Tainted Basketball - Is the PBA Really Behind Smart Gilas?

Basketball in the Philippines, as much as we hate to admit it, isn't pure. Just by the sheer number of people carrying interest in it, it would not be surprising that some would try to capitalize on the sport. There's game-fixing, commercialization, governing-body politics, spurned egos and much excess baggage that's tainting the "love for the game" which is so great when one is young.

What drove me to write this is actually something that I had just chanced upon in doing research for another post that I was about to write. I was supposed to write something about how the recent Smart Gilas success comes strangely at a time when they are dealing with a number of things on their plate. Not to take away anything from them, but it seems to be more than just a coincidence.

Here's an outtake from what I was intending to write:


Honestly, as a kid, what made me love Philippine basketball was the PBA, more specifically the San Miguel franchise. I was born in 1986, coincidentally the year San Miguel won the Grand Slam. Growing up, I idolized the man whom the Chinese called was "walking on air" - Samboy Lim. There was something about the athleticism and skill of the guy, the high socks and the brush of the hair before taking a free throw that was just mythical for a kid. I grew up idolozing the guy, wanting to wear the number 9 and wishing that I too could be a skywalker.

Sorry, to the Star Wars geeks out there, but Samboy was way cooler than Luke.

The San Miguel franchise was just awesome to me, and it saddened me that they sold out in their game against Smart Gilas. Not to take anything away from Gilas who played a great game, but I think SMB sold out by protecting their corporate interests over national ones. Somebody please explain to me how, 8 points down and 6 minutes to go, Eman and Calaguio are in the game's final minutes instead of Santos, Hontiveros, Miranda or Pena. The game was still win-able for San Miguel, but the starters were pulled out and Gilas was not tested. They weren't tested by the pro team who could have placed them in a very unique situation - late in the 4th and with the lead, but without your import and against a hot, veteran team pushing and pressing you, hoping that you quit.

That should be a very important scenario to the national program when we have to face off against Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Korea and other Asian powers - all winning, veteran teams who will push, pressure and are relentless. It could have been a real learning experience, but it wasn't.


I was supposed to write the peace above in greater detail, present some numbers that would help me drive my point. During the TV coverage, they kept on harping about how impressive Chris Tiu's game was. He supposedly scored 24 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had 11 assists. Now, I know all the Tiu fans are going to hate me, but Chris isn't that good yet, especially playing against Hontiveros, Cortez, Racela, Tugade, Santos, et al. He shouldn't be able to put those numbers up, and I checked the PBA's official website to get the real statistics from the game. But lo and behold, they weren't there. I checked the other Gilas games since the decision to render the games as "no bearing" and no stats either. This seemed a bit off to me, especially since 3 of those 4 games have been Gilas wins.

Giving the benefit of the doubt, I just thought that maybe it was the National Program's way of keeping the Gilas team a secret to surprise other countries. (Something completely irrational since other countries will scout us wherever the hell we may try to hide.) So, I checked the rest of the PBA's site, and there is very little mention of Gilas, except for results, the schedule and some photos. For me, there just seems to be something very wrong about that.

If the PBA, as it says, is completely behind the National program, shouldn't it help in helping them improve basketball-wise and making people believe in the Gilas Team?

Gilas entered into the PBA tourney to get better on-court and get more people's attention to support and drum up some excitement about the team. The team was supposed to grow up in front of our eyes like some telenovela and then lay it all out in battle during international competitions. However, I honestly believe now that the PBA (no longer just individual teams) as a whole is protecting it's interest as a professional league more than the national purpose. Sad to say it, but as I mentioned at the beginning. tainted basketball isn't surprising in the Philippines/

I think that the following pieces of evidence lead me to believe that PBA support to Gilas is half-assed:

1) The PBA nullifies all games played by Gilas.
2) They protect Arboleda roughing up Gilas, which eventually led to the mayhem with the fan. (Not to mention, Arboleda was only penalized was attacking the fan, but never his on-court actions more than 2 unsportmanlike fouls).
3) They chose not to control their teams, and allowed their teams to waive the white flag early to protect their players.
4) They do not make the public aware of the Gilas team's achievements since it comes at their expense. by news and statistics.
5) They continue to separate themselves from the concerted effort by focusing more on the entertainment rather than the basketball.

It seems to be that the PBA is becoming selfish with their resources. They have the best competition the country can supposedly offer, and yet they do not provide it to the team every night. They are trying to protect the brand from being upstaged by Gilas just because "they're the pros." In short, they really aren't fully behind Gilas after all.

To quote some lines from the Panatang Makabayan, hindi ba dapat

Ako'y kanyang kinukupkop at tinutulungan upang maging malakas, maliaya ay kapaki-pakinabang...

Tutuparin ko ang mga tungkulin bilang mamamayan...

Paglilingkuran ko ang aking bayan nang walang pag-iimbot at buong katapatan...

Sisikapin kong maging isang tunay na Pilipino sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa...

Bits on the Bantay Bata All-Star Game

Just a couple of notes on this year's UAAP vs NCAA Bantay Bata All-Star Games:

> The NCAA, as the commentators kept on reitarating, outworked the UAAP. Why? Simply put, the 2 people who most dictated the UAAP's games with their effort throughout the game weren't in the line-ups - Nonoy Baclao and Elmer Espiritu. More than the 5 or 6 blocks lost, the deflections, intimidated shots and just overall consciousness allowed the NCAA boys to feel confident around the rim. These 2 are bad, bad men around the rim and "Bad Boy" John Wilson and Jimbo Aquino better thank the gods they had Patriot duty.

> Kish Co was not an all-star!!!

> At first I thought that DLSU gave the whole Bantay Bata games a snub, I read in the papers that they were trying to qualify for the PCC in a zonals competition. Good job, La Salle. At least, we know now that there was no politicking involved here.

> The Smart Gilas Boys were holding back. You could see it in the way they were playing that they were protecting themselves from any injuries, so they were very sloppy. Also, I think Norman Black never fielded all 5 of them (Ramos, Ababou, Cawaling, Al-Hussaini, Buenafe) together. They're forgiven in my book.

> The San Sebastian Staglets combo of Salamat, Lee and Buenafe didn't do much actually. Naturally, everybody's bigger so they can't run people to the ground anymore. Kind of sad how they're recruitment suddenly died down. (Sorry, Delgado isn't a legit college prospect.)

> As usual, the match up was the UAAP's execution and the NCAA's run and gun. With the turnovers (and overall lax approach to the game), the UAAP's 20+ turnovers did them in.

Saturday Night Bites

> Johnny A is playing again. C'mon Ginebra, c'mon PBA. You have good young players. Make them improve in practice and give them the minutes on-court instead of an over-the-hill veteran. Philippine basketball needs to move to the future. Hey, even Allen Iverson now has to sit.

> Smart Gilas won its first game in the PBA. Could it be a coincidence that it happens right after the league renders these games as no-bearing? Ok, maybe it's too soon to think of a conspiracy. After all, Coke isn't really that good anyway.

> Glen "Big Baby" Davis want to be an NFL player. I say bolt the NBA already, man. It doesn't need another big ego with too little talent to back it up, not to mention too little brains as well. Get your thumb fixed and realized that you only made that game-winner last year because they intentionally left you open. Thumbs up?

> Michael Jordan's son costs his entire university a sponsorship for breaching a contract with Adidas. I pity the guy. First, he can't play basketball without being compared to his dad. Second, he just stays loyal to his family by wearing his dad's shoes. Then, he becomes the bane of all the other athletes in his school. Damn, that sucks...

> A player from the Singapore Slingers gets into a staredown with Jerwin Gaco after Gaco steals the ball from him in an ABL game this afternoon. He obviously does not know who Gaco is and the beating he could give him on-court if he gets pissed.

PBA Getting Selfish

It's been recently released that the PBA will no longer count games against the Smart Gilas National Team against all the PBA teams' records. This means that all games with Gilas will purely be exhibition and for seasoning.

I think this is a bad idea... And I believe that the PBA is getting selfish in doing so. Why?

1) Pro teams will hold back their starters against Gilas since the games no longer matter.

Let's face it. Once you get to the pros, basketball becomes a business and you logically decrease the risk in your assets (players). So, teams will hold back on fielding their best players in the game. They'll just put them in long enough to ensure the win and then, it's bench mob time. Naturally, less minutes on-court means less time for injuries. The exposure to second- and third-stringers is no push-over task still for the Gilas boys, but the progress they will gain will be significantly decreased. Thus, those minutes are lost opportunities for Gilas to get better.

2) The PBA would like to lessen untoward incidents between their players during Gilas games.

This is the PBA's way of becoming preventive, I would guess after the Arboleda incident. What I say is let them play it out and exert their own discipline. Yes, PBA players having chips on their shoulders, roughing up the Gilas boys might be temptations for suspensions, but they are already professionals. It's part of their job to stay under control or else face the necessary sanctions. Let them learn their own discipline.

Also, the international game is filled with physical play. Being unused to this is what did in Philippine teams of old and even the United States years before thier Redeem Team program. Let the Gilas boys be roughed up and let them learn that they have to push back. Maybe this is only when the team would start gaining a swagger and confidence that's needed in the international game.

Bottom line, I know that the PBA is running a business, but to get back to our status as an Asian basketball power, we all need to pay our dues as a country. Being the best league in the country, I hope that the PBA starts seeing that they should be leading the way. Their players might no longer comprise the team, but the "kanya-kanya" attitude does not help at all. We're all just under one flag, one nation...