INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - The new directive of the Philippine Basketball Association on the Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team doesn't sit well with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

SBP executive director Noli Eala said the two options presented by the pro league on the participation of Gilas in the ongoing KFC-PBA Philippine Cup came as a surprise since these were not included in the conditions set by the PBA.

PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios on Thursday wrote the SBP, informing the federation that it should choose between playing games which will have no bearing even for PBA teams and not fielding CJ Giles in any of the national team's remaining games.

The SBP and the league had initially agreed that all the games played by the 10 PBA ballclubs against Gilas, a squad composed mostly of collegiate standouts, will reflect on the team standings.

``We've been given a set of rules before the tournament started and those options are not included in the conditions,'' said Eala. ``This is a surprise and something I never expected.''

Eala said the SBP would have to make a decision regarding the PBA's stand after meeting with SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan, SBP vice chair Ricky Vargas and SBP project director Rajko Toroman.
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`There was never any objection or condition that he (Giles) will not be allowed to play and on the manner that we run the team,'' said Eala.

Aiming to clinch the lone Asian spot to the 2012 London Olympics, Gilas is using the PBA experience to toughen up and defeat the best teams in Asia in the 2011 Fiba-Asia Championships, the qualifying tournament for the Olympiad.

``It's their way of telling us subtlety that they don't want us to play in the PBA,'' said Eala.

In his letter to Eala, Barrios said the decision is deemed to well serve the purpose of Gilas, which has been seeing action in the league as a guest team.

“We are convinced that it is in everyone’s best interest if both teams go into the game with the same mindset that the game has no bearing,'' said Barrios.

``Both Smart Gilas and the PBA opposing team, and their players, will thus be on equal footing as far as their outlook and approach of the game are concerned,” he added.

That means the result of games played by Burger King, Talk N’ Text and Barangay Ginebra against Smart Gilas prior to the passing of the new directive are considered nullified and will not reflect in their win-loss record.

Apparently, the decision to bench CJ Giles for most part of the game between Smart Gilas and Talk N’ Text last October 21, 2009 prompted PBA Board of Governors to revisit their earlier commitment with SBP and eventually supersede it with the new directive. Talk N’ Text won that game by a blowout, 103-70.

Barrios dispelled concerns by the SBP that the PBA teams would not take the games seriously now that it has no bearing.

“Just like that you assured us Smart Gilas will be prepared to play every game competitively and passionately, we also guarantee that that our PBA teams will give the national teams the competition they need to toughen up for the bigger hardcourt wars ahead,” he said.