
Originally Posted by
yokam
Rumored trade: Nick Belasco (Welcoat) for Macky Escalona and Mike Holper (both from Ginebra)
Ginebra needs Nick Belasco's experience more than anything else and they badly need a replacement for Rudy Hatfield. At 33 years old, Belasco is still among the better frontcourtmen in the PBA now. If Belasco ends up playing for Ginebra, it will reunite him with head coach Jong Uichico who coached him during his San Miguel Beer career. Belasco is a decent shooter, scorer, rebounder and at times plays good defense and hustle as well, a perfect fit for the big void left by Rudy Hatfield. Will Belasco ask the same demands from Ginebra?
As for Escalona and Holper, both are young and flashy guys, something Welcoat needs if they're looking forward for a brighter future. Holper is one of the few big men in the PBA who can run and play the running game. With Welcoat, Holper can get the chance to prove himself because of it's not-so-deep line-up. Paul Artadi might have been a lot better to send to Welcoat than Macky Escalona at a spectators point of view. Artadi played most of his amateur career with Welcoat.
For now, Ginebra obviously won the deal. Nick Belasco is way, way better and more reliable than both Macky Escalona and Mike Holper. But in 2-3 years, both young stars can turn out to be well established PBA stars. We all still have to watch out.