Parks will finish ABL stint

Fans of Bobby Ray Parks have to wait for the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup before they can see the son of legendary Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) import Bobby Parks make his debut for Asia’s oldest pay-for-play league.

The camp of the former National University star reiterated that Parks will finish his obligations with San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the Asean Basketball League (ABL).

And judging the performance of the Jimmy Alapag-mentored squad in the ABL, where Alab is the defending champion, it seems that Parks might miss the Philippine Cup for Blackwater, the squad that selected him No. 2 overall in the last rookie draft.

“If we go all the way (to the finals), we’ll finish on 10 May,” Parks’ agent Charlie Dy told Daily Tribune on Tuesday. “Our contract with Blackwater will start after the ABL season.”

Alab Pilipinas is currently leading the 10-team field in the ABL with an immaculate 4-0 win-loss record.

Parks, who will turn 25 this February, remains the lottery pick that has yet to ink a deal with his ballclub but Dy said they already signed a tender offer from the Elite last 20 December.

It means, the rights to Parks are now with Blackwater, which put a three-year maximum deal on the table.

But there’s a cloud of uncertainty if Parks will be with the Elite for the long haul as the southpaw guard-forward is at the center of a three-team trade rumor that will also involve Talk ‘N Text and Meralco, the reported destination of Parks.

Blackwater team owner Dioceldo Sy denied such deal has existed and said they will wait for Parks to finish his commitment with Alab Pilipinas.

Top pick CJ Perez was signed to a maximum three-year P8.55 million by the Columbian Dyip, the same deal that the Elite offered to Parks. The Dyip also signed their No. 11 pick JP Calvo to a two-year deal.

Third overall pick Robert Bolick also inked a two-year P4.5 million deal with NorthPort.

Other first-round picks who earned a contract with their teams were Paul Desiderio and Abu Tratter of Blackwater (three years each), No. 5 pick Trevis Jackson of Meralco (two years) and No. 6 Jayvee Mocon and No. 8 J-Jay Alejandro of Rain or Shine (three-years each).

The league opens its 44th season on 13 January at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan and usually the All-Filipino tournament lasts for four months. The league has yet to release its schedule for the Philippine Cup.