Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Greg Slaughter may still be nursing an ACL injury, but that didn’t stop Ginebra from extending the big man’s contract.
The two parties agreed to a three-year deal on Thursday, but if things went coach Tim Cone’s way, he would’ve had Slaughter sign a much longer contract.
“I wish we would’ve signed him for 10 years,” he said in jest on Friday.
Turning serious, Cone said that the contract extension just speaks volumes on the trust the Gin Kings are putting on the 6-foot-11 center.
“We’re just going to stay patient. We know what kind of impact he can make on our team and at some point, we’re going to get him back,” he said.
The two-time Grand Slam-winning mentor could only gush imagining Slaughter manning the middle in Ginebra’s newly installed system, which he describes as a variation of his vaunted triangle.
“From a coaching standpoint, I’m excited to blend him to what we’re doing now because we haven’t been able to do that in this particular system. I think we can do so many more things. But again, that’s still down the future,” he said.
Cone said the challenge now lies on Slaughter to return to his old form as he eyes a comeback sometime in the third conference.
“We’re glad that he’s happy and signed. We just have to trust he’s going to work hard on his rehab and we’re just going to do our best without him,” he said.