MANNY Pacquiao no doubt has decent basketball skills, but for a cage legend who had played alongside the boxing icon before, the PBA might be too much for the Pacman.
Former MVP Kenneth Duremdes fired a warning as the prospect of Pacquiao suiting up for expansion team Kia Motors as playing-coach next season looms closer to becoming a reality, stressing the PBA is an entirely different ballgame compared to exhibition matches.
?PBA, this is professional level. Manny is playing only in the amateur level, he hasn?t even played college ball. Sa mga exhibition games, Manny can play, pero sa professional level, malayo ‘yung skills,? said Duremdes, who had played against the 35-year-old boxing champion several times in the past.
?Iba kasi ang exhibition games compared to professional and actual games. ‘Yung talagang seryosong laro at tournament, ibang-iba yun,? added the league’s 1998 MVP. ?Yes Manny can play, he can shoot. He has the skills to play, pero yung PBA, malayo pa ang skills niya.?
?If I am to choose for him, siguro coaching na lang.?
Still, Duremdes, a friend of Pacquiao who is now the head coach of Adamson in the UAAP, warned that coaching in the pro league is no picnic, either.
?Kung ako nga ang masusunod, siguro advice ko kay Manny mag playing-assistant coach na lang siya. That way, wala siyang pressure as head coach, pero he can play sparingly. No stress,? said Duremdes, who once called the shots for the Coca-Cola franchise in the PBA.
