Last men standing - SPORTING CHANCE by Joaquin M. Henson

Stephen Howard didn’t make it back to the National Basketball Association (NBA) this season. He attended two camps but failed to stick. Howard, who recently powered San Miguel Beer to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup title, inked a contract to play for the New York Knicks, was cut, moved to the Atlanta Hawks, and was released before the campaign started.

Howard was among seven hard-luck former PBA imports who came close to landing spots on NBA rosters this fall. The others were Harold Ellis (Sunkist, 2000), Donald Williams (Shell, 1998), Rick Brunson (Ginebra San Miguel, 1998), J.R. Henderson (Mobiline, 2000), Ansu Sesay (Sta. Lucia Realty, 2000), and Ime Oduok (Tanduay, 1999).

Before playing in the PBA, Howard suited up for the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs and Seattle SuperSonics.

Not too many fans know that the day before the Game 5 clincher of the Second Conference Finals, Howard was slapped a P20,000 fine by PBA Commissioner Jun Bernardino for misconduct. In Game 4, Howard was ejected on two technicals and as he was escorted out of the playing court, turned to Bernardino and said something the Commissioner couldn’t hear. So the next day, Bernardino summoned Howard to his office to ask what was on his mind.

Howard showed up wearing sandals and a sleeveless shirt, much to Bernardino’s disgust. It was a blatant show of disrespect. He complained about officiating and how the league is run. Then, as if to insult Bernardino, Howard called him the PBA "coordinator."

Bernardino – sitting behind his desk – slammed his fist on his table. "I told Howard that as an import, he is bound to show respect to my office," related Bernardino. "I don’t really care what he thinks of me as a person. But he is obligated to show respect to me as the Commissioner. I told Howard that he, more than any other import, had to be a model for the fans because he’s married to a Filipina. Imagine, coming to the PBA office wearing a sando. Would he wear that if he went to the NBA office to meet Commissioner (David) Stern?"

A San Miguel insider confided that during the Second Conference, the coaching staff had its share of problems in dealing with Howard. In fact, former San Miguel import Terquin Mott was on standby to fly in just in case Howard got out of control. In the end, the coaching staff decided to keep Howard because it was too risky to change horses in midstream.

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At least, Howard never fraternized with the other imports. He preferred to spend his free time with wife Javin and their daughter. In contrast, Sesay was a wildman off the court. When the Sta. Lucia import discovered Manila nightlife, he liked it so much he would stumble back to his apartment at four or five in the morning in the company of some extremely accomodating ladies, according to a Realtors source. No wonder he had little energy left in the Finals. It was clear that the Sesay who played in the Finals wasn’t the Sesay who led Sta. Lucia to the Finals. In the title playoffs, Sesay didn’t split double teams, didn’t play aggressively, and gave up the ball at the slightest defensive pressure.

Unlike Howard, Sesay never played in the NBA although he was on the Dallas roster two seasons back. Last Oct. 17, he was traded with Dana Barros by Dallas to Detroit for Loy Vaught. Alas, the next day, the Pistons waived Sesay.

After San Miguel won the crown, Howard mellowed. He said outside of the NBA, the PBA was the best league he’s ever played in. That’s saying a lot since Howard has seen action in Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). He refused to take credit for San Miguel’s victory and instead, cited his teammates and coaching staff for their efforts. Howard called Olsen Racela the best point guard in the league and thanked the San Miguel organization for bringing him over.

As for his "fiery" confrontation with Bernardino, Howard promised to send an e-mail explaining his side of the story. The e-mail hasn’t come.

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Oduok, a Nigerian, was a surprise late cut at the Portland camp. He played only once for Tanduay last season and even begged coached Alfrancis Chua to teach him the finer points of the game.

Brunson played the last two seasons for the Knicks and wasn’t rehired. He joined Miami as a free agent but was cut last Oct. 22, the same day that Henderson got the pink slip from the Sacramento Kings.

Williams, a University of North Carolina product like Michael Jordan, and Howard nearly made it to the Los Angeles Lakers roster last season. Williams was signed by the Pistons last Oct. 2 and was cut two weeks later.

Ellis was released by the Milwaukee Bucks last Oct. 20. Los Angeles-based import recruiter Mike Gonzalez said Ellis is hoping to hook up with another NBA team.

Last season, three ex-PBA imports saw action in the NBA–New York’s Brunson, Charlotte’s Eldridge Recasner (Presto, 1992), and Golden State’s Sam Mack (Sta. Lucia, 1995). Additionally, Vancouver’s Joe Stephens played for Purefoods after the NBA campaign.

This season, the only two ex-imports playing in the NBA are Recasner and Atlanta’s Larry Robinson (San Miguel, 1997-98, Mobiline, 1999).

Recasner, 32, is in his seventh NBA campaign. Last October, he figured in a car accident that left him with a fractured shoulder socket and a partially collapsed lung. He was a passenger in a car driven by Charlotte teammate Derrick Coleman who was drunk. Miraculously, Recasner recovered to play seven games last season.

Robinson, 32, played for Washington, Golden State, Boston, Houston, and Vancouver before joining the Hawks. In The Star’s sports section, yesterday, Robinson was pictured in a Hawks uniform playing against the Knicks.