Painters get Rodriguez in 3-player trade with Tigers

Larry Rodriguez, a hardworking young forward, is headed to his third team in his third season in the Philippine Basketball Association. The 6-foot-4 frontliner from Philippine Maritime Institute has found a new home with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. This happened after the Elasto Painters and the Powerade Tigers agreed to a three-player trade Thursday. Rodriguez was acquired by the Elasto Painters in exchange for Eddie Laure and Rain or Shine’s first-round pick next season. Bo Perasol considered the deal as a way to prepare for the future. The Tigers are also expected to lose main man Asi Taulava in the early part of the Philippine Cup, the opening tournament of the PBA’s 36th season, which begins on Oct. 3. The 6-foot-9 Fil-Tongan is among the players being requested by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to join the Smart-Gilas national developmental team, which will see action in the Asian Games in Guangzhou. “It’s a question of how far can we go with or without Asi or how far can we go if we have Larry. History has shown that we cannot go far even if Asi produces decent numbers, so if that’s the case, we might as well prepare for the future. And next season’s first-round pick, which we’ve obtained from Rain or Shine, gives us a good chance to build our future," Perasol told GMANews.TV in a telephone interview. Rain or Shine co-team owner Raymond Yu said that it was hard to let go of Laure. “He’s been a part of this team ever since our PBL days and to us he’s like a family member," said Yu. “It’s really hard to let go of him, but he was the one asked by Powerade." "We've also agreed to trade our first-round pick next season because we felt we might not be able to meet our need of tabbing a big man, so we might as well get it now by acquiring Larry," he added. The move was initiated Wednesday, but Rain or Shine had to wait for the result of Rodriguez’s medical test. A promising forward who blossomed with the Barako Bull Energy Boosters coached by Yeng Guiao in 2008, Rodriguez was sidelined for a lot of games last season due to a knee injury while playing for Coca-Cola. But he was given a clean bill of health Thursday and the trade pushed through. Rodriguez will bring in additional size and interior toughness to a Rain or Shine squad composed of Gabe Norwood, Sol Mercado, Jay-R Reyes, Doug Kramer, Jervy Cruz, Paolo Bugia, Jeff Chan, Ryan Araña, and rookies Josh Vanlandingham and RJ Jazul. - KY, GMANews.TV