ALLAN THE MAN

Negotiations are underway for a trade that would bring seldom-used scorer Joseph Yeo to Air21 Express in exchange for a first-round pick that would give Petron a good shot at Bobby Ray Parks in what should be a bountiful 2014 rookie batch.

Multiple sources said Air21 is close to wrapping up the deal that would give them the hard-slashing Yeo, who Express coach Franz Pumaren has long coveted to add to his present crop of former De La Salle stars led by Mike Cortez, Simon Atkins, Renren Ritualo, and Carlo Sharma.

More importantly, the former Archers star would give Air21 something that has been sorely lacking in its roster - a legitimate scoring threat in the two-guard position.

On the other hand, Air21's draft pick should come in handy for Petron in the 2014 rookie draft, which should have blue-clip prospects like Parks and the other members of the Gilas Pilipinas cadet pool.

“Malamang maging bumper crop yung draft next year. Andun ang mga Gilas cadets, tapos dun malamang papasok si Parks,” said the source, who asked that he not be named.

Air21 governor Lito Alvarez has long expressed the team's desire to get Yeo and has been trying to swing a deal for the versatile off-guard since January.

However, sources said it was no less than San Miguel Corp. boss Ramon S. Ang who stepped in and stopped the trade owing to his closeness to Yeo's family. Yeo’s mother is a good friend of the Ang family, the source added.

“Yan ang tanong ngayon. Okay na kaya kay boss na pakawalan (si Yeo)?” the source added.

Yeo, though, should be better off with another team at this time since he has seen little playing time while buried in a deep Petron rotation at two-guard that included Chris Lutz, Marcio Lassiter, and Ronald tubid.

In the PBA Governors Cup alone, Yeo has only played in two games for Petron, garnering a grand total of 14 minutes.

But if the trade pushes through, the wheeling and dealing is not expected to end with Yeo.

Another source informed Spin.ph that Barangay Ginebra forward Kerby Raymundo might also be included in the package, most likely for injured big man Rob Reyes.

The Gin Kings have recently elevated power forward Eric Menk, who still needs time to get back in game shape having been idle since helping San Miguel win a maiden ABL title last June 12.

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