POY Erram can’t help but feel emotional upon seeing close pal Troy Rosario at the Blackwater bench when TNT Tropang Giga faced the Bossing for the first time in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Saturday.
It finally dawned upon him the two of them are not teammates anymore.
“Bago nung game medyo emotional kasi brother in arms kami ni Troy, e. Siya yung pinaka-close ko sa team and alam din niya yan,” said the 33-year-old big man.
See: Troy Rosario misses first game vs former team TNT due to foot injury
Rosario of course, ended his close to seven years association with the TNT franchise prior to the conference when he was traded as one of the key players in a three-team deal that involved the Tropang Giga, Bossing, and NLEX Road Warriors.
Until the trade, Erram and Rosario stood side-by-side as TNT’s Twin Tower, who won their first championship together during the 2021 Philippine Cup at the Bacolor bubble in Pampanga.
“Siyempre, masakit sa amin (Tropang Giga), masakit sa akin kasi akala ko magkakasama kami hanggang matapos kami dito sa PBA,” said the 6-foot-8 TNT center.
But being an eight-year veteran, Erram knows and understand the business of trade in the league.
“Ganun talaga ang basketball. It’s a business,” he said. “You have to accept it and move forward kasi may team ka pang kailangan na paglaruan.”
With that in mind, Erram was actually looking forward of playing against Rosario for the first time since the trade, a meeting that was eventually torpedoed by the plantar fasciitis suffered by the former National University stalwart.
And for someone who knew Rosario, Erram expects his former partner to go all out and play with his heart had he been healthy enough.
“Yung pinuntahan niyang team kailangan din siya,” he said. “Siyempre yung competitiveness andun pa rin kung magkalaban man kami or magkakampi.”
Erram knows is sure of one thing should he and Rosario finally get to meet and match up in future games between Blackwater and TNT.
“Hindi ko pa rin siya pagbibigyan pag magkalaban kami,” said Erram. “Kaibigan kami, pero ganun talaga, e.”
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