Currently enjoying their best tournament this season, the NLEX Road Warriors aren’t thinking about the PBA Rookie Draft in its Oppo PBA Governors’ Cup campaign.
The Road Warriors, who now have a 6-2 record, are already assured of a quarterfinal spot after beating title favorites San Miguel Beermen.
That feat however lessened NLEX’s chances of securing the top pick in this upcoming draft. However, coach Yeng Guiao isn’t bothered by it.
“Hindi na namin iniisip yung pick. Bahala na siya sa buhay niya kung anong mangyari,” Guiao said. “That will take care of itself. We just need to take care of our present situation.”
Guiao, who also serves as the team’s general manager, said that tanking for a pick is far from his mind.
“If that’s our direction, dapat hindi na kami nagpalakas,” said Guiao who engineered a couple of trades that saw NLEX land Alex Mallari, JR Quinahan, Larry Fonacier and Cyrus Baguio.
“But we’re really more concerned on building up our squad. We’re also developing some maturity. We’re developing some composure in the endgame. It’s a good sign for us.”
With its current performance, NLEX can still have a shot at the No.1 pick although it will not be surprising if it falls to No.3.
Kia Picanto’s chances for the top selection are now greater due to another poor performance this conference.
But the talent in this year’s draft isn’t that deep. While former La Salle star Jeron Teng has declared that he will enter the pros, Gilas Pilipinas standouts Ray Parks and Christian Standhardinger will be skipping the draft to play in the ASEAN Basketball League.
Kiefer Ravena hasn’t made up his mind yet, although he’s also thinking about going back to either the ABL or the United States.
