CHICAGO - Despite its PR nightmares and the fans' perception that the league is being run by an emasculated, largely ineffective commissioner, the PBA is still big business and highly profitable.
It's the only game in town, and as an old saying goes, "in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed Jack is king."
With TV money still coming in waves and sponsors lining up to attach their products to the longest-running pro league in all of Asia, the PBA is very much alive and well.
And it will continue to repel all threats both foreign (Japan B.League) and domestic (MPBL).
When he announced the sale of his franchise, Fred Uytengsu, a maverick, independent owner who never shies away from throwing stones at his own league, never mentioned finances as a reason he pulled the trigger.
So why did Alaska decide to relinquish its share of the pie?
Apparently, Alaska existed on borrowed time. And the Aces were dead men dribbling.
When Dutch dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina purchased 98.1 percent of Alaska Milk Corporation in 2012, Fred Uytengsu was somehow able to "carve out a provision in the deal" that allowed him to keep and run the Alaska Aces in the PBA for the next 10 years, according to a source familiar with the sale.
IT"S 2022 NOW AND THE METER HAD SIMPLY RAN OUT OF TIME.
Multiple companies have since shown interest in buying Alaska and there are two options to admit a potential new team, said former PBA commissioner Noli Eala, who guided the league to innovation and prosperity from 2003 to 2007.
One option is the "lock, stock, and barrel sale where buyer gets all the players." The other avenue is where "a new team is accepted and is given certain concessions by the board under a 'Protect X' type of dispersal of players."
The unprotected players go into a dispersal draft, a process similar to a regular draft where all of Alaska's players go into a pool and an order of drafting among the teams is conducted "based on win-loss records of a particular conference."
Although Crispa and the Swift Mighty Meaties were my favorites growing up, I was always fond of of Alaska. Led by Johnny A and Jolas, and later Bong Hawkins, they played with a mix of flair and finesse.
Great teams. Great players. Great memories.
Sad to see them go.
MERALCO SUFFERS BROWNOUT. Why did powerhouse Meralco lose to miserable NorthPort yesterday?
Coach Norman Black, unlike some PBA coaches who love to point fingers at players when crap hits the fan, owned up to the 109-98 defeat.
"We were a little out of character because we did a poor job coming back on defense. Our pick-and-roll defense was not good. Too many penetrations by (Robert) Bolick and we gave up too many 3s (15)," he said.
The Bolts look to bounce back on Sunday against resilient Rain or Shine. Can't imagine Tony Bishop and Chris Banchero and company losing two in a row.
As for Blackwater, which has now lost 26 in a row after NLEX slapped them around today, 117-97, there's plenty that went array.
"Started flat, down 20 in the first," coach Ariel Vanguardia told me as he relived the nightmare.
"We shot very bad today," he added. "We got plenty of open looks but our shooters couldn't knock it down."
I looked up the box score after the game and it felt like poking a needle in my eyes.
The Bossing were horrendous, just 41 percent from the field (34-of-81) and 17 percent from long distance (4-of-23).
No amount of coaching can rescue a team that shoots itself in the foot like this
In place of Alaska, can this team be sold instead?
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