SBP submits RP Team lineup, Taulava moves to Meralco

The Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) has already submitted the 12-man roster that will represent the Philippines in the Asian Games this coming November. The squad is targeting at least a fourth-place finish in the quadrennial event.

In related news, Fil-Tongan Pauliasi "Asi" Taulava will be joining Marlou Aquino in the Meralco basketball club after a three-team, multi-player deal.

Meanwhile, world-renowned boxing trainer Freddie Roach made a bold statement by saying that Antonio Margarito is easier to hit than retired Hall-of-Famer Oscar De La Hoya. In spite of Margarito’s height and reach advantage over Pacquiao, Roach believes that he’s too slow to handle the Filipino ring superstar.

SBP submits RP team lineup to POC

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas beat the deadline that was set by the Philippine Olympic Committee in submitting the 12-man basketball roster that is set to represent the country in the upcoming Asian Games in China.

The roster, led by mainstays Chris Tiu, Mark Barroca, and Mac Baracael, will be coached by Serbian mentor Rajko Toroman. The legendary Serbian coach took over the national team program after steering Iran to an Olympic berth back in 2008.

Aside from Tiu, Barroca, and Baracael, the RP quintet will be reinforced by longtime national team player Asi Taulava and Kelly Williams. Both Taulava and Williams were members of the Philippine squad that finished ninth in the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship.

The complete lineup included JV Casio, Dylan Ababou, Greg Slaughter, Japeth Aguilar, Jason Ballesteros, Marcio Lassiter, and Aldrech Ramos.

According to SBP executive director Noli Eala, this is not the final lineup of the team that will compete in the 2010 Asiad. He clarified that there are still changes that need to be done with the competition being several months away.

The cage body also wants to add naturalization candidate Marcus Douthit to beef up the team’s frontcourt. His naturalization papers are already being processed in the Philippine Congress. If his papers are approved on time, Douthit will team up with Taulava, Slaughter, and Aguilar to man the middle for the Philippines.

Meanwhile, there’s also the possibility of replacing Lassiter if he doesn’t recover from his hip injury soon enough. The 6'5 guard/forward sustained the injury in the recently concluded Stankovic Cup where the Philippines finished fourth.

Coach Toroman is considering replacing Lassiter with PBA players such as DonDon Hontiveros, Sol Mercado, Gabe Norwood, or even Ren Ren Ritualo.

Toroman also added that the passport of Marshall University’s Chris Lutz is now being processed. Lutz played for Gilas in the MVP Cup and this year’s William Jones Cup that was held in Taiwan.

Taulava traded to Meralco in five-player deal

Veteran big man Asi Taulava was sent to his third PBA team yesterday; Powerade Tigers traded him to the newest member of the league, the Meralco Bolts.

The trade involved forwards Jason Misolas, Ken Bono, Rob Reyes, and a 2013 draft pick. With the trade, Taulava will play alongside Marlou Aquino, who had been his nemesis at the post for more than a decade. He will also play with the prolific Mac Mac Cardona in the coming PBA conference.

Taulava made waves when he first came into the league back in 1999 with the Mobiline/Talk N Text ball club. After winning the MVP plum in 2002 and several championships, he was traded to Coca-Cola (Powerade) in 2007.

Meanwhile, Reyes will end up playing for the Powerade squad, which is rebuilding its lineup. The Barako team on the other hand, will get Bono and Misolas. According to reports, the Taulava trade is meant to bolster the team’s frontline, which is very thin right now. Taulava is expected to boost the team's performance.

At 37 years old, the former PBA MVP is still the league’s leading rebounder, averaging 11.4 boards per outing. He also remains a decent offensive threat, chipping in 11 points per contest last conference.

Roach: Margarito is easy target

Before Pacquiao’s training camp goes full blast, Hall-of-Fame boxing trainer Freddie Roach issued a bold statement that Antonio Margarito is "a lot easier to hit" than boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya. Despite his height and reach advantage, Roach believes that the controversial Mexican pugilist will be a walking target once he faces the pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao.

The 5’6 Pacquiao will have too much speed for Margarito to handle, Roach added. Since Margarito is way easier to hit than De La Hoya, he thinks that the match will not last.

Pacquiao made De La Hoya quit on his stool when they met back in Decemeber 2008. The boxing superstar dominated right from the get-go and with the loss, De La Hoya decided to finally retire. Pacquiao and Margarito are set to meet in November for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title.

Pacquiao is seeking to get his eighth world title in eight different weight classes. To date, Pacquiao is the only boxer in history to win seven world titles. A win over Margarito will pad his already illustrious career.

Margarito, meanwhile, is trying to bounce back from allegations of hand-wrapping in his match against Shane Mosley.