Guiao wanted to pick Scottie Thompson, nearly traded Jericho Cruz

After Rain or Shine won the PBA Commissioner's Cup championship on Wednesday night, coach Yeng Guiao made a few revelations to the media while his team uncorked the Champagne inside the locker room.

With nothing more to prove after finally bagging a championship, the fiery coach opened up on what-ifs - decisions that he nearly made but ultimately became roads not taken for the Elasto Painters.

The first juicy disclosure involved Rain or Shine's pick in the 2015 rookie draft.

Guiao said he initially had no plans of selecting Maverick Ahanmisi at no.3 overall.

"Si Scottie Thompson sana (i-da-draft ko) e," he said. "Pero sabi (ng coaching staff), we would’ve a better chemistry, or better combination, with Paul (Lee) and Jeff (Chan) with Mav."

Thompson, the top guard prospect in the draft, was a former NCAA Most Valuable Player and a known triple-double machine in his collegiate career for the University of Perpetual Help Dalta.

But he fell to Barangay Ginebra at no. 5, after the E-Painters made the biggest surprise of the draft day when they skipped him at no. 3 and picked Ahanmisi instead.

The gamble paid off for Guiao, as the 24-year-old Fil-Nigerian filled in nicely for the injured Lee in their guard rotation averaging 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 22.6 minutes.

Jericho Cruz, another important cog in the Rain or Shine juggernaut, also nearly came close wearing a different jersey.

Guiao said he wanted to trade the sophomore guard out of Adamson University right after they drafted him in 2014.

"Naghahanap kami ng team who might be interested in him who will give us their future pick first round," he said. "Wala kaming nakuha so he stayed with us."

"Good for us na nangyari 'yun," the coach added, as Cruz averaged 13.4 points in the conference while playing a huge role in closing out Alaska in the finals. — APG, GMA News