PBA chairman wants no height limit for import

Philippine Basketball Association chairman Lito Alvarez will suggest to the board that the league bring in imports with unlimited height for next season’s Fiesta Cup. Alvarez, team manager and president of Air21, mentioned two important things for this rationale – to let local players shine on their respective positions and to have the imports as possible candidates for a spot with the Smart-Gilas national team. “This is an ideal move, not only to avoid locals competing for minutes with imports playing their positions, but also a good way to help the Smart-Gilas national developmental team, which is needing big imports for major tournaments overseas," Alvarez told GMANews.TV. Smart-Gilas is currently competing in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup against bigger and stronger opponents. In fact, the national team aspirants lost badly in their first game, 58-86, against host Al Rayyan-Qatar.

“They might like to tap reinforcements from the PBA. If we get imports with unlimited height, definitely this import will make Smart-Gilas more formidable. For example, we have Steve Thomas, who is 6-foot-8 and Ginebra then had seven-foot import Chris Alexander. If you have them playing together along with the core of Smart-Gilas like Japeth Aguilar, Chris Tiu and several other Fil-Ams, then we will have a good chance of making it to the Olympics," added Alvarez. Smart-Gilas had long been shopping around for imports who will become candidates for naturalization. The team first tapped CJ Giles, who was booted out of the lineup and was picked up by Al Riyadi, a professional team from Lebanon. The national team aspirants shifted their focus on Jamal Sampson, a 6-foot-11 center, who was also dropped out. Sampson and Smart-Gilas management had disputes regarding finances, which reportedly remained unsettled up to this time. Several candidates loomed as possible replacement of Sampson, which include Greg Steimsma and Earl Barron, who both inked contracts in the NBA as well as Jared Hohmann, who opted to play for Bulgaria. Another candidate which Gilas lost was Michael Fey, who decided to play for Al Rayyan-Qatar. Guiao bats for all-pro team Multi-titled PBA coach Yeng Guiao is convinced the best talents from the pro league should be sent to major Asian basketball tournaments and have the amateur-laden Smart-Gilas national developmental team play in selected events. “Even the United States, which is considered a powerhouse in basketball, had stopped sending college players to Olympic and World Basketball-qualifying events," said Guiao, coach of the all-pro Powerade-Pilipinas team that finished eighth in the FIBA Asia Championship last year. “Nothing wrong with experimenting, but I believe the best talents should be sent in major events and the best talents still come from the PBA." But Alvarez said that basketball-loving Filipinos should be more patient with the Smart-Gilas’ program. “If you’ll ask me, I still believe that Smart-Gilas is on the right track," said Alvarez. “They have a good program, a three-year program which is aimed at developing these young players. While the best talents are in the PBA, I don’t believe in pick up system." Alvarez likewise clarified that the PBA already made their exit plan as far as forming up the national team is concerned. “We already left that to SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas). It should be the one which will take care of the program of forming up the national team," he added. - Rey Joble, GMANews.TV