Much Ado About Nothing

MANILA, Philippines — The reference to Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing” is comically deliberate. Last Sunday, Christian Standhardinger was benched the entire fourth quarter after scoring 21 points and Barangay Ginebra lost a 91-85 decision to Terrafirma in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, fueling speculation that turmoil is brewing in coach Tim Cone’s camp.

Adding spark to the rumor was Cone’s hurried exit out of the venue after the setback which caught fans by surprise considering Terrafirma had beaten Ginebra only once in 22 previous meetings since joining the league in 2014. Cone was visibly displeased at the way Ginebra played and early in the second half, decided to yield the coaching reins to lead assistant Richard del Rosario. It wasn’t the first time Cone took the back seat. In Game 4 of the 2020 Philippine Cup semifinals against Meralco, he did the same thing. The problem was Ginebra wound up losing both contests. But to Cone, winning or losing isn’t the point. Cone always thinks big picture and in his mind, whatever lessons he imparts today will impact the future.

Are things not right with Ginebra? It would appear that way, considering Ginebra is struggling at 3-3, losing three of its last four games. No reason to panic, however. There are five assignments left in Ginebra’s schedule, more than enough ground to recover from a dismal start. It’s precisely the dismal start, in every game, that Cone intends to address. Playing San Miguel Beer two nights before taking on Terrafirma shouldn’t be an excuse for slackening on defense or running on low batt. Cone demands effort on both ends from every player in every second he’s on the floor. A tough schedule is never an excuse for slowing down.

Standhardinger’s absence in the fourth quarter was not an indictment on his performance. Del Rosario explained that since Japeth Aguilar and Sidney Onwubere were leading the charge in the fourth quarter, his call was to ride on their momentum. Even Standhardinger said he’s not miffed by sitting on the bench. It’s the coach’s prerogative whom to play and whom to sit and whatever he decides is for the good of the team. Nothing personal, no offense given or taken. Of course, it’s painful to lose but Standhardinger said Ginebra will bounce back and whatever is asked of him, he’ll do his best to deliver. Ginebra’s next game is against Blackwater on Friday.

All this talk about Ginebra takes away the shine of Terrafirma’s glowing win. The Dyip led for 43 minutes and in the fourth quarter, went up by 13. Coach Johnedel Cardel juggled his players on the court like a card shark and deploying Stephen Holt at the point was a master stroke, matching up against LA Tenorio while leaving Juami Tiongson off the ball. Terrafirma was due and the Dyip roared to get the job done.