RAIN of Shine coach Yeng Guiao on Thursday urged the PBA to listen to a fanbase that has become increasingly disillusioned by perceived unfair trades, lack of league balance and allegations of salary cap violations.
"I feel like I’m a voice in the wilderness in the league, but think somebody needs to voice it out," Guiao said in an appearance on CNN Sports Desk, a day after chalking up his first win in his return to Rain or Shine - a 93-71 win over Barangay Ginebra.
"But even the fans are longing for a league with unpredictability, na di mo alam kung sino magcha-champion, dahil pare-pareho ang lakas ng mga teams. Alam mo na everybody is following the rules, everybody is adhering to the regulations that are being formulated by the board, and the trades are all fair.
"Lahat naman gusto natin ganon."
[READ: Guiao says it's 'five times harder' for independent teams to win PBA title]
However, the veteran coach said what the league's knowledgeable fans is seeing are anything but.
"Fans see that not everything is going in that direction. They know and they have a deep knowledge of the PBA and of the game and we don’t want to shortchange them," said the seven-time champion coach.
"Parati naming sinasabi na ang ligang ito is here because of the fans. But kung talagang seryoso tayo and we mean what we say, we should respond to what the fans are asking for," he added.
"Gusto nila parity, gusto nila fairness in the trades, gusto nila magkaroon ng even playing field, and it’s the responsibility of the PBA to give them that."
[READ: Yeng expects lesser outbursts with 'smart' ROS team]
Asked what steps the PBA must do to appease a disillusioned fanbase, Guiao said the first thing it must do is review the rules and make sure these are followed.
"First step is review the rules. Meron kasi tayong mga regulasyon, but instead of following the rules we look for loopholes. If there are loopholes, plug them," he said. Review natin ang mga rules then sabihin natin sa sarili natin: ‘Are we going to follow our own rules?’
"If we’re not going to follow our own rules, then let’s take them out."
Guiao said league rules must be adhered to by all the teams to give all teams a chance.
"This league is not about who has the most money. Di to paramihan ng pera. Hindi rin to palakasan ng impluwensya," he said. "Kung ganon lang di na sasama mga independent teams because they know they cannot match the resources of the other companies."
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