Want to play in the PBA? Then don't insult Manny Pacquiao...

[Andrew]

...as Daniel Orton found out.

"Professional boxer, yeah, okay... professional basketball player, no. It's a joke," said Orton, 24, who signed with the Purefoods Hotshots team just this month.

Orton appeared to simply be adding his voice to widespread criticism in the Philippines that Pacquiao is a relatively talentless basketballer who gained his coaching-playing role with the Kia Carnival team because of his boxing fame. [...]

His team sacked Orton late last week, and he posted a farewell to his fans in the Philippines on Twitter on Monday. But the team's top administrator, Rene Pardo, was quoted in local media as saying Orton had been let go for insulting Pacquiao.

"Everyone is angry at him... it is like he went to the United States and insulted the name of Martin Luther King," the ABS-CBN news website quoted Pardo as saying.

The Philippine Basketball Association also fined Orton 250,000 pesos ($5,650) for his comments.

"This office disapproves of and frowns upon the cavalier manner in which Mr Orton issued his comments and the unwarranted antics and liberties he has taken with the league and a fellow player," PBA commissioner Chito Salud said in a statement. "This insulting behaviour will never be condoned by this league."

Of course, he also had a few not-so-complimentary things to say about the league in general, which probably didn't help. However, as Freeman also notes:

If anything, though, the additional information makes the Salud and Pardo's decisions to mention Pacquiao a little baffling. While the boxer is astronomically popular as a public figure, his basketball career has not been universally accepted by the Philippines' committed and serious fans of the sport — the country has what seems like the highest per-capita basketball fandom in the world and is not kidding about it. By treating Pacquiao's spot on the Carnival as if it were without controversy, the PBA inadvertently appears to confirm Orton's worst impressions about the league.

In any event, Orton will need to ply his trade elsewhere. Given his previous NBA stints, the D-League or China seem like his best bet.

[Stress Fracture]

It was really surprising on how Manny was able to join the rookie draft. League rules say that a player must have played college ball, which he never did. He claims that he really plays ball in smaller leagues (and even owns teams), but it's not enough. But hey, fans are still cheering for him when he plays.

As for Orton, he just sucks at playing ball. He never lived up to his import role. He just had six points on that game, and he fouled out. Such a pussy.

[shadowgrin]

League rules say that a player must have played college ball, which he never did.

That only applies when you're under the age limit, I don't think Pacquiao is in his 20s...


The issue is not because he's Pacquiao, it's about a member of the league (import Orton) dissing another member of the league (player/coach Pacquiao) for no reason.

There have been instances before in the this league where players got fined and imports sent packing for being babies and talking shit nonstop about other players/coaches/refs/etc.

This type of case is not the first time it happened, people only seem to be surprised by it because they thought the reason is all about Pacquiao.

"This office disapproves of and frowns upon the cavalier manner in which Mr Orton issued his comments and the unwarranted antics and liberties he has taken with the league and a fellow player," PBA commissioner Chito Salud said in a statement. "This insulting behaviour will never be condoned by this league."

Also iirc Orton's team Purefoods lost that game against Kia and the joke Pacquiao, no wonder he's pissed and went on a rant.

[mp3]

This is the most strangest story I have read in a long time, that being said I could see a Chinese team throwing out a player if he dogged on Yao Ming lol

[NovU]

I agree with Orton, Pac playing bball is a joke. But you can't say that publicly. He's a sacred religion over there, freedom of speech just don't apply. You don't say judaism is a joke in israel, you get lynched. You don't say Islam is a joke in arab, they rape u. You don't say reality show is fake in amuica, lol.

[Andrew]

This type of case is not the first time it happened, people only seem to be surprised by it because they thought the reason is all about Pacquiao.

To be fair, a couple of the comments from team officials made it sound like those remarks were the most important factor.

I guess it makes for the most eye-catching headline, too.

[stereoxide]

GOAT
But seriously many basketball fans here think that Pacquiao entering the PBA is a joke. Just like the team name Kia Carnival.

[Stress Fracture]

They ain't no Carnival this conference. Just killed three championship caliber teams.

[stereoxide]

If you have a 7'4" monster and the championship caliber teams are only limited to 6'9" imports then you will really have a bad time.

[shadowgrin]

a couple of the comments from team officials made it sound like those remarks were the most important factor.

It is, because their coach, player, and most importantly team sponsor (entry fee for expansion teams) just got insulted.
Could have added co-owner to that but iirc owners can't be players, so he opted to 'donate' instead for the expansion entry fee.

Yes, him being there is a joke.

[shadowgrin]

Might as well post PBA stuff here.

[Andrew]

Baron Davis wants his gimmick back.

[NovU]

I have a feeling he was just trying to be funny.

Or his teammate fucked up with blindfold. Trick is to slightly allow a player to be able to see ground so he can have sense where he's about on the court. This is same trick that's often used in martial art demonstrations.

[Stress Fracture]

Might as well post PBA stuff here.

Reason for this was that he had already fucked up all his dunk attempts (yeah we still have it here), so he decided to just fuck it up.

Actually waiting for Shaq to see this. This might be for entertainment, but still a Shaqtin worthy material.

[Andrew]

I'm guessing that's what Davis did in 2001, too; no replacements left after that one, nothing that was going to win the contest, so go for the funny moment instead.

phpBB [video]