Where have all great imports gone

(MENAFN- Arab News) Every time an import-flavored conference in the PBA comes along one gets this feeling of excitement before the first game is played and often times the feeling of disappointment after a couple of weeks of watching.

Back in the day imports of great caliber came to Philippine shores to strut their stuff and change the landscape of the sport in the country.

There were names like Billy Ray Bates Cyrus Mann Byron 'Snake' Jones Andy Fields Glenn McDonald Norman Black etc. before the likes of Tony Harris Michael Hackett Carlos Briggs among others invaded Philippine shores.

What was the big difference why imports so great were lured to come over and play in the PBA Why have talents like those shied in coming lately and that the PBA is stuck with mediocre reinforcements

During those times imports were described by the media as super players those who carry the entire weight of their respective teams because-simply-they can.

Bates gave everyone a glimpse of what a legitimate NBA player is like.

He did have his faults his demons off the court. But when he was at work he was simply the greatest import this league has ever seen.

I dare say we will never see someone as great as him again.

Bates ended his PBA career as a winner leading Crispa to its second Grand Slam and later on playing for the legendary Sonny Jaworski at Ginebra San Miguel and spearheading the crowd-darlings to one of the first championships of their franchise.

His partnership with Hackett was something to remember. Two of the greatest of all time playing for one team under the enigmatic Jaworski to win another championship for Ginebra.

I can never forget the title series of that conference: Bates=Hackett versus Michael Young and Harold Keeling for Manila Beer. It was an epic. It was a shootout in the truest sense of the word and a bruising battle between two franchises that had no love lost for each other.

Ginebra won that one but Young also validated his status as one of the greats that ever came here. Young was a first round selection of the Boston Celtics and played that way the entire time.

There were many other memorable games that highlighted the capabalities of imports.

For the long-time followers of the PBA they will surely remember how Fields played. How Donnie Ray Koonce nailed those jumpshots. How Glenn McDonald led Utex to a championship.

We must also not forget the likes of Ira Terrell Larry Pounds Lew Massey Larry McNeil and Dean Tolson Rob Williams etc.

The list simply goes on.

No let me correct that. The list has stopped.

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The emergence of other professional leagues in Asia and in the Middle East has made the PBA the last stop for talented imports.

The money is simply better outside of the PBA with the pro leagues in Korea and China and even Jordan paying much much higher than that in the PBA.

We simply cannot fault these players for choosing to play for better pay. It is their bread and butter and they have but a few years to do it and earn a living for their families.

What I'm trying to say is that the PBA should maybe revisit its salary cap on imports which I think is something less than $20000 a month.

Bates and Co. used to receive that much when they were here. And that was in the 1980s.

The PBA teams must understand that getting great players to again suit up here is also tantamount to getting their respective brands the attention they want for being in the PBA in the first place.

We certainly miss those days when imports would shoot 40 points and declare it an off night. We certainly miss those days when imports were the first options in offense and would utterly dominate on both ends.

We certainly miss those days when imports had charisma brought about by the talent they bring and the success that they give their teams.

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So far in this batch no one even comes close to the names that we mentioned.

Al Thornton of NLEX had a very promising NBA career even making the all-Rookie Team together with superstar Kevin Durant in 2007 before a knee injury abruptly ended all of that.

He is in town now playing at even half of the capability that he had while he was in the NBA. Thornton plays with an obvious limp the result of how he drags his right leg during games because of the injury.

In fact Thornton's knee is so damaged that he literally wears a steel brace that is hidden under a thick black fabric. That brace made news the other day when he accidentally hit Alaska's Vic Manuel in the knee. Manuel has missed a game for the Aces because of that.

Thornton's credentials were the best that not even Bates or the others before him had after their careers in the NBA were over.

It's just a pain to see someone like him try too hard and be hobbled doing it because of an injury. My guess is that Thornton's days with the Road Warriors are numbered especially since NLEX is 0-3 as of this writing.

Let's just hope that we get the best talents available out there. Let's just hope that the PBA becomes the stepping stone for aspiring NBA players again.

Let's just hope that all the great ones come over again and make our PBA a high level playground again for all the other pro leagues to see.