No lottery in PBA draft

MANILA, Philippines — A plan to hold a special no-order, computer-generated lottery for PBA draft applicants who would’ve been eligible to join at least four years earlier isn’t pushing through after all. According to PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, any change in format will require approval from the Board of Governors and for the moment, the guidelines for the draft on July 14 remain the same as before, meaning the order will follow the reverse standings of the teams the previous season unless slots are traded.

Since this season is comprised of only two conferences, weights will be assigned for the final standings in the Philippine and Commissioner’s Cups to determine the draft order. The Philippine Cup will be given a 60 percent weight and the Commissioner’s Cup, 40 percent. In a season with three conferences, the weights are Philippine Cup 40 percent and Commissioner’s and Governors’ Cup, 30 percent each. Last year, the draft drew a record 128 applicants, surpassing the 97 who filed for the 46th season. Of the 128, four dropped out and 79 were drafted over 11 rounds. The season welcomed nearly 30 rookies.

A lot of speculation is surrounding this year’s draft. The PBA has lifted previous requirements, including the age ceiling of 30 for Fil-foreigners and minimum games played in the D-League, to open the doors for easier access. Fil-foreigners need only to show a Philippine passport to be eligible for the draft when before, they had to submit certificates from the Bureau of Immigration and Department of Justice. Among highly-touted players of Filipino descent born abroad are 6-10 Kamaka Hepa, 6-10 CJ Lane, 6-6 Taylor Statham, 6-5 Lawrence Domingo, 6-1 DJ Mitchell and the Duncan brothers, 6-6 Everett, 6-2 Ernie and 6-4 Robin. If Fil-foreigners show Philippine passports, they’re automatically eligible for the draft, regardless of age.

The coming draft may feature standouts who’ve delayed their applications to play overseas like Justine Baltazar, Carl Tamayo, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Jason Brickman, Sedric Barefield and Kobe Paras. There are draft eligibles playing abroad but it’s unlikely they’ll apply this year since their foreign contracts are at a premium.