Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 24 | Page 29

December 16 - 31, 2018
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
SPORTS
29
Anthony Davis out of New Orleans next
season --reports
Expect Anthony Davit be wearing
either the Los Angeles Lakers o the
son Celtics uniform next season.
This was what an unidentified NBA
executive at this year’s G-League
Showcase told Eric Pincus of Bleacher
Report in an interview that was posted
in Hoops Humors.
the New Orleans Pelicans officials
have repeatedly stated they have no
intention of trading Davis, his contract
situation may leave them with no
choice, the same NBA exec assured
Pincus.
The Pecan big man is eligible for
a supermax extension next summer
that could be worth up to $239.5M,
but is only one season away from his
player option if he doesn’t accept that
offer.
Davis changed his representation
last summer, signing with LeBron
James‘agent, Rich Paul of Klutch
Sports, in a move that some believe
was made to get him out of New
Orleans.
“I’m not worried about James
tampering to the media about AD,”
a Western Conference GM reportedly
told Pincus. “It’s that James and Paul
are mafioso mob bosses of the NBA
that’s the problem.”
Several small-market GMs raised
concerns about tampering last week
after James said Davis would be
“amazing” to have as a teammate.
Commissioner Adam Silver refused
to take any disciplinary action against
James, and the Lakers’ star raised
more speculation by having dinner
with Davis after their teams played on
Friday.
The executives Pincus spoke to
don’t believe Davis will be moved
before the Feb. 7 trade deadline, but
they do expect something to happen
by draft day. The feeling is that Davis
will decline the Pelicans’ extension
offer and force them to move him for
a package stocked with young talent
and draft picks.
“It’s going to be up to (Pelicans
general manager) Dell (Demps) to
decide where Davis plays next,” an
Eastern Conference executive told
Pincus. “Paul will get him traded, but
it’s going to be up to Demps to get
the best deal.”
That could work to the advantage
of the Celtics, who, depending on
protections, may own the Clippers’,
Grizzlies’ and Kings’ picks next
summer as well as their own. Boston
can’t trade for Davis until Kyrie Irving
opts out of his current contract, so
the Celtics would need to reach an
agreement with New Orleans before
the draft that wouldn’t take effect until
the moratorium is lifted in early July.
Pincus speculated that Marcus
Smart and Jaylen Brown will be
the cornerstones of Boston’s offer,
although Gordon Hayward, Terry
Rozier, Marcus Morris and Al Horford
are all potential pieces.
Pincus also saw Brandon Ingram
and Lonzo Ball as the key players in
a Lakers deal, along with a few others
to match salaries.
A 15 percent trade kicker in Davis’
contract could give the Lakers the
advantage in their pursuit, Pincus
added. The Pelicans would have to
pay Davis an additional $5.4M if he is
traded during the season or $4.1M if
the deal happens over the summer.
If Paul wants to get Davis to the
Lakers, he could agree to waive the
trade kicker only if Davis is sent to
L.A.
Pincus also noted that because
the Lakers will be under the cap next
summer, they will have the freedom to
restructure Davis’ contract, giving him
$32.7M for next season and extending
the deal through 2021/22 at a total of
$70.3M for the following two years.
When Davis hits free agency in 2022
as a 10-year veteran, he would be
eligible for a starting salary at about
$46M, giving him a total deal about
$16M less than his supermax offer.
Pacquiao, Roach team up reunited on
Christmas Eve in L.A.
The long 17-year most durable and
successful boxer-trainer partnership
believed to have been ended early this
year has been reunited on Christmas
eve Monday (Tuesday in Manila).
Two days after disembarking the
Philippines Airline fight that flew him
and his team from Manila to Los
Angeles on Saturday, the now 40-
year-old senator met with Freddie
Roach, his trainer of since 2001, at the
latter’s Wild Card Boxing Gym where
he is to complete the last month of
his eight-week training regimen for
his coming title fight with challenger
Adrien Broner in January.
Unlike his previous 34 fights under
Roach’s tutelage, the Hall of Fame
cornerman will just be acting as
consultant, this time, to former pupil
Buboy Fernandez, Pacquiao’s bosom
pal, who was elevated as chief trainer
before his last outing against Lucas
Matthysse from whom he wrested
the World Boxing Association
welterweight belt.
Buboy and his team, including
strength and conditioning coach
Justin Fortune, Nonoy Neri and
Roger “Haplas” Fernandez, after
all, had succeeded in bringing back
Pacquiao to his old murderous form
in his fight against Matthysse he won
via a seventh round TKO, his first
since stopping, too, Miguel Cotto
in 2009 gifting himself the WBO
welterweight plum.
Earlier in the day, Pacquiao, who
will be defending his WBA 147-pound
diadem against the American title
pretender, was seen doing roadwork
in his favourite Griffith Park, a
perilous mountainous portion of the
city where he is expected to frequent
as often as needed for building up his
leg power.
Although the boxer-turned fighter
had dispensed with observing the
Holiday[i] Season to concentrate on
his preparation, it wasn’t immediately
known even by members of his
training team whether he will push
through with Tuesday’s training
session
normally
devoted
to
sparring.
“We may, or we may not, depende,
kilala naman natin si Boss,” assist
trainer Roger “Haplas” Fernandez told
this writer chuckling in an overseas
telephone conversation. “Wednesday
na sa atin yung araw na yun, tapos
na ang Pasko. Baka mag-ensayo.
Sayang ang oras.”
The legendary Pacquiao-Roach
tandem has actually been reunited
during the LA press conference
hyping the January19 bout where
Pacquiao announced the reunion,
paving the way, too, to his return
fighting in the U.S after a two-year
absence.
The split stemmed after the eight-
division champ’s highly-controversial
loss to Australian Jeff Horn in July
2017 when Roach advised Pacquiao
to retire.
“There was some concerns
Manny had in the last fight and
some statements Freddie made
to the media that Manny wasn’t
very pleased,” Pacquiao’s former
business consultant Michael Koncz
was even quoted as saying then by
way of explaining the decision to fire
his long-time trainer.
The Pacquiao-Roach team up
started when the then unknown
Filipino TKOed African Lehlo
Ledwaba in the sixth round on June
23, 2001 in his first fight in the US
where he annexed the second of his
eight-division jewel—the International
Boxing Federation bantamweight
crown.
From then followed 34 more
fights, including classic matchups
that gifted the Sarangani lawmaker
the Ring Magazine featherweight
title at the expense of Mexicanegend
MarcAnonio Barrera;
World Boxing Council super-

featherweight diadem from from
anotherMexkican great Juan Mnuel
Marquez; WBC lightweight crown
from David Diaz; International
Boxing Organization/Ring junior-
welterweight title from Ricky Hatton;
World
Boxing
Organization
welterweight hrine from MiguekCotto;
and WBC super-welterweight plum
from Anonio Margarito.
Add the WBC flyweight diadem he
wrested from Thai Chatchai Sasakul
on December 8, 1998, years before
invading the U.S. soil for a total eight
weight-division harvest.

By: Julian Ray Fortaleza
Answers from last week’s issue:
1. Valentina Shevchenko is the champion of the UFC’s female flyweight
division
2. Manny Pacquiao will fight Adrien Broner in Las Vegas
3. The longest active winstreak in the UFC belongs to featherweight
champion Max Holloway
New Questions:
1. Elias Petterson was drafted 5th overall in what year?
2. Before Arsenal played at the Emirates Stadium, where did they
play?
3. Is there a unified champion in Boxing’s welterweight division?
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