Purefoods to Unload Stars

It was reported today (28 June 2009) in major dailies that Purefoods seems to be willing to unload one of its stars to get a quality first round pick in the coming Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Annual Rookie Draft.

The Tender Juicy Giants, who will be picking sixth or seventh in the draft, might give up one of their star players in exchange for a first round draft choice.

Purefoods board governor Rene Pardo told GMANews.TV that he instructed coach Ryan Gregorio to possibly trade one of its marquee players in exchange for a rookie that they can pluck out in the first round.

"We have so many good players, and it would be ideal to trade one of them in exchange for a first round pick so that we will earn two picks in the first round," said Pardo, who did not reveal who among the star players might be put on the trading block.

Several amateur standouts have joined this year’s draft, with 6-foot-9 Japeth Aguilar, son of former Northern Consolidated and Ginebra San Miguel stalwart Peter Aguilar, the most notable candidate.

Burger King, which has earned three picks in the draft, would most likely secure the services of the Western Kentucky University standout as its top overall pick in the draft. Aguilar has been added to the line up of the Jones Cup and FIBA-Asia Championship-bound Powerade-Team Pilipinas.

Other rookie standouts who are possible first round picks are Rico Maierhofer, Jervy Cruz and Fil-Am guards Chris Ross, Josh Vanlandingham and Chris Timberlake.

The Giants have yet to start their rebuilding program for next season as they are waiting for the return of Purefoods top executive Butch Alejo, who is still in Vietnam.

"Since our campaign ended early, the members of the team are now busy with their 'palengke' tour, which is normally being done by the team during the off season," said Pardo. "But we also have to study the draft and plan from there."

Despite a stellar cast - led by former most valuable player James Yap, RP team standout Kerby Raymundo, Enrico Villanueva, Don Allado, Rich Alvarez, Celino Cruz, KG Canaleta, Peter June Simon, Roger Yap and Topex Robinson - the Giants failed to advance in Fiesta Cup semifinals.

Read More......

Williams' Blood Disorder

When Kelly Williams, a current national player and last year's Most Valuable Player (MVP), immediately flew back to Manila from Negros Occidental during the All-Star festival for the treatment, a lot of fuzz was generated about his rare blood condition. He is suffering from a low platelet count and the Sta. Lucia Realtors (SLR) are resting him to prevent further bleeding.

But what really is this Low Platelet Count disorder?

According to the Merck Manual of Health and Aging, a low platelet count (called thrombocytopenia) refers to an abnormally low number of platelets, the particles in blood that help with clotting. As a result, blood does not clot normally.

Usually, the platelet count is about 150,000 to 350,000 platelets in a microliter of blood. In people with a low platelet count, bleeding is more likely to occur, even after a slight injury. When the platelet count is very low (below 20,000), massive bleeding may occur even when there is no injury. Bleeding may be life threatening.

CAUSES

The platelet count may decrease if the bone marrow does not produce enough platelets. Leukemia, lymphomas, infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, which causes AIDS), and a variety of other bone marrow disorders can have this effect. Or the platelet count may decrease if the spleen enlarges and traps platelets. Thus, fewer platelets are in the bloodstream. Myelofibrosis and some forms of cirrhosis can have this effect.

The body may use or destroy too many platelets. HIV infection, lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus), idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and hemolytic-uremic syndrome can have this effect. Some drugs, such as heparin and certain antibiotics, also have this effect.

In idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, the immune system produces abnormal antibodies that destroy the body's platelets. Why the antibodies develop is unknown. The bone marrow produces more platelets to compensate but cannot keep up with the demand.

Taking heparin may cause a low platelet count. Heparin is a drug that makes blood less likely to clot (anticoagulant). But paradoxically, it sometimes stimulates clot formation. Then the platelet count decreases because so many platelets are used up.

Drinking alcohol may result in a low platelet count by damaging the bone marrow. Aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and antihistamines may interfere with how platelets function, although the platelet count remains normal.

SYMPTOMS

Bleeding in the skin may be the first sign that the platelet count is low. Often, many tiny red dots appear in the skin on the lower legs. People may bruise easily. Slight injuries sometimes cause small scattered bruises. The gums may bleed, and blood may appear in the stool or urine. Bleeding due to injuries may be hard to stop.

Bleeding worsens as the platelet count decreases. When the count is below 20,000, bleeding in the digestive tract or brain may occur even when there is no injury. This bleeding may be life threatening.

DIAGNOSIS

Doctors suspect a low platelet count when people bruise easily and bleed excessively. Blood tests are done to determine the platelet count and thus confirm the diagnosis. Using an electronic counter to count platelets helps determine how low the platelet count is. The time blood takes to clot (bleeding time) may also be measured. Sometimes a low platelet count is detected when blood tests are done for other reasons. People who have a disorder that can reduce the platelet count should periodically have blood tests.

Doctors try to identify the cause, so that appropriate treatments can be used. Symptoms may suggest a cause. A fever suggests an infection. An enlarged spleen, felt during a physical examination, suggests a disorder that causes the spleen to enlarge.

A sample of bone marrow may be removed and examined under a microscope. This procedure, called a bone marrow biopsy, may be done to determine whether the bone marrow is producing enough platelets.

TREATMENT

If the platelet count is below 20,000, people are usually treated in a hospital or advised to stay in bed to avoid injury. They are usually given a transfusion of platelets. If the platelet count is 20,000 to 30,000 and excessive bleeding occurs, platelets are usually transfused.

Treating a disorder that has reduced the platelet count often restores the count to normal. If taking heparin is the cause, it is usually discontinued.

For some disorders such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a corticosteroid such as prednisone may be used to temporarily prevent antibodies from destroying platelets. Then the platelet count increases. After the corticosteroid is discontinued, the count may decrease again. In such cases, people may need to continue a corticosteroid for the rest of their life, or one of several other treatments may be tried.

If the spleen is trapping too many platelets, the spleen may be surgically removed. This procedure (splenectomy) increases the platelet count.

Read More......

SLR 72, Whoopers 120

There must still be a bit of a SEABA hangover for coach Yeng Guiao.

This showed in the way his Burger King team pounced on a hapless Sta. Lucia Realty crew last 14 June 2009, much like the way his Powerade-Team Pilipinas squad did in Medan, Indonesia where the Nationals ran roughshod over the opposition by winning by an average of 36 points.

He, however, declined to make any comparison.

"Madalang mangyari yan dito (PBA)," pointed out the mentor after his Whoppers fired on all cylinders against the severely undermanned Realtors for a lopsided 120-72 win and advance to the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference semifinals at the Araneta Coliseum.

So one-sided was the game that Guiao had the luxury of resting his main men in the fourth quarter, utilizing his second- and even third-stringers to do the mopping-up operations.

Later, Guiao said he never figured wrapping up the best-of-three quarterfinals via a 2-1 count would be as easy.

"Nobody expected us to win this way," said Guiao after the one-sided game that set up Burger King for a confrontation with early qualifier and playoffs top seed San Miguel Beer in a best-of-seven semis duel set to start Wednesday.

"The key was we had a good start," Guiao added. "Our starters did a good job of setting the tone, and those guys coming off the bench just picked it up from there."

The game also set new franchise records for the two protagonists. It was the Bert Lina-owned team's most lopsided win since, as Air21, it fashioned a 124-90 drubbing of Barangay Ginebra in Game 2 of last year's Finals.

The defeat was also Sta. Lucia's worst, far eclipsing its 79-114 thrashing received from a Guiao-coached Red Bull squad in the 2007 edition of the same tournament.

The 48-point winning margin was also the league's biggest since Alaska defeated Tanduay 119-71 in the battle for third in the 2000 Commissioner's Cup.

Gary David led Burger King with 19 points with RP team member Arwind Santos finishing with 15 and eight rebounds. Three others wound up with 12 points each while three others had at least seven, making up for Shawn Daniels' four-point outing.

The biggest blow for Sta. Lucia was the sidelining of Ryan Reyes due to a pulled hamstring he suffered in the SEABA tourney. The Realtors have already lost Kelly Williams for the season due to a rare blood disorder.

"Our biggest break was Ryan and Kelly not being able to play. It would have been different if Ryan and Kelly were playing," said Guiao, who also stated his coaching staff did a fine job of honing the team while he and chief assistant Roehl Nadurata were with the Nationals.

"They did a good job of keeping our guys sharp while we were away," he said.

Anthony Johnson had a game-high 30 points and 20 rebounds and Joseph Yeo 17 points, but no other Realtor scored in double figures.

In a game it had to win following an 81-94 loss in Game 2 last June 3, Sta. Lucia finished with a woeful 28-for-92 shooting from the field for 30.4 percent, a far cry from the same team that has shot no poorer than 37.7 percent in its previous games. It now owns the conference's worst field shooting, edging Purefoods' 31.5 percent which the Giants recorded in an 82-78 win over Burger King last April 15.

Daniels went into the game averaging a little over 14 points a game but only went 1-of-4 from the field in the first half. Guiao couldn't care less as the bulky import busied himself with other matters, like rebounding (six) and blocking shots (two). He ultimately wound up with 12 boards, five assists, three blocked shots and two steals in just 30 minutes of action.

David and the likes of rookie Erick Rodriguez and Santos took charge in leading the Burger King offense that gave them as much as a 54-30 second quarter lead and pointed the Whoppers into the rout with a 56-33 halftime spread.

Sta. Lucia dug itself the deep hole from the opening minutes by missing its first five shots from the field. Johnson broke the ice with a layup at the 9:57 mark, but the Realtors missed their next four shots and also had four turnovers that led to a 2-16 deficit and a 17-33 bind after the first period.

Johnson and Yeo were the only bright spots for Sta. Lucia in the first half with 17 and 11, respectively, but the entire team shot just 13-for-41 from the field compared to Burger King's 25-for-49 anchored on a sizzling 14-for-24 first quarter.

That trend continued in the third as Sta. Lucia missed 17 of 24 shots, enabling the Whoppers to pad their lead to 80-51 before going into the final quarter with an 80-53 cushion its bench players would continue padding on to.

Read More......

Williams Still Tops MVP Race

By Zean Macamay
Journal Online, 8 June 2009

Kelly Williams may be down with a rare blood disorder, but it does not mean that he’s out for the MVP race.

The 6-foot-4, do-it-all guy from Sta. Lucia Realty has clung to the No. 1 spot in the heated chase for the league’s most prestigious individual award, which could make him only the fourth man to win the MVP title in back-to-back seasons.

Williams, already pronounced as out for the rest of the season after being diagnosed with ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura), a rare condition where the body attacks its own platelets, has piled enough statistical points before the All-Stars and averaged 32.2 SPs.

Only three players have won the MVP title in successive years. The first one to accomplish it was Crispa’s Williams ‘Bogs’ Adornado in 1975-76, before Alvin Patrimonio of Purefoods won two straight from 1993. The last to do it was San Miguel Beer’s Danny Ildefonso in 2000-01.

Closely behind Williams in the race is Asi Taulava of Coca-Cola. The 2003 MVP has normed 32.1 SPs, but is already out of the running since the Tigers were eliminated by the Realtors themselves in their wild card knockout match just recently.

Williams’ hottest pursuer now is Burger King’s Arwind Santos, who is running third with his 30.6 SP average. The Whoppers and the Realtors are locked in a 1-1 tie in their best-of-3 quarterfinals series in the ongoing Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.

The Realtors finished 3rd in the Philippine Cup behind champion Talk ‘N Text and second placer Alaska.

Williams won last season’s MVP after guiding Sta. Lucia Realty to its first-ever Philippine Cup crown over Purefoods.

Jayjay Helterbrand (29.5) of Ginebra, which has already clinched an outright semi-finals berth, and Mark Cardona (29.4) of ousted Talk ‘N Text are running fourth and fifth, respectively.

Making up the next five are Kerby Raymundo (28.67), Philippine Cup Best Player Willie Miller (28.66), Jay Washington (28.6), Dondon Hontiveros (28.4) and Jimmy Alapag (28.2).

Read More......

Aquino Fined P20K

PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios said yesterday he believed Marlou Aquino did not physically harm the fan he confronted Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Still, the commissioner fined the Sta. Lucia Realty center PhP 20,000 for his "emotional outburst" that took place shortly after the Realtors lost to the Burger King Whoppers in Game 2 of their Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference quarterfinal series.

Barrios met with Aquino yesterday afternoon to hear his side on the incident wherein a fan was reportedly hurt.

Aquino was accompanied by team manager Ariel Magno.

"From my end, I have concluded there was no physical contact from Marlou. But with his confrontation a melee broke out wherein a fan received blows from Sta. Lucia supporters," said Barrios.

The commissioner also told Aquino to keep his emotions in check even in the most trying of times, especially in relation to acts against paying fans, the lifeblood of the league.

At the same time, Barrios also issued a plea to PBA fans to avoid making unsavory remarks to players and game officials, whose family could be around watching the games.

Read More......