PBA 2012-13 Commissioner's Cup Opens February 8

image: PBA Facebook official

The stage is set for a new round of battle as the PBA 2012-13 Commissioner's Cup will kick off on Friday, February 8, 2013. It should be an explosive one as we get to witness a slew of new imports helping out their respective teams in their bid to win the Commissioner's Cup trophy. There were also a number of multi-team and multi-player trades involved during the off-season, which should give a lot of fans something to look forward to as a lot of teams nearly had complete revamping to prepare for the new conference.

With several propositions made, the most talked about trade took place last week after Comm. Chito Salud has approved it. This particular deal involves a straight-up deal between Talk 'N Text wherein they released Japeth Aguilar (who has expressed his desire to be traded via his agent) in exchange for Rabeh Al-Hussaini, formerly of GlobalPort Batang Pier. Hussaini, therefore, reunites with his former coach during his stint with the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP as he becomes the newest member of the Talk N Text team.

According to reports from the TNT management, Japeth Aguilar requested for a trade since he felt he wasn't getting enough playing time with the team. In fact, this fueled Aguilar's decision to try out for the NBA D-League wherein he has spent most of his time in over the past few months. But since Talk N Text holds his rights in the PBA, negotiation deals came at TNT's desk in an offer to have Aguilar on their team. Air 21 previously made a deal but the former did not find the offer appealing enough. 

Aside from Talk N' Text, GlobalPort also finalized a deal with the Meralco Bolts that allowed them to bring in the services of point guard Sol Mercado. In doing so, Globalport released a few players in the name of Vic Manuel, Josh Vanlandingham, and Rey Guevarra. In addition to acquiring Mercado in their lineup, GlobalPort also added Kelly Nabong and Jaypee Belencion into the roster as part of this deal.

This trade deal created a lot of buzz within the PBA fanatics community because this is the first time that a player who leads the league in terms of scoring and assists is traded to another team. During the 2012-13 Philippine Cup stint for Meralco Bolts, Mercado averaged 19.1 points and 6.7 assists per game.

However, Comm. Salud approved of this deal citing that they "are healthy for the players and teams involved, not to mention the league, as competitive balance among the member teams is decidedly enhanced."

Meanwhile, you can check out below for a preliminary schedule of games in February for the upcoming 2012-13 PBA Commissioner's Cup:

February 8, Friday, Smart Araneta Coliseum

Global Port vs Petron Blaze Boosters - 5:15 PM 
San Mig Coffee Mixers vs Barako Bull Energy - 7:30 PM
 
February 9, Saturday, Smart Araneta Coliseum

Alaska Aces vs Rain or Shine - 5:45 PM
Talk N Text vs Meralco Bolts - 8:00 PM

February 10, Sunday, Smart Araneta Coliseum

Barako Bull vs GlobalPort - 4:15 PM
Brgy. Ginebra vs Air21 Express - 6:30PM

February 13, Wednesday, Smart Araneta Coliseum

Meralco Bolts vs Alaska Aces - 5:15PM
Petron Blaze Boosters vs San Mig Coffee Mixers - 7:30PM

February 15, Friday, Smart Araneta Coliseum

Air21 Express vs Talk N Text - 5:15PM
Global Port vs Brgy. Ginebra - 7:30PM

February 16, Saturday, Puerto Princesa Palawan

Rain or Shine vs Meralco Bolts - 6:30PM

February 17, Sunday, Smart Araneta Coliseum

Alaska Aces vs Barako Bull - 4:15 PM
Brgy Ginebra vs Petron Blaze Boosters - 6:30PM

February 20, Wednesday, Smart Araneta Coliseum

Talk N Text vs Global Port - 5:15PM
Petron Blaze vs Meralco Bolts - 7:30PM

February 22, Friday, Mall of Asia Arena

Barako Bull vs Air21 Express - 5:15PM
San Mig Coffee Mixers vs Rain or Shine - 7:30PM

February 23, Saturday, Tubod Lanao del Norte

Brgy. Ginebra vs Alaska Aces - 6:30PM

February 24, Sunday, Smart Araneta Coliseum

Meralco Bolts vs GlobalPort - 4:15PM
Talk N Text vs San Mig Coffee Mixers - 6:30PM

February 27, Wednesday, Smart Araneta Coliseum

Air21 Express vs Rain or Shine - 5:15PM
Barako Bull vs Brgy. Ginebra - 7:30PM

Be sure to check back in for more updates on schedules and news on the ongoing PBA 2012-13 Commissioner's Cup.