Aces, Bolts swap JR Reyes, Espinas

LAOAG, Philippines  – Alaska Milk and Meralco agreed yesterday on a trade deal on the sidelines of the PBA All-Star festivities here with the Aces acquiring Gabby Espinas for JayR Reyes.

The two teams also swapped their first-round picks for 2012 as part of the deal.

Espinas missed Meralco’s last five games in the recent PBA Commissioner’s Cup due to injury. But before he was sidelined, the 6-foot-4 forward emerged as Meralco’s premier big man.

Last season, the former NCAA Rookie-MVP, fared well against the league’s established frontline players, collecting near double-double averages of 12.1 points and 8.6 assists.

Reyes played the same spot at Alaska but was on and off, overshadowed by Sonny Thoss. The former UP Maroon has bounced around four teams the last two years.

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Amid debates and discussions on one crucial call in the deciding Game Seven of the recent PBA finals, league commissioner Chito Salud has shared his own view, saying the right call was made.

“(Denzel) Bowles was already airborne taking a shot when he was clearly bumped in mid-air by Kelly (Williams). This type of contact is normally and routinely called a foul when a shooter is all squared up for the shot and the contact affected the ability of the shooter to convert the shot.

“The fact that it was called during the dying seconds was of no moment. What is important and what our review showed was that the contact on the shooter was clear and obvious to the ref who had the perfect angle, position and line of vision to call it assertively,” said Salud.

Bowles made the two charities to force overtime and B-Meg lived on in the extra period to beat Talk n Text for the crown.

Talk n Text officials didn’t hide their disappointment on certain calls with top executive Ricky Vargas seeking a meeting with the commissioner.

“TnT’s recommendations are welcome as is their view on officiating in general. There is proper mechanism for raising these and I look forward to receiving and addressing them,” said Salud.

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Meralco stalwarts Asi Taulava and Macmac Cardona are playing in place of Talk n Text’s Ranidel de Ocampo and Jimmy Alapag in the much-anticipated PBA All-Star Game tomorrow.

Taulava is to tie Alvin Patrimonio’s record as the player with the most number of All-Star stints with 12 while Cardona is to become a six-time All-Star player.

Taulava played 13 All-Star games, including three while with the Philippine team up against PBA selections in a “Luzvimin” series in 2009.

He’s one of only four players (the others being Vergel Meneses, Benjie Paras and Jayjay Helterbrand) to have won the All-Star MVP plum more than once. He shared the award with Jimmy Alapag in 2004 then claimed another MVP award in 2006.