Gilas players, 10-team field to give PBA fans new thrill in 37th season

The 37th season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is expected to give fans a new thrill with the entry of Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas ' core and the league going back to a 10-team field. The PBA's 37th season kicks off on Sunday, October 2, with Rain or Shine facing Barangay Ginebra in the lone Philippine Cup opening game at the Araneta Coliseum. Seven Gilas members were drafted in last month's PBA Annual Rookie Draft with starting playmaker Jvee Casio chosen by Powerade as this year's top overall pick. Other Gilas players that make up this year's batch of rookies are Chris Lutz (Petron), Marcio Lassiter (Powerade), Mark Barroca (B-MEG), Mac Baracael (Alaska), Jason Ballesteros (Meralco) and Dylan Ababou (Barako Bull). PBA commissioner Chito Salud said he is looking forward to a successful season especially with the entry of Gilas players to the league. "Undoubtedly, Smart-Gilas' success Gilas will bring higher consciousness to the fans," said Salud. Casio and the Nationals are coming off a fourth-place finish in the recent FIBA-Asia Championship For Men in Wuhan, China. He added the Gilas players "will energize the league (and) this means better reception for the PBA." Another banner year ahead Salud also expressed high hopes the coming season will follow the same path of the previous one where Asia's first pay-for-play league earned close to P90 million in gross receipts, a P15 million increase from the previous year. Asia's pioneering pro league also had a 20 percent increase in daily gate attendance since returning to the three-conference format. And with the field back to 10 teams, Salud can't see the PBA going wrong this season which officially kicks off Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum. The entry of Shopinas.com, a franchise owned by Bert Lina and handled by collegiate champion coach Franz Pumaren, assured the league of a balanced domain. The team takes over the franchise left by Barako Bull. But the Barako Bull label won't entirely be missed as it takes over the majority control of the Air21 franchise. Salud also vowed to thoroughly study player trades to maintain balanced competition within the league. "I will be stricter when it comes to trades especially those sister teams with a third party involved. I would rather err on the side of caution." Early favorites B-MEG and Talk 'N Text are tipped as the early favorites in the season-opening Philippine Cup. Tim Cone's arrival and the return of injured players Kerby Raymundo, Rico Maierhofer and Rafi Reavis make B-MEG one of the Llamados in the league. "We really have a strong line-up. We have Kerby (Raymundo), Rico (Maierhofer), and Rafi (Reavis) back in the line-up. It's nice seeing all of them at the same time," said B-MEG board governor Rene Pardo. Talk 'N Text, denied of a Grand Slam last season, became more formidable this time with the inclusion of 2009 top rookie pick Japeth Aguilar to its roster. The Tropang Texters will try to duplicate Crispa and Great Taste's feat of repeating as All-Filipino Cup champions. The Commissioner's Cup, the second tournament of the season, kicks off on February 12. The PBA has decided to set a no-height limit in the import-spiced meet. The season-ending Governors Cup, which will have imports with a height celing of 6-foot-5, starts on May 20. — JVP, GMA News