Guiao welcomes Bay Area but…

With foreign squad Bay Area set to make a comeback in the coming PBA Season 48 this October, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao hopes the Office of the Commissioner will make sure that local professional ball clubs won't suffer blowout losses the way they did based on last season's experience.

The Dragons are making their much-awaited return to the pro league, which will veer away from the traditional season-opening Philippine Cup, and instead, give way to the Commissioner's Cup beginning on Oct. 15.

Yeng Guiao PBA PHOTO

“We certainly like them (Dragons) returning to play in the PBA because the players and coaches will greatly benefit from the new trends and the coaching of Brian Goorjian, whose a really prolific coach,” Guiao said in Filipino during his guest appearance last Saturday at former PBA commissioner Noli Eala's online sports forum Power and Play.

“But then, last season, there were two imports who were on standby for them, and they can just switch import if need be, which is not allowed for each local (PBA) team. Though we know the PBA (Commissioner's Office) has already corrected that,” he added.

Guiao said he appreciates the fact that the PBA had a listening ear as he aired his opinion on how Bay Area will play in the pro league.

However, what's hanging at this point is the composition of the rest of Bay Area team.

“They do have half-breeds like a Chinese-American or whatsoever, but for our PBA local players, they have strict rules as far as Fil-foreign players are concerned,” explained the seven-time PBA champion coach.

“For our Fil-foreign players, they need to have Filipino blood, while the question now is, do they (PBA) ask for the same requirements for Bay Area? He (commissioner Willy Marcial) said, the same rules apply (for Bay Area), but it's really hard to confirm because you either have to confirm it from Hong Kong or in the Chinese embassy, which is really beyond our control,” he added.

Guiao reiterated he's not in any way opposed to the idea of having the Dragons back for a second straight season as a foreign guest team.

His only desire is that local PBA squads don't get beat up badly just like what happened a number of times last season.

Bay Area earned the top seed heading into the playoffs after posting a 10-2 record at the close of the eliminations last season.

Out of the 10 wins, the Dragons' six ball games were won by an average of 35.1 points, including a 54-point roughhousing of hapless Terrafirma Dyip during the elims.

In fact, Guiao's Rain or Shine side suffered a 33-point beatdown in the elimination, before absorbing a 126-96 demolition at the hands of Bay Area in the opening round of the playoffs.

“We don't have problem playing a foreign team that is strong. We welcome that kind of competition,” he stressed. “But what we just don't want to happen is our teams get beaten badly all the time, because in such cases, our teams don't learn anything much. All we are asking is for fairness, so that what the PBA asks from the local teams, I hope it applies to them (Dragons) as well.”