Yeng using coming Draft to ‘push reset button’ for Road Warriors

Yeng Guiao: Time to rebuild.

Coach Yeng Guiao is done crying over spilled milk if one will talk of NLEX again falling short in the PBA bubble last year.

In fact, he has shifted to believing that failing to make the Philippine Cup playoffs has given him and his Road Warriors something to look forward to for the coming season.

“This could be what we can say a blessing in disguise. In a very deep Draft, we were able to secure No. 3 and 4 picks,” Guiao, also the NLEX general manager, said in a virtual chat over breakfast on Sunday streamed via the team’s official Facebook page (fb.com/ArangkadaNLEX).

“We feel (those picks) are going to make an impact in our team for the next seasons. Not just the [one] that is coming this April, but for the years to come,” he added.

NLEX will be having back-to-back picks in the PBA Rookie Draft slated next month, owing to their 9th-place finish in the last Philippine Cup, along with a three-team swap that shipped defensive ace Poy Erram to TNT during the off-season.

The club will also be having another prime pick in the second round when it selects 20th overall—eighth in that phase—in a pool many regard as the richest in years.

With the scrubbing of a minimum number of D-League games from its requirements to be eligible for the Draft, a lot of potential talent have joined the pool, making for 97 total aspirants.

The Draft will be held virtually on March 14, with the final list to be released on March 5, which is also the final day for Fil-­foreign prospects to complete their documentary requirements.

Guiao said snaring several capable rookies should be enough for him to “rebuild the team.”“We’re going to try to make use of our draft picks and preparations to give ourselves a better chance in the coming conferences,” he added.

NLEX struggled early in the All-Filipino conference held within a bubble setup in Clark Freeport, tabbing only a single win at the halfway point.

NLEX is likely to field basically the same team for the coming season following a massive re-signing of contracts last month. And with three hopefully promising talents coming by March, the Road Warriors are hoping they could get back to the playoffs and contend for a championship.

“This is the time when we could push the reset button,” Guiao said. INQ