Who won the GlobalPort revamp - The Player Edition

We had one last time for the five-team, 10-player trade centered around Barako Bull, so it's only fitting to do it for another monster of a trade, this time involving nine players and three teams. [Related: GlobalPort revamps roster, adds Sol Mercado, Japeth Aguilar] Of the three teams, GlobalPort Batang Pier, the Meralco Bolts, and the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, the Batang Pier were the clear winners of the trades, but this article breaks down the nine PBA players who have found new homes, based on who stands to gain the most from the shuffle. [Related: Who won the Barako Bull trade frenzy - The Player Edition]

1. Rabeh Al-Hussaini - The trade for Rabeh Al-Hussaini cost the Powerade Tigers one Marcio Lassiter, who was key component in Powerade's Cinderella-run to the 2011-12 Philippine Cup Finals. The problem with Al-Hussaini is that you’ll never know which version of him would show up. There were times in his PBA career when he showed flashes of brilliance. By the same token, there were games where he seemed entirely uninterested in getting rebounds. Reuniting with his former Ateneo head coach Norman Black is the best thing that could have happened for the former second overall pick. Black coached and managed Al-Hussaini on a microscopic level back in college, which allowed him to reach his potential. Similarly, Al-Hussaini also knows that Black is the only coach that brought out the best in him. If the two can work the same sort of magic that resulted in two of Ateneo's last five championships, then Al-Hussaini might be the young centerpiece on this aging Talk 'N Text team. [Related - The Final Score: Rabeh Al-Hussaini plays for Norman Black, just like old times] 2. Japeth Aguilar - Imagine Japeth Aguilar heading to the Moro Lorenzo Gym in Ateneo (you know, the school he left for Western Kentucky University) to join practice with the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (the team he left to join the NBA D-League Draft and the same team his agent said he wanted to leave, because he did not get playing time). That would be awkward right? Well, luckily for Aguilar, he won’t have to go through that situation. Talk 'N Text gave the kid (or his handlers) his (their) wish by trading him to GlobalPort Batang Pier. Simply put, Aguilar could be GlobalPort’s main big. The team’s guard heavy line-up will work wonderfully for Aguilar, giving him plenty of open looks, and more than ample playing time. 3. Vic Manuel - The Meralco Bolts traded away their franchise player because they wanted to “rebuild.” If a team rebuilds, it is often centered around a young guy whom they think can be a franchise player in the near future. In the trade that just happened, that guy is Vic Manuel. Rey Guevarra and Josh Vanlandingham are both good pieces to have on a team, but as a coach, you cannot build around them. Being the centerpiece of the players who came back in exchange for Sol Mercado, expect Meralco to invest heavily in the development of Manuel. 4. Rey Guevarra - He seemed like a good fit for GlobalPort but the Fafa Ref Experience did not last long. Guevarra will take his slam-dunking self to Meralco where he will be playing behind Mark Cardona. The one thing going for Guevarra is that Meralco head coach Ryan Gregorio will like what he  brings to the table. He can handle the ball (and they will need that since they traded away their primary ball-handler), he can shoot the occasional three-pointer, and he is active on defense. His playing time will likely get a  big shot in the arm with the Bolts. 5. Kelly Nabong - GlobalPort Batang Pier center spot will most likely be taken by their import which means that Japeth Aguilar, Kelly Nabong, Rommel Adducul, and Jondan Salvador will play most of the minutes at the back-up center and power forward slots (I don’t think head coach Junel Baculi will play Jason Doytch...Deautsch...checks the PBA website... Deutchmann at the 4). Nabong can learn a thing or two on toughness from Salvador and Adducul, such that when GlobalPort needs some muscle to contend with opposing bigs, Nabong should be first on their list. 6. Josh Vanlandingham - This guys is a pure shooter who can keep the defense honest at all times. Okay, maybe not at all times. Vanlandingham converts on 29.4 percent of his threes. the problem with this new Meralco team is that Mark Cardona resumes his role as the go-to scorer. He will take most of the shots and a lot of those shots will be three's. Did I mention that Sunday Salvacion, a 30.9 percent three-point shooter, is also with the team? For Vanlandingham, getting three-point shots behind Cardona and Salvacion will be tough, but when you add Ronjay Buenafe to that mix, it seems downright impossible. One way for him to get some good minutes is by playing really good defense. Coach Ryan Gregorio tried making Salvacion into a stopper last conference and Vanlandingham could follow that path. 7. Sol Mercado - Remember that time when coach Ryan Gregorio was gushing about Sol Mercado even though he was still coaching Purefoods? Mercado only got better after that point but the Meralco franchise still saw it fit to trade him away. Let me make this perfectly clear. GlobalPort is by far the biggest winner in this trade because of Sol Mercado. If you eliminate all the other pieces they got, they’d still come out on top because they got a game-changing point guard for role players they would not necessarily miss. However, as a player, it’s tough to see how Mercado will benefit from this trade, which is why he’s ranked this low. Meralco was HIS team. He made that team work. Mercado knew his teammates well and knew how to make all of them better. Now, he’ll play alongside Willie Miller and Gary David who are two of the most prolific scorers in the league. This means that Mercado will have to learn how to play will all of his new teammates which would kill the momentum he had from his awesome performance in the Philippine Cup. 8. Yousif Aljamal - This was a guy who was not on the actual line-up of Meralco in the Philippine Cup. It’s not sure if he’ll be able to crack the GlobalPort rotation but Aljamal should be happy with the trade for the simple fact that it’s a new beginning for the former San Beda College standout. Although it seems like he was thrown in as trade fodder, Aljamal should take this trade as a good thing because it was clear he wasn’t about to get a shot with Meralco. 9. Jaypee Belencion - In Meralco, Jaypee Belencion played in only six games for a grand total of 23 minutes. He was traded to a team that refused to let go of any of its guards so he’ll be playing behind Miller, David, and Mercado. All those three players can shoot the long ball which is the only reason why Belencion is in the PBA. Belencion could surprise everyone and get some good floor time with GlobalPort, but that’s really a long shot right now. Coach Junel Baculi will try his best to help his best players learn how to play alongside each other, which means they’ll likely eat up most of the available minutes, resulting in Belencion getting stapled to the bench. - AMD, GMA News