Slaughter back sooner than later?

Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone said the other day that 7- foot center Greg Slaughter, recovering from ACL surgery in his right knee, may be back on the court even before the Commissioner’s Cup ends to advance the timetable of his return initially set for the start of the third conference.

“Right now, Greg’s mindset is he’ll be back starting the Governors Cup,” said Cone. “But from the way things look, he could be back as early as the beginning of the Commissioner’s Cup playoffs. Mentally, he’s getting himself ready.” Slaughter went down with the injury last September.

The Commissioner’s Cup opens on March 17, a week after the Philippine Cup ends on March 10, assuming the Finals extend to Game 7. Cone said Ginebra has signed import Justin Brownlee to suit up for the Barangay in both the Commissioner’s and Governors Cup. At 6-5, Brownlee will be at a disadvantage against taller imports as the height limit is 6-10 for the second conference but Cone said the former St. John’s University forward could compensate in other ways.

Cone said Brownlee has a pending offer to play in Israel but chose to return to the PBA after leading Ginebra to the Governors Cup title last season. “If we didn’t sign up Justin for the second conference, we could lose him to Israel for the Governors Cup so we decided to bring him back for both the Commissioner’s and Governors Cups,” said Cone. “He’ll probably be the smallest import in the second conference but that’s not necessarily a mismatch. Justin can hit the outside shot and force other imports to extend their defense out of the paint. He’s quick and he can put the ball on the floor so those are things that he can do better than bigger imports.”

If Slaughter is able to come back in time for the Commissioner’s Cup playoffs as Cone said he could, Ginebra will be tough to beat with Brownlee and Japeth Aguilar the other frontliners.

Cone said the current Ginebra lineup is a balanced mix of youth and experience. Only three players are 35 and over – Joe De Vance, 35, Mark Caguioa, 37 and JayJay Helterbrand, 40. Sol Mercado and L. A. Tenorio are both 32 while Aguilar and Jervy Cruz are both 30. The others are in their 20s – Kevin Ferrer, 23, Scottie Thompson, 23, Aljon Mariano, 24, Paolo Taha, 26, Jammer Jamito, 26, Jericho de Guzman, 27, Dave Marcelo, 28, Chris Ellis, 28 and Slaughter, 28. Players usually start slowing down after turning 35 but De Vance, Caguioa and Helterbrand are exceptions to the rule.

Cone said he’s also happy with the composition of his coaching staff made up of assistants Richard del Rosario, Olsen Racela, Freddie Abuda and Kirk Collier.