Parity on PBA’s mind
A priority in PBA commissioner Willie Marcial’s agenda is to establish competitive balance in the league. Parity is the key to make every game unpredictable and exciting. It’s the same objective in the NBA even as the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have figured in the last four Finals.
Parity isn’t something that’s achieved overnight. Teams retool with draft picks, free agents and veterans coming from trades. It takes time to generate chemistry and a winning vibe. But as long as every team in the league is determined to make an impact and improve, the battle is half-won.
Last season, San Miguel Beer was a crown shy of bagging a Grand Slam. Barangay Ginebra spoiled San Miguel’s bid to sweep by retaining the Governors Cup title. In the Philippine Cup this season, San Miguel was back on the throne. But in the just-concluded Commissioner’s Cup Finals, San Miguel was foiled by Ginebra. Clearly, San Miguel has been the dominant team in the PBA over the last eight conferences, claiming four championships along the way.
Marcial never takes sides but last Friday, there had to be a smile on his face when Blackwater upset San Miguel, 103-100, to remain unbeaten in the Governors Cup. Blackwater won only once in 11 outings in the previous conference so beating TNT KaTropa and San Miguel back-to-back had to be a sign of emerging parity. Another team Columbian Dyip is struggling with a 0-5 record but its average losing margin is only 6.6 points, indicating some dogfights in the process.
Like Columbian, Northport is winless but that’s because coach Pido Jarencio played without Stanley Pringle and Sean Anthony in the Batang Pier’s first three games which were embarrassing blowouts. Northport lost to NLEX by 16, Phoenix by 41 and Magnolia by 17. But when Pringle and Anthony were reactivated to play Ginebra last Wednesday, Northport put up a fight in losing by six.
Phoenix is a team on the rise with Calvin Abueva now in the fold. The Fuel Masters are off to a 3-1 start with major contributions from import Eugene Phelps, rookie Jason Perkins, Matthew Wright, L. A. Revilla and of course, Abueva.
Marcial said the PBA’s trade committee reworked the Abueva deal twice before
stamping its approval. The committee is made up of PBA legal counsel Melvin Mendoza, technical director Eric Castro, technical/operations assistant Mauro (Junior) Bengua and operations/ business development manager Rosc Teotico. When the committee takes a vote on an issue and there’s an impasse, Marcial steps in to break the tie.
“Alaska wanted Phoenix’ first round pick not in 2018 but in 2019,” said Marcial. “The committee didn’t agree to trading Calvin with just a draft pick. Phoenix added a player but that was rejected by Alaska. There were other suggestions until finally, the deal was set to trade Calvin for a 2019 first round pick and Karl Dehesa. All the committee wants is a win-win for the teams involved in a trade. We want to protect the trade process, ensure fairness and guarantee transparency.” The Abueva trade has been beneficial to both teams. Alaska, like Phoenix, is now at 3-1 with the Aces’ only setback to Ginebra, 109-101.
Blackwater’s early emergence is a positive mark not just for the Elite but for the entire league. “It’s a total turnaround from last conference,” said Blackwater team owner Dioceldo Sy. “I hate losing and winners never quit. Our pre-season campaigns in Surabaya and Macau made the team closer and more brotherly especially since we were eliminated in Macau because of quotients. It hurt us a lot and we don’t want to feel that pain again of losing without a fight.”
Sy said coach Bong Ramos and import Henry Walker are a big reason why Blackwater has come around. “Nards Pinto is a revelation this conference and with some more push from coach Bong and Henry, he’ll soon be one of our top guards in the PBA,” he said. “I believe we can get some more out of Allein (Maliksi), Mac (Belo), Toto (Jose), Poy (Erram) and the others to be able to sustain this run. Coach Bong and our coaching staff from Aris to Pat to Jungle to Joel are doing a great job in motivating the team. Let’s not forget our two Mikes, DiGregorio and Cortez.”
Today, the PBA Board of Governors, Marcial and key league officials will leave for the annual overseas planning session, this time in Las Vegas. “We’ll take up the plans and programs of the PBA for next season,” said Marcial. “We’ll review last season’s performance. We’ll also discuss possible rule changes that were proposed by the competition committee (made up of coaches Tim Cone, Yeng Guiao, Norman Black and Alex Compton and former coach/Meralco alternate governor Ryan Gregorio) and formats for the coming three conferences. Our draft is scheduled on Dec. 16 and we’re planning to bring the PBA to Dubai in April and Guam in October. We’ll work around the schedule of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and the World Cup. Of course, we’ll discuss our involvement with the national team.”
POC president and PBA chairman Ricky Vargas will join the planning session. SBP president and Meralco governor Al Panlilio is now in New York and will hook up with the Board in Las Vegas. Signs of a stronger partnership between the PBA and SBP were evident in the recent Asian Games where the PBA Board declared its all-out support to the national team.