source: gmanews.tv
Caguioa is about to face Danny Seigle on a Wednesday night. I ask Caguioa if he's affected by Seigle's stunning transfer.
He answers by remembering what happened before and guessing what lies ahead. Before, they were perceived as indispensable. That perception has changed. Caguioa believes the team around him, like many things, is changing too.
"I do feel it," Caguioa admits. "Even my Mom's telling me that. It's just different."
Is Caguioa no longer a punk? For years, he was the PBA’s primetime rogue. If he roared into the Araneta Coliseum parking lot in a wicked Harley Davidson, clad in leather, hiding behind the devil's shades, the image would’ve been perfect. Those days are gone. What’s left of the good times; a warrior’s mohawk and a proud man’s memories.
"Ginebra hasn't been the same since 2008, the last time kami nag-champion," Caguioa says. "Iba siyang team ngayon. It's not a run-and-gun team. I'm really worried kasi if we win games, it's not Ginebra. There's no fun."
Shouldn't Caguioa be happy with 14 points, 13 attempts and 26 minutes per game? He's not. Suddenly, he opens up with a rant that sounds more like a plea. He doesn't look me in the eye. Malayo ang tingin. He seems to look back; when Ginebra loved stepping on the gas. He also looks ahead; anxious where a team that prefers to step on the brakes is going.
"I just want to bring the old Ginebra back," Caguioa admits. "Look who's averaging the most for our team. Everything goes through Nate Brumfield. We really don't have nowhere to go. Everything is sa kanya. I feel bad because he has to do all the work and we can't help him."
Still, Caguioa believes the juggernaut years aren’t gone for good. They’re just off the radar, meant to be rediscovered. He isn’t sure, however, if he’s surrounded by the right people. He misses the old crew. He misses Jayjay Helterbrand, of course. He even misses the old supporting cast; Dimaunahan, Artadi, Pacana. He mentions their names, recalls their value in winning championships. He doesn’t sound like a punk. Unless, he's just pretending to be a sage.
Someone from Ginebra's staff approaches. It's nearing game-time so the staff member wants to whisk Caguioa away. He widens his eyes at Caguioa as if to say, "Time's up chief." But Caguioa ignores the cue. He has more to say. It can't wait.
"I don't know what it is, but, as a player you want that chemistry going," Caguioa says. "But it's different when you always have new players. We keep adjusting. It's hard right now. I don't know what's going on with the team. We really do have a problem."
Wednesday's worries won't change on Sunday. Caguioa will face San Miguel without Seigle, play for a Ginebra team without his kind of fire and look very far at how everything is supposed to be. -- GMA News
source: gmanews.tv
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