COLUMN: TNT got a crucial piece in Nambatac trade. And Blackwater?

COLUMN: TNT got a crucial piece in Nambatac trade. And Blackwater?

CHICAGO - Given that it took a month for the PBA to finally pull the trigger on the Rey Nambatac transfer to TNT, you'd think the trade committee finally found a way to balance the scales.

Mission unaccomplished.

While it's not exactly bloody murder, the Tropang Giga got away with a little misdemeanor swap by acquiring a potential starter from Blackwater in lieu of two ancillary pieces and a second-round draft pick for Season 53.

READ Nambatac finally at TNT as revised trade gets PBA approval

A month is a lot of time and to only come up with this iteration after several proposals lead me to believe that there wasn't a lot of scholarly work done.

After several players' names were thrown into the proposal, it took a gem - Jewel Poneferada - to close the deal. But at age 35 how much weight in gold does Jewel have left?

Poneferada appeared in 14 games during the Philippine Cup and averaged 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds. I wonder how much help he can provide at Blackwater other than playing behind Troy Rosario.

THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE.

Kib Montalbo  also logged 14 games in the previous conference where he averaged 3.4 points and 2.1 assists per.

Nambatac, on the other hand, averaged 11.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 11 games.

The purpose of a trade is to improve a roster now or at least in the immediate future. How does getting a second-rounder at least four years down the road help a Blackwater team that finished 4-7 in the Philippine Cup?

With Nambatac, TNT instantly improved and fulfilled a need. Blackwater lost an asset and immediately regressed.

"We're looking at Ray to be a consistent point of attack that we miss when Jayson (Castro) is not on the floor," TNT head coach Chot Reyes told me via text message on Tuesday night.

Although "it's too early to tell" if Nambatac starts for the communications giant, they obviously have grand plans for him. And rightly so, Rey is a 5-foot-11 wildfire who can wreak havoc in a moment's notice.

There were no such proclamations from Blackwater. Although he previously said he will wait until the trade "pushes through" before making a comment, Bossings coach Jeff Cariaso didn't respond to my messages today.

I DON'T BLAME COACH JEFF.

What is there to say?

If it were up to him, I think Cariaso didn't want to part with Nambatac considering what was coming in return.

But as a former Blackwater coach told me last week, management has the final say when it comes to player personnel and coaches can only make recommendations.

jeff cariaso

PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

I'm not gonna say it's the best way to run a winning franchise. But if you're curious just look at Blackwater's record.

Since joining the PBA in the 2014-15 season, Blackwater's overall win-loss record is 66-197.

The Bossings have not made the playoffs yet and with the way they're giving away talents, it's unlikely they'll ever get there.