CHICAGO - It's been 29 days since the Season 49 PBA Rookie Draft and the fifth overall pick has yet to sign a contract.
And with six days left before the Governors' Cup conference tips off, the odds of Dave Ildefonso signing with NorthPort is fading like a faint heartbeat.
"Fifty-fifty," a person familiar with the impasse told SPIN.ph. "He's waiting if they'll adjust their offer."
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That offer, I am told, is for two years and is worth P200,000 a month in the first year and P250,000 a month in the second.
Under the rules, it's the most money NorthPort can offer. Unfortunately, it's a little thin for a baller of Ildefonso's skill and pedigree. The former Ateneo star is not just a rookie max deal player, he is a max salary player.
Without breaking the rules, the Batang Pier would need to be creative to convince the 24-year old to sign on the dotted line.
PLAYER EMPOWERMENT.
Ildefonso is not pulling a diva move here. He is merely recognizing his value.
Dave played two years in the KBL where Asian imports rake in a minimum of $8,000 and a maximum of $160,000 a month. At the 43rd Jones Cup with Strong Group Athletics last month in Taipei, Ildefonso was generously paid and given a two-month title bonus.
In short, P200,000 a month won't float Dave's ark.
Being the No. 5 pick is just a number. It doesn't quantify the value of Ildefonso, a UAAP Season 85 champ with innate leadership instincts. He can score when needed and he plays defense with the zeal of a stalker.
The 44-game stint in Korea sure wasn't Hall-of-Fame material, but that wasn't Dave's fault, Suwon KT just wasn't a good fit.
"Dave will impact any team he will play with," said Tab Baldwin, who coached Ildefonso for two years at Katipunan.
"He was very professional in handling his business. He took good care of his body, his nutrition and his development. He would weigh everything he ate and he was always on time."
THAT'S THE KIND OF ASSET NORTHPORT WILL MISS OUT ON.
Dave, on the other hand, has a myriad of options. Although the Batang Pier own his rights in perpetuity in the PBA, he can play in any other league as long as he has not yet signed a PBA contract and a UPC.
"Japan is an option," a source said. So is a return to Korea where Dave already has footprints. The MPBL where Greg Slaughter reportedly snagged a one-year P1 million contract with the Manila Batang Sampaloc, is also a doorway.
PBA problem
In the grand scheme of things, the Ildefonso-NorthPort stalemate is a PBA problem.
"The league's rookie salary cap is well below where it should be," a local agent told me,
In the wake of Thirdy Ravena's jaunt to the Japan B.League three years ago, the PBA announced a possible revision or abolition of the archaic salary cap. It hasn't happened yet.
But the good news is, the PBA now has a four-point shot.
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