By JONAS TERRADO
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel finally acquired Christian Standhardinger from NorthPort in exchange for its long-time center Greg Slaughter after the PBA gave the green light for the long-rumored trade to push through.
The PBA’s trade committee approved the deal Thursday, but it took the league until Friday for the swap to become official and pave the way for Standhardinger to join the league’s most popular ballclub and for Slaughter to begin his comeback from a year off with a new team.
The trade signals the end of Slaughter’s lengthy stay with Ginebra which became rocky after the 7-footer decided to take a break from playing amid rumors that the deal for Standhardinger will push through.
Ginebra management and Slaughter, who spent most of last year training in the United States, patched things up with coach Tim Cone even telling a Ginebra fan on Twitter that the latter had already signed an extension.
But the trade did push through, with NorthPort management saying that it was forced to make a move with Standhardinger yet to sign an extension.
“It was a good trade, beneficial to both teams,” NorthPort said in a statement.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone said the deal drew similarities to two Ramon Fernandez-Abet Guidaben trades that occurred in the 80s. Manila Beer sent Fernandez to Tanduay for Guidaben in 1985 before Purefoods agreed to deal Fernandez to San Miguel Beer in exchange for Guidaben three years later.
“The trade reminds me of the old days when Mon Fernandez and Abet Guidaben would be traded for each other. Both premiere big men with differing skills,” said Cone, who expressed confidence that Slaughter and Standhardinger will flourish in their new surroundings.
“I believe Greg will go to NorthPort and put up much bigger numbers than he had at Ginebra and elevate that team. On the other hand, C-Stand’s strengths will fit well with what Ginebra needs as a team,” Cone said.
“We certainly wish Greg all the best and thank him for the championships he brought to Ginebra, and we welcome C-Stan to the Ginebra family. I think the Gin fans will appreciate his style of play. He’s a throwback to the Ginebra players of old.”
NorthPort is thrilled to see what new skills Slaughter developed during his year-long absence. Slaughter spent most of 2020 in the United States practicing his dribbling and outside shooting under the tutelage of former NBA scout Gary Boyson in Daytona Beach, Florida.
“(NorthPort) is thrilled to have him in the team, knowing he worked hard in the US to polish his game,” the team said.
The trade once again made San Miguel Corporation a big winner in the offseason after Ginebra’s sister teams acquired talented players in separate deals.
San Miguel got CJ Perez from Terrafirma in late-January while Magnolia took Calvin Abueva from Phoenix Super LPG several weeks ago.
