Grading the Poy Erram Trade: Who Won?

Clearly, rumors couldn't stay away from Gilas Pilipinas even as they are busy preparing for the road game against Indonesia on the 23rd as part of the first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers. What was the rumor that has been making noise?

JP Erram, one of the best two-way big men we have both in the PBA and in the national team, is headed for the TNT KaTropa- the same team in which interim Gilas Coach Mark Dickel is serving as the team consultant and is calling the shots alongside Coach Bong Ravena. Dickel, for his part, has been understandably quiet when asked about the said rumor.

On the other hand, Yeng Guiao, Erram's soon-to-be former coach with the NLEX Road Warriors, has said that he doesn't want to trade JP Erram as the two developed a good working relationship that started when Erram, then a part of the Blackwater Elite, was included in Guiao's Gilas pool that competed in the Asian Games years ago and that bond continued to prosper when NLEX traded two 2018 draftees to Blackwater in exchange for Erram. Unfortunately, Guiao understood that it was never up to him and it would never be.

And unfortunately for NLEX of Kiefer Ravena and company, there will be a visible hole that needs to be filled once the Philippine Cup opens anew on March 8 as JP Erram is indeed headed for the KaTropa after he was involved in a three-team deal involving NLEX, TNT, and Blackwater. The deal is still up for the approval of PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial but basically, here's the breakdown of the trade:

- TNT gets Erram and a first-round draft pick from Blackwater

- NLEX gets Anthony Semerad, a draft pick each from TNT and Blackwater

- Blackwater gets Ed Daquiaog, Marion Magat, and a draft pick from TNT

Who won in the deal?

The Winners: TNT

Let's face it: TNT won this deal especially after securing a one-year deal with Ray Parks. The arrival of JP Erram will give the KaTropa a two-way big man who can compliment Troy Rosario's ability to play both forward positions which means Rosario can now focus on either positon with Erram taking the center spot. Over the last few years, the KaTropa have been missing an inside force as they are loaded with guards like Jayson Castro, Ray Parks, among others. Losing a still-injured Anthony Semerad is worth the gamble as it gives them an Erram who is viewed by pundits to benefit from the absence of June Mar Fajardo and Greg Slaughter in the upcoming 45th season of the PBA.

Erram, for himself, is headed for a proud franchise who is itching to get back to winning championships after falling short in the last few years despite the addition of Ray Parks and the appointment of Mark Dickel. With the Erram-Parks tandem, TNT now has a legitimate 1-2 punch- something like the Taulava-Alapag duo of the old. Can they help break TNT's five-year title drought? That's a good question for another time. 

The Losers: NLEX and Yeng Guiao

Just when NLEX has started gaining ground in the PBA, even finishing as the top seed in the 2019 Governors' Cup before getting stunned in the quarterfinals despite having the twice-to-beat advantage, and with Kiefer Ravena just returned last year after serving an 18-month suspension, the Road Warriors will be looking at one another asking one question: Who will replace JP Erram's place?

Asi Taulava is retiring after the Philippine Cup which means both Michael Miranda and Raul Soyud will have to double up to help fill in the spot Erram is leaving behind. Both Miranda and Soyud combined for an average of 7 points and 7 rebounds in the Governors' Cup last year while Taulava normed 2 points and 2 rebounds in the 4 games that he played during the  Governors' Cup last year. Erram himself averaged 10 points and 6 boards in his final conference with NLEX.

More importantly, Yeng Guiao just lost his big man even though Erram's future wasn't entirely Guiao's decision to make. 

2 Bench Players Plus a Draft Pick: A Consolation for the Elite?

For the Blackwater Elite, they are set to receive Daquiaog and Magat and a draft pick from the said deal. This will likely help the Elite's rebuilding process after trading away Ray Parks last year. For one, Daquiaog has shown a few flashes of his old self during his UST days in both stints with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and with TNT. He is a good scorer in the paint and also has a respectable shooting touch from deep. He averaged 6 points in the last conference while shooting 30% from the three-point line. Not bad, right?

On the other hand, Marion Magat only played 7 games last conference and only normed 0.86 points in those 7 games. He's pending move to Blackwater should give him more minutes as the Elite will need every hand on board to regain their ground from the trade.

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