PBA to impose import pay cap

After reducing the salary cap for local players, the Philippine Basketball Association has decided to do the same for the imports.

PBA commissioner Noli Eala announced this during yesterday’s PSA Forum at the Holiday Inn, saying the board has agreed to impose a 30 percent reduction on the salary cap for imports — from the previous basic pay of $20,000 per month to $14,000 — during a lengthy meeting Monday night.

"In line with the thrust of the board to reduce expenses, and consistent with the reduction of the salary cap as well for local players, the imports’ salary cap was also reduced by 30 percent. Import bonuses were also reduced by another 30 percent. As well as their benefits," said the new PBA commissioner.

He said a gentleman’s agreement among the board members would prevent the imports from getting more than the salary cap that was recently agreed upon.

The move came after the league reduced the cap for local players starting this year — from a maximum monthly salary of P500,000 to P350,000.

"We have a system in the PBA. However, at the end of the day it’s the code of ethics and the gentleman’s agreement that will be the primary considerations of the teams to comply. We’re doing this so the local players will know that we’re also doing something about the imports," added Eala.

The move, he said, only shows that the league has become "more responsive to the times," and that it is beginning to take note of the fact that a lot of companies and the member teams in the PBA are in a very difficult financial situation. From now on, it has also become the responsibility of the teams to make sure that player salaries don’t go out of control.

"We are keeping this in check. But I think this does not mean that the excitement in the league will suffer. And the players have graciously accepted the new policies of the league and this is good. It also augurs well for the league that the players are playing so hard not because they are being paid so much but because they love the games," said Eala.

Eala also announced a six-foot-five height limit for the imports seeing action in this year’s Reinforced Conference scheduled Aug. 24 to Dec. 12.

"We have set the height limit to six-foot-five with no handicapping. The balance in the league is so tremendous right now that there is no need at this point to use a handicap and do some favors to other teams. Each team will have to field six-foot-five imports, added the commissioner.

The 29th PBA season will begin Feb. 23 with the staging of the All-Filipino Cup scheduled until July 13. In the first two weeks of August, the Asian Invitational will be held with six local teams going up against four foreign squads.

Eala said the PBA has put up a cash pot of $20,000 if any of the four foreign teams wins the invitational crown. Since local teams will have their share of the gate and TV receipts, they can no longer vie for the pot money.

The top five teams in the All-Filipino will be seeded to the invitational tournament with the last slot to be a tossup among the five others after a single-round elims. The order of drafting for next year will be decided based on the records of the teams in All-Filipino (50 percent), Reinforced (40 percent) and Asian Invitational (10 percent).