MANILA – The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) slapped TNT assistant foreign coach Tab Baldwin with a huge amount of fine and a lengthy suspension for statements aired in a podcast last week.
Commissioner Willie Marcial handed Baldwin a three-game ban plus a PHP75,000 fine for what he said in the Coaches Unfiltered podcast about the format of the PBA Commissioner's and Governors' Cups.
Asked about the things he was surprised at when he first came to the Philippines, Baldwin said the current format of both conferences, in which the teams can sign up one foreign player each of a certain height limit depending on what tournament they are playing, is "one major flaw in the basketball landscape of the Philippines."
"This is a big mistake," said the program director of Gilas Pilipinas Men of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
He also compared the "rules latitude" given by the referees to the imports to the one being given to the locals, saying that what the referees call a foul on a local player is not necessarily being called on the import and vice versa.
The PBA found the remarks of the American coach detrimental.
Baldwin also drew the ire of local coaches following his statement that they still have "tactical immaturity" compared to other basketball nations.
"They are significantly unaware of the tactical and the systematic advancements of coaching systems coming from Europe, in particular, which are built on the backs of player development," he explained.
Following the backlash he got over the weekend, Baldwin called for an online meeting on Monday with Marcial, Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro, and Legal Counsel Melvin Mendoza to air his side of the story.
Baldwin apologized but later said everything that he said in the podcast was "taken out of context."
He will serve his suspension in the first three games of the KaTropa's campaign.
They have yet to begin their season as the PBA has indefinitely postponed the games due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Entitled to own opinion
On the other hand, while he admitted that he has not finished Baldwin's interview, Ateneo athletic director Emmanuel Fernandez said he respects Baldwin's take on the current Philippine basketball landscape.
"At the end of the day, everyone is entitled to their own opinion," Fernandez said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum earlier Tuesday.
Baldwin also serves as the men's basketball coach of the Blue Eagles, the defending UAAP champions. (PNA)
