Magnolia not making a trade is a wrong move

(c) PBA Media Bureau

Magnolia Hotshots surprised a lot of people in the 2018 Governors Cup. With how strong the line-up of San Miguel Beermen and Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel, Magnolia was hard to consider as a championship contender.

But with the help of Romeo Travis, they dispatched Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel in the semifinals and completed the conquest against Alaska Aces.

With their success, coach Chito Victolero declared that they will not make any changes in the line-up. He said that their chemistry is really good so they should keep the roster intact.

If the management follows his lead, I think they will be making a mistake.

Here is their current line-up.

Guards: Andy Barroca, Jio Jalalon, Justin Melton, PJ Simon

Wing: Paul Lee, Robbie Herndon, Gryann Mendoza, Rome Dela Rosa

Forward: Riego Gamalinda

Bigs: Ian Sangalang, Marc Pingris, Rodney Brondial, Marc Pingris, Rafi Reavis, Kyle Pascual

Actually, Magnolia did not make any move during the 2018 season of the PBA. So, the same line-up that they have was also the one who lost to the San Miguel Beermen in the 2018 Philippine Cup finals. 

So, what is wrong with keeping the line-up?

They may not win any championship in the upcoming season. 

Why?

San Miguel Beermen and Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel will improve, internally. Actually, the Beermen's line-up just added another top-15 player in their disposal. And remember that Standhardinger did not play in the 2018 Philippine Cup.

If San Miguel and Magnolia meet in the playoffs, Magnolia will be having a hard time matching-up.

Coach Tim Cone has a proven track record of building a grandslam-caliber team. The Magnolia franchise should be fully aware of that. 

NLEX will be a legit contender this season with the addition of one of the five best giants in the league. 

Other than the improvements around them, let us not forget that Magnolia has a lot of injury-prone players. 

We can say that it was a blessing that none of their core players, except Marc Pingris, missed a lot of games in the 2018 Governors Cup. That was one of the primary reason why they succeeded. 

If they can sustain the good health, there is a chance that they will prove me wrong. 

But I will not bet on it.