The man who’s a major stumbling block in Ginebra’s drive for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title recently received a huge compliment when Barangay coach Tim Cone said San Miguel Beer center June Mar Fajardo could play in the NBA.

San Miguel and Ginebra are currently tied in the best-of-7 Finals at a win apiece with Game 3 set at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight. Fajardo, 28, averaged 20.2 points and 12 rebounds before the Finals but in Game 1 which Ginebra won, 127-99, he was held to only 13 points. In Game 2, Fajardo fired 25 points as San Miguel evened the series, 134-109.

Fajardo wasn’t the only PBA player whom Cone singled out as a possibility for the NBA. Cone also mentioned TNT KaTropa’s Jayson Castro and Phoenix’ Matthew Wright.   “If you’re a lights-out shooter like Matthew, you’ve got a chance to make it in the NBA,” said Cone. “Jayson has proved himself as Asia’s best point guard and I think he, too, can play in the NBA.”

Cone was the Alaska Aces coach when his point guard Johnny Abarrientos was approached by Charlotte international scout Joe Betancourt on the possibility of joining the NBA in 1997. Betancourt flew to Manila and conferred with Abarrientos, Cone and FEU team owner Anton Montinola in a suite at the Peninsula Hotel. Betancourt talked about the option of a 10-day contract and said he would push Charlotte coach Dave Cowens into making room for Abarrientos in the roster. But when Betancourt went back to Charlotte, he was informed that Cowens had just signed point guard David Wesley and there was no spot left for Abarrientos.

“It’s all about timing,” said Cone. “Johnny could’ve played in the NBA. But the timing wasn’t right when Betancourt came over.”

In the PBA, Cone said he’s excited about the future prospects of Ginebra with the blossoming of Scottie Thompson, the arrival of Julian Sargent and the activation of Art de la Cruz. Both Sargent and de la Cruz are 26 and Thompson, 25. “A good nickname for Scottie is the Piper because he leads the team in different ways and it’s not just his hustle,” said Cone. “I’ve had my eye on Julian for a while. He’s recovering from a shoulder injury and he should be ready now. Art hasn’t played for us since his trade from Blackwater (in August last year) and had to undergo a second surgery to repair the tear in his Achilles tendon. He’ll start practicing for the third conference and let’s see what happens.” The others in Ginebra’s youth brigade are Jett Manuel, 25, Prince Caperal, 25, Kevin Ferrer, 25 and Aljon Mariano, 25.

On another issue, Cone said enlisting a naturalized import for the national team shouldn’t be discretional. Australia, for instance, brought in two naturalized imports for the third window of the FIBA Asia/Pacific qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup when the rules allow only one but received an exception because South Sudan’s Thon Maker moved to Perth when he was five years old and has lived most of his life in the country. Australia’s other naturalized import was US-born Kevin Lisch.

“Allowing for exceptions is dangerous because it could make the process of decision-making politicized especially if it’s up to the discretion of one person,” said Cone. “When I coached the national team in 1998, we didn’t have a naturalized import and the only Fil-Am in our lineup was Andy Seigle.” Cone was the last Philippine team coach to deliver a medal in basketball at the Asian Games with a bronze in 1998.

On the issue of recruiting foreign athletes in collegiate sports, Cone said it should be given a second thought because the wealthy schools end up with the best imports. “Education is the foremost priority of student-athletes, not playing basketball or whatever sport,” he said. “I don’t agree with collegiate players receiving money for endorsements or TV appearances because it takes away the positive experience of playing for a school. Money becomes the priority, not education.”