Cone glad to have Bishop by his side

MANILA, Philippines — Though saddened by the absence of Justin Brownlee, coach Tim Cone sees a lot to look forward to in Ginebra’s title-retention bid in next month’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

First, there’s Tony Bishop filling in for old rival Brownlee, who’s facing suspension over a doping issue in the recent Asian Games. Bishop previously played for Meralco and gave the Gin Kings a lot of headache in their battle for the 2021 Governors’ Cup crown.

“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 in yesterday’s Power and Play on Cignal.

The 6-foot-7 Bishop averaged 25.7 points on 45.1-percent shooting, 13.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1,7 steals in his first tour with the Bolts. He led Meralco to the finals, where they lost in six games to Brownlee and Co.

“I know Christian Standhardinger is excited as he doesn’t have to guard Tony anymore so we’re excited about having him,” said Cone.

The multi-titled mentor is equally thrilled to have high-flying Fil-Am Jamie Malonzo back in action after missing the Asiad due to injury. Of course, there’s also the inspiring return of LA Tenorio sometime in the conference after recovering from colon cancer.