Rajko now with San Miguel Corporation

What did they expect me to do?

In what should be considered as the biggest steal by San Miguel Corporation's sports arm from the clutches of Manny V. Pangilinan's kingdom (trumping the soon-to-be-finalized acquisition of Marcio Lassiter, an MVP-funded SMART Gilas product who plays for Powerade but is going to be gift wrapped to SMC's Petron squad), Serbian and former Gilas head coach Rajko Toroman will now be playing consultant for SMC's four professional basketball teams.

The ASEAN Basketball League's San Miguel Beermen and the Philippine Basketball Association's Petron Blaze Boosters, B-Meg Llamados and Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings (and, quite possibly, Powerade Tigers) are now all going to benefit from having Toroman on their side in a predictable, yet surprising nonetheless, move.


As far as the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and Team MVP are concerned, they'd rather have a Filipino coach leading the way from here on out (more on this in another entry soon). But it does come off a little weird that Team MVP didn't consider keeping Toroman as a consultant-- which the Serbian was quoted as saying he'd never do.

"I'm a coach, not a consultant." or something close to that effect. That's not this writer making up stories, that's Rajko Toroman uncut (please excuse the term and double entendre).

In a dream world, this is how things will pan out: San Miguel seizes control of Powerade, doesn't push through with the lopsided Lassiter deal and then Toroman swoops in to coach Gary David to his first ever PBA title at the ripe old age of 34.

That's wishful thinking.

Honestly, we can't see where Toroman could possible come in play for SMC. Will he coach the ABL Beermen? That's pretty doubtful given the level of competition there (worse than the PBADL). Will he coach a PBA team and take over Siot or Ato (Cone's secured of course because only an idiot would let him go after that lengthy, dollar-dollar bling-bling contract he signed a month or two back)?

Or.

Is San Miguel, with the "mastermind," the "Vince McMahon of Philippine Basketball" Noli Eala quietly forming their own Philippine national team to rival SMART Gilas (which could just turn the basketball scene bat shit crazy)?

The only positive for this, from a fan's perspective, is that we're able to hold on to Toroman, and the basketball knowledge that he has thought the Gilas players and we've seen glimpses of, will be passed on to today's players.