Gun for hire: Canaleta to Talk 'n' Text

KG is taking his talents to TNT
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

And the rich continue to get richer.

The Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters, in an effort to ensure that they are armed to the teeth (if they aren't already) going into their PBA Philippine Cup Quarterfinals Best-of-Three with the San Mig Coffee Mixers, have recently acquired the services of Air21 Express' leading scorer Nino Canaleta. The 6"6, 185 lbs. sharpshooter averaged a team-best 16 points to go with 6 rebounds while not necessarily being the Express' 1st option on offense.

While logic dictates that Canaleta will struggle with the Texters being that he is the "new kid in town," we don't see him having a hard time adjusting to his teammates who, for the last few championship years, are the PBA embodiment of "playing for each other." The Texters thrive in the team concept as evidenced by the success that they've garnered and also with their dribble-drive motion offense (although head coach Norman Black has successfully added some new/old halfcourt elements here and there the last year or so).


Having a veteran point guard like Jimmy Alapag and FIBA's "Best Point Guard in Asia" Jayson Castro around will also make life easier and fun for Canaleta. While his guards and superstar teammates Ranidel de Ocampo, Larry Fonacier, Danny Seigle and Kelly Williams take turns attacking the basket, Canaleta can now pick his spots on the floor and shoot from deep all day.

Going into the match-up with the Mixers, Canaleta is not only a tall defender, but also an established shot-blocker (he was a center long before he moonlighted/ morphed into the shooter he is today) who can be counted on to check anyone on the Mixers' frontline-- be it the agile Joe DeVance, Marc Pingris or rookie Ian Sanggalang.

Canaleta's pretty much another, valuable addition to the Texters' growing front line of multi-faceted, highly skilled hybrid forwards. Whatever happens in their quarterfinals showdown, you'd have to root for Canaleta while also considering all of the other, non-PBA possibilities (such as loaning the sharpshooter over to Gilas should there be an open spot).