MANILA—The only thing faster than Paul Artadi on the court, it seems, is the moves he's had to make off it. The five-foot-nine playmaker has bounced around the league, and is now in his fourth team in the last four years—a fate no one would have expected from the former UE mainstay.
“Ayoko na nga magpalipat-lipat ng team kasi mahirap rin para sa akin,” Artadi told INQUIRER.net. “Pero siguro yun yung tadhana natin.”
Drafted 11th overall by Purefoods in 2004, Artadi was a one-dimensional point guard who relied heavily on his quickness alone.
But like every other dedicated player, he worked on his game. And slowly but surely, Artadi honed his shooting touch.
“Pag dating ko ng Purefoods, wala akong shooting. Tapos nalipat ako sa Ginebra at pag dating ko dun, sabi ko sa sarili ko: sige mag-improve ako,” shared Artadi.
“Nung nalipat ulit ako sa Purefoods, lalong nag-improve yung three points ko,” he added.
However, amid Artadi’s vast improvement came yet another move, that sent him to the flagship of the SMC franchises—San Miguel Beer.
Given another challenge with a new team, Artadi made the most out of his limited playing time—the Beermen had a plethora of guards who often nudged Artadi out of the rotation.
“Nung nalipat ako sa San Miguel, na-off na naman timing ko. Wala akong playing time. Di ko nakuha yung rhythm,” said Artadi, dubbed as ‘Kid Lightning.’
He was slowly finding a niche under coach Ato Agustin's system when the 29-year-old guard again packed his bags and headed straight for Air21.
The Express, raring to infuse experience in their roster, traded away their top three rookies in exchange for Artadi, Danny Seigle, Dorian Peña and Dondon Hontiveros.
And even with the hype focused mostly on Seigle, Hontiveros and Pena are getting, Air21 head coach Bong Ramos knows that Artadi has the right tools to fit into his system—even saying that his point guard is a fitting ‘Express.’
“Hindi ko nakikita na mahihirapan ako. Parang walang pressure kasi laro lang talaga kami dito. Rebuilding lang talaga,” said Artadi. “I will probably have more playing time here.”
“Siguro I'll make it the best nalang anytime. I-p-prove ko sa kanila na dapat hindi nila ako i-trade,” Artadi finished.
Mark Vincent Giongco, Phil. Daily Inquirer
