AS former players themselves, coaches Norman Black and Chris Gavina are both in favor of the PBA finally implementing the unrestricted free agency rule that was long time coming.
But they also have one common knock against it.
“My only concern probably is the timing. The fact that it is happening in the middle of the conference. The fact that there might be a possibility that you may lose a key player like we did with Nards (Pinto),” said Black, the Meralco coach.
Added Gavina, “As a coach, for instance if you lose a John Pinto who’s a rotational guy, and you don’t get nothing back, that means someone from say, your third team has to take that place, or you may have to cut your rotation in the middle of a good start. Those are little things that can determine success in a conference or in a season.”
Black and Gavina gave out their respective thoughts on the newly-implemented UFA rule of Asia’s pioneering pro league on Saturday in the Power & Play program of former PBA commissioner Noli Eala.
The Bolts were among the first teams affected by the ruling after seeing valuable backup John Pinto turn down a two-year offer by his mother team and instead, went to Barangay Ginebra to sign a three-year contract.
Black, 64, admitted Pinto may not be among Meralco’s top guns on offense, but he did play a major role as part of the team’s backcourt rotation.
“He was averaging 25 minutes a game, he’s starting a lot of the games, so he’s a rotational player for us, one of our best defenders in the perimeter,” said the grand slam coach.
“And it’s difficult to make that adjustment in the middle of a conference. You lose a player and there may be the possibility of not getting back a player that may help you. So the player’s just gone,” added Black. “I’m just actually concerned about the timing while we’re playing in the middle of a conference.”
Nard Pinto declined a fresh contract with Meralco and moved to Ginebra.
The principle behind the UFA stated that players who have played seven years in the league starting with the 2014 draft are already eligible to exercise such rights starting this year.
But Gavina, coach of Rain or Shine, suggested the league could have perhaps allowed the conference to finish first and then begin to apply the UFA rule before the start of the 47th season later in the year.
“Maybe the start of the free agency season may have been kind of delayed until the end of the conference, and let teams and coaches get acclimated to what happened,” he said.
Again, both coaches stressed they are all for the enactment of the UFA rule.
“Being a former player, I’m certainly in favor for the rights of the players. This is a rule that has been put in place a while ago, and now it’s being implemented now. I am all for the rule,” Black said.
“I’m all for it. It gives players the ability to be rewarded for the hard work and recognition they put in to their games to be recognized by other teams,” said Gavina.
“It’s a rule now. We just have to be able to adapt to it and make the best of whatever situation we’re put in as coaches.”
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