Pacman to the PBA: Really good for Team KIA, really bad for Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao loves the game of basketball. You can say that he loves it more than boxing. See, boxing is work for Pacquiao, his means to earn a living. Basketball is just something he loves doing. You’ll have to pay to watch Pacquiao box but he’ll gladly show you his basketball moves for free.

When the rumor that Pacquiao wanted to be a part of Team KIA, I have to admit I was excited. Pacquiao is a media magnet. Any place he visits teems with people. Anything he does makes the news. Pacquiao as a team manager or even as an assistant coach would have make sense. Allow him to sit on your bench. Pin your product on his clothes. Buy his advertising services cheap by paying him a monthly amount limited by PBA rules.

But when it transformed from being “involved” with the team to playing to coaching and playing, it got really bad really quick. Bad for Manny Pacquiao but awesome for Team KIA.

Right now, among the three expansion teams, Team KIA is getting the best media mileage because of Pacquiao. NLEX and Blackwater have both been successful in the PBA D-League but only the hardcore basketball fans are aware of their existence.

Team KIA is ready to break into the mainstream because of the eight-division boxing world champion.

The PBA is all about marketing. The ten teams in the league right now are there not just to spend money on basketball for the love of the game. They are there because the PBA has proven itself to be a good marketing tool. B-Meg, for example, took off after replacing Purefoods. Because it dominated the market in such a short time, it was decided that San Mig Super Coffee would replace it in an attempt to boost its sales too.

However, unlike B-Meg, not all teams can win championships, which is still the best way to promote the product. The three expansion teams, with the concessions the PBA is planning to give them, will not be champion teams anytime soon. For them to get the fair value of the franchise fee and the deposit they will be putting in, they need a ton of media mileage.

Team KIA does not have a PBA D-League team. Right now, months before a possible debut in the PBA, it’s not even clear who will run the squad. PBA Commissioner Chito Salud proved that they have the money but it does not prove their capability of running a PBA team successfully.

To give them a running start (note sarcasm), the PBA will give them the 11th, 12th or 13th pick in the 2014 PBA Draft. They won’t be allowed to hire anyone directly from the amateurs to the pros. They also will be given the chance to pick up PBA free agents or the two worst players from the existing ten PBA teams.

To paint a picture of what kind of squad Team KIA would most likely end up with, here are the 11th to 13th picks in the past five years: Nico Salva, Jeric Teng, and Justin Melton (2013), Yousef Taha, Dave Marcelo, and Jewel Ponferada (2012), Magi Sison, Pamboy Raymundo, and Eric Salamat (2011), Bam Gamalinda, Rob Labagala, and Val Acuna (2010), Mark Benitez, Benedict Fernandez, and Edwin Asoro (2009). Not much, right?

The three expansion teams will have to scrap it out with guys like the ones mentioned while the already loaded PBA teams will take their picks from the likes of Kevin Alas, Ronald Pascual, Garvo Lanete, Matt Rosser, Jake Pascual, Chris Banchero, maybe even Rayray Parks.

The 2013 batch is decent, especially because the other teams slept on Melton, but even he is not a franchise player. At least six of the players mentioned are no longer in the PBA. Only a handful get good minutes from their current PBA teams.

The expansion teams will have to tank it out for the next five years, luck out with really good picks in the draft, and possibly lure other marquee stars to join them (highly unlikely) before they could even dream of qualifying for the quarterfinals. By that time, they would have spent a whole lot more than the lump sump they paid out initially.

With a bad team, no one will talk about them. Their product will also take a hit because their poor team will be connected with their cars.

How do they get out of this situation fast? Manny Pacquiao.

I watched Pacquiao compete in Baguio’s Shape-Up Gym with some former PBA players. He had big guy Mac Andaya and Ramsey Williams on his team and they went up against the likes of Chris Calaguio and Jam Alfad. Pacquiao usually starts games and most of the time he’ll play the entire first quarter. In the final game of one particular competition, his brother Bobby guarded him.

Pacquiao would often score baskets when he was on the floor. How could he not? His brother is not much of a defensive player and when the other former and semi pros defend him, they were literally afraid to touch him. He stays outside a lot, watching his four teammates work it out. He’ll occasionally receive kick out passes and hit wide open threes. When he decides to drive to the basket, the defenders part faster than the Red Sea did for Moses himself.

Pacquiao plays basketball inside a safe bubble for good reason.

First, if a defender cuts him up or causes him to roll an ankle, that player will never hear the end of it. A cut or a slight sprain will cause a delay in Pacquiao’s scheduled fight and that means millions of dollars in losses.

Second, he pays for the salaries of his team and Bobby’s team. If Ramon S. Ang or Manny V. Pangilinan decided to wear San Mig Super Coffee or Talk ‘N Text jerseys, would players from their sister teams defend them properly? Of course not.

Third, Pacquiao bankrolls most of the tournaments he joins. The money that will be awarded to the champions will come from his pockets. The bonus that will be rewarded to the Most Valuable Player comes from Pacquiao too. Pissing off the man who pays for everything by causing him not to have fun imperils a possible next tournament, which also means lost revenue for the players.

All of that must have convinced Manny Pacquiao he could keep in step with the guys in the PBA. He may think that coaching his team (which is always incredibly stacked compared to the opposition) to championships in pocket tournaments qualifies him to engage the likes of Tim Cone, Yeng Guiao, and Norman Black.

We all know that Manny Pacquiao loves attention. This is why he performs in concerts after he fights. This is why he bankrolled poorly done movies. This is the reason for Show Me the Manny.

Team KIA offering Manny Pacquiao a playing coach role in their new team is like waving a bag of Walter White’s blue sky to a meth addict.

It’s the right move for Team KIA because it’s the only way they could be relevant while bridging the gap between expansion team and true competitor. The PBA stacked the odds against them so they had to look for a different route.

It’s the wrong move for Pacquiao because it’s just another job that he’ll have to leave three months at a time for his real job, and by real job I do not mean his seat in Congress.

The solution for Team KIA? Wake up from the PR dream of having Pacquiao as a playing coach. Make him one of many assistant coaches (they can even name him the first assistant) or make him the team manager. Protect Pacquiao from making a fool of himself on the court against PBA players or against the most seasoned basketball tacticians in the country but still use him name to push your brand.

If they decide to go on with the playing coach route, Team KIA will be as infamous in the basketball world as Wapakman and Anak ng Kumander were in the entertainment business.

The solution for Manny Pacquiao? Kill the dream. There are lots of people in Sarangani who would appreciate his time and effort more.

Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.