BARANGAY Ginebra head coach Tim Cone is keeping his fingers crossed as wingman Jamie Malonzo figured in a freak accident during the dying seconds of the Gin Kings' 95-88 come-from-behind triumph over NorthPort Sunday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate, Manila.
Scottie Thompson made a long pass from the other side of the court to Malonzo, who appeared to be going for a dunk. But the Filipino American wingman slipped right in front of the Ginebra bench, leaving everyone holding their breath, including Cone.
"We don't know what exactly it (injury) is yet, but he (Malonzo) needs to be carried off the floor after the game. He can't put weight on his leg so we will see what's going on," said Cone during the post-game chat with the media on Sunday night.
The American coach said that he was so concerned with the 6-foot-5 Malonzo that he forgot to shake the hands of NorthPort coach Bonnie Tan after the final buzzer sounded.
"It just happens, literally the last seconds of the basketball game. I didn't get a chance to shake coach Bonnie's hands after the game. We're concerned with Jamie. We had to carry him off the locker room," he said.
Malonzo finished the game with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists, including a rim-rattling, two-handed follow-up slam dunk off Maverick Ahanmisi's botched layup attempt heading into the final two minutes to give Ginebra a 90-85 lead.
Cone said the injury could be calf-related or even Achilles, but he' would rather leave the final medical prognosis to the team's doctor.
"But I'm not a doctor so I don't want to make a prognosis," said the Ginebra mentor, whose team registered back-to-back wins to move up to 5-3 and occupy solo third place in the team standings.
"At this point, he may be out for a few days, and hopefully does not stretch out into weeks or months. We can't afford to lose him," added Cone.
While the Gin Kings suddenly find themselves in solid contention for a top 4 finish, Cone knows the team will just have to adapt the "next-man-up" mentality should Malonzo miss some games.
Thompson had just returned to action after missing games due to injury.
Ginebra's next game will be on Friday against dangerous TNT at the PhilSports Arena.