Gilas withdrawal won't affect Gov Cup format

MANILA, Philippines - PBA commissioner Chito Salud said there would be no changes in their format for the season-ending Governors Cup even minus the participation of Smart Gilas Pilipinas.

“We’ll go on with the format. Smart Gilas’ decision not to join will have no major repercussion. If any, the tourney is shortened by one week,” Salud told The STAR.

The Governors Cup format calls for the nine teams to play a single-round-robin elimination with six teams advancing to the next round.

The survivors carry over their elims records as they figure in another round robin battle in the second phase.

A team which will be able to win four of five games in the second phase gains an automatic incentive of a playoff crack at the finals regardless of its overall win-loss record.

The Governors Cup commences with two games in Dubai in the first week of June involving Barangay Ginebra, Talk n Text and B-MEG Derby Ace.

Smart Gilas has begged off from playing in the tourney and at the same time requested the PBA that Kelly Williams, Jimmy Alapag, Asi Taulava and Dondon Hontiveros be loaned to the national team.

“In this particular case, the league approval came ahead of the request,” said Salud.

Smart Gilas, however, also needs the approval of Air21 in the case of Hontiveros. There’s no problem on Williams, Alapag and Taulava since they’re with PBA ball clubs owned by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan.

But Air21 team manager Allan Gregorio sees no problem on the nod of team owner Bert Lina.

“Mr. Bert Lina’s philosophy is always flag above everything. I’m sure he’ll be glad and proud to release Dondon to the national team,” said Gregorio.

Gregorio also believes Hontiveros would be very excited to play for the national team once again. The Cebuano hotshot was a part of the Philippine team that competed in the 2002 Busan Asian Games and the 2007 Tokushima Asian joust.

Meanwhile, Alaska’s Joe De Vance and LA Tenorio finished first and second in the statistical race at the close of the Commissioner’s Cup elimination stage.

Close behind at third, fourth and fifth were Williams, Air21’s Danny Seigle and Derby Ace’s Marc Pingris.

From fifth to 10th were Powerade’s Gary David, Alapag, Alaska’s Sonny Thoss, Ginebra’s Mark Caguioa and TnT’s Ranidel de Ocampo.

De Vance was on top with an average of 32 statistical points per game followed by Alapag with 31.333, Williams with 30.333, Seigle with 29.143 and Pingris with 28.4.