Alaska coach Jeffrey Cariaso and big man Vic Manuel. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Alaska head coach Jeff Cariaso admitted that the decision to part ways with Vic Manuel boiled down to the star big man’s commitment with the Aces.
Manuel was shipped by Alaska to Phoenix last week over a month after the veteran bruiser demanded a trade.
“It’s not something you wanted to hear, but if a player comes to you like that it’s really hard for the commitment part to be kind of still there if he’s to return,” Cariaso said on Noli Eala’s Power and Play, referring to the trade demand.
Cariaso said Alaska offered Manuel a two-year maximum deal with a clause for the second year but to no avail.
“It’s was a lengthy six weeks. It was continuous conversations with the teams who showed interest in Vic. There wasn’t as much interest as most people will think, so that made it a lot more challenging also,” he said.
“Some were interesting, some fell off the table, some flat out we didn’t agree with because we thought that Vic was worth more.”
The Aces finally found a reasonable exchange from the Fuel Masters, who sent playmaker Brian Heruela and the rights to the sixth and 16th overall picks in the March 14 Rookie Draft along with a 2021 first-round selection.
Heruela, who was added by the PBA as a trade sweetener for the trade to push through, is seen by Cariaso as someone who could be a “blessing in disguise” for the Aces.
The deal allowed Alaska, which also dealt the rights to the seventh and 19th overall picks to Phoenix aside from Manuel, to move up in the draft, which is deemed as one of the deepest in league history.
“We’ve identified six players in this year’s draft who are already ready and eligible that we feel are key marquee guys that’s gonna be able to make an impact right away.”
Manuel had a seven-year campaign at Alaska, where he made the finals five times.