Not rich, not lean

From 81 to 51 to 48. That’s how the numbers went in the final listing of the eligible applicants for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) draft at the Glorietta this afternoon.

Struck out were highly-touted, alleged Fil-Ams like Chris Clay and Jeffrey Flowers who failed to submit their Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmation last Thursday——the deadline set by the PBA. Also bumped off were Fil-Ams like Robert Johnson, Francis Rauschmayer, Leo Yanogacio, Sonny Boy Margate and Jimmy Alapag who didn’t beat the deadline even as their Filipino lineage is unquestionable.

The biggest loss was Romel Adducul who cried buckets of tears after the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) refused to release him unless, it was rumored, FedEx–the former Tanduay franchise which has the first overall pick this year——coughed up P6 Million.

PBA Commissioner Jun Bernardino burned the lines trying to facilitate Adducul’s release but at 6:30 p.m. last Thursday—— 1 1/2 hours after the 5 p.m. deadline——the MBA’s Ramon Tuason delivered the final answer.

The fact is Adducul has two years left on his MBA contract. He says he signed to play for the Manila Metrostars, now disbanded, but never for the Batangas Blades which assumed his contract. But whether or not he signed a contract to play for Batangas, it is clear the MBA——as the governing league–owns his rights.

The scuttlebutt is Batangas owes the MBA about P6 Million as its contribution to the league coffers. The release fee would’ve settled the account. You can’t really blame the MBA for trying to bleed the PBA or FedEx for Adducul who’s a hot commodity. Pro basketball is, after all, a business.

But perhaps, the MBA should’ve agreed to compromise. Holding on to Adducul—who has expressed a desire to leave—and paying his astronomical salary might not make good sense for the MBA in the long haul. ABS-CBN used to pay for over 70 percent of Adducul’s monthly salary of more than P500,000. Now that ABS-CBN has relinquished its rights to Adducul, will the Blades or the MBA fill the vacuum? It looks like the MBA has no choice but to make good on what Adducul is supposed to collect every month. That will surely disrupt whatever plans the MBA has to set a strict salary cap this season.

Besides, if Adducul is picked for the national team, he won’t even be able to play in the MBA until after the Asian Games in October.

My heart goes out to Adducul who had hoped to make the big leap this year. The MBA decision has robbed fans of the spectacle of watching Adducul in action against Danny Ildefonso and Adducul himself of the opportunity to prove himself in the premier league.

The final list of 48 doesn’t include nuisance applicants, those who failed to submit birth certificates, and those who just didn’t pursue their applications. Stricken off the list was a 36-year-old applicant who never played varsity hoops and listed his only team as the Dakota Legends (probably a street team in a barangay league). Another strange applicant listed his height as 6 feet and his position as center. In the draft that’s open to all comers, you get all kinds.

Three hopefuls who were delisted last Thursday were Fil-Ams Margate, Rauschmayer and Arceno. Red Bull executive George Balagtas turned in xeroxed copies of the DOJ confirmations of Rauschmayer and Arceno but the PBA ruled that certified true copies had to be submitted within the deadline.

In La Salle star Mike Cortez’ case, his papers were on the desk of DOJ Secretary Hernando Perez for signature but the documents didn’t reach the PBA on time. Bernardino ruled that even assuming the DOJ clearance will show it came before Thursday’s deadline, Cortez would remain disqualified because the determining factor is the time and date of submission to the PBA.

"Instead of using up their time peddling Fil-Ams, agents should’ve made it a priority to get the DOJ clearance," said a PBA insider. "As it turned out, the marketing effort was a waste of time because without the clearance, there is no way a Fil-Am can be eligible for the draft."

Among the 48 eligibles, the tallest is 6-9 Frederick Canlas a Philippine Basketball League (PBL) center from St. Francis of Assisi. Other skyscrapers are 6-8 Yancy de Ocampo, 6-8 Rafi Reavis, 6-8 Gilbert Lao, 6-7 Omanzie Rodriguez, and 6-7 Wilfredo Mejia.

The youngest in the draft is De Ocampo who turned 21 last Nov. 11. The oldest is Francis Aquino at 30. Only Reavis boasts of NCAA Division 1 experience-he played four years at Coppin State in Baltimore.

The applicants with overseas playing credentials are 6-2 Richard de la Pena whose father Ricardo played for San Miguel in the PBA in 1978, 6-1 Kenneth Gumpenberger, 5-10 John Victorio, 6-5 Miguel Noble of Utica College, 5-6 Julius Cesar David, Reavis, 6-2 Philip Newton, and 5-8 Nathaniel Gonzales.

The draft order in the first two rounds is as follows (assuming no more trades from yesterday): First Round–FedEx, Coca Cola, Sta. Lucia Realty, Shell, Red Bull, Alaska, Shell, FedEx, Barangay Ginebra, and San Miguel Beer. Second Round–Coca Cola, Shell, Sta. Lucia Realty, Shell, Red Bull, Alaska, Shell, Coca Cola, Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer. The team that has an abundance of picks is Shell with two in the first round and three in the second. FedEx has two in the first but none in the second.

Expected to be drafted in the first and second rounds are De Ocampo, RenRen Ritualo, Rodriguez, Chris Calaguio, Noble, Reavis, Jojo Manalo, Edwin Bacani, Chester Tolomia, Richard Melencio, Chito Victolero, Leonides Avenido and Homer Se.

It may not be a rich draft–what with the disqualification of a cartload of blue-chippers–but you can’t call it lean either. From the looks of the 48, the draft is just right for the PBA’s 10 clubs.