THE PBA’s winningest coach is not one to forget those who have contributed to his success.
Main reason why Tim Cone took to Twitter Sunday night to express his deep appreciation and gratitude to two stars who have decided to end their sterling pro careers.
“I loved those two and I hope they know my appreciation!” Cone tweeted, referring to Cyrus Baguio and PJ Simon who played key roles in the master strategist’s title runs with Alaska and San Mig Coffee, respectively.
The tweet was posted by the 23-time champion coach right after reports came out that Baguio has decided to call it quits after playing 17 years in Asia’s pioneering pro league.
The decision, according to Baguio’s agent, Danny Espiritu, was arrived at following last month’s PBA Philippine Cup bubble in Pampanga.
“Pinagbigyan naman siya ng NLEX and nag-usap naman sila ng maayos,” said Espiritu.
The man also called “Skyrus” because of his high-flying acts saw him winning three titles, one of which was the 2010 Fiesta Conference with Alaska then mentored by Cone.
Baguio’s decision to retire for good came months after Simon announced his own retirement via Instagram in late September.
Simon, dubbed as “Super Sub” due to his prolific scoring despite coming off the bench, won five of his total eight championships with Cone, including the rare Grand Slam in 2014.
Baguio and Simon, both 40, were supposed to have their one last hurrah with their mother teams NLEX and Magnolia, respectively, last season. Unfortunately, the pandemic struck, forcing the league to suspend play for over eight months.
It was during that break that Simon made his announcement while Baguio opted out of joining the Road Warriors inside the Clark bubble, citing personal reasons.
Magnolia management is eyeing to retire Simon’s number (8) once it is able to do so in the coming season set to start in April.
There is no word yet as to whether NLEX, including team general manager and coach Yeng Guiao, who took a chance with Baguio while with Red Bull, has a fitting ceremony in store for the acrobatic guard out of UST.
Cone’s Twitter post, no matter how brief, is more than ample.
“It’s sayang that players like PJ and Cyrus didn’t have a chance to play their last year because of the pandemic, and not be able to feel their fan’s appreciation on the court,” he said.
