Ginebra not in panic mode despite 0-3 start
Paul Lee of Rain or shine is tightly guarded by LA tenorio of Ginebra,at Smart Araneta. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – LA Tenorio is as calm on the court as he is off of it.
Tenorio, cool and collected, sees no point of panicking just yet despite Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s 0-3 start in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“So far we’re not in panic mode,” said Tenorio, one of the last players to walk out of the losing dugout Sunday night. “Still a long way to go, we’ll see if we’ll get lucky with our new import and if he can lift up the morale of the team.”
Ginebra suffered its latest loss at the hands of Petron Blaze, 90-105, where the Kings trailed by as much as 23 points before their comeback led by Mark Caguioa fell short.
The Kings hope new import Vernon Macklin, a late second round pick by the Detroit Pistons in 2011, can turn things around after Herbert Hill’s poor performance left them surprisingly at the bottom of the standings early.
“We’re also lucky the conference was moved to 14 games giving us more chances with still 11 games to go,” Tenorio added.
More than Hill’s lack of production, Tenorio also said the locals have to step up too.
“Whoever the import is even if it’s Michael Jordan or LeBron James, he would still need help from the locals. You can’t just give the ball to the import every time, we still need to help each other out.”
Having a thin front line is also a problem that needs to be addressed added the veteran point guard, who admitted that up to now he has yet to figure out his niche.
“After the import we don’t really have another big. Billy Mamaril is not really a legit big guy that you can’t give the ball in the post like Sonny Thoss and June Mar Fajardo.”
“It’s really a different situation right now. It’s a different role for me compared to when I was with Alaska. I’m still looking at it, should I score or should I orchestrate the play more than scoring? It’s still not clear to me,” he said.
“I remember when I was in Alaska, I have also gone through with that, I also didn’t have a definite role back then but I’m positive that I’ll get through and that the team will get its groove.”
Things won’t get any easier for Ginebra though, with the unbeaten Alaska Aces next in line on Saturday.
