Rajko Toroma: "Jayson Castro is good enough to play and make an impact in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA)."
I totally believe that’s true, and that’s one big reason I think Castro should jump at any possible opportunity to expand his game, earn more money, and be an ambassador of Philippine basketball by playing overseas.
There are maybe, at most, only a handful of PBA players who have even a sliver of a shot of making an impact in any foreign league, especially one as competitive as the CBA. Castro is certainly one of them (IMHO the others could be June Mar Fajardo, Stanley Pringle, Terrence Romeo, and Greg Slaughter provided they’re all 100% healthy).
Right now, as coach Rajko clarified in a separate article, Castro cannot make it to the 2016-2017 CBA season because the teams eligible to field Asian imports (only the bottom five of the previous season are allowed an Asian import in addition to the mandatory two imports) have already signed some of the continent’s top cagers (e.g. Mahdi Kamrani, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Zaid Abbas, Sani Sakakini). If, however, another legitimate opportunity presents itself in the future, it should be a no-brainer for Castro.
He should play in China.
Play against tougher competition — Beijing’s Steph Marbury, Liaoning’s Guo Ailun, Guangsha’s Lin Chih-Chieh. Get paid more — rumor has it that Castro would have been offered a relatively obscene amount (i.e. 14 million pesos for only 5 months’ work). Be an ambassador of the Philippine style of play — Castro’s play abroad can widen his horizons and maybe even open the door for other Pinoys to become imports.
Just checks all over. It’s a win for Castro and Philippine basketball. -Enzo Flojo (foxsportsasia.com)
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