By REYNALD MAGALLON
NLEX is set to acquire the rights to Robert Bolick after a five-man trade proposal with NorthPort has been sent to the PBA Commissioner’s Office on Sunday, Dec. 10.
Under the proposed deal, the Road Warriors are sending Don Trollano, along with Ben Adamos and Kris Rosales to the Batang Pier in exchange for the rights to sign Bolick and Kent Salado.
Although still pending the approval of the PBA trade committee, NLEX team governor Ronald Dulatre explained that the effort to acquire Bolick from NorthPort was due to the unfortunate injury to Kevin Alas who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury early in the season.
“In light of Kevin Alas’ unfortunate injury, we recognize the pressing need to fill the void left by his scoring and leadership. Robert Bolick is a remarkable player, and we believe his skills and experience will significantly contribute to the NLEX Road Warriors. We are excited about the prospect of having him on our roster and look forward to the positive impact he can make for the team,” said Dulatre in a statement.
Bolick is coming off a short-lived stint in the Japan B.League with Fukushima Firebonds after leaving NorthPort last season.
The high-scoring guard and the Firebonds agreed to terminate their contract at Bolick’s request reportedly due to the delicate pregnancy of his wife. That prompted the former PBA all-star to return to the country and try to make a comeback in the PBA.
There were talks between the Batang Pier management and Bolick but no deal seemed to have been reached paving the way to the trade.
Even without Bolick though, NorthPort has emerged as one of the conference’s biggest surprises, currently with a 5-3 record behind the consistent play of Arvin Tolentino who assumed the franchise player role which Bolick left when he departed from the team.
The impending arrival of the three particularly Trollano should come as a huge boost to the Batang Pier who will have a reliable scoring option to add to a potent crew that also has Joshua Munzon and reliable rookies in Cade Flores, Fran Yu and Brent Paraiso.
On top of that, NorthPort could also only get stronger when Will Navarro and first round pick Zav Lucero return from respective knee injuries.
