Is Olsen safe?

Life was probably simpler for Coach O
back when he was playing

In case you haven't already heard, there's a "coaching re-organization" reportedly in the works within the San Miguel Corporation ranks. This, after the abrupt dismissal of Gee Abanilla as head coach of the De La Salle Green Archers in the collegiate ranks (which is banked by Danding Cojuangco of Team SMC).

Some circles say that Abanilla is on his way to playing a role for one of Team SMC's PBA ballclubs, another  have him being given the boot because of a lackluster coaching job in a recently concluded pocket tournament.  How this affects Racela is simple: either Abanilla (or someone flying under the radar) is out to get his spot or as shown with Cojuangco's patience for the former DLSU coach, Racela is next to go given his so-so performance as head coach of the Petron Blaze Boosters in the PBA.

But what did they really expect when they handed Racela the head coaching gig?


They wanted a soldier. Someone who'd be groomed into becoming a champion head coach not today but later in his coaching career. That's why they had now Barako Bull Energy Cola consultant Rajko Toroman playing the same role to start the season. To be the hand that guides Racela much like Ron Jacobs did Jong Uichico ages ago for their team.

Petron became greedy.

Racela, though a brilliant basketball floor general, was going through the motions and earning his stripes as a coach in the amateurs. How he managed to land the boys' national team head coaching gig probably had more to do with his backers and name rather than Xs and Os. Still, he was putting in work. It's not like he was a long-time assistant coach when he retired, there's a difference between running sets to actually coming up with them.

But with the advent of The Silent War and how both Team SMC and Team Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) have been stealing each other's gems and what not, Petron decided to elevate Racela before he lands on Team MVP's payroll (much like Olsen's "Kuya" Nash).

Once people started to come down on Petron for the Toroman-Racela dynamic, it forced their hand and left the rookie coach guardian angel-less. Toroman was gone, Racela was left to fend for himself, and though they hit gold somewhere in the PBA Commissioner's Cup with an import named Renaldo Balkman (before the super import lost his wits on court of course), they won more because of stellar talent rather than actual system play (think the opposite of the Alaska Aces).

So where does Racela go from here?

He's still under huge threat to be given the pink slip. If there's anything we've learned from the Ato Agustin-sacking (also by Petron; followed by Abanilla over at DLSU), it's that Team SMC isn't messing around when it comes to their mother, banner teams. Now that the Big Boss Cojuangco seems to have put his eye back on basketball (probably as a hobby now that he's well into his retirement), the onus is on Racela et. al. to deliver.

In our opinion, we love the Deutchman-Washington trade since it leaves Racela with less egotistic stars to deal with. Now he can work on his core of Denok Miranda-Chris Lutz-Marcio Lassiter-Arwind Santos-Junemar Fajardo with Alex Cabagnot and Ronald Tubid coming off the bench to form a solid seven-man rotation with no (okay, less) overlapping of talent to speak of.