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.

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.”

Last night, I decided to go out with friends instead of staying home to watch PBA action. I figured, “Hey, it’s just one night, what could possibly happen?”

Well, shit happened.

I turned to the replay of the Talk N Text walkout on BTV as I stumbled into my house past midnight, with the team already in the dugout. I read updates on Twitter over what happened, and, had an angry, drunken rant on Twitter about the issue.

I still feel the same way right now, even after the effects of alcohol had worn off. I am so tired of the Philippine basketball culture of whining about bad calls and bad referees, the persecution complex, and the incessant need to play the victim card.

Rain or Shine assistant coach Richard del Rosario tweeting about how the referees suck his team’s series versus Purefoods. Smart Gilas crying like babies about their whole PBA stint. San Miguel Corporation pulling out its advertisements from the 2008 PBA Philippine Cup finals after James Yap was suspended, and stupid Purefoods fans crying conspiracy against the team. UAAP teams filing every close game under protest. SBP executive director Noli Eala calling up PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad to suggest “fairer” officiating against San Beda during the 2008 NCAA finals. I could go on and on.

This walkout takes the cake. Chot Reyes pulled a total dick move by ordering the walkout—and, as a lifelong Purefoods fan, I’ve seen my fair share of dick moves from Chot Reyes—and Talk N Text management’s decision to condone it showed the organization’s total lack of class. I don’t care how bad the officiating was, this move was one big “FUCK YOU!” to the PBA, to all its other teams, and to all its fans. Seriously, do you have any idea how hard it is to get a lower-level ticket to a Ginebra game if you’re not connected to any PBA team playing that night?

I submit that the officiating might have been terrible. The foul that led to Ranidel de Ocampo getting thrown out might not have merited the flagrant foul penalty 2. The boys at Patay ang Butiki seem to think that Talk N Text might have a case against the officiating. Reyes himself cites the free throw disparity between the two teams for the whole series.

(I’m not a fan of using this metric to prove bias in officiating. It just proves that Ginebra shot more foul shots – nothing more. Now, if Talk N Text really wanted to prove that calls have been going against them, they could review the game and come up with a call-by-call analysis, similar to the ones done by 82games.com on controversial NBA games like Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals between Dallas and Miami, and Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals between the Lakers and the Kings. Otherwise, the free throw disparity would be just another empty statistic.)

Even then, if the Talk N Text organization really wanted to improve officiating, there are more effective ways it could have been done. With its influence on the PBA board, it could push for reforms in the officiating system, call for more transparency, and even move for the termination of officials that they accuse of bias. The PhP500,000 fine that they would pay for walking out could have been used to document issues that they have with the officiating, and they could even do stuff like statistical models and regression analysis to support their position. They could have done themselves, the PBA, and the Philippine basketball community a really huge favor.

Instead, they chose to walk out and screw the public out of a good game. Their subsequent statement about the officiating is a gun held to the head of the rest of the PBA, carrying with it the implication that if they lose, they got screwed by the officiating. You see, this walk-out doesn’t prove that Talk N Text is against biased officiating per se, just that Talk N Text is against biased officiating against the team.

I wanted to write about this big development a couple of days ago, but more important things at my day job kept me busy. Rey Joble broke the news that erstwhile Talk N Text team manager Frankie Lim was taking over the management of Smart Gilas, whose day-to-day operations were being handled by Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas executive director Noli Eala. Interestingly, Joble was the same guy who reported that the SBP had offered the controversial Japeth Aguilar an P18-m contract to jump ship from Burger King to Smart Gilas, which belied earlier claims by Eala that they had not offered Aguilar anything.

The SBP issued a statement officially announcing the move on Thursday evening. It quoted SBP Vice Chairman and Talk N Text team governor Ricky Vargas explaining the decision.

SMART APPOINT LIM GILAS TEAM MANAGER

FRANKIE Lim, the multi-titled NCAA champion coach of the San Beda Red Lions and former national player, has been appointed team manager of the Smart Gilas national team effective Feb. 1.

Lim, who sits as team manager of the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association, will be “on loan” to the RP team now in deep training for the coming Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

Assuming the top managerial post with the Tropang Texters is former national juniors and De La Salle Green Archers coach Virgil Villavicencio.

Former PBA chairman and Talk ‘N Text governor Ricky Vargas made the announcement yesterday afternoon, saying Smart Gilas needed a team manager who would be “more focused on the day-to-day operations, has coaching experience, and has been part of the national team as a player.”

Added Vargas: “We’re redefining accountability in the national team.”

Former PBA commissioner Noli Eala, who has been serving as Smart Gilas team manager in his capacity as executive director of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the national sports association governing local amateur basketball, will now “have more time to take care of his many responsibilities” with SBP, Vargas said.

“We’re taking some of the burden from the executive director,” said Vargas. “After all, aside from generating more membership for SBP, he still has to take care of our grassroots development program and our involvement in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association, the SEA Games, and the FIBA tournaments.”

Lim, according to the SBP vice chairman, will assume responsibility for the “day-to-day operations of Smart Gilas, its financial management, contracts, and recruitment of players.”

And having been a national player, Vargas said, Lim can work with Smart Gilas’ Serbian mentor Rajko Toroman “from a technical standpoint.”

A management committee, mainly comprised of SBP chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, Vargas and Eala, will oversee the Smart Gilas team’s overall preparation.

“There will be a proper turnover of functions from now to Feb. 1, and then Frankie will be taking over,” Vargas said.

A couple of things struck me about the statement. First, there was the curious line about “redefining accountability in the national team,” suggesting that there’s more to this than meets the eye. Was Eala less than accountable while managing the team?

In prior posts, I have raised questions about the trend of the Smart Gilas team having problems getting or holding on to players, as well as the sloppy job that the SBP has done in trying to find reinforcements for the team. (How’s Jamal “I’m injured every other game” Sampson working out for everyone?) Are these issues related to the move?

Second, Vargas’ statement underscored the importance of the SBP executive director attending to other duties within the organization. When grassroots basketball pioneer Nic Jorge resigned from the SBP last year, he complained that Eala’s only concern seemed to be the Rajko Toroman-coached national team. Other programs such as youth basketball development took a backseat.

Indeed, the SBP’s grassroots efforts have been handled by Eric Altamirano’s National Basketball Training Center, a program that was already in place prior to Eala assuming office, and that has been operating autonomously, with its own machinery and sponsorship. Apart from projects aimed to discover and develop young talent around the Philippines, the program has also prepared modules to provide training for coaches across the country.

It should be noted that Eala announced that Altamirano, fresh off coaching the youth squad to an impressive fourth place finish in the Fiba Asia U-16 Championship, was going to join Smart Gilas as an assistant coach. A few weeks later, however, Altamirano denied that he was joining the team, stating that the youth program was his top priority.

During one of my first email exchanges with Manila Vanilla’s Rafe Bartholomew, when this blog was new, he cited as his favorite Quinito Henson moment a series of columns last year on ex-Sta Lucia import Lee Benson.

An ex-convict, Benson was part of an “inspiring” feature by Quinito titled “Against all odds”. Benson’s recovery, Quinito wrote: “If there’s anyone who knows what defying the odds is all about, it’s Benson.” Quinito then proceeded to detail how Benson managed to carve out a career as a professional basketball player despite serving 8 1/2 years in prison.

Less than two weeks later, Quinito had changed his tune. He called Benson the “worst headcase” ever among PBA imports, while transcribing the complaints of Benson’s erstwhile agent, Mike Gonzales, against the American.

Of course, because Benson was out of the country, it was open season for Quinito: “Things worsened when Benson had an altercation with a taxi driver whom he had contracted for three days to drive him around town two weeks ago. The scuttlebutt was on the third day, the driver missed Benson who got out of a nightclub very late and took another taxi to his apartment on Pioneer Street. The driver later went to the apartment and asked to be paid but Benson refused. The driver called for the police and Benson even wrestled a nightstick away from one of the responding officers.”

I’m mentioning this because, while the two-week turnaround time was extraordinary (and hilarious), the cycle of building them up and taking them down for imports is not uncommon for local sportswriters. In fact, just before the hiatus of this blog, it happened with Rick Olivares and former Smart Gilas import CJ Giles.

Last May, Olivares put out a puff piece on Giles, dramatically-titled “Soul Train: CJ Giles and the Road to Redemption.” Olivares described Giles as a terrific athlete with a fighting heart, and a positive guy who spends a lot of time in prayer.

I took him to task for it, pointing out how he basically ignored Giles’ inglorious record with his college teams; the import was suspended and then kicked out of the Kansas Jayhawks squad for various transgressions, before transferring to Oregon State, which was more of the same.

But those things didn’t make it into Olivares’ piece, of course, because it didn’t fit in with his narrative of how awesome the Smart Gilas program was, and how his buddy, SBP executive director Noli Eala, is such a genius for building it up. Olivares went on to write about how the SBP performed a background check on Giles, and found nothing amiss.

A few months later, Giles was reportedly booted out of the team for causing trouble. Funnily enough, it was Quinito who broke the news. Of course, as the unofficial spokesperson for the SBP, Olivares had to get his licks in. He wrote of Giles’s problems with Gilas coach Rajko Toroman: “Giles sorely tried Toroman’s patience. His late night escapades, while a little tolerable among some of the team’s management, was inexcusable for the Serb who preached discipline above all. When Giles’ younger brother Malcolm and then former college teammate at Oregon State, Wesley Washington, arrived in Manila, Giles would take them about town and would saunter back to his expensive condo unit in the wee hours of the morning. That affected his focus during practice and in one film viewing session on the eve of Gilas’ game versus Talk ‘n Text, the American fell asleep and Toroman finally blew his top.”

According to Olivares, it got even uglier, with Toroman suspecting that Giles was taking drugs. Olivares detailed Giles’s last days with the team: “Within days of his promising that he would be a changed man, in a drunken stupor, Giles beat up his younger brother that required several stitches. And after a practice where he seemed out of it, the team’s braintrust finally had enough. Giles was sent packing. It didn’t help that Giles didn’t pass the drug test. He nervously tried to stay away from it if not delay submitting urine samples. But once he did, he nervously muttered, ‘I’m going to fail this.’”

Incidentally, Olivares lists Quinito as a sportswriting idol. Figures.

(To be continued tomorrow.)