Mo Tautuaa and Christian Standhardinger are currently in the process of trying to familiarize themselves with their new teams after San Miguel Beer and NorthPort agreed on a one-on-one deal last Monday.
Tautuaa immediately reported to San Miguel practice at the Acropolis Gym the day after the league approval the trade that is seen as a move to help strengthen the Beermen’s chances of completing a rare Grand Slam.
Standhardinger, on the other hand, attended his first session only on
Wednesday, with NorthPort management expressing positive reviews of what they saw from the Gilas Pilipinas pool member.
“Okay naman,” NorthPort Governor Erick Arejola said in a short response to the Bulletin.
The Beermen and Batang Pier are hoping that the deal will be beneficial for both parties, with Tautuaa looking to build on his improved play and Standhardinger aiming to find his niche under new surroundings.
Tautuaa blossomed into one of the best big men in the league after joining the Batang Pier in a trade that sent Terrence Romeo to TNT KaTropa in April 2018.
Interestingly, Tautuaa and Romeo are now on the same team, giving SMB more weapons needed in order to fulfill the Triple Crown that has eluded them for years.
Standhardinger has been on-and-off since being taken by the Beermen as the top overall pick of the 2017 PBA Draft.
His best conference came in the 2018 Governors’ Cup, emerging as an early Best Player of the Conference frontrunner during June Mar Fajardo’s absence due to an injury by averaging 23.3 points and 13.6 rebounds in the eliminations.
NorthPort is banking on Standhardinger to be a key asset under coach Pido Jarencio while also forming a combination with rookie guard Robert Bolick.
