Ginebra lets go of ‘studs’ to address aging roster

It was a massive deal considering the names involved, but beneath the surface of the trade that sent Barangay Ginebra veterans Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle to Terrafirma is a pick swap that could affect how Sunday’s PBA Rookie Draft will proceed.

Ginebra addressed its aging roster with the deal, which brings to the Kings top Rookie of the Year candidate Stephen Holt and promising big man Isaac Go.

“Stanley was absolutely dominating when we first acquired him and Christian was the best player in the league next to June Mar (Fajardo) over the past couple of years,” head coach Tim Cone told the Inquirer in a message.

“However, on our part, we felt we needed to get younger. And for Christian—he had stated to us a conference ago that he would prefer to play in a different system and under a different coach,” he added.

The pick swap thrown into the trade could even end up a story on its own.

Ginebra will also acquire Terrafirma’s No. 3 pick in a pool that holds a lot of surprises while sending its 10th pick to the Dyip.

That means the Gin Kings will have an earlier crack at a talent-rich Draft list that includes former Gilas cadet Justine Baltazar, Ateneo standout Kai Ballungay, La Salle product and Draft Combine MVP Jonnel Policarpio, and overseas veteran Sedrick Barefield.

The late rush of applicants to the Draft, which includes overseas standouts RJ Abarrientos and Dave Ildefonso, has forced a lot of squads to rethink its selection strategy.

On the surface, the swap enables the Gin Kings to reel in a high-IQ playmaker and a nimble big man—a role that has been traditionally critical in Cone’s triangle system—at a time when LA Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar are entering the twilight years of their PBA careers.

Cone said it was tough to move on from both Standhardinger and Pringle, who have been “absolute studs” for the franchise over the past years. The pair, both top picks of their respective draft classes, helped the crowd darlings to two championships in the last three PBA seasons.

Clarification post

Cone also revealed that Ginebra has explored various deals for Standhardinger in the past, a detail the latter clarified in his own Instagram post.

“Just to clarify, a year ago, I was open to being traded due to some dissatisfaction. However, after playing the whole season, I was keen on staying with Ginebra. Recently, during my exit meeting, Coach Tim asked me if I was good to continue playing for him and the team. I said yes, and he expressed his happiness to have me on board,” said the Filipino-German, who was picked by Terrafirma during the controversial 2017 Rookie Draft.

“Yesterday, coach Tim called me and communicated his decision to trade me for younger players. I want to emphasize that I had nothing to do with this decision as I was committed to finishing my contract with Ginebra,” he added. “Again, I respect the decision and understand the business side of sports. I just want to clarify that I did not leave…”

The Dyip recently lost Javi Gomez de Liaño, a core member of the crew that pushed the mighty San Miguel during the Philippine Cup playoffs, and will now have to navigate new challenges assimilating the 35-year-old Standhardinger and the 37-year-old Pringle to its system.

Guard Juami Tiongson and stretch big Kemark Cariño remain in that once promising five that dragged the Beermen into a rubber match in the quarterfinals.

Still, the trade has been met with mixed reactions with Ginebra fans and nonfollowers expressing their shock over the swap that sent away Standhardinger, a contender for the MVP race during the 2023 season.

This marks the second straight year that a top pick has been sent elsewhere in less than a full season. The last time was when Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, originally drafted by Blackwater in May 2022, was sent to NLEX four months later before being shipped to TNT.