COLUMN: CAN TNT FINALLY SUCCEED IN SIGNING STANDHARDINGER?
CHICAGO - Just in case the rest of the PBA has already forgotten, June Mar Fajardo dropped a monster performance on Sunday which reminded everyone that all roads to the Philippine Cup title still goes through San Miguel.
The nine-time league MVP and 11-time PBA champion hit 10-of-15 field goals on the way to 24 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and two blocks that allowed the Beermen to disconnect the Converge FiberXers, 96-90 at the Ynares Center.
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At 6-foot-11 and 268 pounds, with just enough mobility for a giant his size, there's simply no one like June Mar in an import-less conference. And at age 35, he's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Meanwhile, a quick glimpse of TNT's roster reveals a depth chart for big men that is dental floss thin.
Poy Erram is recovering from an ACL tear last July and the 36-year-old will be out for up to a year. Kelly Williams can still hold his own down the block but he's 43 now and nearing eligibility for social security benefits.
HOLE IN THE MIDDLE.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser is only 31 but reliability is a concern given that he has a history of both an ACL and meniscus tear problems. He also gives up five inches and 48 pounds to The Kraken.
Former UP Maroons slotman Henry Galinato is turning out to be a good pro player but while he has the size, 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, he's only 27 and doesn't have enough battle scars to joust Fajardo.
Which leads the Tropang 6G to wish for a star, a two-time All-Star to be precise.
"It's common knowledge that we want him," a TNT official told me in a telephone interview last Saturday. But he also emphasized the fact that acquiring the Fil-German would require an obstacle course to hurdle.
C-Stan's rights still belong to Terrafirma, which is expected to demand a high price for his release via trade. And to become an unrestricted free agent, C-Stan would need six more conferences of service.
BUT FIRST THINGS FIRST, WHEREIS C-STAN?
Nobody seems to know, but his abrupt exit from the limelight has added a layer of mystique to his rare public sightings.
A powerhouse agent told me he bumped into Standhardinger at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) a few months ago.
"Lumobo ng konti," he observed of the encounter, adding that although the 6-foot-8 center-forward may now possibly weigh a little north of his previously listed 220-lb frame, he'd still sign him "in a heartbeat."
C-Stan has also reportedly been seen several times working out in a gym inside posh Shangri-la hotel. And thank God, there are no sightings in an all-you-can-eat buffet.
TNT doesn't have a Mikey Williams-like obsession toward Standhardinger. But the need to reel C-Stan, has certainly been heightened by Fajardo's recent rampage.
Just this past June, TNT acquired Jordan Heading, an asset who was taken by Terrafirma at No. 1 (2020 Special Draft) before hoarding him for nearly five years.
C-Stan's contract expired in December of 2024. The 36-year-old man mountain has been in the Dyip prison ever since.
Will history repeat itself and he also ends up at TNT?
2025-11-03T10:15:05Z
