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San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria has hinted at a rebuild after the team saw the end of its all-Filipino reign. —PHOTO COURTESY OF PBA IMAGES
The Philippine Basketball Association plans to start next year from the first week of January despite a cloud of uncertainty looming over the upcoming season.
The league is set to lift its moratorium on trades by Jan.4 and end its pool of recruits by Jan.27, according to Commissioner Willie Marcial.
“This should allow teams to study how they will approach the rookie draft,” the league chief said at a recent forum of the Philippine Sports Writers Association.
Marcial had previously told the Inquirer that there are still several questions to be resolved about how the upcoming season will play out. The league faces a closed circuit season after completing its 45th stage in a biosecure area.
“We are still studying many factors and learning from other leagues,” Marcial said.
However, nothing is stopping the league from moving forward with its preseason activities.
The annual rookie draft is scheduled for March 14 and a slew of talent is expected due to the league’s decision to remove a D-League season from its list of requirements.
Terrafirma is once again ready to take the top pick in the 2021 Rookie Draft, to be held virtually. NorthPort and NLEX will select next, in that order, and both teams will have a chance to select again in the first round due to their participation in high-profile TNT trades involving Terrence Romeo (2018) and Poy Erram (2019).
The country’s top 3 × 3 stars, Joshua Munzon, Alvin Pasaol and Leonard Santillan, lead the crop of entrants. Filipino players with foreign lineage or roots such as Franky Johnson, Jeremiah Gray, Jason Brickman and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser have also included their names on the list.
The PBA Board will also meet sometime in January to firmly discuss whether another draft of Gilas Pilipinas will be produced.
If such a scenario unfolds, the PBA could enjoy one of its most profound talent pools in recent history with several Gilas cadets, such as NCAA MVP Calvin Oftana and La Salle big man Justine Baltazar, finally making the transition. to professionals.
Many exchanges are also coming with San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria, hinting at a rebuilding following the team’s failed campaign in the Filipino, where his dynastic reign of the league’s main conference was halted in five seasons by the Bolts of Meralco, who eliminated the Beermen in the quarterfinals.
“We still don’t know if we are expanding [the deadline for rookie registration]”Marcial said. And if the Board (of Governors) would allow those with dual citizenship [to apply for the Rookie Draft]. “
The idea of allowing dual-national players to enter the draft as local came after the Indonesian Basketball League move earlier this week to allow naturalized citizens to dress up as local talent.
Marcial had previously said that the league’s 46th season was scheduled to open on April 9 to coincide with its founding anniversary. However, the head of the PBA noted that opening on that date largely depends on how the country has dealt with the coronavirus pandemic by then.
“In everything we plan, people’s safety will always be the primary consideration,” Marcial said. INQ
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