The biggest question is, will foreign teams agree to the PBA's terms like the Dragons have done?
With the Bay Area Dragons returning for another campaign in the upcoming PBA Commissioner’s Cup in October, fans couldn’t help but wonder if other teams in Asia will also join in on the fun in the future.
After all, the Dragons’ participation in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup, where they ended up a bridesmaid to eventual champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, was widely seen as having helped raise the level of play in the Philippines—not to mention fan interest in Asia first-ever pay-for-play league.
Well, it now seems this possibility is just a matter of when.
During the Philippine Sportswriters’ Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial bared that talks are ongoing with some foreign teams.
“Madaming nakikipag-usap sa ’tin,” he said without identifying the teams.
Just a few months ago, fans also saw how PBA teams stack up against squads from the Japan B.League and Korean Basketball League when the San Miguel Beermen and the TNT Tropang Giga saw action in the EASL Champions Week, where champions teams from the two Asian leagues competed.
The B.League's Ryukyu Golden Kings and Utsonomiya Brex, who are used to fielding in two imports, blasted the Philippine representatives in the regional tourney.
Marcial said if interested parties would submit to the PBA’s rules the way the Dragons have, then seeing a team from the said leagues doesn’t seem far-fetched.
“‘Yun nga lang depende kung magkakasundo tayo sa proseso, kung papayag sila sa regulasyon natin, kung ano kanilang mga teams,” he said.
Should a foreign team or two acquiesce to the PBA's requirements, it is highly likely that fan interest will spike even more as guest teams can surely add more intrigue and spice to the league.
(MDB)