MANILA, Philippines - Two sports analysts are questioning Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) legend Billy Ray Bates' appointment as a skills coach for the Philippine Patriots of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).

Bates, known fondly as "The Black Superman," came back to the Philippines about two weeks ago for his induction to the PBA Hall of Fame, and in his acceptance speech, announced that he wants to become a coach in one of the basketball leagues in the country.

"I want to be the next new coach in the PBA," Bates declared during his speech.

The Patriots hired him as a skills coach, which means he will be responsible for monitoring and instructing the players on skills and techniques they need to improve on. Team owners Tony Boy Cojuango and Mikee Romero believe that his all-around game and experience will help the young players of the Patriots.

"We believe he can share and teach whatever he knows to our players," said Romero.

But PBA great and former Senator Freddie Webb and sports analyst Ronnie Nathanielz are questioning the Patriots' decision and wondering if Bates is capable of doing the job.

"I was a little surprised when I heard that Billy Ray Bates is going to become a skills coach," said Webb in an interview with ANC's Hardball.

"A skills coach demonstrates, shows what he wants the players to follow, but how can he do that? I don't know how he can do that," Webb added.

Webb says the game has changed a lot from when Bates was tearing up the PBA hardcourt in the 1980s.

"Basketball has become a science, compared to what it was before - like a hobby," he said.

Moreover, Bates is no longer the physical specimen he was during his heyday, and now walks with a limp.

"I salute him from playing well here, but when they say a skills coach, that I cannot comprehend," Webb said.

Webb said Bates might be more suited to be an assistant coach.

PR move?

For Nathanielz, Bates was hired in order to bring more attention to the Patriots and to the league.

"I think this is a PR move more than anything else, because imagine the kind of attention that this team is going to get with Billy Ray Bates in the line-up," Nathanielz said.

He also agreed with Webb's assessment and said that Bates will have a hard time fulfilling his task as a skills coach.

"I don't think he has the technology and technical capability of transferring what he did on the basketball court, because that was innate, natural talent," Nathanielz said.

"It's a way of attracting attention to the team, and if that's their bottom line, then I think they've succeeded," he added.

Greatest import

Bates is considered as one of the greatest and more colorful imports in the history of the PBA, leading the Crispa Redmanizers to the 1983 PBA Grand Slam and giving Ginebra its first championship in 1986.

Nathanielz and Webb both agree that Bates is one of the top three greatest imports in the history of the PBA.

"If there is an import that has to go to the Hall of Fame, I can only count with my fingers, and I'll put him there in the top five. I'm talking of Norman Black, Billy Ray Bates and Bobby Parks," Webb said.

Nathanielz said Bates was the best import the PBA had ever seen.

"He could sky, he could shoot from the outside, he could defend when he wanted to, he could slam dunk and he could run the floor. He was an all-around player. And he had a certain charisma about him, that was what made him so special," Nathanielz said.

Before coming to the Philippines, Bates played for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers for three seasons.

After his basketball career, however, he struggled with personal problems and was eventually sent to prison in the United States for robbery and aggravated assault.

He has since reformed and is trying to rebuild his life, although it remains to be seen if he will succeed in his latest endeavor as a skills coach. With a report from ANC.