Meralco draftees figure in new Asi deal

MANILA, Philippines - PBA commissioner Chito Salud found the original Powerade-Meralco trade deal involving Asi Taulava lopsided, prompting the two teams to revise their transaction.

The final deal approved by Salud was Taulava for Rob Reyes and Meralco’s 2011 and 2012 second round draft picks.

“I found the original trade terms unequal and unbalanced,” said Salud.

The original agreement was Powerade giving away Taulava to Meralco for Reyes plus only one future pick (2013 second round).

“That’s better for us. We got more opportunities to pick up potential players in the future,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol on the trade revision.

Meralco’s other deal with Barako Energy Coffee involving Ken Bono, Khazim Mirza and Jason Misolas got Salud’s approval.

Taulava, at 37, is still considered among the league’s elite players while Reyes is an incoming third-year pro, still looking to find a niche in the league.

Taulava piled up 11.5 rebounds, 11.2 points and 3.1 assists an outing while Reyes put in only 5.3 points and 5.0 rebounds a game last season.

Meanwhile, Salud met with Alaska coach Tim Cone yesterday regarding statements attributed to the latter criticizing the three-conference format, import handicapping and one-sided trades, among others.

No sanctions were meted out, but Salud cautioned Cone from coming out with similar statements in the future.

“While we acknowledge that the statements were well-intentioned and that there was no malice on the part of coach Tim, we reminded him to be more cautious in making statements to the media that tend to be harmful to the league,” said Salud.

The new commissioner added that he welcomed spirited debates on any league matter, but pointed out that the season format, which will revert back to the three-conference schedule, and the import handicapping scheme were already approved by the board.

“It would have been proper had he raised his points before the measures were approved by the Board,” Salud said.

The meeting, which lasted an hour and a half, allowed Salud and Cone to discuss several league matters, among them free agency and the salary cap.

The former thanked the champion Alaska mentor for his valuable inputs, which will be taken and considered as the Commissioner’s Office takes a closer look at the current policies and programs in place.