A Star is born

Show me the money!
(Photo credit to the owner)

Paul Lee wanted out in 2014.

It was all over the news back then, with his now former coach Yeng Guiao even asking (through the media) what the difference was between Rain or Shine's max contract offer and those of other teams. Lee ended up signing the extension, but not after a heart-to-heart with Guiao.

Well, we are almost at the end of 2016, Guiao has opted to transfer to the NLEX Road Warriors, so...
Basketball is a business. If you were to ask any professional player, they simply want to play the sport that they love while being properly compensated for it. If they could spend their entire career with a single team, that would be lovely, but what's legacy if you end up old, brittle and broke?

Lee probably wanted to stay with RoS, but his handler Mr. Lawrence Chiongson knows that his prized ward could earn more elsewhere. The max offer is nice and all, but there are other avenues for a young 27-year-old star player to earn more-- say, like endorsing food and beverage products, clothing apparel, making constant TV guestings, and the like (remember that Lee had his own fans day AND released a music single/ album which all went under the radar unlike San Miguel's Arwind Santos' "Bagyo").

There are just not a lot of things you can do (or show) by selling paint, thinner and brushes.

So when the three-year extension came, Lee opted to leave the negotiating to his manager who was in the United States (as per Lee). RoS saw this as a "failure to communicate" of sorts, and decided that they didn't want to go through another 2014. In a span of a few hours, RoS opted to send Lee to the STAR Hotshots for 34-year-old, 2x PBA MVP James Yap which caught both players, their teams and fans, by surprise.

At STAR, Lee will quickly emerge as an on-court leader right away. They have the young talent, but no one really stands out as an alpha-- not even when Yap was there. Yap was always the quiet guy, ditto with his buddy PJ Simon (who was probably even quieter), and though Marc Pingris is temperamental and vocal, he is more follower than leader.

Lee?

As an RoS fan, we saw how he instantly took over the team in his rookie year. The confidence, the no frills "yeah I just did that" approach, the game. RR Garcia, former UAAP MVP, has always been good, but he also had a knack for deferring (none greater than to former teammate Terrence Romeo). Mark Barroca is a growing talent, but also not one to take over a team. Allein Maliksi tries, and he has improved by leaps and bounds, but we are not in a hurry to crown him as team alpha right away.

Ian Sangalang?

Nope.

So that is where Lee comes in. Alpha dog. They will follow his lead right away, together with newly installed head coach Chito Victolero. He might move from point guard to shooting guard, but we feel that it is where he is best suited.

We RoS fans know how great Lee is, now it is time for STAR to come together after a season of hurting and embrace and look forward to what lies ahead.

STAR grade: A