One of the few people who spent the most time inside the Philippine Basketball Association’s bio-secure and excruciating environment doesn’t mind going through the ordeal for the second time.
But only as a last resort.
“I think the coaches, the players, they’d welcome going into the bubble if that’s the only recourse we have to start playing again,” coach Tim Cone said during an appearance in The Chasedown on Saturday afternoon.
The Barangay Ginebra coach is a firm believer that like himself, most PBA coaches “just want to get back to work and start playing again.”“That’s our passion, that’s our love,” Cone went on.It would seem easy for the Gin Kings’ mentor to whip out such pronouncements at this point. After all, the Kings came out of the bubble with a title.
But “the bubble last year was difficult, no doubt about it. It was mentally wearing. We hated being away from the family. But, you know, we’ll have to do whatever it takes to get back to playing,” he said.
Barangay Ginebra actually spent a total of 73 days inside PBA’s self-contained environment at Clark Freeport, one day more than the TNT Tropang Giga, their opponents in the Finals.
The PBA staging its 46th season within another “bubble” has gained traction anew as coronavirus worries hounding the country continue to persist.
Commissioner Willie Marcial has previously told the Inquirer that the league’s leadership has not totally closed the door on another bubble.