Tim Cone says Tony Bishop poses serious threat (Sabong News)
Author
Jonas Terrado
Date
APRIL 05 2022
The presence of Meralco import Tony Bishop is expected to provide a different look not only for his team but also Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in their showdown for the PBA Governors’ Cup crown.
Bishop will reinforce the Bolts for their latest championship duel with Gin Kings after being paraded by Allen Durham during the previous three meetings that all ended in defeats.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone said Bishop is going to be a stark contrast to Durham with his additional play in the perimeter compared to the latter’s focus on being an inside presence.
“It poses different challenges than in the past,” Cone said. “Obviously, AD (Durham) was a real dominant force inside and we always had to try and find a way to match up with him and slow him down.
“But you’re doing the same thing with Tony. Tony is just really incredibly versatile and that’s his strength, that you can’t really take anything away from him,” added Cone.
The Bolts’ fortunes couldn’t get any better after facing a quandary prior to the start of the conference when former Shabazz Muhammad, who eventually suited up as a replacement import for San Miguel Beermen, backed out.
Though cooling off after a hot start, Bishop was able to play a major role in Meralco’s return trip to the finals and had no trouble fitting in with the team right from the onset.
“I think we’ve already adjusted to Tony Bishop,” Black said. “When we recruited him, we knew he wasn’t the same type of player as AD, he was more of a perimeter player.
“So we adjusted our offense and defense to accommodate him, and he’s done quite well within our system. So I don’t think there’s any more adjustments to be done. I think he’s used to what we do, and we’re used to him already.”
Bishop’s performance is expected to be one of the subplots going into the series where in Meralco will attempt to finally get one over Ginebra.
Game 1 begins Wednesday, April 6 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s a blessing to be in the finals, especially in my first year in the PBA,” said Bishop. “Just give it our all every single game. We’ll start out strong and continue to play together and just leave it all out there on the basketball court.”
