Caught in the crossfire

Nine NBA players who recently came to town to participate in the “Last HOME Stand” were caught in the crossfire of a battle between the league where they’re employed and the organizing agency East West Private (EWP) which paid their fees to fly over for the charity event.

The players were Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, Brandon Jennings of the Detroit Pistons, James Harden of the Houston Rockets, Tyson Chandler of the Dallas Mavericks and Matt Barnes of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Two more players Ed Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers and Nick Johnson of the Rockets would’ve also joined the group in Manila. Davis had just finished negotiating a contract with the Lakers and flew out of Los Angeles last Tuesday. Fortunately or unfortunately, the plane he was on developed engine trouble and had to be recalled to Los Angeles. When Davis got back to L. A., he was informed not to proceed to Manila because the second show had been cancelled. Johnson played for Houston in the NBASummer League Final in Las Vegas last Monday and scored 17 points in a losing cause. He then boarded a plane for Manila and touched down in Hong Kong for a stopover only to take the next flight to Los Angeles when told of the cancellation.

Other players were supposed to fly over, too. A private plane was to fetch LeBron James, newly rehired by the Cleveland Cavaliers, from Beijing and bring him to Manila for the first show of the charity event last Tuesday but the plan was aborted. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was to plane in as James’ replacement for the second show but that, too, was aborted. Al Jefferson of the Charlotte Hornets was another player in the list of invitees. Those who begged off were newly-signed Washington Wizards guard Paul Pierce, Indiana Pacers star Paul George and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers.

It’s not certain why James, Westbrook, Jefferson, Pierce, George and Griffin didn’t come. Griffin expressed his regrets in a video and promised to make up for his absence by coming over soon. A source said George failed to show up because he is involved in a case seeking custody of his daughter Olivia who was born last May 1. George is not married to the baby girl’s mother Daniela Rajic who is from New York. George wants the custody case to be brought to trial in Florida where he met Rajic. Jurisdiction is still being resolved. As for Griffin, the rumor is he was already on board a plane to Manila when it was discovered that his traveling companion had an expiring passport. Griffin supposedly decided to forego flying when his companion was asked to deplane.

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The “Last HOME Stand” was not sanctioned by the NBA and that’s why the players were restrained from playing in a 5-on-5 game or even participating in shootouts or slam dunk competitions. The NBA pinned the blame on EWP, a Cincinnati-based wealth and investment management company, for failing to secure the proper clearance.

“Under the terms of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, players are allowed to participate in offseason basketball games or exhibitions when requirements for those events are met, including ensuring that appropriate safeguards be in place and the promoter seeks the proper exemptions from the NBA and the player’s team,” said the NBA in a statement. “The promoter of this proposed event, East West Private, was informed of this process several months ago but did not take the required steps. Filipinos are among the most passionate basketball fans in the world and we are committed to bringing them more access to our game and supporting the ongoing Typhoon Haiyan rehabilitation efforts.”

It’s clear that the NBA would’ve given clearance if EWP went through the process. But EWP admitted when it sought the clearance, the NBA’s sanction deadline had lapsed. EWP apparently tried to find a way to skirt the clearance process but the NBA wouldn’t bite. EWP thought that by raising the flag of organizing a charity event, the NBA would look the other way.

Organizing an offseason game involving a team of NBA players, whether for charity or for profit, is something ordinarily frowned upon by the pro league unless it directly participates in the project to make sure there are no violations of the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. When EWP assembled a group of nine NBA stars to play two exhibition games in Manila during the lockout in 2011, the rumor is league officials felt it was a blow below the belt. While EWP was applauded by Filipino fans, the reaction purportedly wasn’t the same in the NBA head office. EWP was also responsible for introducing Andray Blatche to Gilas.

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Because of EWP’s positive track record in dealing with Philippine affairs, the sponsoring PLDT agreed to put up the ante for the “Last HOME Stand” in good faith. Due diligence was set aside in favor of trust and confidence. That turned out to be a mistake. EWP, described by an insider as “an event organizer by accident,” should’ve closely coordinated with sections in the MVP Group specializing in projects of this nature instead of working on its own. The pricing of tickets, for instance, was unrealistic.

Another mistake was trying to justify a blatant mistake. PLDT chairman/SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan had the guts to face the public without pointing fingers at anyone or whitewashing the fiasco. Those directly involved in organizing the event even hinted for the public to reconsider claiming a refund because it was for a good cause anyway and besides, a game was never promised. Those pronouncements created a horrendous backlash from an unforgiving public. The “Last HOME Stand” was supposed to feature two games whether announced or unannounced and that was why fans paid a hefty price for tickets. It would be insulting to fans for anyone to insinuate they paid for tickets to watch drills.

Agent Aaron Goodwin’s players Lillard, DeRozan and Johnson posted a message on their twitter accounts for Filipino fans. They expressed regret for the turn of events and said they were looking forward to working with Gilas, helping the team get ready for the FIBA World Cup and raising funds for Typhoon Yolanda victims with the MVP Sports Foundation, PLDT and EWP. “When EWP approached me to partner with MVP and PLDT for this event, I knew that EWP, MVP and PLDT had the best intentions of doing something great for the people,” said Lillard.

The NBA players said they hope to come back next year and do clinics, appearances and maybe, actually play in an NBA-sanctioned game against Gilas. They also promised to further support MVP’s efforts by donating to the MVP Sports Foundation. “Together, we can make a difference,” said the NBA players.