'Draft' lottery ng PBA, kaduda-duda nga ba at dapat ulitin?

Nababalot ngayon ng kontrobersiya ang ginanap na lottery sa Philippine Basketball Association sa pagpili ng team na mauuna sa 2014 PBA Draft o pagpili sa mga bagong manlalaro. Ito'y matapos kuwestiyunin at pagdudahan ni coach Yeng Guiao ang paraan ng bunutan na ginawa ni Commissioner Chito Salud.

Ayon kay coach Guiao ng koponang Rain or Shine, magpapadala sila ng pormal na sulat sa PBA board para hilingin na ulitin ang draft lottery dahil ginawa ito sa tinawag niyang "unprofessional manner."

“This is just to inform the public that we are pursuing the intention to have the lottery draw investigated and if possible, have a re-draw, because we thought it was just crude, it was lacking in credibility,” ani Guiao.

Sa naturang draft lottery, mayroong tatlong maliit na bola -- dalawang bola na may pangalan Gloabalport team at isa sa Meralco team-- na inilagay ni Salud sa isang maliit na kahon na may takip na tela.

Mismong si Salud din ang naglagay ng tatlong bola sa kahon.

Ang huling bola na inilagay ni Salud sa kahon ay makikitang may pangalan ng Globalport.

Gayunman, hindi na inilabas ng commissioner ang kamay niya sa kahon, at tuloy na bumunot para sa koponan na may "first pick," na lumitaw na bola ng Globalport.

Umani ng mga kritisismo ang naturang bunutan sa video na naka-upload sa Youtube.

Ayon kay Guiao, nagkaroon ng pagdududa sa sistema ng bunutan dahil hindi inalis ni Salud ang kamay nito bago bumunot.

“I guess it’s really the credibility and the integrity of the process itself and the commissioner who was conducting the lottery draw, almost everybody who watched it on YouTube will most likely have suspicion on the way the lottery was drawn,” anang coach ng Rain or Shine.

Idinagdag pa ni Guiao na “aggrieved party” ang kanilang koponan na Rain or Shine dahil ang "draft pick" na para sa Meralco ay nailipat na sa kanilang koponan makaraang magkaroon sila ng "trade" ng player.

At hindi umano gaya noong 2013 draft lottery, wala umanong inimbitahan na kinatawan ng koponan para sumaksi sa bunutan ngayong taon.

“We are the aggrieved party here because the Meralco draft pick was our draft pick and the PBA knew that,” ani Guiao. “We’re just wondering why was there no [Meralco] representative close by during the lottery draw. We were wondering why the box wasn’t transparent. We were wondering why the commissioner was the one who put the balls inside and then he was the one who picked it out. And the most fatal flaw is that the commissioner did not show his hands after he put the ball in the box.”

Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ni Salud na nauunawaan niya kung may mga pagdududa sa naging sistema ng kaniyang pagbunot sa draft.

“I have seen the video of the Draft Lottery I recently conducted. I can now also see and understand why people have expressed concerns, some even doubts. This is an entirely avoidable issue and I apologize to our fans, our teams and coaches for the distraction it has caused," anang commissioner ng PBA.

“Improvements could have easily been instituted had I given this more attention. It simply never occurred to me that the whole process looked crude as Coach Guiao called it. It may have appeared unrefined, but it was an honest draw. Improvements will be implemented anchored on fullest transparency,” dagdag niya. -- FRJ, GMA News