The Suicide Squad

ChampionshipSSSSS or bust.
(Photo credit to the owner)

When it is all said and done, Earl Timothy Cone will most likely be lauded as the greatest PBA coaching mind to ever grace this side of the sporting world. His 18 PBA championships has launched him above his very own local idol, the late great Baby Dalupan, if his impressive feat of winning two Grand Slams in different eras with different teams hasn't already.

But just when you thought that there was no challenge left for Coach Tim to overcome, here comes what is arguably the most Herculean of tasks bestowed upon him: to reward the millions of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel fans by turning the once underdogs turned under-achievers into a legitimate, PBA champion team.

See, Ginebra isn't the Los Angeles Lakers of the PBA. They are the New York Knicks. Loved. Popular. But hardly any rings to show for. Who is the PBA's Lakers? That's their sister team Purefoods. The Boston Celtics? That's San Miguel Beer. It is all about the championships, always.

When San Miguel brass opted to extract Cone from STAR where he was comfortably gearing up for multiple title runs, they knew that they were already sacrificing the identity of Ginebra. With Cone, they will no longer be underdogs. They haven't been underdogs in a long time, really. Never say die? What's that? The title drought was more due to poor coaching, the support of fans going into their players' heads turning them into basketball divas and overall just subpar play.
Since their last title in 2008, Ginebra has always been penciled in as a favorite. Not an underdog. Not a darkhorse. Favorites. That means they have the players on paper who can win. They have 2 PBA MVPs in Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand. They had a slew of guys come in and out of the roster who are borderline PBA All Stars. They feature the league's biggest frontline combo of 6"9 ultra athletic Japeth Aguilar and 7"0 behemoth Greg Slaughter.

Their starting point guard is L.A. freakin' Tenorio.

So here we are. Coach Tim Cone, Barangay Ginebra head coach. The league's winning-est mind meets it's most popular yet under-achieving ball club.

For Coach Tim, this will be a test to who he is as a coach. No, whatever happens from here on out wouldn't take away from what he has already accomplished. But it will surely hurt his reputation a bit, much like when Michael Jordan decided to make his comeback in Washington.

If Coach Tim cannot win right now with a line-up that has Tenorio, Caguioa, Slaughter, Aguilar and now the 6"7 walking mismatch that is Joe DeVance, when he was able to do so with little over at STAR/ BMeg and even before that with Alaska, then you can call this a suicide mission for him owing to the amount of venom and hatred a casual Ginebra fan can spew (multiplied by a hundred thousand). Coaching in the PBA is a thankless job, moreso coaching Ginebra post-Jaworski.

Having Coach Tim on board will also be a test to the players.

Let us start with Caguioa, now 35 years of age and full of wear and tear. He still has that stubbornness to him, and most of the time it has hurt his team. Can he adapt to Coach Tim? Can he play that Jojo Lastimosa role (pick your spots in the first three quarters and turn it on if necessary in the 4th) that we all envision him of doing? Or will Coach Tim be forced to look elsewhere-- maybe rookie Earl Scottie Thompson?

Can L.A. Tenorio go back to being the league's best point guard?

That's doubtful, not with Jayson Castro exploding in the 2015 FIBA Asia tournament and Paul Lee not too far behind. But at least, Tenorio could challenge for being 2nd to 3rd best right? And quit with the in-game foot stomping, pouty-najejerbax face that he's been doing the last two seasons when a play doesn't go as he wants it to?

Aguilar? To find a true niche in the PBA. Whatever role he comes to embrace and find under Coach Tim. He didn't listen to previous coaches, but we think and feel that he'll respond to someone like Coach Tim.

Then there is Slaughter.

The one and only reason why we feel that San Miguel brass went "all in" and pulled the trigger on moving Coach Tim from STAR to Ginebra.

Think about it. Sure, STAR fans were pissed when Coach Tim moved from their team to Ginebra. But imagine how bad it would look if Ginebra traded its prized 7"0 guy who -- even when he's not the focal point of the offense and gets forgotten by his guards a lot, still manages to post double doubles, to STAR. And for who? A bunch of average sized power forwards and centers that you can get everyday? No thank you, good Sir.

Blessed with high basketball IQ, a 7"0 frame, good hands for finishing and passing, Slaughter is the Zobel de Ayala rich man's version of how E.J. Feihl looked that one season he played under Coach Tim at Alaska. High post, setting screens and making the easy uncontested jumpshot. Basically, Coach Tim could turn Slaughter into a 7"0 Don Allado who can play inside and up top with ease.

Rebounding's a given. Hustle? Uh, let's talk about that some other time.

We do not expect Coach Tim to turn Slaughter into a pasty white Junemar. We expect Coach Tim to fully utilize Slaughter and turn him into somewhere along the Pau Gasol lines.

It truly is a full-on, suicide mission not just for Coach Tim, but for their main guys. They know they have the talent, it is too obvious. Save for maybe an aging Caguioa, they have guys who are Top 3-5 in their respective positions (Tenorio, DeVance, Aguilar, Slaughter). How can they NOT win a title or at least, get into the PBA Finals this year (not next year) when Coach Tim was able to do it with less players over at BMeg/ STAR (when they lost to Rain or Shine in the 2012 Governor's Cup)?

Championshipssssssss or bust.

No excuses left.