Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone was left searching for answers after a roller coaster start in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup where the Kings found themselves at the bottom half of the Group B standings with a 1-2 slate.
But while the veteran mentor was clueless at what’s exactly happening to his wards, it’s clear for the champion’s coach what they need to address first heading into the next games.
The team’s effort.
“They’ve got to come out and play better. Somehow I’m going to have to try to light a fire under our players, especially our key guys,” said Cone following Ginebra’s 110-99 loss to Rain or Shine.
“Really, really, really poor effort tonight. The worst we’ve had in a long time. They out-hustled us in all departments tonight. They had a greater sense of urgency,” he added.
Coming off a championship, the coach acknowledged that it can sometimes be difficult to get players perform with the same hunger and intensity, but stressed the need for everyone to get on the same page and put in the necessary work.
“Sometimes coming off a championship, it’s tough getting guys going. It’s like pulling teeth tonight, to get everybody on the same page and working hard,” said Cone.
Import Riley Grigsby has been solid for the Kings through their first three games but Cone is looking at his local players to step up and provide support.
The early struggles, however, isn’t entirely new for Ginebra, having to deal with it every conference before finally finding their rhythm midway through the eliminations and peaking in teh playoffs.
“We feel we’ll be there in the end, but I’m not surprised we’re going through struggles right now,” Cone said. “There’ll probably be more on the horizon at this point, but eventually we’ll figure it out. Generally, we always do.”
“But again, right now it’s like pulling teeth, trying to get guys to come out and focus, lock into what we do and play hard,” he added.
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