For Converge and Blackwater, their time in this season’s PBA is up. Converge’s 3-19 win-loss record is just what they need to secure Delta Pineda’s Pampanga Giant Lantern Justine Baltazar. The former DLSU Green Archer stayed away from the talent-stacked 2023 PBA Draft and now, he’s going to play for the team he wanted to play for in the first place.
Right now, can you imagine the gameplay of Justin Arana and Baltazar?
Does this tag team feel like the second coming of Jun Limpot and Dennis Espino?
What? Espino is also from Pampanga???
Anyway, coming in at second with an equally abysmal 5-17 record are the Blackwater Bossings. I know, there is no third “s” in “Bossings,” but just like their PBA tenure, I find it odd that they can’t right their wrongs. With that said, I see the team tracing the old Alaska lineage, with their players and coaches coming from the former title-hungry franchise. I know there are many top collegiate stars and mystery Fil-Ams, but they already had that in Christian David and while he had respectable numbers, they must find a way to get Sedrick Barefield. I know the MVP Group is probably thinking of ways to get the second pick, or possibly the return of Troy Rosario, but this is Blackwater’s chance to have a “Stephen Holt” in their squad.
No thanks to injuries, the Phoenix Fuel Masters have ended their 2023-24 PBA season. With that said, they could have a chance to get at least the fourth overall spot. Yes, Phoenix made the semifinals of the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup BUT the import-laden conference is a tier below the “All-Filipino” conference. This is a good thing for the Fuel Masters, who missed Tyler Tio for most of the Philippine Cup and are at least a couple of cogs away from consistently competing for a quarterfinal spot.
Ricci Rivero, the rookie offensive spitfire, and inside-outside ace Ken Tuffin are expected to expand their roles further to help Jason Perkins, Tio, and Javee Mocon.
I will restrain myself from creating a draft order, but the Elasto Painters and the FiberXers will have two first-round picks. Aside from their original pick, Rain or Shine got the rights to TNT’s original selection when they traded Rey Nambatac to Blackwater (the then-owner of TNT’s pick.) Meanwhile, San Miguel gave up their first-round rights to acquire Robbie Herndon. While the Beermen never really got to do anything with the pick (Herndon had a brief SMB stint before he was released,) it’s not like San Miguel is a team that builds its team via the draft. Moreover, San Miguel had two second-round picks – the other they acquired when Ginebra acquired Von Pessumal with Northport getting Jeff Chan.
Speaking of Northport, they obtained Blackwater’s second-round pick when they gave away Robert Bolick. I know this is just a second-round pick, but boy, the second-rounders from the 2023 PBA Draft delivered. Rain or Shine also has three second-round picks, and while Yeng Guiao has given Jhonard Clarito a chance to strut his wares, the fiery mentor, and the team in general, have passed and left a couple of names unsigned in the past.
Anyway, I will release my draft order prediction after the quarterfinals, with the possibility of creating a mock draft even if I know nothing about the players involved.