THEY come and they go because in the end, Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone stressed the PBA is a business.
That’s how the veteran mentor looked at the big picture after losing Maverick Ahanmisi and Aljon Mariano following a trade with Terrafirma that was consummated just hours before the Kings played the TNT Tropang 5G in the Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
READ Mariano included in Ahanmisi trade for Terrafirma first-rounder
The trade was made upon the request of Ahanmisi. Included in the package was the 33-year-old Mariano in exchange for the first-round pick of the Dyip in the Season 51 draft.
“One wanted to go, and one didn’t. But that’s just the business of the PBA,” said Cone as he talked about the trade following Ginebra’s 92-77 conquest of TNT for its first win of the season.
Cone referred to Ahanmisi as an elite player who, unfortunately, had to share playing minutes in the Ginebra backcourt along with one-time MVP Scottie Thompson and sophomore RJ Abarrientos.
“He’s in the prime of his career, he wasn’t satisfied backing up Scottie and RJ. So he requested a trade. And we don’t want hostages in our basketball team. We want volunteers. And we’re not going to hold any back if they want to move,” said the Ginebra coach.
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The good thing about the trade, according to Cone, was that Ahanmisi gets the chance to play with his brother Jerrick at Terrafirma.
“So we have two Ahanmisis playing there. It would be really fun to watch,” said Cone.
Ahanmisi, 34, showed gratitude to Ginebra by showing up at the Big Dome and watched his former team demolish TNT.
Meanwhile, Cone said trading Mariano is also the best thing to happen to the 10-year veteran, who hasn’t been getting the playing minutes he had before as the former University of Santo Tomas stalwart had to play behind Troy Rosario and Stephen Holt in his position.
Nonetheless, Cone referred to him as a ‘loyal’ soldier.
“It’s really hard seeing him go. He wasn’t going to get the playing time here backing up Troy and Stephen.
“So given the opportunity to get out kind of resuscitate his career.”
Mariano was a second-round pick of Ginebra in the 2015 draft and won seven championships in his decade-long stay with the franchise. But injuries and the lack of playing time spoiled his last few years with the Kings.
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