Multi-titled coaches Chot Reyes and Yeng Guiao are both skeptical and hopeful on the Philippine Basketball Association’s success on its decision to adopt the four-point shot, an innovation which the league brought in the previous annual All-Star Game and will now be used in the coming 49th season.
While they are excited on seeing an added innovation to the league, both fiery coaches also have reservations whether such new thing will work and help bring the excitement back to the PBA.
“I don’t know if it will work, but at least the league is now trying new things,” Reyes, the TNT Tropang Giga coach, wrote in a text message to Pinoystep.com.
Reyes is no stranger to seeing new things in basketball.
As a former executive of the now defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association, Reyes saw the once promising league adopting a free-three rule where a player will have an opportunity taking a free throw from three-point area.
The four-point shot was first adopted by the PBA as an experiment in last year’s All-Star Game and while the rationale of bringing such innovation is to make the game faster, more exciting and help develop the shooting skills of Pinoy players, it will also serve as a trial and error for Asia’s pioneering professional league.
Guiao, the bench tactician of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, is hoping such innovation would draw more success to the league, but he is also skeptical on the timing.
“It’s a novel idea, but I don’t think we’ve put enough time and thought into it to fully grasp its longer-term effects on the game,” wrote Guiao via Viber message.
Nevertheless, Guiao has high hopes in the four-point shot.
“We will be the first in the world to this. The NBA deferred its decision on this because of the objections of some of the coaches. We are either going to look like genius or idiots. But I like taking the risk, so let’s enjoy an interesting season,” he added.
Jong Uichico, back in the PBA as head coach, this time with the NLEX Road Warriors, looks forward to using the four-point shot not just to his team’s advantage, but also the rest of the competitors.
“It’s something the fans can look forward to,” added Uichico, a nine-time champion mentor who succeeded team’s previous head coach, Frankie Lim.
