TIM Cone professes his love for former player Sol Mercado.
But even if he keeps in constant touch with the stocky veteran guard, he doesn’t think Barangay Ginebra can accommodate a Mercado comeback in the 2021 PBA Governors Cup playoffs.
Fresh from a US vacation, Mercado’s playing shape is obviously suspect at the moment.
Besides, Cone pointed out the Kings have around 20 players in their roster, counting those on the injury list, and therefore do not see it fit to add another body to its already bloated lineup.
“No, we haven’t signed him or spoken to him about anything. He just likes to be around the team still. All of his buddies are here,” said the Ginebra mentor when asked about the Mercado sightings inside the team locker room and just behind the Kings’ bench during their 104-93 win over Rain or Shine on Sunday.
Cone said Mercado, who played for the franchise for almost five seasons, arrived in the country on Saturday and decided to watch the game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum the following day to support the Kings and close friends Joe Devance and Jared Dillinger.
Locker room sightings
He did drop by the Ginebra dugout before the game and had some pleasantries with Cone, who he helped win three championships during his stay with the franchise from 2015-2019.
“He and I are really close. He came into the locker room, we talked a while before the game,” said the champion coach.
But had Mercado been in the country earlier, signing him for the conference could have been a possibility with all the injuries hounding the team, Cone said.
Currently out of the Kings’ 15-man roster are Stanley Pringle, Aljon Mariano, and Dillinger.
Ginebra managed to sign up unrestricted free agent John Pinto early this year to somehow fill the huge void left by the 35-year-old Pringle.
“We’re battling a lot of injuries earlier, we might have been able to pick him up,” said Cone. “But he was in the States and there wasn’t that opportunity.”

Of course, it’s not just Cone who has a say in hiring and getting players.
“It’s really not up to me. It’s up to management,” he said. “But we never close door on players.”
Cone doesn’t think Mercado has a spot on the Ginebra team at the moment.
“We got like right now in our roster, I think with the injured, we got like 20 guys. So we’re paying like 20 contracts, and only 15 of them are official or part of the cap,” said the multi-titled coach.
“So you got Stanley’s numbers are out, you got the other guys whose numbers are out of the cap, but still, you’re paying all that extra money and then you want to bring in another guy and pay him? It becomes a little bit prohibitive,” Cone added.
Mercado was acquired by Ginebra back in 2015 in a trade with Barako Bull for Joseph Yeo.
The Fil-Am guard became a vital player in Cone's rotation during the time he spent with the franchise, which would later deal him to NorthPort along with Kevin Ferrer and Jervy Cruz for the rights to Pringle.
Mercado played for just two conferences with the Batang Pier before being traded again to Phoenix for LA Revilla and Rey Guevarra.
He never get to see action for the Fuel Masters as the two parties never get to agree on a contract. Phoenix later released him and he became an unrestricted free agent.
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