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Barangay Geneva coach Tim Cone believes Greg Slaughter will absolutely elevate his game as the undisputed man in the middle of NorthPort Batang Pier.
“Honestly, I think Greg is just going to kill at NorthPort,” Cone told a handful of reporters in attendance after the PBA Press Corps Virtual Awards Night on Sunday. “In many ways, this could be a really good thing for Greg.”
Slaughter was traded for Geneva last Friday to NorthPort, who sent Christian Standhardinger in a successful one-to-one trade.
Cone’s trust in his former pupil stems from the understanding that both Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar split time at center for the Gin Kings, making it difficult for both big men to consistently achieve elite production.
“He was in a timeshare with Japeth his entire career. They had a hard time playing together consistently. There were times when they ended up just substituting, and that was really difficult for both players,” he explained.
“When Greg wasn’t close to the bubble, you saw Japeth spread his wings and really take off because he had the position to himself.”
Aguilar got off to a slow start at the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup to finally earn a spot in the Elite Five, a replacement for the usual Mythical Teams in bubble-free seasons. In 22 games, the 34-year-old flyer averaged 15.5 points on 57.3 percent shooting, 8.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 assists.
Slaughter, on the other hand, averaged 9.6 points on 50.8 percent shooting, 6.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.9 blocks in 49 games during his last full season with the Gin Kings in 2019.
Cone also admitted that Slaughter was restricted to certain roles within the flow of the Geneva system. With NorthPort, he believes the great man will have more freedom to show other aspects of his game.
“Like we pigeonholed Greg because of our system and what we wanted from him, and we really didn’t give him the freedom that he really wanted. And I think if you give him that freedom, I think he’s going to just put up with tremendous numbers, and it will show. really, really good, and he’s going to get a chance he’s never had in his career, “Cone said.
While Cone understands any doubts Slaughter may have about leaving “the Mecca of our basketball,” he believes the Batang Pier will provide the greatest opportunity for Slaughter to dominate all five.
“I don’t think anyone wants to leave Geneva. I mean, it’s like the Mecca of our basketball. I realized that when I came here, I didn’t know that. I saw it from a distance, but being here, it’s just the Mecca of basketball. : You have the fans, the attention, the backing of San Miguel and Chief RSA (Ramon S. Ang) and Alfrancis Chua. It’s a great place to play basketball, “said Cone.
“But I think in the long run, I think this could be very, very, very good for Greg. And I think he’s ready. I’ve been talking to him and I’ve seen the energy he’s come back with during this break, I think he’s ready. for a big breakup. Sayang, it won’t happen with us, it will probably happen with NorthPort. “
Obviously not all bad for Geneva. At Standhardinger, Cone says the Gin Kings are getting a robust but highly effective player who is “a throwback to the older Guinevere players (with) the way he plays, the way he goes up and down the court, his physique. “.
“He just gets the job done. He’s not a pretty player by any means, but he’s very, very effective and very efficient,” he said.
Cone took note of the Standhardinger’s defensive acumen and how it fits much better alongside a true rim protector in Aguilar.
“I’m looking forward to working with him defensively, because I think he is an outstanding defensive player. He can protect various types of players, and it will be fun to explore that part of his game,” he said.
Standhardinger blocked just one shot in 2020 and he’s generally on the ground, while Aguilar in the same conference was second in blocks (1.4) and block rate (4.4%) among qualified players.
“I think it’ll fit in with Japeth maybe a little bit better. I think they’ll be able to play a lot of minutes together and they won’t give each other breaks from time to time. Usually they’ll be able to play together,” Cone said. “It’s going to be fun exploring the relationship between the two of them. They are both polar opposites: Japeth is the one who flies high and he’s the down-to-earth type.”
Getting Standhardinger to fit into the system is a relatively trivial matter compared to fully integrating into the Geneva culture, Cone said.
“I think the term ‘system’, the idea of learning what we do in basketball, is not a big deal,” he said. “Basketball is basketball. Yes, we have a different system than other teams, but for me the keyword is culture. Can we integrate it into our culture? That’s what takes the most time: understanding our culture, the way we do. things, the way we treat each other and what is expected of you in terms of practice habits and dealing with your colleagues. “
Of course, it is still important that Standhardinger makes his game flow within the Geneva system. But Cone believes that’s only secondary to the Fil-German center’s ability to instill the team’s philosophy.
“Fortunately, we have great role models in Joe (Devance), LA (Tenorio), Mark Caguioa. They embraced that culture and shaped that culture,” Cone said. “They are superstars in their own right, but they still stay in the culture, then they model it.
“Stanley (Pringle) understood the system quickly, he just had to learn to move the ball a little more than he was normally used to and trust the ball to come back to them. Christian will probably have to learn how to start our offense, and be a little more patient than he usually is, and things like that. But the key will really be the culture and how he fits into our culture. That’s really paramount to us. “
You could say that Standhardinger is a much better fit within the Gin Kings system due to his mobility and defensive versatility, but Cone was quick to caution against championship assumptions, calling it “an easy trap to fall into”, citing the latest conference led by 1-10 NorthPort. Batang Pier as an example.
“Everybody was talking about how Christian was going to dominate and Sean Anthony. And they came in and had high expectations, but they got off to a slow start and never really recovered. And that’s an easy trap to fall into, and that’s where you have to. be careful and learn to manage your expectations, “Cone said.
Cone made his point by saying that Standhardinger’s arrival doesn’t immediately mean that an abundance of talent will translate into success on the court.
“Yes, we come from a couple of championships and yes, we have Christian on a team that won without Greg, an addition without taking anything away from us. On paper, we should be competing for that championship. But again, on paper and get out. to the field are two very different things. So that will be our challenge, “he said.
