BARANGAY Ginebra coach Tim Cone is not in a rush to play newly acquired big man Kemark Cariño for the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup which opens on March 11.
The Barangay Ginebra head coach said their primary goal at this moment is to ensure the former San Beda big man gets the needed knee rehabilitation as he works his way back to full recovery.
“First off, we need to get him healthy,” Cone told The Manila Times, just a week after the PBA Office of the Commissioner approved of the trade that sent the 6-foot-8 Carino to Barangay Ginebra while trading Ben Adamos to Terrafirma.
“We feel we have one of the best rehab crews in the PBA, so he’s in good hands,” Cone added.
Cariño is still recovering from a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) on his knee he sustained last year.
Cone knows Cariño has the potential, but he does not see him playing anytime soon.
“He’s still a number of weeks away from participating just in practice, much less games,” said the PBA’s all-time winningest coach.
“We see him as a player who still needs a lot of development, so he’s a ways away from becoming the player we envision.”
With 6-foot-7 Isaac Go expected to be back in time for the mid-season, import-spiced conference, Ginebra will have an added big man to help veterans 6-foot-9 Japeth Aguilar and 6-foot-7 Troy Rosario inside the shaded lane.