Santos sent to NorthPort for Manuel
THIS one definitely came from left field.
In a shocking move seen by only those few in the know, San Miguel Beer traded team pillar Arwind Santos to NorthPort in exchange for Vic Manuel in a one-for-one deal.
The deal has been approved by the PBA Commissioner’s Office and announced by the league yesterday afternoon.
None among SMB and NorthPort officials could be contacted to help shed light to the big surprise, given the fact that Santos was a big reason behind the Beermen’s success in the 12 years he played for the Beermen.
Traded by Air21 to SMB back in 2009, the Angeles City native won nine championships with the ballclub, including an unprecedented Philippine Cup five-peat from 2015-19.
Santos’s time with the league’s remaining pioneer team also saw him bag the MVP award in 2013, being the last to win the plum before teammate June Mar Fajardo began his reign.
A member of the league’s 40 Greatest Players, Santos also won two Finals MVPs, 2 BPC titles, and seven Mythical Team citations with SMB, leaving everybody to think that he would retire as a Beerman.
The 40-year-old averaged 12.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in his last conference with SMB, where they lost to eventual champ TNT in the recent Philippine Cup semifinals that went the full seven-game route.
Manuel was traded just 48 hours after being sent by Phoenix Super LPG to NorthPort in a multi-player deal.
The forward nicknamed “Muscle Man” has been traded thrice this year, first being shipped by Alaska to Phoenix back in the offseason and then got moved just last week in a trade that also involved veteran forward Sean Anthony.
Manuel normed 12.8 markers and 5.3 boards in his run with the Fuel Masters, although injuries hounded him in the tailend of the eliminations.
According to Phoenix coach Topex Robinson, Anthony showed up at the Upper Deck gym yesterday morning but left immediately since he still has some checkups done before his arthroscopic surgery on his injured foot today.
“We decided to get it done so he could join us either before the opening or during the conference,” said Robinson.
The PBA second conference, laced with imports no taller than 6-foot-6, is set to start Nov. 28.
