MANILA – With three of its key players injured, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings is struggling in its bid for a third straight PBA Governors’ Cup title.
Joe Devance, Solomon Mercado and Jervy Cruz are unavailable due to various injuries, head coach Tim Cone said.
“Championship takes a toll on you. There are things you have to overcome and there’s also price to pay,” Cone said, pertaining to their hard-earned Commissioner’s Cup title won at the expense of San Miguel Beermen.
“So we’d rather have those guys healthy now, but not win the championship? Of course not. We’re paying the price,” added the 21-time PBA champion coach. “For now we’ll try to win as many games with our lineup until we get everyone back.”
Mercado is unavailable at least until the second week of October after recently undergoing a knee surgery while Devance could return after the Gilas Pilipinas break from his own knee surgery.
Cruz, on the other hand, is out until the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup as he also went under the knife for the removal of bone spurs.
Arthur dela Cruz and Julian Sargent also remain unavailable due to injuries.
“Among the three (latest injured), Joe is the earliest that can return to action,” Cone said. “Joe’s now on rehab portion. His versatility means a lot to us in making our lineup longer because he plays multiple positions.”
Despite the spate of injuries, the back-to-back defending champion still managed to claim solo first place in the ongoing Governors’ Cup with a 3-0 card after its 104-98 win over NorthPort Batang Pier on Wednesday night./PN
