Cone sets Kings’ priorities

Tim Cone is bracing to steer Barangay Ginebra back in championship orbit again.

With the Gin Kings shut out of the title picture in the past seven seasons, the winningest coach in the PBA will have to bring back the winning attitude of the pro league’s most popular ballclub.

“I think the hardest thing for a Ginebra coach is to meet the expectations and we want to kind of dampen those expectations,” said Cone during the official announcement of his appointment Thursdayat the San Miguel Corp. head office in Pasig City.

But regardless of fan base and popularity, Cone believes the recipe for Ginebra’s success would be creating a balanced team paired with the commitment of the players to play tough defense.

“The key is to lay out the proper foundation and build from there,” said Cone, whose huge shoes at the Star Hotshots will be filled by rookie head coach Jason Webb. “You can’t necessarily guarantee (a championship) but it will all boil down to getting the players to buy in on what we’re going to do.”

The 18-time champion coach won a total of five titles, including a Grand Slam, with the Hotshots.

He now faces the challenge of replicating his championships with the crowd-favorite Gin Kings.

“I find Ginebra to have a really strong lineup but I find it unbalanced at this point,” said Cone.

The Gin Kings have a platoon of point guards led by LA Tenorio and Sol Mercado.

“It will take a lot of changes but it will not happen right away,” said Cone.