Cone ‘offended’ by Baldwin’s remarks, says coaches should not criticize fellow coaches

Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel head coach and former Gilas Pilipinas mentor Tim Cone offered an unsolicited advice for Tab Baldwin after the national team program director declared during a recent online interview that local basketball coaches are ‘tactically immature’.

The remark drew the ire of the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP) as well as other stakeholders of the local basketball community.

Cone, the record-holder for most PBA titles with 22, feels that coaches should stick to helping one another and avoid criticizing each other.

“I was a little offended by the statements,” said the 2-time Grand Slam-winning mentor during an interview with SPIN.ph.

“I just don’t think coaches should criticize other coaches. We are and should be a fraternity and help each other out,” he added.

Cone insisted that coaching in the PBA isn’t as easy as it seems as one has be innovative and creative at the same time.

“And that’s mostly because of the format of three different conferences – no import (All-Filipino), which China, Korea, and Japan don’t have, one big import, and one small import,” explained the former Alaska and Magnolia mentor.

“That totally changes the way you have to coach in each conference. You’re constantly making adjustments and trying to figure out how best to use your personnel through the year. But of course, I am biased since I am a PBA coach as well,” he added.

Baldwin has since reached out to league commissioner Willie Marcial in a bid to smoothen things out.