JEREMIAH Gray’s comeback with Barangay Ginebra looms as he has started intense workouts in preparation for the PBA's 49th season.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone said he is looking forward to the return of Gray, who suffered his second ACL injury of his career during a PBA on Tour preseason game.
Cone expects Gray to return during the early part of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
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“Miah and coach Kirk (Collier) went to the province to do some intense workouts, try to get him back and ready,” Cone said.
“We don’t think he’ll be ready to start the conference but he should be maybe within a few weeks of the opening, he might be available for us,” said Cone.
“We are excited to getting Miah back after a year, almost a year and a half since we have him. We are excited him,” said Cone.
While Gray’s comeback nears, that is not the case for Jamie Malonzo and Scottie Thompson.
Malonzo is likely to miss the entire conference due to an injury still related to his calf that he sustained during the PBA Philippine Cup last season.
“Jamie is going to be out for another few months. I don’t think he will be playing in the next conference," he said.
"That is again someone who we could look for [in the draft], maybe help us replace Jamie in the meantime here in the draft with our second round pick,” said Cone, referring to their two second-round picks this conference.
Thompson is still bothered by the back issue that has been hounding him since the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals, and the reason why he skipped the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Gilas Pilipinas.
Cone wants Aljon back
Cone said Ginebra wants to be sure that Thompson is 100 percent healthy before clearing him to play.
“He may miss some time. We will figure that out later. But Scottie is Scottie. If he can possibly play, he is going to figure out a way. But it’s kind of like we have to hold him back. We have to be the ones to say, ‘No Scottie, you can’t.’ He will never admit that he can’t,” said Cone.
With Malonzo and Thompson likely to miss games, Cone hopes that Aljon Mariano will be able to play after sustaining an ankle injury that kept him out for most of last season.
“Hopefully, Aljon gets back from injury and that will help a lot,” said Cone.
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