PBA vice chair Alfrancis Chua (right) joins commissioner Willie Marcial (middle), lawyer and league treasurer Raymond Zorrilla (left) and PBA chair Ricky Vargas (second from left) in welcoming new sponsor ArenaPlus and its president, Rafael Jasper Vicencio. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The PBA feels that Hong Kong Eastern presents a greater challenge to what the Bay Area Dragons brought two years ago if its participation in the Commissioner’s Cup during the second conference pushes through.
“I feel like this team (Eastern) is much stronger than Bay Area,” PBA vice chair Alfrancis Chua said in Wednesday’s press conference before this weekend’s season opener.
Eastern, the league said, is “90 percent” assured of taking part in the midseason conference, opening the possibility of PBA squads battling a second foreign team in three years.
Bay Area, handled by Australia’s Paris Olympics coach Brian Goorjian, came one win shy of capturing the 2022 Commissioner’s Cup title, falling to Barangay Ginebra in the deciding Game 7 at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Small details are being ironed out before Eastern can be confirmed as a participant, namely logistics, visa and the number of imports that can be allowed.
Commissioner Willie Marcial has hinted on the possibility of allowing PBA clubs to hire two imports given the usual makeup of Asian pro squads, who normally have more than one reinforcement in their rosters. Chua, however, remained lukewarm to the idea.
“It’s would be a big factor, but for me, two to four players will be benched with having two imports,” said the Ginebra governor and San Miguel Corporation sports director.
“For sure, those two imports will eat up a lot of minutes. The big man will eat up playing time of two players while those playing the two and three positions will lose minutes if the other import is about 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-6.
“So, as of now, we will stick with one import for the Commissioner’s Cup,” added Chua.
Eastern is one of the successful teams in Hong Kong and has been added as a new participant in the East Asia Super League, representing Greater China with the Macau Black Bears.
One of its credentials is being a champion of the defunct Asean Basketball League in 2017, which shows that Eastern will come to the PBA far from being a mere participant.
“They have deep pockets and they already know how the way we play with the experience of some of their players,” Chua said.
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Plans to play in Hong Kong was among those initially bared when Eastern and PBA officials held early talks, with a home and away format to be potentially implemented in the event the guest club reaches the Finals.