Every PBA fans out there had voice out their opinion about the Ginebra-Blackwater trade. One prevalent testament was, Art Dela Cruz is a better player than Chris Ellis.
So, did Blackwater really lose the trade?
Let us see.
They gave up a 25 years old, stat-filling whiz in Art Dela Cruz. He will seldom make mistakes in offense and he knows the right shots to take. He is also kin in finding his teammates and positioning to grab rebounds.
Blackwater knows his importance as shown by his playing time and usage rate of 31.1 minutes and 23.0, respectively.
But, there is a mind-boggling advance stats under his name. His offensive rating of 94.8! And by the way, his turnovers double with increase responsibility and opportunities.
On the other hand, Chris Ellis is still inefficient this conference. His only value is his defense, athleticism and ability to grab rebounds. That is a huge letdown because he is already 28 years old.
But, let us give him a chance. The guy has been playing as a role-player in his entire career under the most popular club. That makes me believe that, a change in role could re-calibrate him into something more.
I am not banking on it though, and Blackwater was not. They also got Dave Marcelo. A guy who will not tantalize anybody with his production, but his hardwork on both ends of the court and experience could be vital.
James Sena had been eating 21.5 minutes per game with 33.3% shooting. That makes Dave a huge, as in huge, upgrade for those minutes.
Going back to Chris Ellis, let me point out two of his performances against SMB in the 2017 Phil. Cup Finals. In game 1 and game 3, he poured 13 points (6/10 FG), 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and 12 points (6/8 FG), 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, respectively.
Yes. Two efficient outings in the finals. What if the real Chris Ellis is that guy?
Overall, Blackwater gave the best player on the deal but the total value of Dave Marcelo and Chris Ellis was not that bad.
Grade: C
Comments
Post a Comment