PBA to impose draft limits
LAS VEGAS – The PBA Board will likely impose a three-year grace period within which a player may apply for the draft from when he becomes eligible to turn pro and if the option isn’t availed of, he will never be able to join the PBA unless a unanimous vote from the Governors allows an exception to the rule.
The Board hasn’t formally ratified the proposed rule but is leaning towards approval. It was among several topics that were discussed during the planning session at The Venetian Hotel here last weekend.
Additionally, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said a PBA player who leaves and plays for another league has only a year to return. If the player fails to return to the PBA after a year, he will be prohibited from coming back. A case in point is Columbian’s Jackson Corpuz whose PBA contract is expiring and who is being offered to play in the MPBL. If Corpuz signs with the MPBL, he has only a year to return to the PBA.
The three-year grace period applies to prospective players. The PBA has an age floor of 23 for a player to be eligible for the draft. If a player earns a college degree before 23 or has served with the national team, he will be eligible as an exception. However, a local player must see action in at least seven games in the PBA D-League before he is cleared for the draft. In the case of Fil-foreigners, they are required to play at least 14 games in the PBA D-League before joining the draft. But if a Fil-foreigner is at least 28, he will not be required to go through the PBA D-League and may apply straight for the draft.
Another case in point is Bobby Ray Parks who has opted not to join the PBA draft even if he’s eligible, preferring to play with San Miguel Pale Pilsen Alab Pilipinas in the ABL and now, in the MPBL. If the three-year rule is applied, Parks will be given the grace period starting the next PBA season. It is rumored that Parks receives a monthly salary of P400,000 in the MPBL so the PBA rookie cap of P150,000 isn’t enticing. If Parks won’t join the PBA draft in the next three years, he will be banned from ever playing in the league unless he is bailed out by a unanimous vote from the PBA Board.
In the planning session, the PBA Board agreed that any new approved rule will be effective starting the 45th season, not the coming 44th. A new rule that may be proposed is allowing players to call timeouts only in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime, a compromise to the FIBA prohibition. If ever the rule is approved, it will be applicable only after the next season.
The appointment of FIBA referee Bong Pascual as the league’s new supervisor of officials will pave the way for the PBA to come closer to FIBA rules although distinctions will remain. The PBA has its own rules, a hybrid of the NBA and FIBA with a uniquely Filipino flavor.
Pascual, 48, has two years left before retiring from his FIBA duties. He was a PBA referee from 2006 to 2012 then became an outstanding referee in FIBA with assignments in the World Cup and Olympics. Pascual was the crew chief in the recent Asian Games final between China and Iran. In the PBA, he will report to operations and technical director Eric Castro.
“Bong’s appointment is timely and fills a big void,” said Castro. “Joey Guanio, who used to be our operations and technical supervisor, has resigned and Boy Cruz, formerly our supervisor of officials, has retired. Bong is an experienced referee and knows both the pro and international game. He is well-respected in the basketball community and will be an asset to the PBA.”
Marcial said the PBA maintains a pool of 18 referees. “We are studying ways to make the salary of referees relevant and competitive,” he said. “The lowest salary is P20,000 a month and we’re thinking of proposing an upgrade across the board.” Marcial said another item under study is the amount of fines meted out for offenses like tampering of a player’s contract and players or coaches speaking out in public against the league.