No Asian imports in PBA Fiesta tilt

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has shelved its initial proposal to tap Asian talents for this year’s Fiesta Conference. Citing the busy international basketball calendar in 2010, the league decided to do away with hiring Asian players for imports, and instead, go back to the tried and tested practice of tapping Americans as reinforcements.

The import-flavored conference is tentatively set on March 21. “Top caliber Asian imports whom we hope to add and spice and draw the crowds may not be available to play for our teams in the coming Fiesta Conference," admitted league commissioner Sonny Barrios in a statement. “Most of the big name stars we hope to sign are either tied up with their mother ballclubs or will be deep in training for the big international tournaments scheduled this year." Lebanon stalwart Fadi El-Khatib, Iranian Mohhamad Samad Nikkah and Korean Lee Kyu Sup are among the possible Asian players eligible to see action in the season-ending meet. Last Nov. 26, the PBA Board unanimously approved the move to tap imports among countries under the FIBA-Asia umbrella as a way of providing a new offering to the Filipino basketball fans. But with the plan temporarily on hold, Barrios said member teams can now openly tap possible imports with a 6-foot-6 height limit. “Imports who had been measured from the 2005-06 season when we started using the current method of measurement need not be re-measured," Barrios stressed. “The import’s last record of measurement will be used by this Office as the import’s official height." – GMANews.TV