The pink slip

So far, only Richard Jeter has been dismissed among the imports who’ve played at least a game in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference. And he won’t be the last.

Jeter flew in as a late replacement for Nate Williams on a one-game guaranteed contract and knew he had to play like Michael Jordan to convince Sta. Lucia Realty coach Alfrancis Chua to keep him longer.

The pressure was too much for Jeter, who’s only 21, and he struggled in a forgettable six-point debut against Coca-Cola last March 4. The poor kid arrived on a flight from the US less than 10 hours before the game. Three days later, he was gone.

Los Angeles-based player recruiter Mike Gonzalez personally delivered Raheim Brown to Chua last Monday. They planed in together from the US. The highly-touted Brown left the Argentinian league to sign up with the Realtors.

Brown didn’t disappoint Chua in his debut against Alaska last Wednesday. He shot 17 points in the Realtors’ 85-77 win although it was Kenneth Duremdes who made the difference with 36.

Williams would’ve played for Sta. Lucia but he tested positive for marijuana use in a drug examination. He wasn’t the only would-be import to get the pink slip before playing a single game in the PBA. The other was 7-1 Eric Chenowith of Kansas. Chenowith was Shell’s original pick but proved to be a dud at practice. He was hurriedly replaced by Georgetown’s Wesley Wilson.

There is talk that more imports will follow in Jeter’s footsteps on the way out. A coach is seriously considering to bring back former Tanduay import Kevin Freeman who’s been playing in Australia and South Korea lately. Another is checking on former Coca-Cola import Ron Hale’s availability. Still another is wondering if seven-year National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran David Wood–who’s now 40–can still play 48 minutes a game.

The word is the supply of talented big men is limited at the moment because the top players who may be available for the PBA are still seeing action in US minor leagues. They won’t be ready to leave until about three weeks from now.

Note that no height restriction is imposed on imports, meaning sky’s the limit.

It doesn’t mean the imports now playing in the Fiesta Conference are all temps. Far from it. It’s likely most will stay as long as their teams are still in contention. San Miguel Beer coach Joseph Uichico, for instance, can’t complain about Chris Burgess. After all, the Beermen are unbeaten so far in two games.

In looking for Mr. Right, here are 15 questions to ask a prospective import.

• Are you coachable? An import who doesn’t follow his coach’s instructions is a waste of time. There are two reasons why an import may not do what his coach tells him to do. The first is he doesn’t understand the instructions–because he’s not mentally capable or there is a problem in communication. The second is he just doesn’t want to because he thinks he’s God’s gift to the game.

• Are you a go-to guy? An import who’s paid a high salary should at least be able to take the big shot with the game on the line. He’s got to be a take-charge guy.

• Are you a two-way player? An import must play both ends with consistency. He must be consistently reliable on offense and defense and not consistently undependable.

• Can you pass the ball? Sometimes, it’s not the ability to pass but the willingness to share the ball.

• Do you have an attitude problem? An import must come to play game in, game out. His goals must be team-oriented.

• Are you in shape to play 48 minutes a game and can you nurse yourfouls to avoid an early exit? An import must have the lungs and the mental fortitude to play the full route.

• Are you committed to play in the PBA? An import shouldn’t think of the PBA as a layover league. He should stay in the PBA as long as his team wants him to, not as long as there’s no better offer on the table to play elsewhere.

• Can you hold your own against other imports? If the conference yardstick is FedEx’ Pig Miller, an opposing import should be at least a match.

• Are you disciplined? An import must show up for practice on time and spend the necessary hours in the gym to prepare for a game.

• Are you a leader who can tow your team to the championship? It’s not enough to be an average player as an import.

• Can you hit free throws consistently? A big import will often be fouled when he’s in scoring position close to the basket. So it’s important that he makes his foul shots or else the opposing team will gamble on sending him to the stripe whenever he has a good chance to score a field goal.

• Are you drug-free? Nobody wants an import who uses drugs.

• Are you a night person who likes to spend late hours in bars and clubs? An import with nocturnal habits is bad news.

• Are you prone to injury? Checking on a prospective import’s history of injuries would be judicious.

• What is your track record as a player? An import with a championship history and an NBA record (as a draft pick or player) will bring more to the table than someone coming in with obscure credentials.

So who’s the next import to get the pink slip?