FOULS will be reviewable via video replay by the referees. The traveling guideline of 0-1-2 will be in force. Goal-tending can now be reversed. Verbal timeouts by coaches are now allowed without a T signal.
There could be more tournament tweaks, according to Willie Marcial, the humble sophomore commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), whose baptism of fire on the league’s hottest seat went by as placidly as a river that runs deep.
My humble report card says that on a scale of from one to 10, I am giving Willie Boy a grade of 10. Perfect.
I have always been generous. What’s the use of being selfish when we don’t really own the world?
But did the 12 PBA governors give Willie Boy at least a passing grade?
Obviously, yes. Otherwise, his one-year interim position would have ended by now.
When I was still teaching in a university, I kept giving many of my students a flat-one grade. The highest.
One may not be deserving of it. But the meat of it is to essentially hammer into the kid’s head: I want you to be the best when you finally step out of school. Futuristic.
Different folks, different strokes.
Anyway, back to the new PBA rules that will take effect starting with the blasting of Season 44 of the PBA on Sunday, Jan. 13.
It’s always nice to see changes within an organization. It means dynamism is at work. Indeed, dogma has no place in a fast-changing world. And the PBA is no exception.
Basically, both the rules on coaches’ verbal timeouts and the traveling mode are OK. About time they are officially adopted.
It is in the reviews of goal-tending and foul situations that I am a bit uncomfortable with.
Mainly, they might eat up on the game’s playing time, putting somewhat to naught the excitement factor.
Already, the video review of which team has ball possession in the last two minutes of a game tends to consume much time, at times destroying the flow of things.
These tweaks impair the exhaustion factor of players. Rest is being given for free. Analyze further, please?