‘Beasts’ on and off the court

There is nothing wrong with PBA teams getting the services of highly-talented imports that have history of volatility, but it’s a gamble that they readily have to take owing to the risks involved in hiring one.

First of all, there’s no guarantee that these players won’t return to their old ways and not cause headache to their ball clubs.

Being like a ticking time bomb, no one really knows when they will explode, and that’s the uncertainty that teams signing them will have to live through for the entirety of their playing contracts.

TnT Katropa Texters, no doubt, had an explosive import in Glen Rice Jr. whose playing skills were almost reminiscent of the high-scoring reinforcements in the 80s and 90s, but an unfortunate incident in Game 4 of their semifinals series against Ginebra that led to his ejection right in the opening quarter exposed his dark side and validated several news written on him in the US.

Do some Googling and you’ll find reports about the former Washington Wizards player being involved in some troubles and run-ins with law in the past. But with his talent and basketball pedigree (after all, he’s the son of NBA legendary shooter Glen Rice), TnT took a chance on Rice Jr. and they paid dearly for it.

The ill-mannered import, who was fined a hefty $10,000 (around P500,000) by the TnT management and P26,000 by the PBA for his misbehavior, even left the country without issuing an apology or talking to any team official.

Rice was no different from the likes of Renaldo Balkman, Ivan Johnson and Jamelle Cornley – all exceptional talents who came before him but whose on-court exploits were negated by their penchant for trouble or volatile temper.

More than talent and impressive playing credentials, it’s high time that the PBA teams start putting premium on the personality and behavior of the imports they are hiring. They should not compromise their corporate image and campaign in an import-spiced contest by getting the services of players with shady backgrounds or police records.

It’s exciting to watch imports who act like beasts on the hardcourt, but certainly not off it.