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By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior reporter
BELIEVING that the league has done a good job covering all the bases, officials from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) said they are ready to resume their currently suspended season when given the go-ahead.
Heading into October 9, the PBA’s season reboot took more shape last Thursday when the league announced that it would hold a “bubble” at Clark City in Angeles, Pampanga, to resume action.
The decision was made after a meeting of the PBA Governing Board aimed at finalizing the details of the restart of the season, which has been closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the bubble configuration, which is similar to that employed in the National Basketball Association, players, coaches, and team and league personnel will be hidden in one place for the duration of the tournament and will be transported to and from the hotel and place of play.
Games will be played at the Angeles University Foundation while teams will stay at the nearby Quest Hotel.
It will be a compressed tournament for the PBA, which will last only two months and will feature two daily games. And the league hopes to crown a champion by the second week of December.
“We are ready and excited. The Commissioner’s Office has done a good job with the plans and they are ready to be executed as soon as the start signal is given, ”said PBA chairman Ricky Vargas at the online press conference that followed the board meeting.
The PBA is reportedly spending around P65 million for the restart and the league has expressed its commitment to see its success.
“We will continue forward. It is an opportunity once we are allowed, ”said PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial.
The league is now awaiting approval to proceed from the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
He has already written to the IATF and Mr. Marcial said they expect to receive a response later this week.
Once they get approval, the league will have the teams begin skirmishing in preparation for the October 9 restart.
Right now, teams can do modified workouts, with only four players on the court at a time as part of the measures to guide against the spread of the coronavirus.
Marcial said that they will be strict in implementing measures once in the bubble.
For one thing, players caught violating the league’s restrictions will be fined and suspended.
“If they come out of the bubble, they will have no salary for a month, they will be fined P100,000 and suspended for five games in the next season,” said the PBA commissioner.
Players, however, have the option of opting out of the bubble if they wish, but must do so before entering.
To make sure players are cared for within the bubble, Marcial said they will make sure the right amenities are available.
He said that Quest Hotel is capable of meeting all the needs of the 350 people involved, including 25 from each of the 12 teams. There will also be special buses for the teams.
Recreational amenities will be offered for video games, billiards and table tennis, among others.
Participants can also make use of the golf and water sports facilities at Clark.
Coronavirus testing, through antigen testing, will be strictly enforced.
In the meantime, all bubble games will be broadcast live on One Sports and PBA Rush with live streaming on ESPN5.com. The matches on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday will be broadcast simultaneously on TV5.
The first game will start at 4 pm, while the second will start at 8:00 pm
The tournament format will see a single free-for-all elimination, and the top four seeds will have a two-time lead to win in the quarterfinals. The semifinals will be a best of five affair and the finals will be a best of seven.
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