Tim Cone hails Chris Ross as one of PBA's best leaders

Detailed summary

Tim Cone has seen his fair share of great players and leaders in his nearly four decades in the PBA, but one name stands out among the rest.

Tim Cone has seen his fair share of great players and leaders in his nearly four decades in the PBA, but one name stands out among the rest.

The Barangay Ginebra head coach had nothing but praise for San Miguel's Chris Ross, highlighting the veteran guard's leadership and often-overlooked contributions to the Beermen despite their quarterfinals exit against Cone's Gin Kings in the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup.

Barangay Ginebra raced to a 2-0 lead in its best-of-five quarterfinals affair against San Miguel, but the Beermen fought back by winning the next two games to force a decider.

At several points there, San Miguel looked like it could complete the comeback and steal the series. Cone and Ginebra, however, stepped on the pedal in the fourth period to pull away en route to a 110-94 win on Tuesday.

For Cone, San Miguel would not have been in a position to mount that comeback without Ross' leadership, without taking anything away from nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo and other stars like CJ Perez, Don Trollano, and Jericho Cruz.

Cone even went as far as comparing Ross to Robert Jaworski, the legendary Ginebra figure who was once the face of the franchise and Philippine basketball.

"Well, first of all, let me say something about San Miguel and especially Chris Ross. You know, June Mar has gotten his flowers for a number of years. But I think we have a tendency to disregard Chris Ross' contribution to that team as a leader," Cone said.

"I've been around for 36, 37 years now in the league. I've pretty much seen everybody. And except for the big J himself, I have not seen a better leader than Chris Ross as a player."

Incidentally, Cone's praise came days after Ross and longtime Ginebra deputy Olsen Racela figured in a verbal spat during halftime of Game 4 last Friday.

Opening of the article, excerpted from GMA News. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.