CHICAGO - Unlike previous PBA commissioners, he doesn't have a law degree or an Ateneo pedigree. But with the blood, sweat and tears that he has so devotedly drenched the league with in various capacities since 1983, Willie Marcial is just as deserving to occupy that esteemed office.
I wish Mr. Marcial multiple happy and productive terms. I also wish he handled the recent officiating controversy with more finesse and less fire.
In a match between NorthPort and Phoenix last Wednesday night at the Smart Arena, referee Noy Guevarra whistled Sean Anthony for an offensive foul on Justin Chua with 47 ticks to go in a tied game.
The infraction nullified Anthony's made 3, allowing Phoenix to rise out of the coliseum with a 98-96 win.
I viewed the questioned play several times on YouTube and I don't think Anthony should have been called for a foul because Chua, who was hit by Sean's left hand after the release, encroached on the shooter's allowable landing spot.
I therefore agree with the commissioner that the referee blundered. What I don't agree with is the histrionics that accompanied Marcial's displeasure.
According to a SPIN.ph report, Marcial "went down from the lower box section all the way to ringside to reprimand the technical crew."
Such public display of outburst, I think, is unbecoming of the office he holds. In my 19 years of covering the NBA, I have never seen commissioner David Stern or Adam Silver vent so openly and humiliate the refs.
Even when warranted, as a means to enforce discipline, the wrath of the commissioner must come from unseen hands. There are deputies, willing and able, who can be delegated to unleash that kind of unpleasant work.
"Nung nakita ko sa slow mo, sa tingin ko mali talaga," the commissioner emphasized.
Correct.
But then again, referee Guevarra is required to make his decisions in real time, obviously without the benefit of slow motion replay. So, in a very tiny space of time, Gueverra's brain has to process the multiple movements his eyes just saw and then blow the whistle in a split second.
Offensive and blocking fouls are the hardest to call in a basketball game. Ask James Harden, who had four in one game against the L.A. Lakers a few days ago. The Beard is still bitching about it as I type this column.
Anyway, here are some of the factors a ref must consider in assessing charging/blocking fouls: Did the offensive player lower his shoulder or invade the restricted area? Did the defender set his feet in time, or was he in motion while making contact with a driving player?
IT'S A JUDGMENT CALL, an extremely tough and tricky one. And we must place our trust on the officials to make the appropriate decisions. Since they're human, mistakes happen. But as long as erred whistles are birthed from innocence and not malice, it shouldn't make the evening news or morning headlines.
It's simply part of a fast game. The "break," as Phoenix coach Louie Alas once said.
Look, Steph Curry once got away with a double-dribble in a crucial stretch of an NBA Finals game and the heavens did not fall.
Commissioner Marcial threatened to suspend Gueverra for an entire conference.
I hope not, sir. Take the man's whistle for a few games. But let him keep his livelihood.
Instilling fear compels the troops to toe the line, but Mr. Commissioner, it is tenderness and understanding that will make them lovingly run through a wall for you.
As PBA Commissoner, Marcial's job is complicated. He owes his position and tenure to the Board of Governors, who he must continuously appease. But he must be neutral like Switzerland. And by advocating so hard about NorthPort's loss, he may have also unintentionally rankled Phoenix's feelings .
Marcial did not trip or fall on this tightrope, he merely had a precarious misstep.
But like I said at the outset, Marcial is a good man, 57 and ruggedly handsome, with an eagerness to please that is endearing.
He is also a capable leader who will learn from this episode as he grows further into the job for, hopefully, many, many seasons to come.
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