MANILA – Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) program director Tab Baldwin claimed that his comments during a podcast were taken out of context.
The Kiwi-American remains in hot water due to his words during the ‘Coaches Unfiltered’ podcast last week. He said there that the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) single-import conference is a ‘big mistake’ and the PBA coaches are tactically immature. Baldwin also accused the PBA referees of giving all of the rules latitude to imports.
During a Zoom conference on Monday with PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro and legal counsel Atty. Melvin Mendoza, Baldwin said that he feels bad his comments were interpreted differently.
“My comments were taken out of context,” the Kiwi-American, who is also an assistant coach for the Talk ‘N Text (TNT) KaTropa, told Marcial, Castro and Mendoza as quoted from the PBA’s official website.
“I feel bad that has happened and that is not my intention,” added the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles mentor, who was described at the PBA website’s article as “apologetic” during the meeting.
SBP president Al Panlilio, for his part, said that he is optimistic their relationship with the PBA remains unhampered despite Baldwin’s comments.
“I believe the SBP-PBA (relationship) remains strong. I have always appreciated their firm commitment (to) the national team. Thank you to all the PBA owners, the governors and the commissioner as I have said in the past,” Panlilio told ESPN5.
“I told him (Baldwin) that I am also a governor of the PBA like Ricky (Vargas) of TNT and Rod (Franco) of NLEX, and we are doing our best to make the league the best it could be,” added the Meralco Bolts governor.
Panlilio stressed that Baldwin’s rough comments towards the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) during the podcast also was not related to the stand of the SBP.
Baldwin labeled FIBA as “criminal” because of one of its citizenship rules. It is a statement Panlilio fears as it could cause a rift between the FIBA and Manny V. Pangilinan, who is a member of the powerful central board of the cage body.
“He is mature enough to get himself out of his own predicament,” Panlilio said. “The thoughts Tab (Baldwin) shared are his personal comments. They aren’t aligned with how the SBP thinks and with what I think.”/PN
