Fantasy Booking: The PBA Preseason

The PBA Draft signals the start of the PBA calendar. Every year, some of the best amateur hoopers flock (because we have yet to see Bobby Ray Parks suit up) in one place so they can hook up with new cliques.

 

But because of allegations of corruption, there is a movement to abandon the entire draft format.

 

This hoop junkie job fair is integral to the league because the rookies serve as its bright lights to entice the followers of the incoming season. So pushing for a quiet preseason is basically starting the season with a whisper.

 

And I have an idea.

 

This is me, fantasy booking… the PBA preseason.

 

 

Protect Three

 

Kia is bent to replace Barako Bull as conduit haven and if so, we want this team to get the fuck out. Easier said than done… because for as long as they pay the franchise fees, they can pretty much do whatever they want. But given the right moves, the worst team could miss out on the best draft acquisition.

 

Next season, the PBA needs to protect the three top picks. If we’re going to set the 2017 PBA Draft as example, then the league needs to force Kia, NLEX, and Blackwater to keep their first round picks (I said force because Kia will probably sell this for a bunch of potatoes and a barrel man and be okay about it). The only reason why they had to abolish the rule is because Chito Salud then thought it’s a good idea to put balls on glorified shoeboxes. If they don’t want to invest on transparent tambyolos… then have them borrow from a game show.

 

Or hell… just encode the teams in a computer and go to the random.com website!

 

 

Quadrant

 

In case the teams are bent to latch on the top pick, then they have to trade a player of the same value. Team coaches as well as team managers need to enumerate the three-best players of each team.

 

For example, San Miguel has June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, and Chris Ross while Kia has Reden Celda, LA Revilla, and… wow it’s hard to choose with their motley crew… Jackson Corpuz. If San Miguel is really that bent of owning the rights to Christian Standhardinger, then they need to offer one of their three and hope and pray that Kia would accept their offering. It’s the same case with Kia… although I can’t imagine a squad trading for the Kia guys.

 

 

A Better Free Agency

 

I have changed my blog a total of five times. Since my Multiply and Live Journal days (remember when these sites were still a thing), I have stated that the PBA needs to publicized the players’ salaries. Sure this screams security risk but I guess by now the public know how much a player earns which is why jocks everywhere are trying their best to get a share from the financial machine via the PBA draft.

 

Because here’s the thing: if the public can’t comprehend the rationale of the acquisitions, it leaves the league in a bind.

 

For example, let’s have this scenario. Kia will give San Miguel its top pick so they can acquire three players to start their rebuilding phase. The thing though about these players is that their contracts will be bought out. The league is littered with expiring contracts and in order to negotiate for these players, they need to not only give up their pick, they also had to surrender Manny Pacquiao’s 350k/month salary.

 

The PBA doesn’t have a buyout option… or free agent negotiations… or salary cap restrictions… at least in the public’s eyes. This is why guys like Enrico Villanueva, Paul Artadi, Ronald Tubid, Rich Alvarez, Romel Adducul, among others were hot potato-ed in the SMC squads before other teams could squeeze on what is left with their talents. Giving the public a view at the free agency will give out the feeling of transparency.

 

 

Giving a damn

 

In the NBA, the best teams get the best crowds and while I am not saying that the MBA needs to return, what about the small market squads? If stats and other information are available for public consumption, then perhaps the fans would eat up on the happenings of a particular squad.

 

In the PBA, the big market teams comprise of San Miguel, Ginebra, Star, and TNT. Meralco and NLEX are just starting to get their talents in check with Alaska, Phoenix, GlobalPort, and Rain or Shine in the middle of the pack. Blackwater and Kia are in the low end… although the future is bright for Team Elite.

 

For example, Jammer Jamito earns 900k for Ginebra and Blackwater’s James Sena earns 250k. They play the same position and share equal playing time. In the next season, will you sign the former or send feelers for the latter? Why would a public care for the players from the small market squads? This is like giving the public a free reign to scout personnel. If the public didn’t see the gameplay of Standhardinger, then they wouldn’t harp the way they are doing now.

 

 

Escape from Alcatraz

 

And this is the last point I want to make. If players know what they are up against, then they wouldn’t be in a situation they can’t escape. Why would a player re-sign to a team that wouldn’t give them their potential Hall of Fame career. Just imagine all those players of distant memory whose careers never really took off because they had to sit and watch as their teams mistreat their services.

 

Yes, the NBA has a draft but yeah… that league has evolved leaps and bounds. Gone are the days when a player is compounded by the yearnings of the owner. Super teams in the NBA are created by the players and not by the team owners. They are the ones that sway their fellow stars to join them and if a player wants out of an organization, then the team would have to ship the player to a team that would value their gameplay.

 

Last season, Alex Mallari was unhappy with his situation in Kia. While he successfully escaped the squad, he was looked upon as a superstar wannabe with a prima donna persona. If you think about it though, Mallari is just exercising his right to play for the team that would use his strengths to the fullest.

 

 

The PBA fans nowadays are smart… and downright mean if they see something shitty. The nasty activities that led to Standhardinger trade apart from other things could make or break their public perception. Now coaches and team officials are selling the notion of Chito Narvasa deemed unfit to rule as commissioner.

 

As of this moment, I doubt if they would extend Narvasa’s thirst for player fines and theatrics. While detailing his conversations with San Miguel and Kia brought clarity on how he judged the trade (Kia just wants to lose all the time… apparently), the hoopla surrounding the trade was enough for him to nix it.

 

But he didn’t.

 

And now most Filipinos doubt his sincerity.

 

So he went from King Solomon to fall guy.

 

Ahem.

 

So that’s how I’ll book the PBA preseason! Can I see your thoughts? Comment on the box below and like and share if you like what you see!