PBA eyes D-League if PBL-Liga talks fail

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Basketball Association will form its own version of the NBA Developmental League should the proposed merger between the PBL and Liga Pilipinas won’t push through.

 The PBA board of governors unanimously approved the league’s official stand in a meeting in Palawan Sunday morning.

PBA board chairman Lito Alvarez explained the pro league needs a strong minor league serving as transition tournament for collegiate players who are graduating to the pro ranks.

Thus, the PBA is helping out the PBL and Liga Pilipinas to unite.

Alvarez said he has had talks with both the PBL and Liga officials and received positive responses.

Gracing the PSA Forum yesterday, Liga chief executive officer Noli Eala, also the SBP executive director, said their merger talks with the PBL is now in “advance stage.”

To help sustain the talks, the PBA board has tasked Sta. Lucia Realty’s Buddy Encarnado, Ginebra’s Robert Non and Talk n Text alternate governor Patrick Gregorio to continue conferring with the Liga and PBL brass.

The PBA governors believe the successful PBL-Liga merger would benefit not only Asia’s first play-for-pay league but all the parties involved.

The PBL and Liga have been struggling with dwindling membership, and this for one urged the PBA to step in.

“We’re seeing bad signs. If these leagues fold up, it’s bad for us. We believe UAAP and NCAA players need transition tournament before they join the pro ranks,” said Alvarez.

The PBA board chair believes the negotiations would be over by the end of the month and the PBL-Liga first tourney running by late May.

The outline of the kind of inaugural tournament to be launched has already been broached.

“The format is still to be discussed, but the PBL could well be the Northern Conference and Liga making the Southern Conference since Liga teams are used to traveling,” said Alvarez.

But Alvarez stressed the PBA would form its own developmental league if the PBL-Liga union talks bog down.

“On our own, each of the 10 (PBA) teams could adopt its own team through lottery. For sure, we have to get this new league going,” said Alvarez.

The PBL has been the primary source of PBA players since the former’s establishment in 1983, although the region-based Liga, which got going in 2008, has been making its own contributions to the pro league of late with players like Jared Dillinger, Mark Yee and Ramsay Williams.