At this writing, the camp of Quentin Millora-Brown (QMB) has aired their side through Melvin Martin, his agent. He stated some key clarifications to shed more light on his player’s absence.
With these main points, the picture is clearer than Coach Tim Cone’s vague “He just chose not to come.” The key takeaway is that QMB is not joining because he did not sign the contract that the SBP was offering.
The impression left on Filipino fans is that the issue is financial. Just like the oversimplification of Tim Cone, this creates an unfair narrative. Here are the main points from Martin’s statement.
“Take It or Leave It”
One of the key points that Martin emphasized is how no negotiations actually took place. According to his statement, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) made a “last minute offer” which included a clause requiring QMB to play in additional games outside the FIBA mandated windows.
Side note: Later sources revealed that the Asian Games are included, and there are incentives in winning the Asian Games gold.
The dilemma is that the Japanese BLeague where QMB’s team, the Chiba Jets play, only allow their players to participate in FIBA sanctioned events. This creates a possible breach of contract for Millora-Brown’s camp.
Martin also pointed out that there were changes in the contract, specifically with “travel arrangements.” Martin and his camp were not given a chance to bargain for these . Either QMB decides to agree with this contract, or he will not join the team.
The Underlying Message
The backlash is primarily centered on QMB. However, there are also reports that Kai Sotto also refused his own SBP package. However, Sotto’s situation is different since he is recovering from a major injury.
Nonetheless, the SBP’s hardline stance sends a clear message: No player is special, and even if they have rare physical gifts or skills, the SBP still went for “uniformity.” Apparently, the SBP, being primarily funded by Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) and his group are tightening their purse strings.
While one may applaud their emerging fiscal awareness, the question is how it will affect Gilas’ competitiveness on the world stage.
Daunting Competition
Speaking of competition, there are conspiracy theories that the SBP may have already made an assessment of the Philippine basketball team’s chances. This is not Guam anymore, these are probably the two most consistently dominant teams of the integrated Asian region.
There is a question on the SBP, and how much of a chance Gilas has of winning. The burning question: Did the SBP think that Gilas would not have much of a chance to win? Was that the reason why they gave QMB an offer that he would likely refuse?
Is that what Melvin Martin meant when he said “the reality is that the SBP chose not to have him play?”
From the SBP’s standpoint, Gilas would have a hard time with a recovering Kai Sotto to compete against the tall, burly, and skilled Tall Blacks and Boomers (their main competition is each other!) If the chances are too slim, there would not be a return of investment.
Also, if QMB and Kai Sotto are out, there are valid excuses if Gilas gets beaten on their home soil. Did practicality win out over pride this time?
Was the SBP willing to lose this window and look ahead to the Asian Games, where Australia and New Zealand are not included?
Dire Implications
With this scenario, did the bridge between QMB and SBP just burn down? Probably not. Martin and the QMB camp understand that the Filipino fandom has helped their ward’s career. We can see that with how quick they reacted when the hate for QMB started to snowball.
However, the onus is on the SBP. They have yet to find solid, homegrown replacements for talents like QMB, or AJ Edu.
While it’s easy to blame the SBP, it’s worth asking: Why is QMB’s camp reluctant, when there has never been any similar problems with AJ Edu and his family? Edu is a talent of the same, or perhaps even superior caliber, and they have always been cooperative.