(c) PBA Media Bureau
“No deal, we will never trade Art away. He’s our future and as early as now we can see his potential. We’re just waiting for him to personally find his niche in the PBA. We know how he exploited his rivals in the NCAA back in the day." (From Spin.ph) Those were the words of Dioceldo Sy.
And yesterday, he ate all those words up to the last drop!
But, did the trade really confirmed their real intention in joining the PBA?
Let us look at the facts and numbers.
Chris Ellis entered the league with a very high ceiling due to his athleticism and explosiveness. He could mold himself into anything with his tools. Unfortunately, he is only a legit defender today.
On the other hand, Art Dela Cruz showed off right away in his rookie season. He is capable of filling up the stat-sheets and his basketball IQ on both ends of the court, made him valuable on offense and defense.
ADC is only 25, Chris Ellis is 28, there is no way the trade is fair! Right?
Not so fast. ADC has played 12 games this season! Yes, 12 games. Just like Ellis, the injury bug already infected Dela Cruz. Which makes him more risky than you thought.
On the other hand, Ellis is also injury prone. He could even be worse than ADC. But, his ceiling, even with the three years difference, is still much higher than Art!
I am sounding like crazy, right?
Think about it though. Chris Ellis was never given the chance to be , at the least, third option in a team! Maybe, Blackwater could give him a chance!
And maybe, that responsibility will open up the mind of Chris Ellis into working hard and develop his offensive game.
If you are not yet convince, how about putting some value on Dave Marcelo. Raymond Aguilar is just a filler. Marcelo is not.
The guy can play defense. Actually, he can also score. The only problem was, he was playing behind Slaughter and Aguilar. Could Blackwater also give him the chance to evolve and break the role-player wall?
I am not saying that Dela Cruz is a scrub. He is a much better player than Chris Ellis, today. But, if I combine the potential and reliability of Ellis and Marcelo, I think the trade was FAIR!
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