IF and when NLEX gets the vote to become an expansion team in the PBA, Bobby Ray Parks Jr. could well become a part of the concession the franchise will ask from the league board.
Team manager Ronald Dulatre admitted the agile 6-foot-4 wingman will be on top of the list of direct-hire prospects which the Road Warriors will try to bring along to the pro league.
“Of course he is way up there. Everybody knows the capabilities of Bobby Ray,” said Dulatre, the same person who masterminded the signing of Parks for NLEX for the coming PBA D-League Foundation Cup.
Previous PBA rules governing expansion teams include the tapping of at least three to five direct hire players coming from its amateur ballcubs if it has any existing farm teams.
Dulatre, a treasury senior manager at NLEX, is optimistic the former National University star can suit up for majority of the Road Warriors’ games in the D-League's season-ending conference.
“Original plan niya is aalis for US ng April 7 for training, kaso may commitment pa siya sa school na tatapusin, so na-extend,” he said.
“So baka May or June na ang alis niya. Kung maglalaro siya sa amin, baka eliminations hanggang playoffs,” Dulatre added while taking a look at the D-League calendar.
“Pag nasagad kasi yung semis at Finals, June 13 ang last day. Kung matatapos ng maaga, matatapos niya ang Foundation Cup,” said Dulatre, a key player in NLEX’s five D-League championships.
Asked if Parks is already aware of the team’s plan to utilize him as a direct hire should the franchise’s PBA application is approved, Dulatre was non-committal.
“
They Said It!
“Yung pagiging direct hire niya, we would want that. Pero it will still depend on him. There’s still a negotiation coming. His commitment to us is just for the Foundation Cup." NLEX team manager Ronald Dulatre
,” said the NLEX excutive.
NLEX has a pending application in Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league as it hopes to elevate the Metro Pacific Investments franchise to the pros.
“We just want to move on. We have been dominating the D-League, so we feel it’s high time we up the level of our participation. We feel it will be good for us if we pursue our dream of playing in the PBA, it will be beneficial for the players and the fans,” said the youthful NLEX official.
“More teams, more excitement for the fans and observers of the PBA.”
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