Tanduay relents; Danny I. to SMB

San Miguel Beer kept its rights on Danny Ildefonso yesterday as Tanduay Rhum withdrew its P96-million offer sheet on the young marquee player to serve "the best interest of the league and the basketball fans."

However, there was still no guarantee Ildefonso will stay in the SMC backyard with the player entertaining another offer sheet — this time worth P48 million in seven years from Mobiline.

San Miguel opens its campaign in the PBA 2001 season versus Barangay Ginebra with Ildefonso in tow if the ballclub can sign up the 6-foot-6 prized slotman before 7:30 p.m. today.

At presstime, SMC top officials were negotiating with Ildefonso’s agent-adviser William Ong. They couldn’t reach an agreement although the player has said he doesn’t want to miss a game in the season.

Mobiline officials have reportedly offered Ildefonso the same offer sheet they tendered on Kenneth Duremdes. The offer sheet, which involved a monthly salary of P.5 million a month for Duremdes until year 2007, was matched by Alaska.

"After much thought and deliberations, we have decided that submitting an amended offer sheet may not necessarily result in the speedy resolution of this problem and may even result in prolonged debates and arguments that may disrupt the harmony that now prevails in the PBA family," said team owner Lucio Tan and alternate board representative Heinrich Khoo in a two-page letter to the PBA Commissioner’s Office.

"In the best interest of the league and the basketball fans, we humbly submit to the decision of the honorable commissioner and will no longer submit an amended offer sheet."

Tanduay decided to withdraw its bid to acquire the services of Ildefonso after PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino declared the team’s original offer sheet to the player "flawed." The Basic Holdings Inc. franchise was asked to submit before 5 p.m. yesterday a modified offer sheet, but the teams opted not to do so.

Tanduay officials made no motion for a reversal of the commissioner ruling but brought up some points "as a basis for possible modifications in the existing rules of the association."

They argued that "ludicrous" offer gave aspiring players something to look forward to and strive for excellence in basketball.

They also said putting undue restrictions and discouraging "creative" offers is like arming a person with a gun to defend himself and later prohibiting him from firing the gun as it may kill people; or it may be compared to opening a ‘Pandora’s Box’ and then franctically looking around for cures to the diseases that come out of the box.

"If the offer sheet can ultimately destroy the league then why allow it at all? If ‘creative’ offer sheets patterned after the NBA do not yet conform to the temperament of the Filipinos (and also to their economy), then why don’t we junk it?," asked Tan.

"Lastly, it is also mentioned that PBA teams are cost centers and not profit centers like the NBA teams. Is it really the purpose of PBA teams to throw away money with nothing in return? We cannot speak for the other teams but Tanduay believes it derives value from its team. That we expect marketing value from our PBA franchise is our firm belief and it is also this belief that motivates us in getting players in the stature of Mr. Ildefonso."