PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said that while he is open to staging the import-laden conferences, it will all depend on where the country is with regards to the global health crisis.
Because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the PBA was only able to stage the Philippine Cup during the league’s 45th season. With the new season set to open in April 2021, questions arose whether the Commissioner’s and Governors’ Cups will push through or not. Marcial answered that during an appearance on “Spin Sidelines.”
“As of now, we’ll just stick with the Philippine Cup and then we’ll see if we can have the imports next season. That’s right about July, maybe by then imports can play already. But it’s another question if imports would want to fly here by then?” said Marcial.
While the Philippine Cup was a massive success, with Barangay Ginebra claiming the title inside the Clark bubble, the import-laced conferences give basketball fans a different look with exciting players such as Justin Brownlee and Allen Durham expected to suit up for Ginebra and Meralco.
However, with many countries imposing travel restrictions, getting foreign players to come to the country might pose a challenge.
“We won’t have a problem if there’s already a vaccine. But if there isn’t one, we’ll need to think things through. How will we handle isolation? How about the quarantine protocols? What will happen if a team decides to change its import? And if ever our imports go through quarantine, maybe it would take so much of their time that it would be the end of the season already? There are several aspects to think about,” Marcial said.