TIM Cone said he's not interested at all in handling the Philippine men's basketball team.
"I don't mind helping the national team in any other capacity other than head coach," said Cone.
The statement of the winningest coach in PBA history comes in the wake of Chot Reyes' decision to step aside as head coach of Gilas Pilipinas.
READ: Brian Goorjian as Gilas coach? Sorry but it won't happen - yet
Being one of Reyes' top deputies, Cone is often mentioned as top candidate for the post, especially with the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China just weeks away.
But he said being a national coach entails a lot of attention as he had experienced before as the man who called the shots for the 1998 Centennial Team.
Besides he said Barangay Ginebra remains a priority where the Kings are the defending champion in the season opening PBA Commissioner's Cup.
"I would not want to step away from coaching Ginebra. I love trying to live up to the Big J legacy," he said "And if I coached the national team, I feel it would deserved my full attention."
Of course, Cone is also known as a close friend of Reyes, who was actually his deputy when he started out his legendary coaching career at Alaska.
Cone came on board a year ago to help Reyes as Gilas prepares halfway through the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
That possibly explains why Cone would never accept the vacant coaching job despite him being the most deserving person for the post.
'My heart is with Ginebra'
And yes, there's Ginebra to consider, too.
"My heart is with Ginebra," said Cone. "I also love working for Alfrancis (Chua) and Boss RSA (Ramon S Ang).
So far, no decision has been made on who will handle the national squad heading to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China three weeks from now.
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