The move to postpone the PBA third conference until after the FIBA Asia Championships end on August 11 has gained the support of San Miguel Corporation which plays a key role in reaching a consensus under PBA chairman Robert Non.
Former PBA Commissioner Noli Eala who is deeply involved in the basketball operations of San Miguel Corporation which is headed by Non in a tweet said "SMC position is to postpone it (3rd conference) till after FIBAAsia in order to give Gilas ample
time to prepare."
Eala indicated that the fate of the third conference is "still up in the air."
He also added what looks like a quid pro quo by stating that "We (SMC) would like to amend second conference format to mirror first conference" which he noted would mean "longer elims, quarters and semi finals to maximize exposure. Still enough time for Gilas."
Eala believes that "if the PBA will act quickly, the second conference schedule can still be changed. No need to rush the schedule. And fans are given what they want."
At the same time Eala said that Junmar Fajardo, LA Tenorio and Marc Pingris would be made available should Gilas need their services even as he wished the Gilas national team all the best.
National team coach Chot Reyes who said he had seen the tweets of Eala but was not aware of the position of the PBA told the Manila Standard that should the second conference be extended he would effectively have the players from June 1 onwards.
He intimated that while he would have preferred to have the players on the national team available from May 1 he was thankful for the response from San Miguel Corporation because, he said, "we can't be choosers."
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Ronnie Nathanielsz.