Gabby Espinas Will Be Good For Global Port

As San Miguel continues to experiment with its proven lineup by trading Gabby Espinas for Global Port's Kelly Nabong, you'ld wonder why they would do that since Gabby is the only legitimate back-up local center for Jun Mar Fajardo after Standhardinger's injury. But it wouldn't surprise me if Gabby is the one who asked to be traded with the arrival of Standhardinger since a healthy Standhardinger would eat up Gabby's minutes on the playing court.

I will never forget Espinas' contribution to San Miguel's finals comeback from a 0-3 deficit. There was a point in that series where Jun Mar Fajardo was injured and was out for a couple of games. It was Espinas who placed the center during that All-Filipino conference finals. And he was tough. He was even hitting big time three pointers. So, again, I as a fan ask, why would San Miguel let go of this gem of a back-up big man?

Nabong may have a three-point shot, but that's about it. He has no post game unlike Espinas. Nabong is a bruiser. If you want an enforcer on the court to waste away fouls, then Nabong is your guy. And Nabong is a hot head. If your team was in a crucial game with the score tied, his temper might be a liability. San Miguel's coaching staff might be thinking Nabong is the Dennis Rodman for their San Miguel's version of the Chicago Bulls. I don't know what he will do for the SMB team. That remains to be seen.

But if there was one reason for SMB's acquisition of new blood, it's probably to generate a hunger in the team that seems to have waned since they've already won a lot of championships since 2015. It is hard to maintain a thirst for more championships if your guys are content since they no longer have anything to prove.

A grandslam should be a goal this SMB team should aim for. That should be enough reason for their hunger since they haven't achieved that yet. The core has been through a lot of battles, and a grandslam would cement their status in PBA history as one of the greatest teams that have been formed. From a fan's perspective, I already consider them one of the greats because of the 0-3 deficit comeback. And a grandslam is all I want for them before their core 5 splits up due to age or trades. Hopefully, that will never happen, and Cabagnot, Lassiter, Ross, Santos, and Fajardo can all retire on this team together. But the reality is, no team stays together forever. So get that grandslam guys, while you still can.

But going back to Espinas, he is the legitimate local center that Global Port badly needs. With him in the lineup, Globalport probably just needs to develop a shooting guard... maybe Paulo Taha or use Teng more (although he really should get in shape like his brother Jeron), since Elorde simply gives up a lot of height in matchups. Grey and Anthony can probably go at the 2 and 3 spots, with Espinas at the 4 and the import at 5. Pringle should always be at the 1. Global Port can build on this core, and get back to being competitive.