A FORMER rival import coming on board. Two key stalwarts back from health issues. Two Asiad heroes eager to carry over blazing ride back with their PBA mother team.
Add their famous "never-say-die" spirit and their proverbial "Sixth Man" no team can match.
And this is the Barangay Ginebra team which shifts to full blast in training Monday as the Gin Kings gear up for their title-retention quest in the PBA Commissioner's Cup that fires off Nov. 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
"We're excited about getting Jamie (Malonzo) back in the lineup and also we're excited about (Gilas Pilipinas aces) Scottie (Thompson) and Japeth (Aguilar) who have not practiced with the team yet, starting on Monday. Basically we're just going to get things together but the good news is we're not playing until Nov. 17. I think that's enough time for us to get ready and go," said Ginebra coach Tim Cone on Saturday's Power and Play on Cignal.
Still very much uncertain is the status of Justin Brownlee with FIBA yet to hand down a verdict on his doping issue.
Sponsored content: But with that still in the air, Ginebra has decided to enlist old rival Tony Bishop, a formidable import Brownlee and the Kings engaged in a six-game title series back in the 2021 Governors Cup.
Bishop led the Norman Black-mentored Meralco Bolts team to 1-0 and 2-1 leads before the Kings solved the Bishop puzzle and strung up the next three games to win the series then.
"We know him pretty intimately 'coz we had a six-game battle with him and we have a vision for him on how he's going to come in and fit so we're excited," Cone said of Bishop, tallying averages of 25.7 points on 45.1-percent shooting, 13.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1,7 steals in his first PBA tour of duty.
"I know Christian Standhardinger is excited as he doesn't have to guard Tony anymore so we're excited about having him," Cone also said.
Except for the absence of Jeremiah Gray, the Ginebra local core group is intact spiced up by the addition of free-agent recruit Maverick Ahanmisi.
Sponsored content: LA Tenorio is back, cancer-free. He is expected to be back in active duty by December.
Then there's do-it-all Malonzo who is aching to plunge back to the court and do his stuff after missing the Gilas Pilipinas' golden run in the Hangzhou Asiad.
The Kings look a formidable lot, oozing with confidence they have a shot at repeating a glorious run they achieved last year with a finals conquest of the Bay Area Dragons.
And their Sixth Man is ready to their thing, booming with chants of "Gi-ne-bra, Gin-ne-bra!" (SB)
