A FIRST Japan B.League showcase is set to be held at the Mall of Asia Arena on September 9 and 10.
But something bigger could follow.
For now, it's preseason games featuring two Japanese teams, Levanga Hokkaido and Gunma Crane Thunders, with popular Filipino imports. But next time it could be exhibition matches pitting two B.League teams against two of their PBA counterparts, sources said.
READ MOA Arena hosts first-ever B.League Manila Games in September
That would be fun to watch, right?
However, the two leagues, sources said, have yet to reach a common ground after the initial talks. Meat of the discussion was about the format for the friendship games, which ended up as the bone of contention.
B.League teams, you see, have gotten used to playing with multiple imports during the season while the PBA, Asia's oldest pro league, has mostly stuck to its one-import format (one conference with no height limit for imports; another with a 6-6 ceiling for reinforcements) for the past few decades.
So it's quite obvious that for these games to happen, the two leagues must find a compromise on the format. At this time, they're far apart, sources said.
Asked about this, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial admitted there were disagreements about 'parameters' for the exhibition games that need to be ironed out, but declined to reveal more out of respect for his Japanese counterparts.
But Marcial was the first to say that he's hopeful that the B.League-PBA games will happen, sooner rather than later.
"Maaga pa naman ang discussion," he said. "Pwede pang mangyari 'yan."
There goes Bol Bol and his 'no-cut contract'
BOL Bol never expected his season to end abruptly.
After all, his contract assured him that he won't be cut anytime for the duration of his tenure with TNT in the PBA Commissioner's Cup.
Sources bared that Bol's contract was ironclad. It included a clause guaranteeing that he will last for the entirety of the conference.
It's a rarity in the PBA where imports come and go depending on their personal and team performances that even players with NBA pedigree sometimes get the pink slip in the middle of the campaign.
But Bol is unique in his own right.
That's why despite the issues surrounding him, the son of NBA legend Manute Bol probably knew that somehow, he can't be touched.
Remember, penalties were levied by the league on Bol for snubbing media responsibilities and failing to interact with fans.
Internally, there were problems, too, which were later addressed in an open forum among the players and coaches.
Coach Chot Reyes also said that everything was patched between Bol and his teammates, noting that towards the playoffs, the South Sudan center finally did come around.
The numbers also backed it up, with Bol averaging 37.6 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game to help the Tropang 5G get to the semifinals as an 8-seed.
Unfortunately, an Achilles injury proved to be Bol's undoing. - RL
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