Baldwin back to work

MANILA, Philippines - There’s no rest for the weary. The day after France disposed of Canada to claim the last ticket to Rio in the final of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament at the MOA Arena, Gilas head coach Tab Baldwin was back to work with the Ateneo senior men’s basketball varsity preparing for the UAAP season that opens in September.

Baldwin was in the stands to watch France’s 83-74 win over Canada last Sunday and marveled at the talent level displayed by both teams. He said how to raise the talent bar is the big question for Gilas moving forward.

“No question, at the Asian level, we’re competitive as we’ve beaten China, Iran and Korea,” said Baldwin. “But it’s a different level when you get to the Olympics. I’ve been to the Olympics (he took New Zealand to the 2004 Athens Summer Games). I know what it’s like.”

Next on Gilas’ agenda is to play at the FIBA Asia Challenge in Iran on Sept. 9-18. The top five finishers in the 10-team tournament will determine the composition of each sub-zone at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup where the top 14 placers will figure in the Division I home-and-away series leading to qualification for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. “We should participate (in Iran) as we qualified for it when we won the SEABA Stankovic Cup,” said SBP vice president Al Panlilio.

The Gilas Cadets will form the nucleus of the national team for the FIBA Asia Challenge but who will coach is an unsettled issue. By then, the UAAP season will have begun and Cadets head coach Nash Racela will be tied up with FEU and Baldwin with Ateneo.

Baldwin said he couldn’t comment on the availability of Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson for Gilas in the future. FIBA has cleared Clarkson’s eligibility only as a naturalized player. With the rule limiting each country to one naturalized player, the choice was between Andray Blatche and Clarkson for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. SBP’s position is for both to play together.

It’s no secret that the Philippines’ best chance to qualify for the Olympics was via the FIBA Asia Championships in Changsha last year. Gilas, however, lost to China in the final. Blatche said with Clarkson in the lineup, he would’ve guaranteed a ticket to Rio.

While there’s no doubt that Clarkson has Filipino blood, the FIBA rule is he should’ve been issued a Philippine passport before turning 16 to be eligible to play for Gilas as a Filipino. The rule on passports was made in 2011 as an offshoot of Qatar’s recruitment of five African players who were passed off as Qataris at the FIBA Asia Championships in Wuhan, China. The five players were disqualified after a check on their records.

“The Philippines is a victim of collateral damage,” said a source. “The FIBA rule on passports disenfranchises legitimate dual citizens to represent their country of choice unless they were issued the passports before turning 16. But it’s every dual citizen’s human right to enjoy the privileges of a citizen of both countries, including the privilege of representing his country of choice in sports competitions. That right isn’t taken away if the dual citizen wasn’t issued a passport before turning 16. Instead of a blanket rule, FIBA might consider making dual citizens eligible on a case-to-case basis. Applicants must be able to prove lineage because that really should be the basis of eligibility.”

The same source said FIBA may eventually soften its stand on the age condition because of human right considerations. But at the moment, Clarkson is eligible to play for Gilas only as a naturalized citizen.

“Jordan’s case is actually more complicated,” said the source. “Now that he’s signed a four-year $50 Million contract with the Lakers, the SBP is obliged to pay for his insurance in case he plays with Gilas. The estimate of the cost of the insurance premium is $100,000 for every $5 Million in a player’s NBA contract. So that would be a premium payment of $1 Million.”

But the estimate has to be confirmed. In France’s case, the team has four players with existing NBA contracts. Tony Parker’s salary is $30 Million for the next two years, Boris Diaw $14.5 Million for the next two years, Joffrey Lauvergne $3.8 Million for the next two years and Nicolas Batum $120 Million for the next five years. If the source’s estimate is correct, France would’ve paid an insurance premium of $3.4 Million. The US case would be more prohibitive because of the players’ huge NBA contracts.

At the qualifier, the Philippines failed to make it to the knockout round, losing to France and New Zealand. A consolation was Gilas finished No. 1 in offense with an average of 82 points and No. 1 in three-point field goal shooting at 40 percent. The downside was Gilas wound up last in assists and No. 5 in most turnovers and least rebounds. Blatche was No. 1 in scoring with a 25.5 average but tied with Canada’s Cory Joseph with most turnovers a game at 3.5. Blatche was No. 3 in field goal shooting at 51.5 percent and No. 3 in three-point shooting at 54.5 percent.