Barrios cements SBP ties with NBA

MANILA, Philippines - SBP executive director Sonny Barrios said yesterday his recent meeting with key NBA executives in New York City to discuss “federation matters” re-established close ties between the country’s governing body and the world’s No. 1 professional basketball league.

Barrios conferred with NBA senior vice president/deputy general counsel Daniel Rube and NBA vice president/assistant general counsel Michelle Leftwich in a 45-minute visit on the 15th floor of the NBA head office on Fifth Avenue in New York City. He was accompanied by SBP legal consultant Edgar (Aga) Francisco and retired UN senior economist Leonides (Amang) Buencamino.

A priority in Barrios’ agenda was to cement relations between the SBP and NBA. The other matter that Barrios took up with the NBA lawyers was in relation to Andray Blatche playing for the Philippines at the FIBA World Cup in Spain and the Asian Games in Incheon. “Because we engaged Andray to play for our national team, Boss MVP (SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan) wanted to make sure we were compliant with whatever the NBA required from a country recruiting an NBA player,” said Barrios. “The NBA executives were pleasantly surprised to find out the relationship between the Philippines and the NBA goes back to the days of PBA commissioner Rudy Salud. I spoke about meeting former NBA commissioner David Stern in the past and of course, Mr. Stern’s visit to Manila during the preseason game between Houston and Indiana last year. Mr. Stern and MVP met during that visit. Our main goal was to re-establish ties and open communication lines officially and professionally.”

Barrios was briefed by the NBA lawyers on issues of engaging an NBA player for a FIBA competition. “In Andray’s case, we had deposited $7,550 in premium payment of his insurance coverage based on his last contract with the Brooklyn Nets,” said Barrios. “We made the deposit with the BWD Group which is the NBA’s insurance advisor. Since Andray is currently a free agent, we’re not required to cover for his insurance. But we decided to keep the money with the BWD Group anyway as Andray is expected to sign a contract with an NBA team soon.”

Barrios said it was explained that there are two types of insurance coverage for an NBA player to be engaged for a FIBA tournament. “We were told that under an agreement between FIBA and the NBA, NBA players may be allowed to participate in FIBA competitions except for three reasons – one, the player declines to participate as in the case of Kevin Durant this year, two, he is injured and three, there is no insurance coverage,” he said. “The two types of coverage are one, insurance against a player’s existing NBA contract and two, insurance against exclusions in his NBA contract. It’s possible that in an NBA contract, the insurance coverage excludes injuries that happened in the past and could recur. In Andray’s case with Gilas, the insurance coverage will kick in once he signs a new NBA contract.”

Blatche opted to become a free agent last June and is in the process of negotiating a new NBA contract. The 6-11 center is in no hurry to sign because he’s guaranteed to bankroll $8.47 million in 2014-15 even without playing a game. Blatche was inked to a five-year $35 million deal by the Washington Wizards in 2010 then was cut as an amnesty case in 2012. Whatever Blatche earns from any NBA team less than what he is guaranteed by Washington from 2012-13 up to 2014-15 is credited to the Wizards.

Barrios asked the NBA lawyers if there was a need to add payment in Blatche’s standby coverage. “I was told they would get back to me on that and sure enough, they did and I was informed no need, that we could just wait until Andray signs a new NBA contract,” he said. “I thought it was a positive sign that they responded right away to our inquiry.”

Barrios said he extended warm regards in the SBP’s behalf to NBA commissioner Adam Silver through Rube and Leftwich. Silver came to Manila in 1997 with broadcaster Ahmad Rashad and NBA executive Heidi Ueberroth and personally witnessed the Filipino’s passion for basketball.

As for Blatche’s eligibility for the Asian Games, Barrios said there is no impediment. “I don’t know where this debate is coming from,” he said. “It’s calling attention to the Asian Games organizers. The SBP is comfortable with our position that Andray is eligible. I took up the issue with FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann during the FIBA Asia Congress in Doha recently and he told me it is the International Federation, or FIBA in this case, that has authority on eligibility matters. I don’t think the Olympic Council of Asia will make an eligibility ruling on a player without consulting FIBA.”

Barrios said the provision for a three-year residency applies to an athlete who will play for a country after previously representing another country. “In certain International Federations, it is allowed for an athlete to play for another country after a sit-out period but in FIBA, that’s not allowed because under FIBA rules, a player can only play for one country in his lifetime,” said Barrios. “So the three-year residency has no application in FIBA. If you study the Asian Games eligibility provision, you must look at it within the context of the other provisions, not in isolation.”

Barrios said FIBA’s approval of Blatche to play in the coming World Cup legitimizes his presence in the Gilas lineup. “If Andray is allowed to represent the Philippines in the World Cup, how can he not be allowed to represent the Philippines in the Asian Games?” added Barrios. “It doesn’t follow. The Olympic Council of Asia won’t clash with an International Federation.”