2008-09  

Season in review:
Before the start of the 2008-2009 KFC PBA Philippine Cup, the TJ Giants and their fans once again got into trouble with the Singapore Slingers audience during an exhibition game. The Giants lost to the Slingers in that heated match, but ironically, they signed Slinger Al Vergara for a single conference contract for the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.

In the off-season, Purefoods overhauled its roster by bringing in rookies Beau Belga, Jonathan Fernandez and Richard Alonzo. They also acquired veterans Topex Robinson and Paolo Bugia from Red Bull and Aaron Aban from Alaska. These moves, however, were all futile attempts at establishing team chemistry as the team failed to excel at the classification phase, even after acquiring Rich Alvarez in mid-conference and having Rommel Adducul back from cancer treatment.

Having to play in yet another wildcard phase, the Giants continued their stuggle in the 2008-2009 Philippine Cup. During a timeout in a knockout game against Air21, James Yap and Purefoods assistant coach Koy Banal exchanged harsh words which caused a stir in the team's huddle. Moments later, Kerby Raymundo rushed to the other side of the court to confront Air21 fans. The Express went on to win the game, ending the Purefoods campaign.

To settle the issue between James Yap and Koy Banal, the team's officials called for an emergency meeting right after the loss to Air21. The whole team stayed up late to talk things over, and the two eventually reconciled.

Before the start of the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference, the team made a move in a three-way trade with Ginebra and Burger King, they let go of the young players remaining in their roster---Beau Belga, Richard Alonzo and Chico Lanete. In return, they got grizzled veterans Don Allado and Niño Canaleta. They also signed free agent Al Vergara of the Singapore Slingers for a one-conference contract.

With resident import Marquin Chandler still playing in Korea, the Giants brought in Brian Hamilton, who led them to an impressive 2-0 start but was eventually replaced by Jhamar Thorpe after a mediocre showing. Thorpe also turned out to be sub-par and was thus replaced by the original choice Chandler, who led the team to three straight victories upon his return, only to see it lose the next three.

Just before the All-Star break, the management continued to tinker with the team's roster. In another transaction involving the Gin Kings and the Whoppers, the Giants acquired veteran point guard Celino Cruz and gave up Aaron Aban. To make room for Cruz in its roster, the team released Al Vergara from his duties.

During the All-Star break, James Yap won the three-point shootout. Niño Canaleta, who won the Slam Dunk competition three times when he was with Air21, failed to get back the title. Kerby Raymundo and James Yap were key performers for the Powerade-Team Pilipinas in their three-game exhibition match with the PBA All-stars. Enrico Villanueva and Peter June Simon played for the North and South All-Stars respectively.

With a 7-7 win-loss card, the Giants faced the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in a knockout wildcard duel. Even with Chandler fouling out in the fourth quarter, the Giants' local crew kept the game close, trailing by only three points, 97-100, with seven seconds left. Kerby Raymundo was fouled while shooting a desperation three-pointer that tied the game at 100-all, but he missed the potential game-winning free throw with 1.7 seconds left. In the extension period, Purefoods appeared to have sealed the victory with Roger Yap sinking two free throws to increase their lead to twelve, 114-102, with less than two minutes remaining. But Mark Cardona and Ren-Ren Ritualo made four consecutive triples for the Tropang Texters to force another overtime. The Giants, however resilient the Tropang Texters were, prevailed at the end behind the heroics of James Yap and Roger Yap. The victory earned Purefoods the last ticket to the quarterfinals against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

With tired players, Purefoods lost to the Elasto Painters in game 1 of the quarterfinals. In game 2, they came back strong, leading by as much as 24 points late in the third. Nonetheless, Rain or Shine did not readily gave up, shutting the Giants' offense down and eventually tying the game with 22 seconds to go. Jai Lewis missed the possible go-ahead free throw, giving the Giants a chance to score the winning basket with the shot clock turned off. Marquin Chandler drove to the basket, got fouled, and drained two free throws with 1.2 seconds left. Off the timeout, Rob Wainwright missed the jumper and the Giants tied the series.

Game 3 saw the Giants leading most of the second half, behind Peter June Simon's high scoring game. Import Marquin Chandler was benched after letting his emotions get the best of him in the first half. He never saw action again in the second half, where Rain or Shine kept the game close. This paved the way for TY Tang to sink the go-ahead three-pointer with 31.2 seconds left. With the loss, the Giants were denied a slot in the semifinals and their long off-season began.

Roster:
Enrico Villanueva
Topex Robinson
Paolo Bugia
Kerby Raymundo
Roger Yap
Jondan Salvador
Peter June Simon
James Carlos Yap
Chico Lanete
Beau Belga
Jonathan Fernandez
Chad Alonzo
Aaron Aban
Rommel Adducul
Richard Yee
KG Canaleta
Celino Cruz
Rich Alvarez
Don Carlos Allado