The Asians are coming! Not to invade the country, but to play in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
The news was revealed on 30 October 2014 after the PBA Board officially approved the proposal to hire Asian reinforcement to spice up the season-ending Governors Cup.
League chairman Patrick Gregorio was grateful to the entire board for fully supporting his personal project he referred to as 'Asian integration', which he claims is bent on giving the PBA a wider reach and perspective.
"I am really thankful the board is all out in giving this project a chance," Gregorio told reporters after emerging from the board meeting held at the PBA office in Libis.
"We talked about the league balance and the competitive scenarios and we appreciate the fact about the image and branding and positioning of the league. It’s a program I initiated and they were one hundred percent in supporting that. And I thank the board for seeing my vision," he added.
The PBA also included the rules for hiring Asian imports. The league will require all 12 teams to hire one Asian player not more than 6-foot-3 outside of the regular foreign imports to be tapped.
The top eight teams after the Commissioner’s Cup will be allowed to get 6-foot-5 imports, while the bottom four will be given the leeway to tap imports with unlimited. All Asian players will also be part of the 16-man pool of each team and they will be paid not more than the allowable US$ 10,000 salary cap. The league also placed safety nets by stressing that Asian players to be hired are only those who FIBA eligible.
Expecting harsh comments from critics, Gregorio explained that the entry of Asian players in the league should not be seen as 'anti-Filipino,' but instead it's a way of further uplifting the level of Philippine basketball.
"It’s just one PBA conference. Mas tataas nga ang level of play ng mga Pilipino kasi masusukat sila hindi lamang against American imports kungdi against Asians," said Gregorio.
Asked how this will be in conjunction with the mother ballclubs of the Asian player in their respective countries, Gregorio bared the PBA is now seeking solid partnership with other leagues around the region.
The unanswered question is, how will the league monitor the teams' compliance to the salary cap when they can't even regulate the existing financial limit of the more affluent teams?
The news was revealed on 30 October 2014 after the PBA Board officially approved the proposal to hire Asian reinforcement to spice up the season-ending Governors Cup.
League chairman Patrick Gregorio was grateful to the entire board for fully supporting his personal project he referred to as 'Asian integration', which he claims is bent on giving the PBA a wider reach and perspective.
"I am really thankful the board is all out in giving this project a chance," Gregorio told reporters after emerging from the board meeting held at the PBA office in Libis.
"We talked about the league balance and the competitive scenarios and we appreciate the fact about the image and branding and positioning of the league. It’s a program I initiated and they were one hundred percent in supporting that. And I thank the board for seeing my vision," he added.
The PBA also included the rules for hiring Asian imports. The league will require all 12 teams to hire one Asian player not more than 6-foot-3 outside of the regular foreign imports to be tapped.
The top eight teams after the Commissioner’s Cup will be allowed to get 6-foot-5 imports, while the bottom four will be given the leeway to tap imports with unlimited. All Asian players will also be part of the 16-man pool of each team and they will be paid not more than the allowable US$ 10,000 salary cap. The league also placed safety nets by stressing that Asian players to be hired are only those who FIBA eligible.
Expecting harsh comments from critics, Gregorio explained that the entry of Asian players in the league should not be seen as 'anti-Filipino,' but instead it's a way of further uplifting the level of Philippine basketball.
"It’s just one PBA conference. Mas tataas nga ang level of play ng mga Pilipino kasi masusukat sila hindi lamang against American imports kungdi against Asians," said Gregorio.
Asked how this will be in conjunction with the mother ballclubs of the Asian player in their respective countries, Gregorio bared the PBA is now seeking solid partnership with other leagues around the region.
The unanswered question is, how will the league monitor the teams' compliance to the salary cap when they can't even regulate the existing financial limit of the more affluent teams?
No comments:
Post a Comment