PBA Controversy: Coach Yeng, Coach Al Francis Chua or Coach Tab Baldwin, who is right?

The management of the Philippine Basketball Association suspended coach Tab Baldwin for three games and fined him P75,000 for his unfiltered comments in a podcast called Coaches Unfiltered. 

It was lower than what I expected but it does show that the management of the PBA may have respected the other parts of his statement and really focused on the part about direct hit to the PBA.

Today, I have decided to dissect the reactions to his statements. We will start with coach Yeng and coach Al Francis Chua. 



Yeng Guiao:
Who is he to say that? Does it mean that winning UAAP championships gives you the right to say that in public? Siguro kahit in private na lang, sabihin niya. Sino ba siya? Kahit na 10 beses ka manalo ng UAAP, sabihin ko wala ka pa rin karapatan sabihin ‘yan in public. Baka in private, pag-usapan natin, debatihin natin in private.
But here is a fellow who feels that he is so entitled and he is so superior that he can say such things, disparaging the Fiba, calling it a criminal, disparaging the PBA in saying that it is a flawed format, disparaging the local coaches saying that they are tactically immature, in one sitting. You must have been so full of yourself. You must have been so entitled and so superior that you can do all those things at the same time.
Nagulat ako. I’m surprised that he came out with those statements. Ang perspective ko kasi is from the perspective of having been together with local coaches who he mentioned were tactically immature. I know meron pa siyang issues with the PBA, issues with Fiba, but I think my area here is speaking up for the local coaches.

This is a common reaction when people hear criticisms. Instead of focusing on the meat of what was said, they will question the speaker and attack his qualification to criticize them. It is very common to react, "ang yabang mo naman" when we are criticized in public even though the criticism is valid, and coach Yeng did that in this part. 

Unfortunately for coach Yeng, the majority of the PBA fans are well-aware that coach Tab has the right credentials to say what he said. They also understood that the majority of the coaches and personalities in Philippine basketball are not matured enough to take the pill.

Our advocacy has been to upgrade local coaching and improve our craft. That is my perspective here kung bakit ako nagsasalita. I feel that with that statement is a disrespect to the local coaching community.
I feel that he has something to contribute which is what he was actually saying. Parang gusto niya maimprove lang ‘yung coaching dito. I feel that if he has something to contribute, then very easily, he could have used his platform to either go to the coaching association, go to the PBA, or to the SBP which has a coaching academy.
I’ve been coaching in the PBA almost 30 years. I’ve never heard anyone directly describe or accuse the local community as tactically immature. It doesn’t mean that it’s not true. Maybe for him, it’s true. But again, you will certainly cause a lot of hurt kasi lahat kaming coaches.
May degree of yabang kami bilang coach. Bilib ka sa sarili mo, Bilib ka sa system mo, Bilib ka sa experience mo. But having said that, we do not stop trying to learn. We continuously look for innovations, for new styles, for upgrades in our craft. Ibig sabihin, it caused offense. He offended the feelings of the local coaching community.

Coach Yeng was correct. The statements of coach Tab disrespected and hurt our basketball-coaching community by being honest. Although, he did not mean to say those words to hurt them. He said those words to explain a problem that he even repeatedly said, did not originate from the coaches, themselves. 

Unfortunately for coach Yeng, he was honest enough too to say that what was said may have been true. Yes, the truth hurts. Instead of attacking the messenger, how about discussing what was said in public? He did not do that because shreds of evidence suggest that what coach Tab said, was true. 

The point that coach Yeng Guiao cannot directly debate what was said is our biggest indication that he knows that coach Tab has good points. 

And the fact is, just because no one has directly criticized coaching in the Philippines before doesn't mean they are perfect or is not worth criticizing.

Lahat naman kaming coaches, may beef on officiating. At one time or another, understandably all of us have beef. But iba ‘yung sasabihin mo na institutional siya or ingrained siya. That’s a different thing na it is ingrained in the system. Ibang usapan ‘yun na ang intindi ko kasi sa sinasabi niya, meron nang automatic advantage agad ang mga imports. I don’t think that’s true but we also encountered bad officiating at one point or another. But it’s not an automatic thing or something ingrained.
Hindi niya alam na nag-dalawa, tatlong import na tayo dati. It didn’t work for us. It was costly and at the same time, it lessened the opportunities of the locals to play. Ewan ko kung alam nya ‘yun. Multiple imports din tayo. We tried that experiment if he doesn’t know it. It creates less opportunities for the locals. And for the scale of our economies, it’s not viable economically and financially.
Yung mga imports naman natin, hindi masama eh. ‘Yung mga imports natin, naglalaro sa China, Japan, Korea. Dun lang naman natin kayang i-compare ang sarili natin. Hindi naman masama ‘yung mga imports natin. Karamihan nakalaro na sa level na ‘yun.

These are the strongest statements of coach Yeng because coach Tab failed to provide a strong foundation of arguments for his PBA import-conferences remark. Especially with the fact that by inviting imports, you are balancing competition, appeal, the development of the local players and many more. 

Although, his points about import can be checked through statistics and I should be able to post an article soon and tell you if what coach Tab said, was correct.

Al Francis Chua:
Kung may suggestion siya, that’s not the proper way. Sabihin niya sa governor (niya) to relay it sa PBA office. I-suggest mo ng maganda. Hindi yung babanatan niya 'yung PBA...
Huwag niya sanang tirahin ang PBA sa panahon ngayon. Gusto nga nating makabalik na e, tapos ganyan ang sasabihin niya...

I am pretty sure coach Tab's statement will not affect the return of the PBA. And talking about the proper way, will it really work if he went straight to the people whom he is directly criticizing as the reason for the immaturity of coaching in the PBA? 

I doubt that. Hear out the majority of the PBA universe. They agree with coach Tab. In short, coach Tab spitted good arguments. And I do not think there is a wrong time for doing that. 

Tatlong imports? E di hindi na nakalaro yung mga locals. Ilan ba ang average minutes ng mga imports? Paano yung iba ang rotation siyam or sampung players lang, e kung tatlo pa yung imports mo, alangan namang hindi mo gamitin yung mga yun (imports). Yung isang import nga hindi nila ma-control, tatlo pa. Nagtitipid nga ngayon dahil walang liga tapos gusto niya tatlong imports pa.
Pinapaboran daw ang imports? E di sana walang napa-foul out na imports. Pare-pareho lang naman sa tingin ko. Pero para i-counter judge niya sa ganun ang mga Filipino, parang hindi naman yata tama.

These are weak points and it just shows that coach Al did not get the right context of the message. What coach Tab was saying was not about the players. It was from the perspective of coaching. He was talking about the effect of creating systems of maximizing imports, which is effective because of the rule-latitude given to them, instead of being more creative. 

Imports getting fouled-out doesn't mean they are not being favored. Especially, if it was not intended to be that way but more of a result of a culture in the league. 

If he’s thinking that PBA coaches are immature, e, sana tinalo niya. Siguro kaya siya napunta sa amateur kasi walang nangyari dito sa pro.
Hirap na hirap na nga mag-adjust (Panlilio) at gumagawa ng paraan for PBA to adjust sa FIBA competitions, tapos magsasalita siya ng ganun. Sariling boss niya yun, hindi niya nire-respeto.
Anong tingin niya sa group ng Commissioner’s (Office) at ng Board of Governors, walang pina-plano?
Ang tama diyan, kausapin niya si chairman (Vargas). ‘Sabihin niya, 'Chairman, can I meet with the governors because I have some suggestions?’ That’s the proper way. Ganun dapat.

That first statement is called Ad Hominem. It is a fallacy in a debate, wherein instead of dissecting the statement of the other party, you will attack the qualification of the speaker. And that always shows that the point of the other party is actually correct. That the only way that you can try to disprove it is to make them look bad in the eyes of the judges (the people), hoping that they will not believe him.

So, the Commissioner's office and the Board of Governors has a plan. I am pretty sure, they also have that in the past. Did it work?



Overall
If you read the statement of coach Yeng and coach Chua, you will see that they did not debate the main point of the immaturity of coaching in the country. Instead of debating the main point, they iterated that coach Tab hurt the feeling of the community and that made his statement, wrong.

That is not true though. Just because you hurt feelings doesn't mean what you said was wrong.

The fact is, the truth will always hurt. The fact is, the people agree with coach Tab. Pinoy coaches can work to kick coach Tab out of the country but doing that will not make our coaches mature.