But their firebrand personality may work wonders for a young, talented yet underachieving Elasto Painters squad that needs a shot in the arm.

The fiery mentor and the emotional stocky guard talked to GMANews.TV on how they see things regarding the future of the squad.

“I have nothing against Sol," said the five-time PBA champion coach. “To me, he’s just like any other player in the team. I don’t give special treatment to players and it’s really up to him how he will treat that kind of philosophy."

“Sol was quiet the first time I gathered up the players and the other members of the coaching staff. Medyo nakikiramdam on how I run things and what my philosophy on the team is," added the former national team coach.

Guiao, then the head coach of the Air21 Express, and Mercado exchanged harsh words at the sidelines during the Elasto Painters’ game against the Express in the latter stretch of the elimination round of the PBA Philippine Cup.

But Mercado has a more reasonable analysis regarding the matter.

“I respect him and I know he won championships before. Yes, we had our differences before, but that only shows how protective coach Yeng is to his players. He backs up his players against their opponents and I do hope he will back me up this time as he will be our coach," said Mercado.

Caloy Garcia, the mild-mannered mentor of Rain or Shine, who took the backseat to give way for the entry of Guiao, also had misunderstandings with Mercado before.

“Both are passionate and wanting to win. I just hope their similar personality will have a positive effect on the team," said Garcia, who will be the chief deputy of Guiao. “Coach Yeng shared his philosophy to us and it’s simple. He doesn’t want players to play soft. He wants to see players to give 100 percent of their effort because to him, there’s no superstar on the squad. They should help each other out."

Rey Joble, GMA News Tv