SAN MIGUEL Beer has become even more formidable with its future starting to solidify with the acquisition of the prolific CJ Perez, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Head Coach Tim Cone warned.
“With San Miguel Beer’s aging core—although that core is still incredibly strong—there’s an obvious need to acquire youth,” Cone told BusinessMirror on Wednesday.
“Now with CJ Perez and [Terrence] Romeo, they have two young guards who can help finish June Mar Fajardo’s prolific career,” Cone said. “Needless to say, they will pose great challenges now and down the road.”
The Beermen acquired Perez, 27, in a controversial trade that saw the team sending Russel Escoto (28 years old), Matt Ganuelas-Rosser (30) and Gelo Alolino (27) plus its first-round pick (No. 8) in the Rookie Draft in March, as well as its first-round pick next year.
Romeo is only 28 years old, but most of San Miguel Beer’s core are not exactly young legs—six-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo is 31, Alex Cabagnot is 38, Marcio Lassiter 33, Moala Tautuaa 31, Chris Ross 35 and Arwind Santos is turning 40 in June.
Cone, the most successful PBA coach with 23 titles, said San Miguel Beer has invested perfectly on its future by bringing in a national team caliber-type of player capable of making the Beermen invincible.
“They continue to be the team to beat,” he said.
Perez was the league’s 2019 Rookie of the Year and chalked up a league-leading 24.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists averages in 11 games for Terrafirma during the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Clark bubble last year.
The Beermen are expected to fight it all out to regain the Philippine Cup which they dominated for five straight seasons bowing out of the quarterfinals of last season’s all-Filipino conference won by Cone and the Gin Kings over the TNT KaTropa.
Fajardo (right leg) and Romeo (shoulder) are expected to be in 100 percent form in the 46th season that starts tentatively in April.
PEREZ LEAVES BUBBLE
CJ PEREZ left the Inspire Sports Academy bubble in Calamba on Tuesday to renew his expired passport, but is expected to return within the week together with 7-foot-3 Zachary “Kai” Sotto, who is already in the country.
BusinessMirror learned Perez would undergo another swab test at the Asian Hospital in Alabang and will be quarantined for one day before returning to the bubble.
Sotto is also undergoing mandatory quarantine before proceeding to the bubble where the national men’s basketball pool is traiming for the third window of the International Basketball Federation Asia Cup Qualifiers in Doha, Qatar, from February 18 to 22.