PBA decides to overhaul league

Games today (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:15 p.m. – Barako Bull vs Rain or Shine

7 p.m. – Meralco vs NLEX

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Basketball Association, which has grown with 12 member ball clubs plus 12 D-League teams, has decided to reorganize while pursuing its quest to come up with the man best suited for the job of PBA commissioner.

The PBA board of governors, headed by chairman Patrick Gregorio of Talk n Text, made the decision in an executive session at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City yesterday.

In the same meeting, Gregorio, Purefoods Star’s Rene Pardo and Rain or Shine’s Mert Mondragon were named in a special committee that will study the reorganization of the league and lead the search for the new PBA commissioner.

A fourth member of the committee will be a  man with integrity and independence .probably a human resources professional.

“It’s the first time that this will be done, and this is to professionalize the search,” said Gregorio. “What’s more important is that before we pursue the search for the next commissioner, the board has approved the reorganization of the PBA.”

The three committee members hinted at making the PBA like a corporate body with various department heads.

“We’ve realized that the PBA has become so big a league. It has 12 member teams with two or three wanting to join the league. We have the D-League and we’re inviting Asian imports in the third conference. The commissioner is attending to so many things. We believe this is the best time to review the structure of the league,” said Gregorio.

“The league has grown so much that we’re overwhelmed by it. Just imagine the life of the commissioner, attending administrative matters and watching at least two games a day. It’s a tiring, taxing process. We feel it’s time to check the structure,” said Pardo.

“We’re being unfair to the commissioner, and the board’s consensus is ‘let’s reorganize,’” said Gregorio.

The present setup is the commissioner taking care of both the PBA and the PBA D-League. Under him is just a four-man management committee made up of Willie Marcial (administration), Rickie Santos (operations), Odessa Encarnacion (finance) and Rhose Montreal (marketing).

Meanwhile, Meralco import Josh Davis returns as the Bolts tackle the NLEX Road Warriors in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

 The two teams meet at 7 p.m. with the Bolts out to spring back from an 86-102 blowout by the San Miguel Beermen last weekend.

Barako Bull and Rain or Shine, meanwhile, clash in the 4:15 p.m. opener.

“We are looking to bounce back from our setback in the last game, and stay on top of the standings. It will be tough because NLEX is coming off a morale-boosting win over San Miguel last Tuesday,” said Black.

Despite the loss to the Beermen, the Bolts remain atop the heap with a 5-1 win-loss record. But at least six teams are right behind them with the Talk n Text Tropang Texters at 5-2, the Barako Bull Energy and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at 4-2 and the Purefoods Star Hotshots, the Barangay Ginebra Kings and the Globalport Batang Pier at 4-3.

Barako Bull and Rain or Shine square off in an equally important match at 4:15 p.m. with the winner joining Talk n Text at second.

The Bolts and the Beermen slugged it out in a tight match when Davis fell hard on the floor after being accidentally undercut by Junemar Fajardo midway through the second quarter.

Davis failed to return to the game and the Bolts suffered their first loss after five straight wins in the mid-season tourney.