Much ado about Mr. Balkman
The alleged foul that he got, if any, was probably no different from the others that he got in the PBA. It was no different from the ones that other imports and local players dish against each other.
So why did Renaldo Balkman, the Petron import act the way he did in that game with Alaska which led to his immediate ban from the PBA and a hefty fine of P250,000.
Well, all we can do is surmise, as he never revealed the reason for his actions that evening.
First he warded away his coach Biboy Ravanes, which in itself was already a mortal sin. Not even the greatest players in basketball could do such an unforgivable thing without suffering the worst of consequences. Coach Biboy retaliated but was not able to hit Balkman with what he was holding, so he did not even notice Biboy’s reaction.
Then Ronald Tubid, the victim of worst fouls in his career, which he causes on himself actually, came in to restrain Balkman from further pestering the court officials. Ronald flew away like a piece of paper when pushed by the Puerto Rican giant. This time, Ronald was not flopping either, an art that he has mastered.
Which caused Arwind Santos to come into the defense of Tubid.
Balkman pushed Arwind away, who retaliated with a push of his own, and the worst act which is probably reflective of a criminal mind happened: Balkman tried to choke Arwind Santos, and other members of the team had to pull him away and secure the release of Arwind.
So there is the first possible reason: Balkman is a hot-headed player whose place is in a boxing or a UFC arena. He has had a couple of incidents, one in Cebu in a pre-season game against Alaska, and in a FIBA tournament, while playing for Puerto Rico.
Maybe, he was just frustrated with his game.
Balkman played a great game in the last outing of Petron and was already touted to become the best import of the conference. Now, that is gone, and perhaps the hope of another championship for the storied franchise.
That is why the entire Petron team—including Coach Ravanes, Tubid and Santos went with the repentant Balkman to Commissioner Salud’s office, to show that everything was forgotten and forgiven.
Petron knows that it would be difficult to get another quality import immediately.
This time however, the good Commissioner made the correct decision, by putting the long term future of the league as a priority, rather than cater to the interests of one team only, even if involves one of the teams of the powerful San Miguel Corporation block.
I would like to think that San Miguel bosses have accepted the decision of Commissioner Salud. It was a popular uncompromising decision and SMC, with all the years of public relations under its belt knows that going against an obviously correct judgment would only generate bad press and contrary public opinion.
Besides, Balkman’s actions and motivations were purely his own and had nothing to do with what San Miguel has stood for all these years. I therefore do not believe that all the talk about the SMC group re-evaluating its continued participation in the PBA could have emanated from the top echelon of the biggest conglomerate in the Philippines. They could have been from errand boys wanting to earn some browny points from the big boss.
From hereon though, every time a team recruits a new member, especially if he is a foreigner, he should be soaked with the culture of the team, of the company that he will represent and of the mores of the Filipino. One thing that a foreign import should fully understand is that to us Filipinos, basketball is not just a game.
By the way, Petron won over Rain or Shine in Panabo City last Saturday March 16, 2013 without an import.
Filling in the vacuum left by Balkman was June Mar Fajardo, who, upon being drafted, was like getting an import playing for your team in the next decade, in every conference.
So even assuming that Petron would not be able to get the same quality of import as Balkman, do not worry. June Mar will bring you to the championship.
