SAMAHANG Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) still has the final say on whether players who were picked during the special Gilas round of the PBA Rookie Draft can finally suit up for their mother ballclubs.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial made the clarification during Tuesday's Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.
"Basta pag sinabi ng SBP na pwede na yang player na yan sa inyo o kung okay na maglaro sa PBA, okay na kami," Marcial said.
Contracts of all five members of the special Gilas draftees from the 2019 class, namely Isaac Go, Rey Suerte, Matt Nieto, Allyn Bulanadi, and Mike Nieto, are set to expire in February.
Go was the headliner of that draft going to Terrafirma, while Blackwater selected Rey Suerte and NLEX picked Matt Nieto. Allyn Bulanadi went to Alaska, and Mike Nieto capped off the round by heading to Rain or Shine.
No word from SBP yet
SPIN.ph has reached out to the SBP about the matter, but the federation has yet to issue an official statement.
All five players would certainly give big boost to the teams that drafted them, and Marcial said that if the SBP releases them, these players can join their teams immediately in the ongoing PBA Governors' Cup.
"Kailangan meron lang communication sa amin ag SBP na pwede itong player na ito maglaro sa PBA," he said.
That, however, will only be possible if the SBP will grant the players a release.
However, a release from the SBP seemed unlikely at this time since Gilas is facing a brutal 2022 schedule starting with the February window of the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
All five players are key pieces for the national team with coach Tab Baldwin counting on them for leadership in his 16-man pool.
The five players' contracts are set to expire after the Big Dome qualifiers.
"Baka ina-assume lang namin na pwede, pero yun pala kailangan pa nila. Yun ang mahirap," said Marcial. "Pero oras na sinabi sa amin ng SBP na pwede yang player na yan, welcome yan at ibibigay namin agad namin sa team."
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