Salud sees no wrong over ‘controversial’ Barako Bull trades

MANILA, Philippines – PBA Commissioner Chito Salud upheld his decision to approve the “controversial trades” Barako Bull pulled over the past few weeks.

The Energy Cola became the subject of fans’ scrutiny and even some league insiders after their series of trades which included giving away three first round choices on Sunday.

“A team can strengthen its line up through trades and or draft picks. I did not perceive any blatantly lopsided trades during the draft,” Salud said in a statement released to media on Monday.

“If the issue is the strategy, wisdom and rationale behind Barako's or any other team's decision to trade their picks for current stars or vice versa, that's obviously not within my province to explain or second-guess,”  Salud added.

First, Barako Bull traded Emman Monfort, who is just coming off a solid conference, for Ginebra’s third string playmaker Rob Labagala then prior to the draft proper, they swapped Enrico Villanueva for GlobalPort’s Willie Miller and Hans Thiele.

But what earned the ire of some of the league’s fans was the series of trades during the draft proper. 

The Energy Cola gave their fourth overall pick to Ginebra in exchange for former Rookie of the Year Rico Maierhofer and veteran Willy Wilson.  Their fifth pick went to Petron in exchange for seldom-used Mark Isip and Magi Sison while they swapped their sixth pick to GlobalPort for veteran playmaker Denok Miranda.

Fans, players and even Talk n Text and Meralco owner Manny V. Pangilinan went to Twitter to wonder why did Barako Bull traded away the no. 4, 5 and 6 picks in exchange for veteran players, who were second and third stringers in their previous teams.

But Salud said that “it remains clearly and solely within the ballclubs' prerogative and the teams would thus be in the best position to explain the direction they have chosen to take, provided of course there are no one-sided trades involved.”

Ginebra used the fourth pick to tab Arellano Chiefs star James Forrester while Petron traded the fifth pick to GlobalPort for Yousef Taha in a separate deal which the Batang Pier parlayed it to reigning UAAP MVP Terrence Romeo while the sixth pick turned out to be former UAAP MVP RR Garcia.

The three were former Barako Bull team consultant Rajko Toroman’s prospects before the Serbian coach got the pink slip in another shocking move in the week leading to Draft Day.

“In any case, I keep a watchful eye on these things as our member-teams are aware,” Salud said.