PBA Commissioner Chito Salud cracked the whip on the three players involved in last Sunday’s Game 4 melee that marred Talk ‘N Text’s 100-85 win, the Commissioner’s Office announced today.
Drawing the heaviest penalty was TNT reserve guard Pamboy Raymundo, who was fined P40,000 and suspended one game “for incurring two (2) flagrant fouls, both of which upon review and consideration of the totality of his actuations are upgraded to Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 (FFP2).” Raymundo was initially assessed an FF1 for his elbow to Josh Urbiztondo with 1:47 left in the match. He also hit B-Meg’s Joe Devance from behind after the latter flicked the ball at Raymundo’s face.
For his actions, Devance was assessed an FF2 and fined P20,000, but escaped suspension. According to league rules, tossing the ball at an opponent is automatically an FF2.
Urbiztondo, meanwhile, was fined P2,400 for drawing a technical foul, his third this conference, for his second motion after Raymundo elbowed him in the neck.B-Meg coach Tim Cone, who walked out of the game with still 58 seconds left, was spared from any sanction by the league office.
Raymundo will have to sit out Game 5, but his absence will hardly be felt by the Tropang Texters as the former San Sebastian guard has been warming the bench for most of the season.
Meanwhile, two trades were sent to Salud’s office for approval, with one gaining the commissioner’s nod and the other sent back for revision.
The approved trade sent Barako Bull’s big man Dorian Pena back to Petron in exchange for seldom-used center Carlo Sharma and newly-acquired point guard Celino Cruz. Pena was part of the big Petron-Air21 trade last year that saw him, Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros go to the Express in exchange for Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Rey Guevarra. He played well during Barako’s recent run to the semifinals, helping the Energy beat the Alaska Aces in the quarterfinals and extend TNT to a deciding fifth game in their semifinal duel.
Hontiveros has since rejoined Petron, although he is inactive with an ACL injury. Al-Hussaini and Guevarra were recently traded to Powerade along with Lordy Tugade in exchange for Cruz and Marcio Lassiter.Another trade that would have swapped Barako Bull’s Jondan Salvador for Powerade’s Dug Kramer was rejected by Salud and sent back “for possible revision to make it more balanced.”
