The ongoing Jamal Sampson saga has created some buzz even in the mainstream media: both the Manila Standard Today and GMANews.TV picked up the story last Thursday, while Patricia Hizon’s (always excellent) column for Standard Today last Friday carried the only reaction from an SBP official so far, from newly-minted Smart Gilas team manager Frankie Lim. Yesterday, Abante Tonite’s Zaldy Perez also mentioned the blog post in his column.

(It’s weird though, I always figured that if an Abante Tonite column was going to run my stuff, it would be for Dear Xerex. Especially on the eve of Valentine’s. But I digress.)

Also, this morning, Beth Celis’ whole column in the Inquirer was basically lifted from the blog (without giving any credit, unfortunately). Still, the issue made it to the Sunday edition of the country’s biggest broadsheet, so hopefully it would encourage the SBP leadership to issue a statement on the matter.

Of course, in light of Coach Rajko Toroman’s scathing email against him, it was only natural for Sampson to want to respond. I almost didn’t want to run this, because it detracts from the original issue at hand (the contract situation with the SBP), but in the interest of fairness, here’s the latest from Jamal Sampson:

I’m going to take a sec and respond to coach’s comments. One, let’s see, coach mentioned a tournament with Zain where I hurt my back, and could only play some minutes the rest of the tournament, and China, [where] I got hurt in my second season. Both are true. [With] Zain, I got hurt for a tournament, but continued to play, but limited some of my minutes. But I still played, and we won the championship with me playing 30 minutes in the championship hurt. In China, I played with a torn hamstring but tried to play through it, but [the injury] limited how effective I was, not being able to run and jump. But yet again, I played, just not as well as I could if healthy.

He named 2 injuries. Well, I’m 26 years old, and turned pro at 18. In college, I played and started all 34 games, I think, for my college career. I have been a pro for 8 years now, and he named 2 injuries prior to this team, both where I still attempted to play. In a sport where injuries are frequent, to name 2 for a player in 9 seasons sounds pretty lame to speak on.

Have I had some injuries? Sure. What athlete or player hasn’t? Look in the NBA, from Dwyane Wade whose career was hampered in the beginning due to injuries, to a player people associate with me, my cousin Ralph Sampson, who most people consider one of the top 3 college players ever and a guy who was first pick and only got to play like 6 NBA seasons, or Bill Walton, an NBA great who only played about 3 full professional seasons due to bad injuries.

I’ve managed 9 seasons so far, and he named two injuries I tried to play through. Does that sound justified?

Two, I’ll respond to coach’s comments, on assistants. Well, guess what, the words came from coach himself: he hates how he was given and made to take those assistants and not allowed to pick his own, and none of them know what they are doing. That’s what coach stated before. Also, it’s been stated he got stuck with Coach Allan [Gregorio, brother of Smart Sports head Pato Gregorio] only because his brother is high up in the Smart business, or whatever program sponsors the team. These are all facts I couldn’t know unless told, obviously. They said none of the coaching staff had any prior coaching credentials.

Regarding my knee not being swollen, well, both doctors I went to said it was swollen. One thought it was a mild sprain, but wouldn’t know without an MRI. The other thought it was capsulitis, which causes swelling in the back of my knee, and wanted me to take an MRI though to make sure, because it could be a few other things. [Coach Toroman] never attended either visit to the doctor, nor does he have any info on my contract, or how I was paid, or if things were handled.

Also, another point made by coach about missing a game against San Miguel, well that actually helps prove one of my points. He stated someone came for me an hour and a half before the game. Well, the game was at 10 AM, I landed at 11 PM the night before, because I had been back home for a week and a half.

Why I didn’t know about the game, and they had to try to send someone, is because I had no cellphone. This game took place in January, I signed a month earlier in the beginning of December, where it clearly states in my contract I was supposed to get a Filipino phone and SIM card right after signing the contract, so I could contact people and get contacted. A month later, I still had no phone. Ironically, a team named Smart Gilas, ran by Smart, a cell phone company, can’t get me a phone for over a month.

(Editor’s note: Sampson furnished the blog with a receipt for a cell phone connection dated January 6, a day after Smart Gilas’ tune-up game against San Miguel which Sampson missed.)

Noli apologized and said [the phone] got held up for some reason, and he took responsibility for me missing the game because I wasn’t informed about it, because I had no phone.

Also, about me not playing and refusing to play in the first 2 games, my agent told them I wouldn’t play until I signed a contract, because he wouldn’t risk injury without me being under contract and covered medically and everything. That’s standard procedure, plenty of players won’t play for a team until they signed a contract, unless it’s a player desperate for a job and has no other options, and has to do it that way.

Some players [on Smart Gilas] keep me in the loop about what’s going on. I guess Coach Toroman didn’t know about me sleeping on the floor without a bed and stuff, and asked some players if any of that stuff was true, and they confirmed it. I don’t like to mention any of the players though, because they’re under contract for 2 more years, and I don’t want to cause any friction for them.

I got a curious email tonight from Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman, containing a long and impassioned message in response to the series of emails from Jamal Sampson that was posted on this blog. Let me just preface, with all due respect to Coach Toroman, that while very inspiring especially for Smart Gilas fans, the message contained little about the meat of Sampson’s allegations against the SBP, his contract situation.

That said, it’s worth a read for every Pinoy basketball fan. What follows is Rajko Toroman’s email, in full:

In the name of truth, [and the interest] of Smart Gilas players, SBP, and basketball fans, I felt obliged to give a comment on Jamal Sampson’s statements and accusations.

In a very short time that he spent with Smart Gilas team, J. Sampson’s become “informed” about everything and anything. The relationship between SBP and PBA, SBP and players, SBP and me, players’ motivations, “fears”… I am impressed.

WHAT IS THE POINT HERE?

Turns out everyone is guilty about something, everyone is immoral, incompetent, unprofessional, except Saint Jamal.

The man is able to make a fight between two eyes in the head. And all this, for his alibi.

I have to admit, he is an expert in changing the essence of the issues.

What is the issue here?

The issue is that J. Sampson refused to help his teammates, to win the tournament in Dubai. He betrayed these good guys (as he says), who left their heart and sweat on the floor of the Dubai arena in order to achieve the best possible result.

THIS IS THE FACT AND THE POINT IN J. SAMPSON’S CASE. EVERYTHING ELSE IS EMPTY TALKING.

THE HISTORY OF THE CASE

After the friendly game we had in Dubai, Sampson said that his knee was injured. The team doctor told me that he examined his knee and that there were no visible signs of injury, no swelling. When we came to Dubai, he was taken for a checkup with orthopedist. The conclusion was the same, no visible signs of injury.

When we came back to Manila, Sampson was sent on MRI check up. Again, this time confirmed with MRI, no restrictions in practicing and playing. Meaning, J. Sampson is not and was not injured. HE DIDN’T WANT TO PLAY.

According to the information that we got in Dubai, this is the scenario that he was repeating with other teams also, e.g. when he was playing at Arabic games for Jordan team Zain, on the first game he INJURED his back. On the whole tournament, played only for a few minutes on some games. As we were told, the same happened in China. It seems that he is very well known as “the one that is always injured”.

With everything that was happening with Sampson, I had every reason to believe in the new information.

Chronologically, things were happening in this order:

1. When he came to Manila, on the first two weeks, he was very good in practice. I think he had like a hundred dunks (all that while “sleeping on the floor”). While negotiating, he was asked to play one game against PBA team. Refused it twice. Didn’t want to play before the contract was signed.


2. After the contract was signed, his debut for Smart Gilas was on the third game against Barako Bull. Back injury happened in the 3rd minute of the game. I really was not bothered, not because of his possible injury, it’s part of the job, but with the way he was showing it to everyone in the gym. That made me suspicious. And after this game he left to [go to the] US for Xmas holidays.


3. When Sampson came back, we arranged a friendly game against San Miguel on January 5th, only because of Jamal (who didn’t practice with the team for 20 days), just to be at least a little bit prepared for the game that we had in the PBA on January 6th, against Purefoods. AND WHAT JAMAL DID? HE DIDN’T SHOW UP! Later he said that he didn’t know about the game, which of course was not the truth. I personally told him that we’d have a game because of him, and also staff member checked on him about 1.5 hours before the game, and he said that he is dressing up for the game.

Next day, came the PBA game against Purefoods. Sampson said that he couldn’t play because of stomach troubles. Again, he was showing everyone he was sick. If it were not sad, it would be ridiculous.

After all this came the Dubai story.

That is Jamal Sampson. The man and the player that cannot take the responsibility. Alibi player who accuses everyone on the way to take the money.

His comment about my assistants is beyond every sense for good taste. For your information, Jamal, the best coach in Europe for the year 2009 is a Serbian coach who never played basketball, but still is making miracles with his team. You don’t have to be tall to be a good coach.

I personally was not criticized much in Jamal’s letter, probably because it would be useless, because I have results behind me, European competitions and Olympic games. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if, after this letter, he has something “nice” to say about me. That would be so Jamal. I have no intention to answer anything else anymore. I have more important things to do, not time for waste.

ABOUT ME TREATING PLAYERS LIKE KIDS

In case Jamal wanted to offend me, I have to disappoint him. THEY ARE MI KIDS! I am their teacher. I can be a father to each and every one of them. My goal is not only to make them good basketball players, but respected people also, not drugged and drunk losers. And yes, it is tough sometimes. And Maybe they are not always happy with me being tough, but at the end of the story, when I see successful people, honest and honorable warriors, my heart is full, and I am sure, theirs too.

AND JAMAL, THEY WERE FAITHING OVER THERE IN DUBAI, LIKE MATURE GROWNUPS! EVERYONE, EXCEPT YOU!

And you, you took a liberty to doubt their motives, to doubt everyone’s motives, in this project.

This expensive project is dedicated to the people of the Philippines. This is for the country, and happiness.

God gave you the body to be a great basketball player. But that is obviously not enough. You don’t like basketball. You don’t know and you’ll never know how it is when you are on the throne. How all the sweat and blood and tears are forgotten when the medal is around your neck, and when you know that this small thing is a big thing to each and every soul in your country.

I know how this feels, Jamal, and I will do everything in my power to give this feeling to my players. I feel sorry for you, because you’ll never know.

And YES, for that [to happen,] it’s gonna be discipline, and we will live like a family, and everyone will be on time (because you have to respect other people) and we will go for meals together, and we will finish them together (it is elementary decency) in good manners and mutual respect. And YES, there will be no place for the ones who are not ready to respect the team spirit. We have a difficult task in front of us, and we can make it only if we are like one breed.

You, Jamal, you didn’t want to share the air with us. In a very short time you made enough troubles that others can’t in 10 years.

After reading some comments on the previous post, Jamal Sampson sent this along:

For the [Smart Gilas] insider who responded to what I wrote, I would say I respect what he has to say. I know other players don’t get paid on time and still play, and I respect all the players on the national team, they’re a great group of guys, but their situation is different from mine. They have to play to keep their jobs on this team.

As one player told me, basketball in the Philippines in political, and they have to keep their mouth shut and play. Otherwise they will be out of a job, and there are plenty of players available just waiting to take their jobs.

I’m in a lil different situation, and have job offers from a lot of other places in the world, including job offers like in China where I would be making considerably more money per month, so why would I wanna stay with a team not paying on time and obliging to the contract, when I can go somewhere else where I get paid on time and make more money? That just wouldn’t make any sense to do.

I signed for less money because I love the country, how nice and friendly the fans are, and the players on the team, who are a great group to be around. Also, the country probably has the most supportive fans I’ve seen anywhere, to be honest, and that I loved. But financially, I would look kind of dumb to be playing and staying somewhere making less money, and not getting everything I’m supposed to, when I have other offers, and one I know I would be getting the things in the contract honored fully. So I hope the guy who wrote that can also see my side and kinda where I’m coming from.

One more thing I want readers to know, it’s not just a money thing. There’s other stuff in contract I haven’t spoken on that hasn’t been honored, such as plane ticket I have for family, cellphone stuff, stuff to do with condo. It wasn’t just money, there were other stuff in contract not met. Basically, they put whatever they had to in the contract to get me to sign, then once I did, they didn’t or couldn’t uphold it.

Meanwhile, I know for a fact that people involved with the SBP and Smart Gilas are already aware of the previous blog post. I imagine every Pinoy basketball fan would be interested to hear a reply from them, and this blog remains open for them to air their side of the issue.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from a curious source: Smart Gilas import Jamal Sampson. He took issue with an item I posted about his performance in China, where I quoted a ShamSports report calling him “a pretty awful offensive player.” Sampson said that during the season in question, when he averaged a paltry 10 points and 10 rebounds, he was playing with a hamstring injury. He also pointed out that in a previous season in China, he dominated the CBA, leading the Liaoning team to the finals, while averaging upwards of 20 points and 20 rebounds. One report on Eurobasket even called him “arguably the most expensive and impressive import in CBA history.”

Contrary to reports, Sampson said that he is still under contract with Smart Gilas, even as he is working to get a release, with a bigger offer in China waiting for him. In a series of emails to Fire Quinito, Sampson wrote about the problems he has encountered with Smart Gilas.

As always, this blog is open to any response from the SBP and Smart Gilas regarding this matter.

On his current situation:

“Under my contract, I got the month of February off, so I’m back home, but still under contract with [the SBP]. They won’t let me out of my contract, but I keep reading they wanna get rid of me. The team tried their hardest to convince me to stay and work it out, and try to make a deal work last week before I left. I’m still owed money from December, we are in February now, and I haven’t gotten it all.”

On the Middle East trip:

“While we were in Qatar, before we even went to Dubai, I asked to be released, and they told me they would, right after the Dubai trip, but that hasn’t happened.

“December’s payment that was owed to me was late. Under my contract, they owed me a payment by January 1st, no later, well before we left for Qatar and Dubai. If it wasn’t paid, my contract states that I didn’t have to play or practice. I wasn’t obligated to play in Qatar or Dubai.

“I tried to play through the injury because I like the guys on the team. They expected me to go out and risk my knee, while I haven’t even been paid from the first month. It’s February right now, and I’m still owed money I should have got in December from the first month I was on the team.”

On his contractual problems with the SBP:

“The team didn’t meet numerous contractual things. I had a bigger deal in China, but the team wanted to keep me so they kept upping their offer to meet, that’s why the process of me signing took so long. Unfortunately, from the beginning all those things put in the contract to get me to stay weren’t met, late and missed payments, and other things promised in the contract couldn’t be delivered.”

On issues with the SBP organization:

“You have a lot of people doing jobs that they are unqualified to be doing. The whole program is unorganized, and other people in the organization feel the same as me, and have told me it was gonna be like this from the beginning, but won’t speak up now ‘cause they don’t want to lose their job.

“For example, look at the assistant coaching staff, show me qualifications to be coaching a national team. What serious level coaching experience do they have? How is someone in their life under 5 feet who never played in the post in their life gonna be a big man coach and show me stuff? Someone under 5 feet can be a great coach, don’t get me wrong, but to be a big man coach and have never played in the post or even played high level ball? C’mon now.

“I asked to be released because I could see how unorganized and unprofessional it was. When you start off the first month not being paid right, that’s a tell-all. Stuff with my condo weren’t handled right. I slept on the floor in Manila for 5 days with no bed, that’s how unorganized things are.”

On SBP executive director Noli Eala’s motivation:

“I was told by numerous sources that on a team retreat Noli said to the team, he started this program only to get back at the PBA for what they did to him. That right there says enough. This whole thing wasn’t even started for the right reasons.”

On Coach Rajko Toroman:

“The players are treated like kids by Coach Toroman. Just like [former import] CJ [Giles] was blamed for taking the team out on a wild night. The players are from the age of 19 to 25, they are grown men, no one made them do anything. Toroman just goes by what the SBP tells him, he doesn’t know what happens behind the scenes, with payments and other contractual obligations not being met.”

UPDATE: A very interesting response from commenter Gilas Insider, who I know for a fact is a Gilas insider: “i don't like to say bad stuff bout Jamal cause he's my friend. It still is disappointing that he didn't play but of course when it comes to all these salary stuff, that's behind the scenes and we dont know much. BUt what i do know is that, it's not just him who doesn't get paid on time. Sometimes the other guys also don't get their salaries on time, and believe me, they need that salary more than he does, but that doesn't really keep them from playing.”

Like I said in the previous post, I hadn’t seen enough of Smart Gilas in Dubai, so these are more general thoughts. That said, I was thoroughly impressed with the team’s performance, and like any other Pinoy basketball fan, I am hopeful that this is the start of the team’s steady climb.

Anyway, some of my thoughts, in bullets:

• Rajko Toroman is preparing his team to defend against bigger teams, and so far it’s working. It shouldn’t come as a surprise though, because the team did well too against bigger teams in the Fiba-Asia Champions Cup last year even when CJ Giles went down. Does anyone else find it funny that the strategy works for 6’11” American imports but not for 6’3” PBA forwards? Good thing Gilas won’t have to play against Richard Yee or Chad Alonzo in the Asian Games.


• Mac Baracael was the breakout star for Gilas in the tournament, especially in the last few games. I’m curious to know, from those who’ve been watching, what position he has been playing. Back in the Champions Cup, he saw a lot of action as an undersized power forward and stepped up big-time. Interestingly, Toroman’s wish list before the Dubai tournament if he had a choice of PBA players consisted of Kelly Williams, Gabe Norwood, Jared Dillinger, and Arwind Santos, all of whom play Baracael’s small forward position. I wonder if the list still looks like that today, or if he plans to go small-ball with a wingman playing the four-spot.


• Curiously, Toroman has name-dropped Asi Taulava in interviews after the Dubai tournament as someone who could fill in the team’s needs. Interesting.


• Chris Tiu has been quite a surprise. He’s really, actually good. He’s bulked up, and he’s surprisingly athletic—although PBA 2-guards still gave him a lot of trouble. It’s not as much of a problem against Middle Eastern club teams, who probably don’t run as many isolations and pick-and-rolls for their shooting guards. He gets a lot of cheap points in the Gilas half-court set, not just off jumpers, but backdoor cuts, screen-and-rolls, etc. He’s not a superstar, but he’s mind-numbingly solid. He’s just so steady, which was probably why he kept playing well in the PBA even as the rest of his teammates were struggling. I apologize to Tiu for calling him the next Alfie Almario.
  
  (This was actually originally part of an email exchange with Rafe Bartholomew, who suggested the title: “Giving credit where credit is Tiu.” Rafe’s book on Philippine basketball, “Pacific Rims” is now available for pre-order on Amazon.)


• Is Jayvee Casio the Franz Pumaren to Mark Barroca’s Hector Calma? And is this girl the Christine Jacob in this analogy? Does that make JR Cawaling the Elmer Reyes of this team? One thing I’m sure of: Magi Sison is definitely not the next Yves Dignadice.


• As Bill Simmons would say, the turd in the punch bowl is definitely Jamal Sampson, who has reportedly been kicked off the team. I thought it would be funny to go back and read Quinito Henson’s series of stories building up Sampson’s credentials before joining Gilas. And you know what? They’re fucking HILARIOUS.