Giles stint in PBA Philippine Cup in question

source: Joel Orellana | businessmirror.com.ph

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) opens its 35th season with the Philippine Cup in October but questions have been raised as to whether guest team Smart-Gilas could field its American reinforcement CJ Giles.

According to incoming board chairman Lito Alvarez of Burger King, the board agreed during a meeting in Tagaytay City recently that Smart-Gilas’s games in the Philippine Cup will count just the same as the regular squads, meaning the Rajko Toroman-coached team could bring home the trophy.

Alvarez hopes to clarify the issue when the executive committee convenes on Wednesday.



The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is hoping to include Giles, who once played for the Los Angeles Lakers, in the national squad as a naturalized player. For now, he remains an American and thus, ineligible for the Philippine Cup.



“If Giles is really part of the program because they will be joining a tournament this year, I think walang problema sa akin. And we want to clarify that to the board if they will allow Giles to play kasi nga All-Filipino tayo,” Alvarez told the BusinessMirror.

Originally, the plan was for Smart-Gilas to only play tune-up games against the PBA teams and the results of its games will have no bearing in the team standings.


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“It’s like playing against a team with an American import. Hopefully, we can validate this matter to the board. Kasi for sure, hindi aabot ang naturalization niya kasi October na ang All-Filipino,” he said.

“We want to know from the SBP of its plans like kung may tournament ba silang sasalihan this year because [as]I understand, one-year contract ang pipirmahan niya sa SBP.”



According to SBP executive director Noli Eala, the federation is close to signing the 22-year-old Giles to a one-year contract but his stint with the Philippine team for the 2011 Asian qualifier for the Olympics still depends on his performance and on-and-off the court behavior. [update: click here]

Giles, who will arrive on September 1, is a former first-round selection of the Lakers in the National Basketball Association and played for the Smart-Gilas team in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba)-Asia Champions Cup in Jakarta in June where the team finished a decent fifth.


Talk ’N Text is the defending champion in the All-Filipino tournament. Curiously, the team is owned by Manny V. Pangilinan, also the president of SBP.