BARANGAY Ginebra has no plan of releasing any of the players in its 18-man pool as Tim Cone begins the process of choosing who will make his final lineup for the coming PBA season.
Cone said the team is still far from deciding who will make the 15-man roster for the season. But even before making the decision, he already assured that no one among the 18 players under contract will be dropped.
“We signed 18 year-long contracts. Everybody has at least a one-year contract. There is no short-term contract. All 18 will stay with us through the year, practice with us, and be there,” Cone said during Thursday’s SPIN Zoom In episode.
The Gin Kings acquired Christian Standhardinger in a trade with NorthPort in exchange for Greg Slaugter, then signed free agent MJ Ayaay before drafting Ken Holmqvist and Brian Enriquez, bringing the number of players in the team to 18.
Cone, whose team is coming off a title victory in the Philippine Cup last year, said the launch of the maiden PBA 3x3 tournament this season will assure jobs for everyone under contract.
“But we have to make a choice on the 15 at some point. But those guys are going to be back-ups. There’s also the 3-on-3 tournament we are thinking about also. There’s a lot of combinations that could occur throughout the year.”
“But those 18 are all going to stay with us. We are not going to cut anybody. We are not going to get rid of anybody. They are all going to stay with us,” Cone added.
Cone said the team is in no hurry to decide the final 15 since practices have come to a halt since Metro Manila and neighboring provinces were placed under lockdown due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
“That’s an issue that you never want to make too fast or too quickly. You don’t want to make a decision right now. you want to keep the competitive spirit with the team and you keep battling and you let it work itself out through practice.
“That’s not something we are really worried about at this point. We hope our rookies step up and step forward. We expect a lot from them.
"But those are always really, really difficult position for a coach. He has to decide who those 15 guys are going to be. But the other three guys, no matter what happens, the other three guys are still going to stay with the team,” Cone added.
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