READING about the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) plan to increase the contracts of rookies… am not sure if it is the right thing or a knee-jerk reaction or that it leads to more problems. It could be all three.
While it is beneficial to the rookies, it begs the question… so what about your veterans? For sure they will ask for more.
Any increase here… in my knowledge of how these things run… you need to strike a balance with the rest of the team or even the league. The salary cap is there for a purpose. Supposedly for parity but we all know there’s the under the table stuff.
However, whether formality or not, the salary cap is there to save the league and the teams from bleeding.
I guess you will be obligated to play the rookies because you will be paying them a lot.
Obviously, this decision was arrived at because of some collegiate stars exploring overseas options. And why not? It isn’t like there are a lot of good paying options here.
If players want to skip the draft and explore their options elsewhere, why deny them that? Of course, provided they aren’t signed to a club.
How about the stars who aren’t drafted? How about those drafted then let go? Right off the bat, you are closing their options.
I do get how the league wants the young players to go to the big league and ensure a never-ending supply of talent. But do they really think they will be lacking talents? Not everyone will go abroad. And besides, maybe it’s time to let that bench play, right?
Is there that huge demand for Filipino players in other leagues that the local clubs will be cleaned out of talent?
If they want the talent, they should have more teams. The question is, are they willing to share the pie?
Look…the league will go on and survive this. I think a knee-jerk reaction to some college stars going abroad is not the answer.
While I understand that the PBA is a private entity and they can make their laws as they please, for the so-called liga ng bayan, it can be tone deaf.
You need to look deep inside and ask what is the best scenario for us and everyone?
Instead, the PBA has become a mostly two-horse race with some independents winning once in a blue moon.
I understand why the league then allowed multiple teams owned by one corporation because they were in crisis at that point in their history when they were left with few teams.
While it saved the league it was a stop gap measure that paved the way for super teams, super blocs, and the lack of parity.
I certainly do not imagine them telling the two big groups, “Hey, you should have one team, okay?” It isn’t going to happen.
With that as a stumbling block, the league will constantly be plagued with these problems accusations of control by one block and some such.
We’ve seen how they have been threatened by the arrival of the Metropolitan Basketball Association, the Fil-Sham controversy, the national team, and others.
Let’s stick to the MBA in a nutshell because the other two that I mentioned are lengthier and separate columns by themselves.
I remember the late Commissioner Jun Bernardino tell me that because the MBA was doing well in the provinces, then the PBA resorted to more out of town sorties. And they also played Ginebra at the top of the twinbill to make sure that people who came in for the first game stayed. Now the other clubs complained so if Ginebra was placed in the first game, then the majority of the crowd left after leaving a sparse crowd for the second game.
But the MBA collapsed under its own weight for different reasons. One of which was finances. You can point to ABS-CBN for pulling the plug but nah, I’ll also say, finances.
And it’s still an issue today.
Having said all of this, I think, instead of the league being reactionary, why can’t they be visionary?
In 1975, the PBA was created because of the stifling rules placed on the old MICAA by the old BAP. One such issue was players’ allowances that were small. The other was how the BAP would just get their players for the national team.
Incredibly, 46 years later. These two issues are still plaguing them. Just from different points of view.
I am sure you have heard the saying, “the more things change, the more, they stay the same.”
C’est la vie.