D-League an exciting prospect, says Salud

Newly designated PBA deputy commissioner Chito Salud yesterday welcomed the emergence of a developmental league that is expected to be in full swing as a farm system when the next season begins in October.

“The D-League is an exciting prospect,” said Salud. “I would be interested to find out how the PBA can maximize the full potentials of the D-League in a mutually beneficial way. Players sitting on the bench in the PBA will be able to show what they can do with more playing time in the D-League and they can work their way back to the PBA. I’m sure the inputs of the PBA three-man committee (Buddy Encarnado, Robert Non, Patrick Gregorio) studying the viability of the D-League as a farm system for the PBA will be valuable.”

Salud, however, deferred making a suggestion on how the PBA should relate to the D-League. Ownership of the D-League will depend on several factors, including whether the merger between the PBL and Liga Pilipinas will push through and if so, whether they will retain their corporate identities, whether the TV coveror will be a stockholder and whether the PBA will take majority control.

“First things first, I’ll meet with commissioner (Sonny) Barrios for my assignments,” he said. “The appointment came as a surprise to me. No offer was ever made although I will admit I had been sounded out. Even my father (former PBA commissioner Rudy Salud) was surprised. When I told him about the appointment, he advised me to meet with commissioner Barrios right away and to make sure everything’s okay with him.”

Salud met with Barrios in the PBA office yesterday afternoon.

Salud, 48, worked as Barrios’ consultant for technical and legal affairs for about five months in 2007 on a pro bono basis. Barrios was then the PBA officer-in-charge. Salud resigned when he and Lambert Ramos were considered to be the next commissioner, a job that eventually went to Barrios on a permanent basis.

As a consultant, Salud was assigned to focus on improving the league’s officiating standards.

“My thrust during my brief work with the referees was to instill the values of integrity and fairness above all,” he said. “I wanted the referees not to interfere with the flow of the game. Within a short period of time, I think we were able to accomplish many things. First, there were less fouls called. Second, we did away with calling touch fouls. And third, we made sure officiating wouldn’t be the cause of unnecessary delays in game proceedings. Today, I notice some tinges of what we tried to introduce still being done. I continue to watch the PBA on TV, particularly the late night replays.”

Salud said after two weeks, he should be able to know what are the priorities in his new assignment.

One rule he will study carefully involves the flopping violation. “I’ll definitely look into it,” he said. “From what I know, the rule is clear in that incidental contact is not supposed to be called. I think a flop is close to being incidental contact or none at all. Maybe it’s enough of a penalty for the defensive player that when he flops, the offensive player becomes open for a shot or to make an undefended play.”

Regarding a perceived public clamor to bring back physicality in the PBA, Salud said he’s not opposed to it. “I recall that when I was a consultant, we instituted changes to preserve the flow of the game without unnecessary interruptions,” he said. “I thought that letting go incidental contact and not calling touch fouls led to less fouls called and gave players the space to play a little more physical without disrupting the flow of the game.”

Salud said he will definitely ask his father for advice on how to be effective on the job. Keeping communications lines open with team owners and fans is of vital importance. Getting the facts in order is another imperative – like data on live attendance and TV ratings.

“My father has always told me there’s no substitute for playing fair,” he said. “The commissioner and his deputy must balance things out, looking after the league’s interests like a sort of arbiter. There is no place for playing favorites. The goal is for the league to show competitive balance. We owe that to the fans.”

Salud, a lawyer who studied at the Ateneo and the University of the Philippines, said he will work closely with Barrios in laying down the groundwork for the PBA’s future.