Tim Cone hopes break before PBA finals allows injured Troy Rosario to heal

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Barangay Ginebra will face TNT in the PBA Commissioner's Cup finals, but the Gin Kings fear missing Troy Rosario after he twisted his right ankle in the last game of the semifinals

MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone hopes a one-week break before the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals will be enough for Troy Rosario to recover.

The Gin Kings will face TNT in the best-of-seven title series starting on March 14 at the Mall of Asia Arena but they fear of missing Rosario, who twisted his right ankle in their last game of the semifinals on Friday, March 7.

Rosario got hurt in the third quarter of Ginebra’s 126-99 win over NorthPort in Game 5 of their best-of-seven clash and never returned.

“We don’t know how severe that is but he couldn’t come back into the game, so hopefully the five or six days that we have will give him a chance to get ready and get back in,” said Cone.

Rosario has been a pivotal player for the Gin Kings since he joined the team as a free agent before the conference.

In eight playoff games so far, the veteran forward is averaging 11.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists as a starter, with Cone relying heavily on Rosario on the defensive end.

He is expected to make a difference along with returning players Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray, who were sidelined by injuries when Ginebra bowed to the Tropang Giga in the Governors’ Cup finals earlier this season.

“Right now, we don’t know if he’s going to be able to play. So there’s still a lot of things up in the air and we’ll know more as the week moves on,” said Cone.

“We’ll know more with how we’re going to match up to each other.”

Cone said the break will benefit not just Rosario and the Gin Kings but also their opponents.

“I think this is actually a good rest for both teams because we’ll be able to regenerate and get our energy back. And when you do that, you end up having a really good series,” said Cone. – Rappler.com