PBA fans woke up to the news that Blackwater is moving to trade rookie Bobby Ray Parks to TNT KaTropa for two future first-round picks, Don Trollano and likely another player that would convince the PBA that it's a fair deal.
Well, the Parks trade didn't come as a surprise to most, especially since the rookie out of National University has been rumored to be on his way to the MVP Group just days after he was made the No. 2 pick overall by the Elite in the last rookie draft.
The only surprise was, he is set to end up at TNT and not at Meralco, where he was supposed to be coached by his ninong Norman Black.
Besides, the Dioceldo Sy-owned Blackwater franchise has been on reshuffle mode of late, trading away players like Mike DiGregorio, Allein Maliksi, and Raymar Jose while rounding out another disappointing PBA season.
Well, Elite fans need not fret.
Based on our calculations, the Elite will most likely get the No. 1 pick overall in the next PBA rookie draft, which would give the former expansion franchise the opportunity to bring in a top recruit to take the place of Parks as a franchise player in waiting.
The PBA draft rules, of course, have changed the last few years as the league did away with the lottery ever since the infamous 'salamangkero' accusations hurled by Rain or Shine on former commissioner Chito Salud.
Now, the rules are much simpler: the team with the worst performance in terms of placings in the current season - with the all-Filipino Philippine Cup given more weight than the two import-laden conferences - get the No. 1 pick. The second worst gets the No. 2 selection and so forth.
Based on our projections, Blackwater, on the strength of its 12th-place finish in the all-Filipino and ninth place in the Commissioner's Cup, will most likely get to choose ahead of everybody else in the Dec. 8 draft proceedings.
Although the season's not over, the top pick is not expected to change since Blackwater is headed for another last-place finish in the Governors Cup while the next worst team, Columbian, is fighting for a place in the playoffs.
Blackwater only has two games left to play - against San Miguel on Nov. 6 and against Phoenix on Nov. 15 - and the team will likely be without Parks in those games if the trade gets the PBA green light on Monday.
That means the Sy-owned franchise will get first crack at a pool that is expected to have Thirdy Ravena, Isaac Go, Rey Suerte, Fil-Am Jamie Malonzo, Mike and Matt Nieto, Jerrick Balanza, Fil-Am Roosevelt Adams, Troy Rike, and Adrian Wong.
Not bad, right?
And if the current version of the Parks trade holds - Parks in exchange for TNT's first-round picks in 2019 and 2021 plus Trollano - then Blackwater will get another first-round pick in the next drafting.
As for Columbian and Alaska, which are expected to pick second and third, respectively, both are expected to get hold of players that could alter the course of their respective franchises.
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