The outlet pass designed to bring about a smooth transition of power in the Philippine Basketball Association is airborne and on its way.

PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios triggered the fast break play with a series of staff meetings these past few weeks, reeling in the rebound and rifling a touchdown throw that is expected to land softly at the hands of its intended recipient – deputy commissioner Chito Salud.

“The adjustment, orientation and familiarization of deputy PBA commissioner Chito is going on smoothly,” said Barrios.

“In fact, he and I, with the rest of the management group, have agreed that I will focus on the ongoing tournament, while he focuses on anything that will take place past the Fiesta Cup.”

That would entail, Barrios said, “actively preparing for the annual draft, rookie camp, and the processing of draft applicants, all the way to the pre-season tournaments.”

Barrios took charge of running the league in August 2007 when he was named officer-in-charge after PBA Commissioner Noli Eala stepped down.

Two high-profile candidates – businessman Lambert Ramos and Salud, a lawyer and the eldest son of former PBA commissioner Rudy Salud – went up for consideration as Eala’s successor.

But when the PBA board of governors failed to break an impasse despite several efforts to untie a bitterly-knotted deadlock, the board went to Barrios and asked him to be the league’s seventh commissioner.

It wasn’t the first time Barrios answered when the PBA came calling.

In 2001, after the late PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino went through pressing health problems, Barrios, the deputy commissioner at the time, took over until Eala’s appointment as commissioner the next year.

Barrios retired quietly after two decades of service to the PBA, settling with his family in Sacramento where they started a nursing home business with his two younger brothers.

Then came a second knock on his door three years ago – for the OIC post – followed by a third in 2008 for the commissionership.

Now that his term is coming to an end, the signal being the appointment of Salud as deputy, Barrios plans to pick up where he stopped three years ago.

Barrios told reporters recently that he “intends to aggressively pursue personal plans.”

“We’re looking at a property, also in Sacramento, for a second care home,” Barrios said, speaking of the place where his siblings and family had set up a business. “My brothers and I have been in constant communication in our search for expansion sites.”

With the appointment of Salud as deputy commissioner early last month and with everything else in place, Barrios feels his tour of duty in the PBA is close to completion.

But who knows? When the PBA comes calling again, Barrios might just be the person who’ll answer the doorbell.