RD 1 PICK 6 – JM CALMA
RD 3 PICK 30 – JOHN APACIBLE
RD 4 PICK 40 – JJ CASPE
RD 5 PICK 48 – YVES SAZON
I think Northport had one idea in mind... and that’s to get a big-time big.
But not just any big... we are talking about an NCAA big man.
True enough, they got what they want in Giannis Anteto-Calma.
Let’s just call a spade a spade here. JM Calma is the steal of the draft for me. I thought Northport would have wanted Jeo Ambohot but with Justine Baltazar dropping out and Sedrick Barefield unable to submit the necessary papers, the draft depth grew thin. This is why all of a sudden Calma got to number six. Sure, I knew he is worth it at six... but I also knew the NCAA’s current situation prior to its new broadcast partner. Take the EAC Generals for instance. CJ Cadua and Marwin Taywan logged a ton load of minutes for the Generals and they ended up that low in the draft.
I hope by the time of King Gurtiza, Allen Liwag, and Ralph Robin, the Generals have a better pull – strong enough to give the college a pro baller other than Sidney Onwubere.
Calma is an inside-outside threat and in some ways, he plays the exact position as that with Arwind Santos and Jamie Malonzo. With that said, this gives Pido Jarencio a pretty cool problem. Just imagine a show wherein these three just unleash fast breaks, slam dunks, and pull up triples.
Calma is a do-it-all for San Sebastian just like most of their PBA alums.
Also going to the Batang Pier are third-round pick John Apacible, fourth-rounder JJ Caspe, and fifth-rounder Yves Sazon. Northport could use a little bit of depth but I doubt if these three are capable enough to give them the bench oomph. The thing about Northport is that they have a strong collection of starters but their bench isn’t as impressive. More than getting a scorer from the draft, the team needs to re-jig the offensive capabilities of Kevin Ferrer, Jerrick Balanza, and Jonathan Grey. In some ways, they can also do this with Roi Sumang – a surprise free-agent pickup who did well despite limited appearances.
But then here’s the question – what are they going to get from Greg Slaughter. Gregzilla returned to the PBA via Northport in the trade that sent Christian Standhardinger to Ginebra. Slaughter did unleash hell on his foes but he also has a contract dispute. Inasmuch as he could have career averages with the Batang Pier, I doubt if this is a relationship we can still see in the future. If they are going to trade Slaughter, then the best thing a small market team could give him are youngsters and draft picks. Also, said teams are probably in search of identity.
Maybe Converge could get Slaughter for a package that includes Jeron Teng?
With that said, Northport must be livid with their selections, and hopefully, they get out of the bind they are stuck in for more than a decade.