Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner Sonny Barrios said future basketball teams that will carry the national flag will have to do in international competitions even without the league’s help.

Barrios said the PBA, the first and the oldest professional basketball league in Asia, will die a “natural death” if it continues its “sacrifice” in lending its marquee players to the national squad.

“I’ll just give you an idea of the impact when the marquee players are not playing in the PBA… There are almost 60 percent more paying fans today than 2006-2007 Fiesta Conference when the RP Team members were weaned away from their ball clubs,” the PBA commissioner said during Tuesday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Avenue branch.

Barrios explained that PBA loses its paying fans whenever it lends their big name players to the RP Team.

“Ako na old timer sa PBA sang the same tune many years back, and I’m still singing it today: PBA will die a natural death if we keep on doing this,” he said.

He, however, said that it is sometimes inevitable for the league to lend its best players for the sake of national glory.

“Kaya nga ang SBP [Samahang Basketbolista ng Pilipinas] mayroon na silang long term plan in place kasi they know the situation of the PBA,” said Barrios.

‘Bad for RP Team, too’

Barrios said the ongoing arrangement is also detrimental to the RP team itself since the national squad, coached by Yeng Guiao, is also adjusting to the players’ schedules with their mother teams.

“The situation of coach Yeng and the team is far from the ideal,” he said. “What’s the ideal? Magsama sama sila ng buo at magtuloy-tuloy na magprepara para sa mga tournament.”

He said the national squad practices depending on the availability of the players, who also represent their respective teams in the ongoing PBA Fiesta Conference.

The RP team players are required to join regular practices with their mother teams for the PBA games usually held thrice a week. This is aside from their much needed training with the national squad.

“Like I’ve said, we have to work with the existing parameters kasi nga ang kelangan maprovide din natin ang needs ng PBA for it to survive,” said Barrios.

Guiao is preparing the Nationals for a hard grind in the August 6-16 FIBA-Asia tournament in Tianjin, China. The competition is the qualifier for the 2010 World Championship in Istanbul, which is the national team’s main target.

Before entering FIBA-Asia, Team Pilipinas will have to go through the Southeast Asian Basketball Association tournament, which was moved from April to June this year.