Sports

Cone wary of rough patch; TNT beefs up on NLEX talent anew


Justin Chua joined TNT after working for NLEX.  –PBA IMAGES

Justin Chua joined TNT after working for NLEX. –PBA IMAGES

Coach Tim Cone admitted that Barangay Ginebra may face some difficulties after returning to the ring for his next mission: winning the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governor’s Cup for the third time in a row.

“We’ve been in such a high-play Bay Area in [Commissioner’s Cup] The finals will be hard to come by when we get back to practice in the new games,” Cone told the Inquirer a few days after beating the Dragons for the mid-season title.

Not only that, but the teams are building to shoot down the Kings, among them TNT, which has added another player from sister team NLEX to its arsenal.

The league’s commercial committee has agreed to a deal to bring big man Justin Chua to MVP Group’s flagship franchise, giving the Defensive Player of the Year a fresh start after contested time. fighting with Road Warriors decreased.

transaction details

Chua will join Paul Varilla at TNT, the team that was also selected by NLEX in the second round of next season’s selection. But Phoenix had to get involved in order for the deal to go through because the PBA forbids single-ownership teams from making direct transactions.

Phoenix unloaded veteran forwards Sean Anthony and Jake Pascual to NLEX while buying J-Jay Alejandro, Raul Soyud and a 52nd season futures option from TNT.

This marks the third time NLEX has shipped a top player to TNT since 2020, with Chua joining longtime NLEX veterans Poy Erram and Calvin Oftana at the Tropang Giga camp.

Erram was dealt with in February 2020 after a season with the Road Warriors while Oftana, who had thrived as a primary offensive weapon under former NLEX coach Yeng Guiao, was transferred to Tropang Giga first. Recent Commissioner’s Cup.

NLEX also ceded pick number 4 in the 2021 Draft to TNT, which Tropang Giga used to pick high-scoring guard Mikey Williams.

Ginebra took down the visitors from Hong Kong after seven grueling games, completing the deal in front of 54,589 fans at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, possibly the most well-deserved reward for Cone since his start. Head directing the shot for the country’s most famous team.

Disadvantage

But the three-week gap between the series’ finale with the Dragons and the start of their third convention campaign on February 5 against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters could put the Gin Kings at a disadvantage at first.

That’s why Cone is hoping that Ginebra can match his record in the knockouts and can get back on his feet when it’s time to the knockouts.

“We’re going to have to rebuild momentum as we go through the conference,” he said.

Justin Brownlee will attempt to give the Gin Kings his seventh championship alongside him in the import-heavy grandstand following a superb performance against the Dragons in the recent Finals.

The famous local lineup led by Scottie Thompson, Commissioners Cup Finals Christian Standhardinger and Jamie Malonzo will also look to adjust to rapid change.

Chua was hailed by the PBA Press Corps as the tournament’s best defensive player in the 2020 Philippine Cup soccer tournament when the former Ateneo standout was still playing for Phoenix.

He was part of Guiao’s regular rotation at NLEX before his minutes dwindled under coach Frankie Lim, who took over when Guiao left for Rain or Shine.

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