What’s next after that basketbrawl?
by rick olivares
Whoever instigated it is beside
the point right now. The images are powerful. A breakdown in security. Fans
joining the melee. Coaches wading in.
A lot of what has been built by
Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan – restoring pride in Philippine basketball – with the
ascension of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas with its top notch hosting and
strong play has been tainted. I am not sure if it has wiped out as some opine.
Maybe. Maybe not.
One thing is for sure. This is a
black eye for everyone involved. There are no winners outside the box score.
This is a black eye for everyone involved.
It’s time to pick up the pieces.
Could a better officiating crew have made a difference?
Maybe. But poor or not, allowing
a lot of physicality or not, it has been consistent with Fiba ball. Maybe even
Philippine basketball. But that is no excuse.
Cooler heads should have
prevailed. In a mad minute, the equation changed.
Having said that, Fiba should
always make sure that the officiating crew is top notch. This match should have
been controlled from the get go. Even during warm ups there was already an
incident that inflamed passions. Right there and then that nonsense should have
been put to rest.
What’s left for the Philippine national team?
Following the brawl where 13
players were ejected, there will no doubt be suspensions. How long is anyone’s
guess but I would be surprised if it only merits a one game suspension.
The Philippines advances to the
second round of the qualifiers for the 2019 Fiba World Cup in Group F.
1. Australia
5-1
2. Iran
5-1
3. Philippines
4-2
4. Kazakhstan
3-3
5. Japan
2-4
6. Qatar
2-4
Having said that, we will play
Iran on September 13, Kazakhstan on September 17 in the next window. With only
three leftovers in Baser Amer, June Mar Fajardo, and Gabe Norwood, there will
be other call-ups and even some from the Gilas Cadets. There is the matter of
losing your most experienced players as well as having concerns about
chemistry.
But without Andray Blatche, how
do you play Iran’s Hamed Haddadi?
We have Gilas Cadet Abu Tratter
but he isn’t enough. As for Batang Gilas bigs Kai Sotto and Carl Tamayo? Maybe.
They will in time. In Southeast Asian competition, they are all right but once
you get out of the region, they are all right but have a long way to go.
If you look to the pros, Raymond
Almazan could be recalled. Who else is there? Will Ranidel De Ocampo be
re-called to active duty? LA Tenorio?
We will compete but the
suspensions could be damaging to the campaign. Technically, you can say that we
can still compete against Kazakhstan and Qatar. But if there are lessons from
recent matches as well as Australia’s loss to Japan, you cannot take anyone
lightly.
After the Kiefer Ravena
suspension and this, the think tank must really sit down to see what can be
rectified on an operational and public relations level.
Does this affect the hosting of the 2023 Fiba World Cup?
In my opinion, I don’t think so.
However, there will be questions about security in the light of what happened.
That was the worst on-court brawl
since the 2004 Malice in the Palace. But that is in the NBA. In world football
yes, there have been worse. But there is no precedent for Fiba. So the
sanctions here will be massive in my view.
You can be sure the next home
match will be under tighter supervision. Maybe Fiba takes an even more active
role.
Whatever, the answers to the
questions and concerns will be worth watching to see how matters unfold.
DRIBBLE AND DRIVE IS NOT WORKING. SUGGEST WE START THINKING OF A NEW SYSTEM. ROMEO IS NOT A POINT GUARD. CALVIN DOES NOT BELONG.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/basketball/gilas-pilipinas/208289-yeng-guiao-supports-asian-games-2018-withdrawal-decision-players-wish-list-thumbed-down
ReplyDeleteWell...
Smc alone does not need tnt and mvp. BZut mvp group NEEDS smc.
Lets face it, smc has the better ifnot best players and coaches in the league. The only way cojuangco will throw 100% support and cooperation is if you give him the helm of international basketball management. Look what he did with the ABL team; smc turned it around. Give him control like in the marcos years and he'd bring us back on the right track. And I'm not even fond of the faction. While Chot Gilas et al just lost it in that incident.
what an ignorant statement.
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