter games of the Philippine Cup Finals, and now that Lassiter is gone, he'll be counted on to do more for his team. Defensively, he's not at par with Lassiter, but what he lacks in IQ (the man stole a pass in the dying seconds of Game 4 where they were protecting a 3 point lead, raced mid court and instead of letting the clock wind down, fumbled it back to TNT) he makes up for with tenacity and hustle.

Overall, it was a very lopsided trade for the Tigers, getting two bench players-- not even role players at that, for a budding superstar who does a lot on the floor. A fairer deal would be Guevarra and Rabeh Al Husaini or even a Joseph Yeo and Noy Baclao package. Something that would at least be fair, "numbers/ production-wise."

On a side note, Talk 'n' Text must be antsy about this trade.

Alex Cabagnot, Chris Lutz, Marcio Lassiter, Arwind Santos and Rob Reyes > Jayson Castro, Jimmy Alapag, Ryan Reyes, Kelly Williams and Ranidel de Ocampo

On paper. Only because Alapag is two-three years away from retirement, RDO is inconsistent and what Rob Reyes lacks in overall game, he's bound to learn from Danny Ildefonso and has made up for with energy and a bruising approach in the paint.

Scary.