Northport ships Mercado to Phoenix

MANILA, Philippines — NorthPort made personnel change in the backcourt with rookie sensation Robert Bolick still sidelined by ACL injury, trading with Phoenix to acquire guards LA Revilla and Rey Gueverra.

The Batang Pier let go of veteran Fil-Am Sol Mercado, who spent just one full conference with the squad after coming on board as part of NorthPort’s mid-season trade that sent Stanley Pringle to Ginebra.

Revilla, who is making a comeback after undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs on his left foot, and Guevarra joined a Batang Pier guard rotation that dealt with Bolick’s season-ending injury last October.

Nico Elorde, Paolo Taha and Garvo Lanete stepped in for Bolick in the PBA Governors’ Cup, where the Batang Pier reached the semis for only the second time in franchise history.

With late trade acqusition and eventual Best Player of the Conference Christian Standhardinger and import Michael Qualls showing the way, coach Pido Jarencio’s charges stunned top seed and twice-to-beat NLEX in the quarters and jumped the gun on the Gin Kings in the semis opener before yielding a 1-3 setback.

Mercado, meanwhile, found himself with a third team in the last seven months. He started 2019 with Ginebra but got shipped to NorthPort along with Kevin Ferrer and Jervy Cruz in exchange for Pringle. Mercado missed out on the stretch of the semis duel with the Gin Kings after spraining his ankle in their Game 2 loss.

At Phoenix, Mercado gets bunched with RJ Jazul, Alex Mallari, RR Garcia and Brian Heruela, whom the Fuel Masters acquired last week from Blackwater for Ron Dennison, at the 1-2 positions.