THE opening of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 48 will be moved back three weeks from its original date.
The season-opening Commissioner's Cup is now set for a Nov. 5 tip-off instead of its scheduled Oct. 15 playdate.
The hectic schedule brought about by the successive stagings of the FIBA World Cup and the coming 19th Asian Games prompted the league to postpone the season opener.
Commissioner Willie Marcial said the decision was made to allow players who played both in the World Championship and the Asiad the time to rest and recover following a year-round timetable of playing the game.
"Para makapag-pahinga din naman yung mga players natin dahil sunud-sunod ang mga competition," said Marcial while the Gilas Pilipinas' first day of practice for the 19th Asian Games was ongoing.
At the same time, it will give teams longer time to prepare for the new season and build chemistry with the rookies to be picked and signed in this week's draft and their respective imports coming for the season-opening Commissioner's Cup.
The national team had just finished its campaign in the just concluded World Cup, but is currently gearing up for the Asiad that comes off the wraps next week in Hangzhou, China.
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