MANILA – The already strong is bound to get even stronger.
Defending champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings is set to welcome three of its injured players back to the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup.
Head coach Tim Cone said Gregory Slaughter, Solomon Mercado and Arthur dela Cruz are good to go for the Kings, which clinched a playoffs spot with its league-leading 7-1 win-loss slate despite playing with a decimated lineup.
Slaughter was out of commission for Ginebra since early last month due to a sprained ankle, which also prevented him from playing for Philippine team.
Mercado had surgery on his meniscus during the offseason.
For dela Cruz, he will finally make his much-awaited debut for the Kings after being saddled with injuries the last two years, or since he was sent by Blackwater Elite to Ginebra in a trade.
Cone said he might play Slaughter, Mercado and dela Cruz for limited minutes in their out-of-town match against the struggling Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Oct. 13 in Lucena City.
“Coming into our last three games of the conference, we might be starting to have our guys back and get back to where our team was last conference in terms of personnel,” Cone said.
“I am glad, however, that our other players like (Aljon Mariano and Prince Caperal) are stepping up in the absence of our big men,” added the 21-time PBA champion head coach.
Still out for the Kings, however, were Joe Devance, who is recovering from a stress fracture in his left foot while Jervy Cruz and Julian Sargent are not expected to return until the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup./PN
