KKS Trade Reaction: Cortez to GlobalPort

Back in green... NEON green, that is.
(Photo credit: Aktv)

GlobalPort Batang Pier recently acquired the services of veteran point guard Mike Cortez from the Blackwater Elite for Ronald Pascual in what has mostly been an under-the-radar sort of trade.

Under-the-radar, since there was little to no fanfare surrounding the deal involving an oft-injured 35-year-old and the little-used sophomore. Though this could very well be a "low risk, high reward" type of deal should things go as planned for both teams.

Why, you ask?

For the Elite, they are looking at a proven NCAA scorer who has legitimate PBA 2/3 size in Pascual. This guy could easily help spread out the floor should he regain his confidence and shooting touch if and when he is paired with rookie Roi Sumang and rising star Carlo Lastimosa. Coach Leo Isaac has had no qualms in letting guys go on offense, so this could very well be Pascual's shot at making a name for himself which was something he couldn't do at San Miguel and GlobalPort.

We could only hope that Pascual has learned a thing or two about playing acceptable PBA defense.

For Batang Pier, the trade could open the doors to deeper playoff runs.

Cortez, though oft-injured and aging, carried the Elite while registering an impressive 31mpg 10ppg 4rpg 4apg output. Though he is no longer much of a threat to slash into the paint, he is still able to make sound judgments on the floor and knows when to go to Lastimosa or to someone else. Honestly, we all thought that the signing of another veteran playmaker, Denok Miranda, was made to help control Cortez' minutes but it turns out that they signed his replacement.

You win some, you lose some right?

At Batang Pier, Cortez will not be asked to play 30 minutes a game-- not with Stanley Pringle and Terrence Romeo around. He could help stabilize the 2nd unit alongside DLSU buddy Joseph Yeo while also serving as mentors to the young Batang Pier backcourt.

Cortez has an uncanny skill of knowing when and where to go to his scorers (i.e. Lastimosa with the Elite, Mark Caguioa at Ginebra, Willie Miller at Alaska, Yeo and Mac Cardona at DLSU) while also keeping everyone in check and involved. This is something that Pringle has yet to master, since he simply defers to Romeo and "waits his turn." There are a lot of times wherein teams could simply ignore Pringle, since he will position himself on the weak side to Romeo's strong side and just watch.

Which means, if Pringle is simply watching, then more so the other three guys on the floor.

So having Cortez means: 1) less wear and tear on both himself and Pringle/Romeo (who are both averaging 35+ mpg) 2) mentor for Pringle 3) on-court extension of coach team consultant Franz Pumaren 4) someone who knows how to play with Yeo.

Speaking of which, the "DLSU reunion" thing should not come as a surprise. Coach Franz has always liked his old wards, and most of them have solid PBA resumes at this point in their respective careers. It's not like he's trying to revive Joshua Webb's career right? He's simply going with guys who he knows.

Plus, Yeo and Rico Maierhofer were already on the roster prior to Coach Franz's entry... put the blame on Boss Mikee Romero then.

#ANIMO

P.S.

Sucks for Jeric Fortuna, right?