INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines – At this point, anybody making a pact with the Basketball Association of the Philippines could get the ire of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

Powerade-Team Pilipinas team manager JB Baylon threw the SBP and his colleagues in the Philippine Basketball Association in a fit of rage after allegedly striking a deal with BAP secretary-general Graham Lim the other night.

PBA chairman Joaqui Trillo immediately branded Baylon’s move as inappropriate and done in bad taste a day after Trillo and SBP officials, led by president Manny Pangilinan, assailed the BAP for its actions.

The PBA, which formed the Powerade-Team Pilipinas, has joined hands with the SBP on declaring war against the BAP for bringing the federation in another controversial dispute before the International Basketball Federation or Fiba that could lead to another suspension.

“I don’t think it was right for him (Baylon) to meet with someone who has nothing to do with Philippine basketball,’’ said Trillo.

”Let’s do away with the pretenders. The SBP is the governing body in amateur basketball and only the SBP should be followed,’’ he added.

SBP executive director Noli Eala said Baylon, team governor of the Coca-Cola Tigers, was seen talking with Lim and another Chinese-looking individual in Café Adriatico Wednesday night.

“According to our sources, Graham assured Baylon that they will play in Tianjin. So is Graham the Fiba now?’’ said Eala.

”This meeting had no blessings from the SBP, the official NSA (national sport association) which is sanctioning the Powerade RP Team’s participation in Tianjin,’’ added Eala.

Coached by Joseller “Yeng’’ Guiao, the Powerade-Team Pilipinas is made up of PBA standouts, whose aim is to secure one of the three slots in the Fiba-Asia Championship on Aug.6-16 in Tianjin, China for the 2010 Fiba-World Championship in Turkey.

Another Fiba suspension could send the efforts of the Powerade-Team Pilipinas to naught similar to the 2005 PBA-backed RP Team of coach Chot Reyes, which was prohibited to play in the 2005 Fiba-Asia Championship, the qualifier for the 2006 Fiba-World Championship held in Japan.

For his part, Baylon said he wanted to make sure that Coca-Cola’s investment in the RP team would not go down the drain.

”I wanted to find out what the BAP was up to because Coca-Cola has an investment in the national team and it could now be at risk,’’ said Baylon.

”I need to be prepared to explain to my bosses what would happen to our sponsorship if things get serious. I don’t know what’s ugly about that,’’ he added.

SBP officials are fuming after the Fiba heeded the complaints of the BAP, which grumbled on the alleged failure of the SBP to implement the “Bangkok Agreement,’’ a treaty enjoining all basketball stakeholders under one federation.

The BAP’s move has prompted the Fiba, the world governing body for the sport, to set up a meeting in Geneva on July 20 and settle the dispute.