Tim Cone and Ginebra are scouring the league in hopes of finding a player or two who could fill the void.
With Ginebra grappling with injuries in the ongoing PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup, coach Tim Cone said they have no other recourse but to look for someone who could fill the void.
But no, Cone is not looking to trade anyone from his team after Jamie Malonzo went down with an left calf injury and Jeremiah Gray (knee) and Aljon Mariano (ankle) still recovering from their respective injuries.
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“Is there a trade pending? Not at all. Have we talked to other teams? Not at all. Yet,” he said after the Gin Kings beat TNT to roll to a third straight win and chalk up a 6-3 win-loss record.
“[He] coud be a free agent, could be somebody that’s been released by another team.”
Ginebra is particularly looking for a winger.
“We don’t have a 3-man on the roster except for maybe Ralph (Cu). Ralph is trying to fit in there at this point,” he said.
“But he’s not a defensive 3. He’s more of a stretch 4. [So] it’s a big gap between our 4 man and our 2 man so we’re looking for help.”
The veteran tactician did mention Dave Murell, the high-flyer from fellow SMC team Magnolia.
But since the league doesn’t allow transactions of this nature between sister teams, Ginebra has to wait whether other teams outside the SMC bloc wouldn’t be interested in picking him up.
“We’re waiting to see if somebody else is gonna pick him up,” he said.
Fortunately for the Gin Kings, they won’t play until next Saturday, April 27 against Converge in Cagayan de Oro.
“We have eight days before we play on Saturday and I think we don't play until Sunday after that so we have another eight days after that,” he said.
“So 16 days over our next two games. So like I said, hopefully we can figure something out within those 16 days.”